And now, if you’ll excuse me, the new Tricycle came today. Come to think of it, the Spring 2002 issue of Parabola entitled The Self and I (heh! the things i could tell you about that guy) is rattling around here unexamined as well. I can not imagine being without the dead tree edition of some things. Pax!
"It’s a pisser, isn’t it?" Yes Dave, it sure as hell is.
Happy Birthday Jeff! Today is a dozen thrice for Jeff Cheney! [via garret]
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[Grammys: Album of the Year] The O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. what a fantastic album, er, cd
I’m glad to hear the beginnings of these things from those in Washington, DC. via Eliot at Follow Me Here:
"Resisting Bush’s War: Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D.-OH) becomes the first member of Congress to openly repudiate Bush’s war, the "axis of evil", etc:
"We licensed a response to those who helped bring the terror of September the Eleventh. But we the people and our elected representatives must reserve the right to measure the response, to proportion the response, to challenge the response, and to correct the response.
Because we did not authorize the invasion of Iraq.
We did not authorize the invasion of Iran.
We did not authorize the invasion of North Korea.
We did not authorize the bombing of civilians in Afghanistan.
We did not authorize permanent detainees in Guantanamo Bay.
We did not authorize the withdrawal from the Geneva Convention.
We did not authorize military tribunals suspending due process and habeas corpus.
We did not authorize assassination squads.
We did not authorize the resurrection of COINTELPRO.
We did not authorize the repeal of the Bill of Rights.
We did not authorize the revocation of the Constitution.
We did not authorize national identity cards.
We did not authorize the eye of Big Brother to peer from cameras throughout our cities.
We did not authorize an eye for an eye. Nor did we ask that the blood of innocent people, who perished on September 11, be avenged with the blood of innocent villagers in Afghanistan.
We did not authorize the administration to wage war anytime, anywhere, anyhow it pleases.
We did not authorize war without end.
We did not authorize a permanent war economy…" [AlterNet]"
After stopping by Al and mark’s blogs, I am sorry I did not know about Spike Milligan before.
Craig has a major announcement coming. I suspect I may have one less reason to look at Austin/UT for a Ph.D.
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"Marc Schrier overclocked his dual 1 GHz Power Mac to 1.2 GHz." [Wes]
‘Foodie’ Alert
Last night Audrey treated me to a splendid surprise evening at the Nobu restaurant in the Hard Rock Cafe here in Las Vegas. Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine is new to both of us, but it was wonderful. I’ll add to this later, we’re putting supper on for Audrey’s parents and Aunt. Dr. ‘Liz is coming over too.
Happy Birthday to a legend.
I wasn’t at all sure we would see this one. Johnny Cash turns 70. [Kevin]
Shuttle Mission STS-109
Oh, so very cool information about the upcoming Shuttle Mission STS-109 which is the third Hubble Servicing Mission 3B [SM3B]. I have complete empathy with his excitement. And yes, there will be lots of breath holding during power-up. via Jason at Q Daily News
"The more I read about the upcoming Shuttle mission, the cooler it sounds. The official goal of the mission is to perform routine maintenance and repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope, but nothing about the flight is routine — there will be five spacewalks, each lasting over six hours, and when finished, the Hubble will have entirely new solar arrays. It’ll also have a new camera (with over 10 times the resolving power as the old one), a new cooling system to revive the long-dormant infrared camera, and a new power unit. That last one is the cause of the greatest complexity; in order to replace the old unit, the Hubble will have to be powered completely down, for the first time ever. (Quietly, engineers are holding their breath, hoping that the telescope powers back up without incident.)" [Q]
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Much Appreciated!
Alwin posted some concise pointers to Kid’s Ear Infection Stuff:
"Mayo Clinic: Middle Ear Infections In Children. High bandwidth, but good.
Earaches In Children, a presentation from the American Academy Of Family Practitioners. A lot easier on the bandwidth pipe.
"Good" Bacteria in Nasal Spray May Reduce Ear Infections in High-Risk Children. It’s over a year old and I haven’t heard of a commercial product yet.
American Academy Of Pediatrics algorithm for treating otitis media with effusion. For healthy kids 1-3 years of age."
Another job perk.
