I was cleaning my desk and came across the printout of the following essay. At first I couldn't find it on my computer, but then I did as a WriteNow document. I was able to get a scrambled version with Word and edited it to its original form. I originally wrote it 2000-08-03 for a Split Rock class at UMD, “Personal Essay Seminar” with Bill Holm.
What is it you remember of “memorable” meals: the food, the place, the guests, or the conversation? I find that I remember the place and where I sat more than anything else. I may remember the guests, especially family members. Sometimes I remember the food. Rarely do I remember the conversation.
I can remember sitting with my wife and children on the terrace of a restaurant on the road between Rome and Naples eating a fish of some sort. I don’t remember the name of the fish, only that it was a small, whole fish that I ate without a bit of squeamishness, an achievement that I felt proud of. But I remember better the terrace above the road and the road above the sea which was about a mile away, each being separated from the other by a bright, green band of trees which we looked down on.
I can remember sitting in another outdoor restaurant near Pompei on the same trip. I remember that we sat in the ell of the building with a trellis overhead. I don’t remember the food but I remember that we drank Lacrima Christi (Tears of Christ), a pleasant white wine.
I can remember eating Wiener Schnitzel, pommes frites, und gemichste salat at a restaurant in Basel, Switzerland. I should remember as I ate there frequently and selected that food most of the time. I was alone and sat at one of many sanded tables. I may have had the table to myself or if the restaurant was crowded I would share it with strangers.
I can remember eating lutefisk for the first and only time in an office building in Sweden. I didn’t like the lutefisk. My Swedish colleagues chose something else from the menu.
If I remember the food, I remember little of its texture and taste. The place is much more memorable. My position at the table, the position of the table in the room, the decor of the room, the neighborhood of the restaurant. Why is this?
Do we remember more by sight than taste because we spend so much time navigating with our eyes? How rare is it that we move toward a smell? We may turn into a restaurant because of the good smells coming from it, but we didn’t criss-cross a neighborhood like a predator sniffing the air for prey. We first went through the neighborhood using our eyes to find our way. I remember loving to walk or drive by a commercial bakery, feasting with my nose on the invigorating smell of fresh-baked bread. But I got to the area using my eyes, not my nose. I wouldn’t be able to smell the bakery three blocks away.
Great chefs and good cooks understand the importance of sight in appreciating food.
Bör dock ögonen ha sin spis och födo till fyllnad.
Yet must the eyes have their nourishment and feed until filled.
A Swedish chef lays out a smörgåsbord as a series of platters and dishes in a pattern suggesting the appropriate order to select groups of dishes. Silver herring, golden cheese, and dark hard bread. Red salmon, green parsley, and yellow lemon. White chicken, brown paté, and red tomatoes. Golden flounder, pink sausage, and green beans. Red berries, yellow melon, and ginger cookies.
The staff of a Japanese ryokan serves dinner and breakfast in a dozen lacquered dishes for each person. Most of the items have bright colors and they lay out the dishes in a specific pattern. A clear soup with red snapper and green onions. A slice of golden rolled omelet with green daikon. Chilled white tofu with black sesame seeds. White and green cabbage with dark shitake mushrooms. They hide the workaday electric rice cooker and airpot of tea on the floor at the end of the table.
A German cook piles a plate from edge to edge with meat, potatoes, and vegetables. The large servings suggest abundance and encourage Guten Appetit!
A French chef places a few ingredients on each plate of a many course dinner. The chef balances the flavors and the appearance. The small servings suggest that the dish is to be savored slowly.
On the negative side, one of our friends turned our stomachs off just with how the food looked on the plate - burnt chicken with mushy canned peas and lumpy potatoes.
We also remember the service we receive.
At a Holiday Inn we ordered lunch at a busy time. We placed our order and soon after a waitress served my wife’s food, our kid’s food, and my bottle of beer. A couple came to a nearby table. They ordered. A waitress served their food. The couple ate, paid, and left. My wife and kids finished their food. For forty-five minutes I tapped my foot and twiddled my thumbs, but nobody brought my sandwich. I said we were leaving. As we stood up, a waitress pushed a cart with sandwich came through the door but I ignored her. I told the hostess that I would pay for my family’s food and my beer but not my sandwich. I felt an immense power when I noticed that her hand shook more than my voice.
At a restaurant outside Rome eight of us had had a reasonably pleasant meal and good conversation. When we were ready to leave we asked the waiter, “Il conto, prego” (the bill, please). He replied, “Subito” (right away). Five minutes later, we asked, “Il conto, prego.” He replied, “Subito.” And again, “Il conto, prego.” “Subito.” And yet again, and again. After about twenty minutes, we all stood up and started to leave. The waiter wrote the bill subito!
At a restaurant near the Houston space center, the service was impeccable. As soon as I finished a course, the waiter would appear, remove the dish, and bring the next course.
This little exercise is bringing back so many memories of memorable meals. I do remember many tastes but almost all of them are associated with place.
I remember eating kielbasa in the train station in Budapest but neither the flavor or the texture. But I can still taste the Polish sausage from the Twin Ports Brewing Co. in Superior, Wisconsin.
I can remember the melted ice cream sandwich that still held its shape but not where I contemplated eating it. I can remember sitting in our dining room savoring every spoonful of Ben & Jerry’s The World’s Best Vanilla Ice Cream, the only ice cream worthy of the name “ice cream”.
I can remember the calamari at a long-gone Thai restaurant on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis; it was so hot that it made my eyes and nose run. I can remember picking jalapeño peppers from our garden in Plymouth and nibbling them as I took them to the house; “Ooh, that’s hot! Mmm, that’s good! I’ll have another bite.”
This is making me too hungry to continue. My wife just came back from the deli with supper. I’m going to check out what she bought.
Postscript: The deli food was so-so veggie stuff but she also bought a fresh, locally-grown, organic beefsteak tomato, picked fresh raspberries from a co-worker’s yard, and bought Ben & Jerry’s The World’s Best Vanilla Ice Cream!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Is Gov. Charlie Crist really an independent?
Given that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has been leaning towards Marco Rubio for the upcoming Florida Senatorial election, Gov. Charlie Crist is considering filing as an independent. As one who would like to see the Republicans behave with more of the individual freedom that the Party espouses, I would be very interested to see Crist run as an independent.
But how independent is Crist? If you look at his campaign contributors, I would say not very much. Open Secrets lists several corporate contributors as giving him more than $30,000. In contrast, Marco Rubio has two contributors giving more than $30,000.
My wife pointed out that if I believe people who can't vote for a candidate shouldn't contribute, then should I comment on people who I can't vote for. OK, dear! I'll make some comments about candidates closer to home, especially an Independence Party candidate.
Tim Olson was elected by the Eighth District Independence Party Convention to go against long-time Democratic Representative Jim Oberstar. See http://www.timberjay.com/detail/6813.html. From what Timberjay reported of his speech, he sounds more like a Tea Party candidate than a person with some independence.
I went to Open Secrets to check on Olson's campaign contributions. He is not listed, but Oberstar and some Republican contenders are listed. Oberstar really takes the cake for non-voter contributions. Six of his top ten contributors are unions. Granted, some of the union members can vote for Oberstar, but what portion of the membership of the contributing unions are they? In the top twenty of his contributors are the PACs for American Waterways Operators, American Council of Engineering Companies, and Associated General Contractors. Do I smell pork?
I think I'll be casting a blank ballot for Congress this November. It's the only way to vote for none of the above.
But how independent is Crist? If you look at his campaign contributors, I would say not very much. Open Secrets lists several corporate contributors as giving him more than $30,000. In contrast, Marco Rubio has two contributors giving more than $30,000.
My wife pointed out that if I believe people who can't vote for a candidate shouldn't contribute, then should I comment on people who I can't vote for. OK, dear! I'll make some comments about candidates closer to home, especially an Independence Party candidate.
Tim Olson was elected by the Eighth District Independence Party Convention to go against long-time Democratic Representative Jim Oberstar. See http://www.timberjay.com/detail/6813.html. From what Timberjay reported of his speech, he sounds more like a Tea Party candidate than a person with some independence.
I went to Open Secrets to check on Olson's campaign contributions. He is not listed, but Oberstar and some Republican contenders are listed. Oberstar really takes the cake for non-voter contributions. Six of his top ten contributors are unions. Granted, some of the union members can vote for Oberstar, but what portion of the membership of the contributing unions are they? In the top twenty of his contributors are the PACs for American Waterways Operators, American Council of Engineering Companies, and Associated General Contractors. Do I smell pork?
I think I'll be casting a blank ballot for Congress this November. It's the only way to vote for none of the above.
Monday, April 19, 2010
By all means let us return to the intent of the Founders
But be careful what you ask for!
"The intent of the Founders" is one of the rallying cries of the Tea Parties and others who are unhappy with certain events in Washington. One of their charges is that health care is not in the Constitution; therefore health care legislation is unconstitutional. But the U.S. Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance are not mentioned in the Constitution, does that mean they are unconstitutional?
The Founders were against standing armies. In his Farewell Address, George Washington said, "they will avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty…" Yet some of those who want to follow the intent of the Founders, want an even larger military (without paying taxes for it).