I will be attending Advanced Photoshop 6.0 training, the third of three classes, today. It has been extremely useful to learn so much about this application. You can get so much more done (and it even looks better!) if you know how to do something instead of relying on methods derived from trial and error. 
Good Morning. For the last four days the Sun has appeared through rose and purple clouds. It has been quite nice to watch. If we did not have a 250kV line in the way, I would post some pics. Today it is clear and the local NPR affiliate informs me that "the high pressure ridge has moved through southern Nevada." I suspect that will mean that moderate winds (25-40 mph/40-65 kph) will be our companion for the next several days. And dust. LOTS of dust. It’s a lively planet.
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[NY Times] Bush Proposing to Shift Burden of Toxic Cleanups to Taxpayers [via Rafé]:
"Faced with dwindling reserves in the huge account that gave the Superfund waste cleanup program its name, the Bush administration has decided to designate fewer sites for restoration and to shift the bulk of the costs from industry to taxpayers."
"Survivor Woods: A passionate approach to preserving and restoring America’s historic and rare surviving woods." [Jeff’s Weblog]
Audrey’s parents are in town along with her Aunt. They watched Ian while she and I met up with SirDeath to see A Beautiful Mind and Gosford Park. Both are highly recommend. It was the socond time around for both movies for SD, but he was kind enough to accompany us.
Ian got his third shot of Rocephin this morning. Hopefully this will knock this infection down for good. He is finally doing better, a relief for all concerned. This is probably routine for the other parents out there. Thanks for tolerating the furrow-browed musings of this new Dad.
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I’ll close today with Dennis Mahoney’s How to Write a Better Weblog at A List Apart. [Eliot]
It has been a pleasant day. The weather has been fantastic, I spent the whole day with Ian including a trip to the Doctor for the second of three daily shots of Rocephin, and an evening of the Olympics on TV. I’ve complained about the coverage, but have to say, on near-hindsight, overall it has been OK. I was impressed that cross-country skiing got as much coverage as it did today, and was very happy to see the results of the 500m short-track speed skating. I love it when someone finally earns a long sought medal at the close of their career. This far, I have safely resisted the temptation to resolve to get into Olympic class physical shape after watching so many inspiring performances. Tha tmay be a first. Now that the Winter Olympics are almost over, I probably won’t pay much attention to sports until the Tour de France.
On the weblog side of life (where I really don’t tinker too much under the hood), Jake got a counter for the number of comments people have posted, in response to your weblog posts going for those of us using Radio. Thanks Jake! I enabled comments in Radio last night and set blivet radio’s comment server over here at blivet’s server today. I can follow simple directions and cut and paste code with the best of them! I fail, however, to understand how I can write advanced scripts for GIS programs, yet my brain maintains Radio silence. Oh well, that’s OK.
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Cartoon legend Chuck Jones has died.
Absolutely my favorite cartoon artist. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Marvin the Martian, Foghorn Leghorn, Wiley E. Coyote and the Roadrunner are just a few of the creations of his gifted pen and brush. PBS ran Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation on Great Performances in November of 2000. Chuck, thanks for giving us so much.
Very nice… The Miniature Earth (flash). You’ve probably seen it before. [Pat at Forty-two (blog)]
garret is seeking that mysterious compound slack, to increase his slackosity. Sounds like a job for J. R. ‘Bob’ Dobbs to me.
I have been thining about the Olymipc coverage as I have watched, or not been able to watch, the various events. I think Rafe expresses it well about TV coverage of the Olympics.
"My thinking is that the IOC should not sell exclusive rights to the whole Olympics. I know that they raise a ton of cash with the current rights system, but it seems like an alternative system could be created that was also a cash cow and yet led to better coverage. Perhaps they could sell rights to each individual event, and see what happens. NBC could shell out the big bucks for the opening and closing ceremonies, figure skating, and some of the other ratings monsters, and they could leave things like Nordic skiing and curling to people that give a crap about them." [rc3.org daily]
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Not that I think being catty is a good thing, I don’t. The PMP person known as below was the subject of past rants. Frankly, no one laments their absence on the project. PMP sucked and people can still detect it from a distance!
From a meant-to-be-overheard conversation at work between a newer person (#1) who came in just before a previous manangement person (PMP) was … defenestrated and a person (#2) who has been here for several years:
#1: So, what was the deal with PMP? Man, she was scary.
#2: Yeah, PMP could be pretty intimidating…
#1: No, I mean scary scary - like, people saying "what the f* is up with PMP" scary.
#2 (holding cards closer to the vest): Scary. What do…
#1: I mean scary like Tammy Faye Baker and Joan Crawford meet Beetlejuice scary. You know, like that scene where Beetlejuice is sitting in the back and he is asked, "so, can you be scary?" and his eyes pop out and stuff? Scary like that.
Cool! The new person is one of us!
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I just heard on the news that today is the 40th anniversary of John Glenn’s historic first human orbital space flight in Friendship 7.
What D&D Character Are You?
No real surprise here, though I didn’t answer as a D&D character, which I guess is the point. [Also via Doug at Erehwon Notebook]
I Am A: Neutral Good Elf Ranger Druid
Alignment:
Neutral Good characters believe in the power of good above all else. They will work to make the world a better place, and will do whatever is necessary to bring that about, whether it goes for or against whatever is considered ‘normal’.Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existence.Primary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.Secondary Class:
Druids are a special variety of Cleric who serves the Earth, and can call upon the power in the earth to accomplish their goals. They tend to be somewhat fanatical about defending natural settings.Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy of NeppyMan!
[Later:] SirDeath is sooo the BOFH…
Neutral Evil Elf Fighter Mage
Alignment:
Neutral Evil characters believe in Number One. Their personal gain takes precedence over all else, and they will work with whomever necessary and whatever institutions necessary to further their own goals.Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existence.Primary Class:
Fighters are the warriors. They use weapons to accomplish their goals. This isn’t to say that they aren’t intelligent, but that they do, in fact, believe that violence is frequently the answer.Secondary Class:
Mages harness the magical energies for their own use. Spells, spell books, and long hours in the library are their loves. While often not physically strong, their mental talents can make up for this.
Yes, YES, YES! Doug starts off with Media Player, but then jumps out to the larger picture and I couldn’t agree more. Any attempts for an excerpt would just disappoint all involved.
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I also feel like the luckiest geek alive. [increasingly belated sentiment via Pat at Forty-two (who was not belated)]
Yea! papascott and mamamaus are back. The good folks at UserLand got Subhonker4 back up and things are humming again.
This is one of those ‘too much information’ tangents that will probably only make sense to me, so if you skip ahead a couple of text blocks I won’t be offended… I’m having a hard time parsing the various discussions about CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), which, of course, is one of the ways to present content on the web. My personal problem comes from being over-familiar with the markedly similar acronym CCS which is used by Archaeologists - especially that most peculiar beast, the lithic analyst - and Geologists to refer to crypto-crystalline silicate, of which chert, Jasper, and chalcedony are some of the types I deal with on a very regular basis.
So, almost every time I see CSS I read it as CCS and fork off to what I think is non-sequitur land where my brain locks up. Bzzt! Huh? Then have to find my way back into the article. Some of these articles take a bit of deliberate mental redirection to get through. Of course, I could just be trying to do too many things at once. Nah. I just need to bump my mental bandwidth back up.
Oh, how I love reading View from the Heart, Alwin cuts to the chase so well.
Dietary supplements made old rats youthful and may help rejuvenate aging humans … "It should be noted, however, that with a very few exceptions, rats are not people."
On Monday, Adobe is expected to introduce Photoshop 7 with native support for OS X. Full price is $650 ($130 upgrade). [MacNN via garret] Adventurous OS X users may also wish to consider compiling GIMP.
Ian had his four-month checkup this morning. He is now 25 inches long (63 cm), weighs 16 pounds, 13 ounces (7.63 kg), and his head has a circumference of 44 cm. Sadly, he couldn’t get his vaccinations because he still has an ear infection. So, now we will be giving him Cipro-based ear drops (yi!) and yet another oral antibiotic (I missed the name on the phone). This whole infection and treatment thing has become rather disquieting. Don’t misunderstand, I think the doctor is doing a good job, I just want the infection to be gone. The idea of Ian’s first infection being some sort of über-resistant bacillus bothers his Dad. Vaccinations will happen as soon as this infection is gone.
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