One of the intent of the Founders was for Congress to establish post offices and post roads. I wonder if the Founders would have called for the privatization of the Post Office. This same section of the Constitution gives Congress the power "To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions". I wonder if gun-toting Tea Partiers realize that the Founders might consider them insurrectionists!!
One thing the Founders seem to have that few anywhere on the political map seem to have - humility. Unlike partisans of all stripes who think they have all the answers, the Founders knew that they couldn't foresee how the country would develop. Therefore, the Founders charged Congress with making specific laws and included in the Constitution the mechanisms for amending the Constitution.
Sources:
U.S. Constitution - http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/constitution.html
George Washington's Farewell Address - http://www.100megspop3.com/bark/Beware.html
"The intent of the Founders" is one of the rallying cries of the Tea Parties and others who are unhappy with certain events in Washington. One of their charges is that health care is not in the Constitution; therefore health care legislation is unconstitutional. But the U.S. Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance are not mentioned in the Constitution, does that mean they are unconstitutional?
The Founders were against standing armies. In his Farewell Address, George Washington said, "they will avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty…" Yet some of those who want to follow the intent of the Founders, want an even larger military (without paying taxes for it).
One of the intent of the Founders was for Congress to establish post offices and post roads. I wonder if the Founders would have called for the privatization of the Post Office. This same section of the Constitution gives Congress the power "To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions". I wonder if gun-toting Tea Partiers realize that the Founders might consider them insurrectionists!!
One thing the Founders seem to have that few anywhere on the political map seem to have - humility. Unlike partisans of all stripes who think they have all the answers, the Founders knew that they couldn't foresee how the country would develop. Therefore, the Founders charged Congress with making specific laws and included in the Constitution the mechanisms for amending the Constitution.
Sources:
U.S. Constitution - http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/constitution.html
George Washington's Farewell Address - http://www.100megspop3.com/bark/Beware.html
More on the compromise with Flat Earthers
When I wrote my out-of-Focus coffee friend about the compromise with Flat Earthers, he responded that Mt. Everest was one of the corners of the cube.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Paper, scissors, rock ain't so!
Many of you know the game of paper, scissors, rock. Two players hold their hands behind their back and on the count of three put out a flat hand, two fingers extended, or a fist, representing paper, scissors, or rock. Assuming the players display a different hand, the player displaying the "stronger" hand gets to whack the other player's hand. The circular hierarchy is paper covers rock, scissors cut paper, and rock breaks scissors.
This hierarchy doesn't always hold. The most obvious is that rock can hold down paper. How about that paper wears down scissors? You can see it when your scissors need sharpening after years of cutting paper. Or a razor blade gets dull cutting whiskers.
I saw it big another way last week. I checked the blade on our chipper. It had many knocks in its edge, including a one-sixteenth chip. All that has gone through the chipper is wood, no stones or other hard debris. Paper is made from wood. That wood, all from softwood trees, wore out a high-quality steel blade. All in probably less than 20 hours of use.
This hierarchy doesn't always hold. The most obvious is that rock can hold down paper. How about that paper wears down scissors? You can see it when your scissors need sharpening after years of cutting paper. Or a razor blade gets dull cutting whiskers.
I saw it big another way last week. I checked the blade on our chipper. It had many knocks in its edge, including a one-sixteenth chip. All that has gone through the chipper is wood, no stones or other hard debris. Paper is made from wood. That wood, all from softwood trees, wore out a high-quality steel blade. All in probably less than 20 hours of use.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Why was my site suddenly so popular?
When I checked the statistics on my web site this morning I was surprised to see over 100 hits for Thursday. Gosh! I've been lucky to get 10-15 a day.
When I looked at the details, I found there were 65 hits for "Once Upon a Lake", a fable about the rise and fall of the fortunes of the city of Toulouse.
Was this only a few people looking at the page several times or was it a lot of people looking at it? Did somebody make a reference on a more popular site than mine? If so, it was in a chat room and not on a Google-searchable site. The only reference I found was for the page itself.
When I looked at the details, I found there were 65 hits for "Once Upon a Lake", a fable about the rise and fall of the fortunes of the city of Toulouse.
Was this only a few people looking at the page several times or was it a lot of people looking at it? Did somebody make a reference on a more popular site than mine? If so, it was in a chat room and not on a Google-searchable site. The only reference I found was for the page itself.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Auto nameplate humor
An English-born friend has lost most of his English accent, but he still retains some figures of speech. One of these is "in hospital" rather than "in the hospital".
He drives a Ford Focus, and so I couldn't resist saying that he was "in Focus" or "out of Focus" when he was driving or not driving.
Yesterday I saw a certain Honda vehicle and thought of the following joke.
"I hear you've traded in your Ford for a Honda. You're now out of Focus and in your Element."
Another of our coffee pals thought of the following after the Focus owner left.
"I hear you've traded in your Ford for a Nissan. You're now out of Focus and in Infiniti."
He drives a Ford Focus, and so I couldn't resist saying that he was "in Focus" or "out of Focus" when he was driving or not driving.
Yesterday I saw a certain Honda vehicle and thought of the following joke.
"I hear you've traded in your Ford for a Honda. You're now out of Focus and in your Element."
Another of our coffee pals thought of the following after the Focus owner left.
"I hear you've traded in your Ford for a Nissan. You're now out of Focus and in Infiniti."
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Bad news, good news!
The Weather Channel and others predicted rain for today. But we had mostly blue skies today. Instead of periodically sitting inside waiting for the weather to clear, we were out and about and chipped a humongous pile of brush.
No rain means that our well level will stay too low to be usable; we'll have to bring water from Duluth. But because it is so dry there are fewer bugs. I think we had one fly today in our cabin and zero bugs outside.
Climate change can mean more violent weather. We had quite a few blowdowns this year. But, given fallen tree tops and small trees blown over, we don't have to fell bigger trees for firewood.
When life gives your lemons, make lemonade. But don't put too much sugar in the lemonade, you'll raise your cholesterol.
No rain means that our well level will stay too low to be usable; we'll have to bring water from Duluth. But because it is so dry there are fewer bugs. I think we had one fly today in our cabin and zero bugs outside.
Climate change can mean more violent weather. We had quite a few blowdowns this year. But, given fallen tree tops and small trees blown over, we don't have to fell bigger trees for firewood.
When life gives your lemons, make lemonade. But don't put too much sugar in the lemonade, you'll raise your cholesterol.
Friday, April 09, 2010
Lock tight with Loctite
As I walked along one of our paths the brush was over the path right at eye level. I planned to go back and forth on that section a lot today and decided to cut it back. It was a patch of brush that had long bothered us and I thought I'd cut it all out. So, I got nippers, draw saw, chain saw, and wheeled trimmer with a saw blade.
We nipped and we sawed and we wheeled. We gathered all the cuttings up and piled them for later chipping. As I was moving the wheeled trimmer back and forth suddenly the handle felt all wrong. The upper handle on one side was no longer attached to the lower handle. Oh, no! The tightening knob had fallen off.
We looked and looked around our work area in vain. I went to one previous work area while my wife went to another farther away. I didn't find the knob. I went in to call Denny's Lawn and Garden to order another. I pulled out the manual to get the part number. I picked up the cordless phone to call and wondered if Denny's number was in the handset directory. It wasn't. I fiddled and faddled with putting the number in. Once I got in, I couldn't bring the number up. Just then my wife hollered from outside, "I found it!"
She had gone along the path past our work area without success. When she came back, the sun was at the right angle to reflect off the metal threads of the knob. Whew! We could continue using trimmer for the day.
I got out my tube of Threadlocker Blue and applied it to the bolts on each side and cranked down the knobs as tight as I could. Now, it should require a good grip or a ViseGrip to get the knobs off.
I should know better. This is the third time that a pre-assembled piece of equipment has had nuts come loose.
I had a sickle mower that wore parts out because of loose nuts or the nuts would disappear in the grass. I had to use it with a 13mm socket wrench in my pocket to tighten the nuts frequently. Finally, I put Loctite on them each time I changed the blade and had few, if any, problems with lost nuts thereafter.
I bought a trailer mounted chipper and shortly after I started using it, one of the tail lights became loose. The nut had disappeared. I better fix that light before I haul the chipper back for any service.
Maybe I will learn to put a thread-locker compound on all potentially loose nuts on any pre-assembled equipment that shakes, rattles, or rolls. Hah! Maybe I should ask the assembling store if they have used Loctite. Hah! That will probably cut their margins.
We nipped and we sawed and we wheeled. We gathered all the cuttings up and piled them for later chipping. As I was moving the wheeled trimmer back and forth suddenly the handle felt all wrong. The upper handle on one side was no longer attached to the lower handle. Oh, no! The tightening knob had fallen off.
We looked and looked around our work area in vain. I went to one previous work area while my wife went to another farther away. I didn't find the knob. I went in to call Denny's Lawn and Garden to order another. I pulled out the manual to get the part number. I picked up the cordless phone to call and wondered if Denny's number was in the handset directory. It wasn't. I fiddled and faddled with putting the number in. Once I got in, I couldn't bring the number up. Just then my wife hollered from outside, "I found it!"
She had gone along the path past our work area without success. When she came back, the sun was at the right angle to reflect off the metal threads of the knob. Whew! We could continue using trimmer for the day.
I got out my tube of Threadlocker Blue and applied it to the bolts on each side and cranked down the knobs as tight as I could. Now, it should require a good grip or a ViseGrip to get the knobs off.
I should know better. This is the third time that a pre-assembled piece of equipment has had nuts come loose.
I had a sickle mower that wore parts out because of loose nuts or the nuts would disappear in the grass. I had to use it with a 13mm socket wrench in my pocket to tighten the nuts frequently. Finally, I put Loctite on them each time I changed the blade and had few, if any, problems with lost nuts thereafter.
I bought a trailer mounted chipper and shortly after I started using it, one of the tail lights became loose. The nut had disappeared. I better fix that light before I haul the chipper back for any service.
Maybe I will learn to put a thread-locker compound on all potentially loose nuts on any pre-assembled equipment that shakes, rattles, or rolls. Hah! Maybe I should ask the assembling store if they have used Loctite. Hah! That will probably cut their margins.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
The friendly IRS
Tonight I had another encounter with a friendly government employee. Some people consider that an oxymoron, but I have often found that people employed to give service generally give good service, whether in government or private enterprise.
I had difficulty finding the PDF for a tax schedule at www.irs.gov. I could find the instructions for it but not the form itself. I finally went to the help page, looked up the number for the web page help desk, and dialed it. With two more numbers I reached a very friendly fellow in one ring, and he led me to the form in two steps.
I should have asked if he was a government employee or a contractor. Whatever, somebody on the government side was responsible for being sure those on the front line were friendly.
I had difficulty finding the PDF for a tax schedule at www.irs.gov. I could find the instructions for it but not the form itself. I finally went to the help page, looked up the number for the web page help desk, and dialed it. With two more numbers I reached a very friendly fellow in one ring, and he led me to the form in two steps.
I should have asked if he was a government employee or a contractor. Whatever, somebody on the government side was responsible for being sure those on the front line were friendly.
Death and Life in the Wild
Warning: a graphic image follows.
We didn't want to move it off the path or otherwise touch it. We went back to our cabin to call a friend who has several sled dogs. I left a message for her that she could have some free dog meat with a deer hide thrown in. We went back out and continued on to our intended salvage site.
We worked there for about an hour and went back to our cabin. When we got to the meadow, the carcass was gone. All that was left was the stomach and intestines. We thought our friend had picked up the carcass. However, I thought it strange that there were no tire marks.
Later in the afternoon our friend returned our call. She hadn't come over at all! Apparently the wolf pack had come back and dismembered the deer completely. We saw some beaten down grass but didn't see it leading anywhere.
Later yet, I heard a moose bellow and then a wolf howl. I pulled out my camera and turned it on to video to capture the sounds, but I only got a couple of wolf howls. Click here for the video. They are probably a quarter to a half mile away. Very haunting.
My wife and I were going to the back of our Brimson property to salvage some downed trees for firewood. She was walking ahead of me, and when she got near a clearing she said, "There's a dead deer on the path." As I drew close, I saw the carcass with blood and big tufts of hair all around.
We didn't want to move it off the path or otherwise touch it. We went back to our cabin to call a friend who has several sled dogs. I left a message for her that she could have some free dog meat with a deer hide thrown in. We went back out and continued on to our intended salvage site.
We worked there for about an hour and went back to our cabin. When we got to the meadow, the carcass was gone. All that was left was the stomach and intestines. We thought our friend had picked up the carcass. However, I thought it strange that there were no tire marks.
Later in the afternoon our friend returned our call. She hadn't come over at all! Apparently the wolf pack had come back and dismembered the deer completely. We saw some beaten down grass but didn't see it leading anywhere.
Later yet, I heard a moose bellow and then a wolf howl. I pulled out my camera and turned it on to video to capture the sounds, but I only got a couple of wolf howls. Click here for the video. They are probably a quarter to a half mile away. Very haunting.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
My foot in the door
Every 10 years the Minneapolis Art Institute and the Minnesota Artists Exhibit Program hold an exhibit open to all Minnesota artists. It is called "Foot in the Door" and the only requirements are that the work fit in a cubic foot and the artist is from Minnesota. This year they had nearly 5,000 submissions and had to turn many away.
For more info, see MIA - Foot in the Door 4.
I submitted one of my photos and it is at 260-04. Here is it in context:
It is the fourth picture down in the third column from the right. If you would like to see the picture by itself, see "Two Towers, Duluth, Minnesota".
Nobody's in a rush to buy it; it have no votes a favorite at the Foot and Door site. But, hey, I'm in it for fun and profit is only a dream. Besides, if it were profitable, I would have to work harder.
For more info, see MIA - Foot in the Door 4.
I submitted one of my photos and it is at 260-04. Here is it in context:
It is the fourth picture down in the third column from the right. If you would like to see the picture by itself, see "Two Towers, Duluth, Minnesota".
Nobody's in a rush to buy it; it have no votes a favorite at the Foot and Door site. But, hey, I'm in it for fun and profit is only a dream. Besides, if it were profitable, I would have to work harder.
Chains vs. independents
On Monday I was reminded of one great advantage independent stores have over mammoth chains.
The dermatology dept. at SMDC has been very adamant about my using Vanicream and only Vanicream for my allergy prone skin. I have bought the 1-lb. jars to use at home and the tubes for the cabin and travel. When we went to the Twin Cities this past weekend I didn't want to carry the big jar and thought I'd pick up a tube at Walgreens.
Surprise! The Superior St. Walgreens didn't even have a slot for it on their shelves. I tried again at the Roseville Walgreens, same story. I tried a Walgreens on W. 7th Blvd. in St. Paul; I even asked about it. A supervisor said that a dollar difference could pull an item; I assume she meant that a change in margin would determine if an item would be stocked or not. I tried a CVS; they didn't even carry it. I tried an independent pharmacy; they had a space for it but were out of stock.
As we headed for the Target in Roseville, we saw Arden Pharmacy on our left. We would try that on our way back. Target had no tubes of Vanicream, but it took lots of walking and looking in two different places to determine that.
OK, last try at Arden Pharmacy! Bingo! They had four tubes on the shelf! I was tempted to buy all four but settled for one. After all, I can buy it at Falk's in Duluth. Unfortunately, all the Falk's on our itinerary are closed on Sunday's and so I didn't buy it before we left.
If you need a huge selection of popular items, chains can be a boon. But if you want to have your favorite items year after year, be sure to frequent the independent, local stores who will do their best to meet your needs.
The dermatology dept. at SMDC has been very adamant about my using Vanicream and only Vanicream for my allergy prone skin. I have bought the 1-lb. jars to use at home and the tubes for the cabin and travel. When we went to the Twin Cities this past weekend I didn't want to carry the big jar and thought I'd pick up a tube at Walgreens.
Surprise! The Superior St. Walgreens didn't even have a slot for it on their shelves. I tried again at the Roseville Walgreens, same story. I tried a Walgreens on W. 7th Blvd. in St. Paul; I even asked about it. A supervisor said that a dollar difference could pull an item; I assume she meant that a change in margin would determine if an item would be stocked or not. I tried a CVS; they didn't even carry it. I tried an independent pharmacy; they had a space for it but were out of stock.
As we headed for the Target in Roseville, we saw Arden Pharmacy on our left. We would try that on our way back. Target had no tubes of Vanicream, but it took lots of walking and looking in two different places to determine that.
OK, last try at Arden Pharmacy! Bingo! They had four tubes on the shelf! I was tempted to buy all four but settled for one. After all, I can buy it at Falk's in Duluth. Unfortunately, all the Falk's on our itinerary are closed on Sunday's and so I didn't buy it before we left.
If you need a huge selection of popular items, chains can be a boon. But if you want to have your favorite items year after year, be sure to frequent the independent, local stores who will do their best to meet your needs.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Lucky us!!!
We went to the Twin Cities for the past two nights. As we drove out the alley I wondered if I had closed the garage door. I backed up to double check and saw that I had.
When we returned today, my wife took a few things to the back door and was rummaging in her purse for her keys. I followed with a couple of bags, noticed what she was doing, and said, "Look at the door!"
She wondered what I was talking about because she was to the side of the door and could only see the storm door. I said, "The back door is open!"
It was at about a 45 degree angle. Apparently the last one out hadn't drawn the door all the way shut and the wind had blown it open.
Lucky us that no opportunistic thief was roaming the neighborhood. Unlucky us that we had a somewhat cold house and will have a bigger gas bill next month. Lucky us that it wasn't colder and we had some pipes freeze.
When we returned today, my wife took a few things to the back door and was rummaging in her purse for her keys. I followed with a couple of bags, noticed what she was doing, and said, "Look at the door!"
She wondered what I was talking about because she was to the side of the door and could only see the storm door. I said, "The back door is open!"
It was at about a 45 degree angle. Apparently the last one out hadn't drawn the door all the way shut and the wind had blown it open.
Lucky us that no opportunistic thief was roaming the neighborhood. Unlucky us that we had a somewhat cold house and will have a bigger gas bill next month. Lucky us that it wasn't colder and we had some pipes freeze.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
The coming rebuilding of I-35 in Duluth
A letter writer to the Duluth News Tribune complained a while ago about the need to redo I-35 in Duluth. He said that things like the Golden Gate Bridge in California have lasted a lot longer.
What he ignores is "design life". Engineers plan how long a structure should last and design accordingly. A longer design life will cost more than a shorter design life. Is the money available at the time of building for a really long life? What are the trade-offs between the cost of a long design life and the cost of maintenance?
Lay people like the writer seem to think that all decisions are simple. Ah, if such were life.
What he ignores is "design life". Engineers plan how long a structure should last and design accordingly. A longer design life will cost more than a shorter design life. Is the money available at the time of building for a really long life? What are the trade-offs between the cost of a long design life and the cost of maintenance?
Lay people like the writer seem to think that all decisions are simple. Ah, if such were life.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
URGENT poll on Obama Care
"Newsmax.com, one of America's leading online news services, is conducting an urgent national online poll about President Obama and the Democrat's plan for universal health care."
This was at http://news1.newsmax.com/obama%2Dhealthcare/, which I got when I clicked on a banner at U.S. News and Report "Obama Care… Stop Him! Vote Here Now!" It had a picture of President Obama with a surgeon's cap.
I was going to take this poll even though the ad told me there would be some loaded questions. There were, but I went ahead anyway. Then I got down to the bottom and the poll wanted my email address. Also the "Please note:" turned me off:
"Votes with invalid email addresses cannot be counted. In appreciation of casting my vote, Newsmax will keep me automatically updated on poll results and other breaking news with FREE daily email alerts. I can unsubscribe any time. I'll also receive details of the exclusive Emergency Radio offer that thousands of Newsmax readers have already taken advantage of."
Lowest taxes or best quality of life
Yahoo! Finance had an item on the lowest tax states for retirees. The more direct link to the article is "The Lowest Tax States for Retirees", Kimberly Palmer, U.S. News, 2010-03-29.
Are low taxes all there are to life? What about the services that taxes buy?
Will there be enough well-educated health-care workers to care for these low-tax retirees as they get even older? Not if there are not enough taxes to educate children well enough to become health-care workers.
Will there be good, safe roads for them to drive to the golf course? Not if there are not enough taxes to keep the roads in good repair.
Will there be enough good clean water for drinking and cooking? Not if there are not enough taxes to build the infra-structure to bring the water long distances.
And seniors have to get rid of water more frequently than younger people. Will there be enough clean, safe rest stops as they travel. Not if there not enough taxes to maintain rest stops. A low tax state like Arizona is closing rest stops.
Americans love to point out how much higher taxes are in many European countries, especially the Scandinavian countries. What they ignore is that these countries consistently come out higher on measures of quality of life.
U.S. News also has a page "Find the Best Place to Retire" with a long list of choices. My choices of size of city, weather, health care, and activities gave cities in Minnesota, Michigan, and Vermont. Vermont is considered by U.S. News one of the worst tax states, and many think that Minnesota and Michigan are among the worst. For my money, I'm getting what I pay for.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Compromise reached with flat earthers
The International Mediation Council today announced that a compromise had been reached between the Flat Earth Society and the Global Society of Astronomers. Both sides agreed that the world is a cube.
The Duluth Troubled Views wrote today that a crook and a victim quickly reached a compromise. Crook: "You owe me $100!" Victim: "I owe you nothing!" Crook: "OK, we'll compromise; you owe me $50."
These were inspired by the headline in today's Star Tribune: "[Sen.] Klobuchar: Aiming for the Middle Ground". Sometimes, there is no reasonable middle ground between those who want to do absolutely nothing and those who want to do everything at once, or between those who are completely wrong and those who have incomplete data on something.
The Duluth Troubled Views wrote today that a crook and a victim quickly reached a compromise. Crook: "You owe me $100!" Victim: "I owe you nothing!" Crook: "OK, we'll compromise; you owe me $50."
These were inspired by the headline in today's Star Tribune: "[Sen.] Klobuchar: Aiming for the Middle Ground". Sometimes, there is no reasonable middle ground between those who want to do absolutely nothing and those who want to do everything at once, or between those who are completely wrong and those who have incomplete data on something.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes
Because weather, in the sense of clouds and sunshine, is quite variable in Duluth and many other parts of Minnesota, many people joke about it with the title phrase.
On a larger scale, one can see this with the five-day forecasts. Three days out might be sunny and four days out might be snow. Then later three days out has rain and four days out is sunny. This happens because weather systems are chaotic; an upper wind can change direction pushing a weather system further north or further south, or speed it up or slow it down.
Even within a day's forecast, the weather can vary. The forecast may call for rain and the day starts sunny; carry your umbrella, the clouds haven't arrived yet. Conversely, the forecast may call for sunny and the day starts out overcast. Don't cancel your picnic; the skies will probably clear.
We had a sample of this for the last two days. Yesterday, Friday, was predicted to be sunny, and today was predicted to be rainy. When we stopped at Bixby's yesterday for coffee and our lunch for our cabin stay, the sky was gray, gray, gray. One of our friends kidded about the non-sunny day we had ahead of us. I retorted that it would change.
Sure enough, by noon it was sunny in Brimson. I was hauling some stuff down a trail and looked at the blue, blue sky through the notch in the trees. I almost stopped to take a picture to show our friend.
Today was predicted to be rainy, and it was. But not all day and when it did rain it wasn't heavy. We had many times with no rain or just a light mist. We wore rain jackets outside most of the time, but often they remained dry. On the other hand, we didn't notice the rain much until we looked at our jackets.
Surprisingly, we accomplished more today than we did yesterday, even recognizing we worked outside only in the afternoon yesterday, and both morning and afternoon today.
BTW, we do lots of work in brush and tree cutting, but we also take walks and just stand still enjoying being outdoors.
Or listening to or watching critters. I heard scratching on one of our sheds. Oh boy, has something gotten inside; I thought I had it squirrel-proofed. I walked over to the shed and a red squirrel was splayed out on the vertical service. As I approached, he spun around to face one way looking for escape. Then he spun around the other way. I clucked at him and he dashed down to the ground and ran around the shed. When I got back to the cabin, I heard him making his territorial chatter. So there, big guy!
On a larger scale, one can see this with the five-day forecasts. Three days out might be sunny and four days out might be snow. Then later three days out has rain and four days out is sunny. This happens because weather systems are chaotic; an upper wind can change direction pushing a weather system further north or further south, or speed it up or slow it down.
Even within a day's forecast, the weather can vary. The forecast may call for rain and the day starts sunny; carry your umbrella, the clouds haven't arrived yet. Conversely, the forecast may call for sunny and the day starts out overcast. Don't cancel your picnic; the skies will probably clear.
We had a sample of this for the last two days. Yesterday, Friday, was predicted to be sunny, and today was predicted to be rainy. When we stopped at Bixby's yesterday for coffee and our lunch for our cabin stay, the sky was gray, gray, gray. One of our friends kidded about the non-sunny day we had ahead of us. I retorted that it would change.
Sure enough, by noon it was sunny in Brimson. I was hauling some stuff down a trail and looked at the blue, blue sky through the notch in the trees. I almost stopped to take a picture to show our friend.
Today was predicted to be rainy, and it was. But not all day and when it did rain it wasn't heavy. We had many times with no rain or just a light mist. We wore rain jackets outside most of the time, but often they remained dry. On the other hand, we didn't notice the rain much until we looked at our jackets.
Surprisingly, we accomplished more today than we did yesterday, even recognizing we worked outside only in the afternoon yesterday, and both morning and afternoon today.
BTW, we do lots of work in brush and tree cutting, but we also take walks and just stand still enjoying being outdoors.
Or listening to or watching critters. I heard scratching on one of our sheds. Oh boy, has something gotten inside; I thought I had it squirrel-proofed. I walked over to the shed and a red squirrel was splayed out on the vertical service. As I approached, he spun around to face one way looking for escape. Then he spun around the other way. I clucked at him and he dashed down to the ground and ran around the shed. When I got back to the cabin, I heard him making his territorial chatter. So there, big guy!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Small changes lead to a nice piece of change
The day before the series of little events of yesterday, I had a small series of little events that led to an unexpected bit of cash.
On Tuesday we received a flyer in the mail from Northstar Ford about a drawing they were having for a new car, some cash, an ATV, or a lottery ticket. Since I no longer own a Ford I would have normally thrown the flyer away.
However, I was going out to Northern Tools to by a trailer dolly to pull our chipper around at the cabin. I could stop by NorthStar Ford on the way back home. Well, I missed Northern Tools on the way out of town. When I got to Midway Rd. I knew I had gone too far. I did see it on the way back. I missed the humongous sign because I was looking for a smaller sign, plus they had put a wall on the "near" side. It had been a while since I had been there, and so it was unrecognizable to me.
I had called in the morning to make sure the dolly was in stock and was told they had plenty. When I got there I couldn't find them and asked for help. A clerk pointed out where they were but the shelf was empty. He went to a register to check the inventory and found that there was one left. He asked another clerk who was more familiar without the inventory to help me. The second clerk walked to the same area and picked up the last dolly on the other side of the aisle! They had stocked them on both sides.
After all this delay, I could have gone straight home. But I decided to go to NorthStar Ford anyway. I first went to the Service Department to say hello to the service manager whom I had known for so long. I didn't see a familiar face and his office was dark. I went to the sales receptionist and asked about the drawing. She called a sales representative to help me.
It turns out one has to have a small interview with a sales person before one can get a prize. My number was good for a lottery ticket. When I got to my car I scratched the seven ways to win and found the maximum prize was three dollars. Wow!
Yesterday when I bought gas I turned in my lottery ticket. It wound up that the ticket was worth fourteen dollars!! Each of the seven spots counts.
So, my little detour of about fifteen minutes was worth $56/hour. Even if it was only a three dollar win, that would have been worth $12/hour.
Another example of nothing ventured, nothing gained.
If you still have your flyer from NorthStar Ford, the drawing continues through Friday, March 26.
On Tuesday we received a flyer in the mail from Northstar Ford about a drawing they were having for a new car, some cash, an ATV, or a lottery ticket. Since I no longer own a Ford I would have normally thrown the flyer away.
However, I was going out to Northern Tools to by a trailer dolly to pull our chipper around at the cabin. I could stop by NorthStar Ford on the way back home. Well, I missed Northern Tools on the way out of town. When I got to Midway Rd. I knew I had gone too far. I did see it on the way back. I missed the humongous sign because I was looking for a smaller sign, plus they had put a wall on the "near" side. It had been a while since I had been there, and so it was unrecognizable to me.
I had called in the morning to make sure the dolly was in stock and was told they had plenty. When I got there I couldn't find them and asked for help. A clerk pointed out where they were but the shelf was empty. He went to a register to check the inventory and found that there was one left. He asked another clerk who was more familiar without the inventory to help me. The second clerk walked to the same area and picked up the last dolly on the other side of the aisle! They had stocked them on both sides.
After all this delay, I could have gone straight home. But I decided to go to NorthStar Ford anyway. I first went to the Service Department to say hello to the service manager whom I had known for so long. I didn't see a familiar face and his office was dark. I went to the sales receptionist and asked about the drawing. She called a sales representative to help me.
It turns out one has to have a small interview with a sales person before one can get a prize. My number was good for a lottery ticket. When I got to my car I scratched the seven ways to win and found the maximum prize was three dollars. Wow!
Yesterday when I bought gas I turned in my lottery ticket. It wound up that the ticket was worth fourteen dollars!! Each of the seven spots counts.
So, my little detour of about fifteen minutes was worth $56/hour. Even if it was only a three dollar win, that would have been worth $12/hour.
Another example of nothing ventured, nothing gained.
If you still have your flyer from NorthStar Ford, the drawing continues through Friday, March 26.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Small things can make a big difference
After my voice lesson today, I decided to stop at the Red Mug in Superior for a mocha.
I waffled over the 12 oz. and the 16 oz., and I decided for the 12 oz. because I would have change for a tip. I neglected sales tax, which would have given me hang for a tip in either case.
I also wanted to access the web with my iPod, but I had to have a userID and password. I could hardly see what was needed because the log-in page was dark print on a dark red background. I did get the info from a barista, but I had trouble because the userID was case sensitive.
I eventually got online, read several articles in The Huffington Post, and drank my mocha. When the mocha was done, I went out to my car. Surprise! Traffic was backed up from the railroad crossing to my car. I wasn't going anywhere until the train was through the crossing and the backed-up traffic had moved forward.
My first stop after the coffee stop was at a bank to get a roll of quarters for our morning newspapers. After I parked my car and walked to the bank, I checked my watch. It was four minutes to five. The bank would close soon. I made it and got my roll of quarters.
What if I hadn't gotten the quarters. I might not have walked to the corner tomorrow for the newspapers but gone elsewhere. If I went elsewhere for the newspapers, what chain of events might have been set in motion.
Consider the ifs that could have changed the whole afternoon:
If I had not stopped for a mocha,
If I had ordered a different size,
If I had not used my iPod,
If Huffington Post had published less or more articles that caught my interest,
If the train had been shorter or longer or earlier or later,
If I had parked at the bank rather than nearby stores, and
If who knows what else.
Think of all the big and little things that have happened because one small thing was changed. What if somebody who became a CEO had started with a different company? What if an inventor hadn't made a certain mistake? What if a guard hadn't been sleepy on a certain night?
We'll never know. The person could have become CEO of one of several companies. The inventor could have done any one of different things that would have led to his invention. The guard could have been sleepy on any other night except that one. Or no matter what any of these people did, their lives might have been humble and uneventful, relatively speaking.
I waffled over the 12 oz. and the 16 oz., and I decided for the 12 oz. because I would have change for a tip. I neglected sales tax, which would have given me hang for a tip in either case.
I also wanted to access the web with my iPod, but I had to have a userID and password. I could hardly see what was needed because the log-in page was dark print on a dark red background. I did get the info from a barista, but I had trouble because the userID was case sensitive.
I eventually got online, read several articles in The Huffington Post, and drank my mocha. When the mocha was done, I went out to my car. Surprise! Traffic was backed up from the railroad crossing to my car. I wasn't going anywhere until the train was through the crossing and the backed-up traffic had moved forward.
My first stop after the coffee stop was at a bank to get a roll of quarters for our morning newspapers. After I parked my car and walked to the bank, I checked my watch. It was four minutes to five. The bank would close soon. I made it and got my roll of quarters.
What if I hadn't gotten the quarters. I might not have walked to the corner tomorrow for the newspapers but gone elsewhere. If I went elsewhere for the newspapers, what chain of events might have been set in motion.
Consider the ifs that could have changed the whole afternoon:
If I had not stopped for a mocha,
If I had ordered a different size,
If I had not used my iPod,
If Huffington Post had published less or more articles that caught my interest,
If the train had been shorter or longer or earlier or later,
If I had parked at the bank rather than nearby stores, and
If who knows what else.
Think of all the big and little things that have happened because one small thing was changed. What if somebody who became a CEO had started with a different company? What if an inventor hadn't made a certain mistake? What if a guard hadn't been sleepy on a certain night?
We'll never know. The person could have become CEO of one of several companies. The inventor could have done any one of different things that would have led to his invention. The guard could have been sleepy on any other night except that one. Or no matter what any of these people did, their lives might have been humble and uneventful, relatively speaking.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Is the market up because of "Obamacare"?
Very interesting! The Dow-Jones Industrial Average is up for the two days following the passing of the health care, today a whopping 102.94. Of course, many "liberals" will think there is a direct correlation and causation. Maybe there is. Possibly not. For a more balanced view, see "Momentum carries stocks higher; Dow adds 103" from the Associated Press.
Of course, many "conservatives" will deny any connection. I wonder if some of these believe in the traffic-Federal holiday connection. See "Creating an anti-government myth from a single observation".
Of course, many "conservatives" will deny any connection. I wonder if some of these believe in the traffic-Federal holiday connection. See "Creating an anti-government myth from a single observation".
Creating an anti-government myth from a single observation
Yesterday for the second time I read a letter in the Star Tribune that claimed the lower traffic on certain Federal holidays proved that there were too many government employees.
First, is traffic in the Twin Cities noticeably lower on Federal holidays, and if so, what is the actual percentage of any reduction in traffic?
Second, other people besides government employees have certain Federal holidays off. Employees of banks and other financial institutions have the same holidays off as government employees. As the largest of these institutions are located in downtown areas, traffic into downtown areas would be reduced by their employees staying home, or at least not traveling at rush hour.
Third, schools and colleges often are closed on these holidays. Therefore the students will be staying home. College students won't be driving during rush hour. Parents who do not have the holiday off may take a vacation day to be with their children.
Fourth, many government employees and others who get certain Federal holidays off often do not have double holidays like many employees in other lines of work. For example, your local bank and City Hall are open for business the day after Thanksgiving.
The true test of "too many government employees" is do we really have more employees than needed to do the government work that most citizens want done. In some cases probably yes; in many other case probably no.
First, is traffic in the Twin Cities noticeably lower on Federal holidays, and if so, what is the actual percentage of any reduction in traffic?
Second, other people besides government employees have certain Federal holidays off. Employees of banks and other financial institutions have the same holidays off as government employees. As the largest of these institutions are located in downtown areas, traffic into downtown areas would be reduced by their employees staying home, or at least not traveling at rush hour.
Third, schools and colleges often are closed on these holidays. Therefore the students will be staying home. College students won't be driving during rush hour. Parents who do not have the holiday off may take a vacation day to be with their children.
Fourth, many government employees and others who get certain Federal holidays off often do not have double holidays like many employees in other lines of work. For example, your local bank and City Hall are open for business the day after Thanksgiving.
The true test of "too many government employees" is do we really have more employees than needed to do the government work that most citizens want done. In some cases probably yes; in many other case probably no.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Love is in the air
This past weekend when I was at our cabin I heard a sound of a motor in our driveway. I went to see who was coming but I saw no car. I still heard the motor sound but suddenly it moved overhead from my right to my left. Was it a bird? Strange bird call! Then the sound moved from my left to my right. And then I saw a red squirrel in the trees where the sound was coming from.
These sounds continued off and on for most of the day. Eventually I heard the sounds on the ground as one squirrel chased another. I have heard squirrels make chirps, clicks, and similar, but never this mix of growling and purring. I figure this "motor" sound must be a mating call.
This fall I will hear many gunshots across the road. A neighbor will be shooting the squirrels that get into his roof. Those squirrels will probably be those produced this spring on my side of the road. My neighbor reduced their competition for space and food last year.
These sounds continued off and on for most of the day. Eventually I heard the sounds on the ground as one squirrel chased another. I have heard squirrels make chirps, clicks, and similar, but never this mix of growling and purring. I figure this "motor" sound must be a mating call.
This fall I will hear many gunshots across the road. A neighbor will be shooting the squirrels that get into his roof. Those squirrels will probably be those produced this spring on my side of the road. My neighbor reduced their competition for space and food last year.
Taxes or Investments
The Star Tribune had a letter today that we should rename taxes as public investments: "Taxes vs. Investments, What's in a word? How we address public needs". I sent in a letter pointing out that Lincoln (railroads), Roosevelt(parks), and Eisenhower(interstate) invested. Oh yes, I mentioned that these were all Republicans.
I also looked at a few of the online comments. They reminded why I don't have comments on this blog. Most of them missed the point, instead writing that it was freeloaders who didn't pay taxes who were benefiting. I wish these people would stay off the publicly financed roads. That was bad enough, but too many also had to call in question the thinking ability of those who disagreed with them.
I really appreciate Yahoo! Finance providing highlights of comments on articles; the editors' selections save a lot of time by providing only the thoughtful comments.
I also looked at a few of the online comments. They reminded why I don't have comments on this blog. Most of them missed the point, instead writing that it was freeloaders who didn't pay taxes who were benefiting. I wish these people would stay off the publicly financed roads. That was bad enough, but too many also had to call in question the thinking ability of those who disagreed with them.
I really appreciate Yahoo! Finance providing highlights of comments on articles; the editors' selections save a lot of time by providing only the thoughtful comments.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Lies, damn lies, and headlines
Jana Peterson, editor of the Duluth Budgeteer, wrote a refreshing editorial in this week's issue, "No tolerance for lying". Her editorial addresses the people who expect her to publish their letters even when they make statements that are not true. The best part of it was quoting a note she has hanging over her desk:
Good morning,
Thank you for your editorial “No tolerance for lying”.
I am really disheartened by the number of people who get coverage for their distortions of facts or even creation of falsehoods. I’m even more disheartened that a once honorable party has been all but taken over by such people.
Unfortunately, “lying”, or more appropriately distortion, is practiced by many who have more honorable motives. You yourself did it with “Working to ensure our children are insured”. Yes, too many vulnerable people do not have sufficient resources to pay for health care. But, how many of them currently need health care? By stressing the former, we make the problem more acute than it actually is. Of course, the cases of immense health care expenses are relatively few, but who’s counting when one of them is you (thanks to Bob Gibson’s “Ski Songs”). Kidding aside, shouldn’t we spend more resources addressing the problems of the few rather than a more expensive “one size fits all” approach?
“Lying” also takes the form of the “narrative fallacy”, the connection of facts when no meaningful connection may exist. For example, “Investors drove down stocks today on the latest oil prices”. One, did all investors drive down prices. Two, aren’t those who react daily to “market conditions” traders rather than investors. Three, weren’t there many, many more factors involved in stock price fluctuations than oil prices. Four, did all stock prices drop or only slightly more than fifty percent. Or maybe a majority of stock prices rose, but those that dropped were greater in sum than those that gained. In other words, a simple headline hides important information, which is another form of lying.
An even worse “narrative fallacy” is ascribing the votes of some to all voters. For example, “Massachusetts voters reject Obama health plan”. For more on this, see “The Party of One has capitulated?”,
http://magree.blogspot.com/2010/02/party-of-one-has-capitulated.html
I got the term “narrative fallacy” from “The Black Swan” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I think it is a must read for all those who wish to think more deeply about the whole process of thinking. It is available at the Duluth Public Library. I bought my copy at Northern Lights Books, and I hope to read it more times than I read “Lord of the Rings” (3).
If you think this rant is suitable for publication, I plan to tie your hands. After I click on send, I will post this to my blog, see below. I think the title will be “Lies, damn lies, and headlines”.
Keep writing. You have some of the attitudes that will make you a “skeptical empiricist”, another term used heavily by Taleb.
"Giving lies equal access to truth is not balanced journalism."I sent her the following email. Since I haven't posted anything for a few days and it took me some time to write, I decided I may as well make it a blog entry. Drat, there goes having hundreds of readers over having a dozen or so readers. Ah, but my blog entry will be available to all for years; my published letter will only be freely available to all for a week.
Good morning,
Thank you for your editorial “No tolerance for lying”.
I am really disheartened by the number of people who get coverage for their distortions of facts or even creation of falsehoods. I’m even more disheartened that a once honorable party has been all but taken over by such people.
Unfortunately, “lying”, or more appropriately distortion, is practiced by many who have more honorable motives. You yourself did it with “Working to ensure our children are insured”. Yes, too many vulnerable people do not have sufficient resources to pay for health care. But, how many of them currently need health care? By stressing the former, we make the problem more acute than it actually is. Of course, the cases of immense health care expenses are relatively few, but who’s counting when one of them is you (thanks to Bob Gibson’s “Ski Songs”). Kidding aside, shouldn’t we spend more resources addressing the problems of the few rather than a more expensive “one size fits all” approach?
“Lying” also takes the form of the “narrative fallacy”, the connection of facts when no meaningful connection may exist. For example, “Investors drove down stocks today on the latest oil prices”. One, did all investors drive down prices. Two, aren’t those who react daily to “market conditions” traders rather than investors. Three, weren’t there many, many more factors involved in stock price fluctuations than oil prices. Four, did all stock prices drop or only slightly more than fifty percent. Or maybe a majority of stock prices rose, but those that dropped were greater in sum than those that gained. In other words, a simple headline hides important information, which is another form of lying.
An even worse “narrative fallacy” is ascribing the votes of some to all voters. For example, “Massachusetts voters reject Obama health plan”. For more on this, see “The Party of One has capitulated?”,
http://magree.blogspot.com/2010/02/party-of-one-has-capitulated.html
I got the term “narrative fallacy” from “The Black Swan” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I think it is a must read for all those who wish to think more deeply about the whole process of thinking. It is available at the Duluth Public Library. I bought my copy at Northern Lights Books, and I hope to read it more times than I read “Lord of the Rings” (3).
If you think this rant is suitable for publication, I plan to tie your hands. After I click on send, I will post this to my blog, see below. I think the title will be “Lies, damn lies, and headlines”.
Keep writing. You have some of the attitudes that will make you a “skeptical empiricist”, another term used heavily by Taleb.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Netflix busts Blockbuster, or the Changing Economy
As part of my notion that we don't have a weak economy but a changing economy, I've been thinking about a blog entry about how Netflix is reducing the need for video stores and their employees. Today the Star Tribune had a story about Blockbuster – "Shares of Blockbuster tumble after warning it may need to file for bankruptcy protection". The article states that one of the causes is competition from Netflix. "The company has had to close about 1,300 stores and wants to shut down hundreds more." Shutting stores means letting employees go. Think of all the other video stores in the same predicament. Think of all the other businesses whose reason to be has changed.
All the employees let go by video stores won't be able to get jobs at Netflix or at any other similar service. Think of the idealized Netflix operation. A customer signs up online and is accepted or rejected automatically. A customer places an order online. The computer orders a robot in the warehouse to fetch the DVD, put it in an envelope, print the shipping address on the envelope, and place it in a bin to go to the Post Office. Now humans get involved with a postal employee picking up the bins and driving them to a sorting center. The sorting center is mostly automated and the sorted packages are delivered in another truck or series of trucks. A mail carrier picks up the packages at the destination post office and delivers them to the customers.
Even the postal workers will be cut out of this system. As internet bandwidth gets larger and more people have faster computers, the customers will order movies to be sent directly to their computers ("streaming").
This scenario is being replicated across industry after industry. People not needed. And guess who demands this: people who want lots of goods for the least money and hassle.
I'll stop here and get off my soapbox about the trends too many of us aren't considering.
All the employees let go by video stores won't be able to get jobs at Netflix or at any other similar service. Think of the idealized Netflix operation. A customer signs up online and is accepted or rejected automatically. A customer places an order online. The computer orders a robot in the warehouse to fetch the DVD, put it in an envelope, print the shipping address on the envelope, and place it in a bin to go to the Post Office. Now humans get involved with a postal employee picking up the bins and driving them to a sorting center. The sorting center is mostly automated and the sorted packages are delivered in another truck or series of trucks. A mail carrier picks up the packages at the destination post office and delivers them to the customers.
Even the postal workers will be cut out of this system. As internet bandwidth gets larger and more people have faster computers, the customers will order movies to be sent directly to their computers ("streaming").
This scenario is being replicated across industry after industry. People not needed. And guess who demands this: people who want lots of goods for the least money and hassle.
I'll stop here and get off my soapbox about the trends too many of us aren't considering.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
St. Who Day?
Today there will be a lot of parades, a lot of drinking of green beer, a lot of wearing some bit of green, a lot of music by Irish composers. I'll be only participating in the last if I happen to have the radio on. Why should I do anything more? Especially drinking green(?) beer. Good God! There is plenty of good Irish beer without adulterating it with green food coloring.
With the name Magree, I must be Irish, right? Well, four of my great-grandparents were born in Germany, at least two in England and maybe a third, and one was born in Brooklyn, New York. That is the one who had the name Magree. I have been unable to find much more about his ancestry other than the 1870 census, which said his parents came from England. Born in England? Took a ship from England?
My mother said we were "orange Irish", but she never knew her grandfather-in-law who left the family before my mother was even born. I think she said that because her family tradition was Protestant, mostly Methodist.
I did poke around a bit in various records and found that all those named Magree or McGree who can trace their ancestry into the nineteenth century can trace it to Kilkenny. I visited Kilkenny in 1979 to see if I could find any leads. Many people were helpful but I found nothing of direct use to me. And guess what my "nationality" was when I was there? American!
We have often enjoyed receiving a St. Patrick's Day card from a distant cousin (I assume we have a common ancestor in the 18th Century). The "Irish sailor" that she supposedly descended from might have been born in Baltimore MD in 1818 and became a ship's master of immigrant ships. My distant cousin has never confirmed that this person is her ancestor. Of course, this John C. Magree could be my great-great-grandfather as he would have been 22 when my great-grandfather was born.
Yes, it is fun to know where one's ancestors came from, but for many of us their origin has little to do with our own personal culture. In fact, we have more Swedish culture in our family than any of our ancestors' cultures; this happened because we lived in Sweden for four years. Furthermore, there is no such thing as English genes, German genes, Italian genes, and so on. Almost any "national group" is an amalgam of people from a wide area.
Enough! I'm not going to have any beer today, Irish or otherwise. My beverage budget is spent for the month. If you are so inclined, I hope you have a fun time on a day that is a good excuse for a party.
May the road come up to meet your feet (and not your face).
With the name Magree, I must be Irish, right? Well, four of my great-grandparents were born in Germany, at least two in England and maybe a third, and one was born in Brooklyn, New York. That is the one who had the name Magree. I have been unable to find much more about his ancestry other than the 1870 census, which said his parents came from England. Born in England? Took a ship from England?
My mother said we were "orange Irish", but she never knew her grandfather-in-law who left the family before my mother was even born. I think she said that because her family tradition was Protestant, mostly Methodist.
I did poke around a bit in various records and found that all those named Magree or McGree who can trace their ancestry into the nineteenth century can trace it to Kilkenny. I visited Kilkenny in 1979 to see if I could find any leads. Many people were helpful but I found nothing of direct use to me. And guess what my "nationality" was when I was there? American!
We have often enjoyed receiving a St. Patrick's Day card from a distant cousin (I assume we have a common ancestor in the 18th Century). The "Irish sailor" that she supposedly descended from might have been born in Baltimore MD in 1818 and became a ship's master of immigrant ships. My distant cousin has never confirmed that this person is her ancestor. Of course, this John C. Magree could be my great-great-grandfather as he would have been 22 when my great-grandfather was born.
Yes, it is fun to know where one's ancestors came from, but for many of us their origin has little to do with our own personal culture. In fact, we have more Swedish culture in our family than any of our ancestors' cultures; this happened because we lived in Sweden for four years. Furthermore, there is no such thing as English genes, German genes, Italian genes, and so on. Almost any "national group" is an amalgam of people from a wide area.
Enough! I'm not going to have any beer today, Irish or otherwise. My beverage budget is spent for the month. If you are so inclined, I hope you have a fun time on a day that is a good excuse for a party.
May the road come up to meet your feet (and not your face).
Look who's outsourcing!
It is tax time and time to figure out all the labyrinthian details that Congress has charged the IRS with implementing. I must say that the IRS had done a lot of work to make our work easier - PDF savable files for forms, online calculators to determine if you need a particular form, and many other features that often make it easier than wading through all the paper instructions. Oh yes, no more trips to the library to get forms that weren't included in your personal mailing.
I used one of those calculators yesterday. It's fields were to small to enter in the number of digits that I should enter. I found a contact link and filled out a web mail about the problem.
Within a few hours, maybe less, I had a response from IRS Help Desk asking what operating system and browser I was using. I sent all the requested information back this afternoon and within an hour or so I had a response that my info would be forwarded to the appropriate department for review.
Hey, that is speedy government service. Wait a minute! The email address is not irs.gov but speedymail.com. Hm! Who's speedymail.com?
It is AFFINA, a "one-stop-shop solution for customer relationship management." The story doesn't stop there. In 2006 AFFINA joined Hinduja Global Solutions Limited http://www.hindujagsl.com Hm! One guess in what country that company is located.
Some may complain that the U.S. Government should not be exporting jobs. But I can't say that it is. I don't know where the work of AFFINA is conducted. Besides, the idea of where jobs for a government are done often gets down to we can export our stuff but you can't export yours to us.
When I worked in Europe, for an American company, I was called in for software assistance to the French Army, the Swedish Police (Rikspolisen), the Swedish Auto Registry (Bilregistret), and a few other government agencies. They all had bought American-made Univac computers.
And even more crazy, many European customers thought the American programmers knew more than the local programmers. On some things this was true and on others just the opposite.
Back to speedymail.com, the writing of the messages was straightforward. None of the elaborate "It is my pleasure to serve you today" or turns of phrase that almost shout "Non-native speaker".
I used one of those calculators yesterday. It's fields were to small to enter in the number of digits that I should enter. I found a contact link and filled out a web mail about the problem.
Within a few hours, maybe less, I had a response from IRS Help Desk
Hey, that is speedy government service. Wait a minute! The email address is not irs.gov but speedymail.com. Hm! Who's speedymail.com?
It is AFFINA, a "one-stop-shop solution for customer relationship management." The story doesn't stop there. In 2006 AFFINA joined Hinduja Global Solutions Limited http://www.hindujagsl.com Hm! One guess in what country that company is located.
Some may complain that the U.S. Government should not be exporting jobs. But I can't say that it is. I don't know where the work of AFFINA is conducted. Besides, the idea of where jobs for a government are done often gets down to we can export our stuff but you can't export yours to us.
When I worked in Europe, for an American company, I was called in for software assistance to the French Army, the Swedish Police (Rikspolisen), the Swedish Auto Registry (Bilregistret), and a few other government agencies. They all had bought American-made Univac computers.
And even more crazy, many European customers thought the American programmers knew more than the local programmers. On some things this was true and on others just the opposite.
Back to speedymail.com, the writing of the messages was straightforward. None of the elaborate "It is my pleasure to serve you today" or turns of phrase that almost shout "Non-native speaker".
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Accidental learning
I was entering some data in a spreadsheet and wanted to repeat the contents of the cell above. I thought I typed CMD-" but the current time appeared. With a little bit of playing around, I figured out that I had typed CMD-; instead.
OK, how do I get the current date? I went to Excel Help and after searching for several combinations of keyboard, enter, and date I found that one enters CONTROL-;
Now, how often I will use my new-found knowledge is another question.
Warning: I use Excel in Office 2004 for the Mac. Other versions may have different combinations. Software developers are not known for consistency across versions.
OK, how do I get the current date? I went to Excel Help and after searching for several combinations of keyboard, enter, and date I found that one enters CONTROL-;
Now, how often I will use my new-found knowledge is another question.
Warning: I use Excel in Office 2004 for the Mac. Other versions may have different combinations. Software developers are not known for consistency across versions.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Facebook makework?
I have had a very small number of friends and relatives invite me to Facebook. I have declined in all cases considering tending to my page as one more task.
Yesterday I began to reconsider being a holdout when our son sent a transcript of a conversation on my brother's Facebook page. My brother has several health issues that he mentioned on his page. Relatives that I rarely hear from or even hardly know responded. Should I get on Facebook to keep in touch with my own family?
I think not. I have a growing to do list and it would be one more thing to compete with reading, writing, and singing, all of which I spend less time than I would like. I had this feeling reinforced when I got email from Ancestry.com touting some feature or other. I started following through with submitting a family tree. Then I thought if any other relatives respond, then I'll have to respond, and to respond I'll have to do more research, and …
As for keeping in touch with my brother, we do exchange emails every so often, and I knew just about everything he had posted on his Facebook page. The only really new information was the number of relatives who are on Facebook.
Yesterday I began to reconsider being a holdout when our son sent a transcript of a conversation on my brother's Facebook page. My brother has several health issues that he mentioned on his page. Relatives that I rarely hear from or even hardly know responded. Should I get on Facebook to keep in touch with my own family?
I think not. I have a growing to do list and it would be one more thing to compete with reading, writing, and singing, all of which I spend less time than I would like. I had this feeling reinforced when I got email from Ancestry.com touting some feature or other. I started following through with submitting a family tree. Then I thought if any other relatives respond, then I'll have to respond, and to respond I'll have to do more research, and …
As for keeping in touch with my brother, we do exchange emails every so often, and I knew just about everything he had posted on his Facebook page. The only really new information was the number of relatives who are on Facebook.
Wimping out on my civic duty
Today I received "Official Court Business - Response Required" mail from the Minnesota Court Administration. I didn't think it would be a notice of suit filed against me, so it must be a call for jury duty. I don't want to go to jury duty even I think it is a civic duty. Last time I was called I just sat waiting for a case that was ultimately settled without a jury.
I scanned through the registration form and saw a box for opting out if one is over 70. Hallelujah! I think I'll take that option. I filled the form out checking the box for opting out and returned it.
My rationale is that I'll probably fall asleep, and I know that I won't pay sufficient attention to make an informed decision.
I scanned through the registration form and saw a box for opting out if one is over 70. Hallelujah! I think I'll take that option. I filled the form out checking the box for opting out and returned it.
My rationale is that I'll probably fall asleep, and I know that I won't pay sufficient attention to make an informed decision.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Has spring sprung in Duluth?
As you know, we gave up on skiing for the season this past week because it has been too warm.
Yesterday we went to our cabin with the expectation that the temperature might be in the high 40s or low 50s. I packed our snowshoes just in case the snow was still to deep to trudge through.
When we got there, there was more bare ground as expected, but the snow that remained was not as deep as we expected. We trudged around our usual path without snowshoes without problem other than my wife's boots not being as waterproof as advertised.
I had intended to use the chain saw to cut up some wood or cut down some trees, but I discovered that the chaps that I just bought should be washed before use!! (See "I tried to cut my leg off!" http://magree.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-tried-to-cut-my-leg-off.html)
OK, I'll use a handsaw to cut the smaller stuff. But where was that nice draw saw our son gave us for Christmas several years ago? It wasn't in any of the places that it should have been. Well, last week we had cut overhanging branches along the drive. I checked and there it was on the ridge of snow along the side, the sheath sopping wet. I pulled out the saw and it was still shiny! Talk about not making things like they used to. To shorten the story I did use the saw yesterday and today to cut up several small trees and large branches next the saw horse.
We looked at the thermometer on the side of our wood shed a bit before noon. The temperature was at 64 F!!!
I looked at the snow around the chipper and saw that it was almost gone. I had decided there was too much snow around it yesterday. I had brought the battery from home and installed it. Set the choke and throttle and push start. Vroom! I got rid of two piles of branches and did three cartloads of chips. They lengthened the "paved" section of a trail by almost 20 feet.
Oh, yes! I should mention that the predicted overcast skies for Duluth were blue with big puffy clouds in Brimson. I should mention that on our drive back I did see rain showers way off to the south and west, but we only got a few drops on our windshield.
Yesterday we went to our cabin with the expectation that the temperature might be in the high 40s or low 50s. I packed our snowshoes just in case the snow was still to deep to trudge through.
When we got there, there was more bare ground as expected, but the snow that remained was not as deep as we expected. We trudged around our usual path without snowshoes without problem other than my wife's boots not being as waterproof as advertised.
I had intended to use the chain saw to cut up some wood or cut down some trees, but I discovered that the chaps that I just bought should be washed before use!! (See "I tried to cut my leg off!" http://magree.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-tried-to-cut-my-leg-off.html)
OK, I'll use a handsaw to cut the smaller stuff. But where was that nice draw saw our son gave us for Christmas several years ago? It wasn't in any of the places that it should have been. Well, last week we had cut overhanging branches along the drive. I checked and there it was on the ridge of snow along the side, the sheath sopping wet. I pulled out the saw and it was still shiny! Talk about not making things like they used to. To shorten the story I did use the saw yesterday and today to cut up several small trees and large branches next the saw horse.
We looked at the thermometer on the side of our wood shed a bit before noon. The temperature was at 64 F!!!
I looked at the snow around the chipper and saw that it was almost gone. I had decided there was too much snow around it yesterday. I had brought the battery from home and installed it. Set the choke and throttle and push start. Vroom! I got rid of two piles of branches and did three cartloads of chips. They lengthened the "paved" section of a trail by almost 20 feet.
Oh, yes! I should mention that the predicted overcast skies for Duluth were blue with big puffy clouds in Brimson. I should mention that on our drive back I did see rain showers way off to the south and west, but we only got a few drops on our windshield.
Black swans and other unexpected events
I've been reading "The Black Swan" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a very interesting book on how often the "highly improbable" occurs. I hope to write more about what I've read, but I just had my own "Black Swan" that was unexpected in both a good and a bad sense.
I was typing "Has spring sprung in Duluth?" when my computer suddenly quit! I hadn't plugged it in after returning from the cabin and it I had rebooted it a couple of hours ago. Oh, great! There goes all that I had typed!
I plugged the computer in and rebooted. It said it had 27% charge; that shouldn't have caused it to quit. With heart in mouth, I restarted TextEdit, the program I use to write the drafts for this blog. I selected the file for this month's blog expecting to see nothing since yesterday.
Surprise! Somehow the last character I had typed was still there! Is this a White Swan?
I was typing "Has spring sprung in Duluth?" when my computer suddenly quit! I hadn't plugged it in after returning from the cabin and it I had rebooted it a couple of hours ago. Oh, great! There goes all that I had typed!
I plugged the computer in and rebooted. It said it had 27% charge; that shouldn't have caused it to quit. With heart in mouth, I restarted TextEdit, the program I use to write the drafts for this blog. I selected the file for this month's blog expecting to see nothing since yesterday.
Surprise! Somehow the last character I had typed was still there! Is this a White Swan?
Hidden Evidence
After all that chipping in "Has spring sprung in Duluth?" I sat on the steps of our cabin to rest. For some reason I raised my hand and saw its shadow to the northwest. To the northwest! It's four o'clock in the afternoon. The shadow should be to the northeast. The sun must have gone backward or I slept overnight on the steps.
Well, some important evidence was hidden from me. I had a billed cap on and a tree was between me and the sun. The explanation was that the sun was reflected off a window behind me and cast the shadow in the "wrong" place.
Unfortunately, too many of us take little bits of evidence like this to prove outlandish ideas. Democrats, Republicans, Tea Partiers, progressives, atheists, religious people, business people, laborers, just about everybody including you and me.
This is what Nassim Nicholas Taleb calls hidden evidence in "The Black Swan. One example is the story about the people who prayed and were saved from a shipwreck. The people who prayed and drowned were ignored as well as those who didn't pray and were saved from the shipwreck.
Well, some important evidence was hidden from me. I had a billed cap on and a tree was between me and the sun. The explanation was that the sun was reflected off a window behind me and cast the shadow in the "wrong" place.
Unfortunately, too many of us take little bits of evidence like this to prove outlandish ideas. Democrats, Republicans, Tea Partiers, progressives, atheists, religious people, business people, laborers, just about everybody including you and me.
This is what Nassim Nicholas Taleb calls hidden evidence in "The Black Swan. One example is the story about the people who prayed and were saved from a shipwreck. The people who prayed and drowned were ignored as well as those who didn't pray and were saved from the shipwreck.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Did I or didn't I?
Yesterday I decided that I had enough skiing for the season; it was just too rainy. I drove to Spirit Mt. to take the rest of my gear out of our locker, leaving only our skis. We thought that leaving the skis in the locker would be better for them. It would be drier than in our basement.
On my way out I looked at our locker through the window and thought it looked locked. I thought about going back in to double-check, but I didn't want to get involved in conversation again.
When I got home I convinced myself that it would be OK. If I didn't lock the lock, somebody else would. Then in the middle of the night I started worrying about it again. I couldn't specifically remember closing the lock. I couldn't get the thought out of my head. I took some valerian to go back to sleep and it worked.
I still worried when I woke up in the morning. I didn't want to worry all summer about this. I decided I would leave at a time that would let me get there after the doors were open but before the near parking lot filled up. I did get there earlier than I normally would, but the near lot was already half-full. It is Saturday, but it is a drizzly, warm Saturday!
Sure enough, the lock was locked and both sets of skis and poles were still in the locker. I put the lock back on and pushed it closed.
As soon as I was outside again, I wondered if I did. Should I go back and double-check? Well, this time I had a clear memory of pushing the lock closed. Or was that a memory from another time?
On my way out I looked at our locker through the window and thought it looked locked. I thought about going back in to double-check, but I didn't want to get involved in conversation again.
When I got home I convinced myself that it would be OK. If I didn't lock the lock, somebody else would. Then in the middle of the night I started worrying about it again. I couldn't specifically remember closing the lock. I couldn't get the thought out of my head. I took some valerian to go back to sleep and it worked.
I still worried when I woke up in the morning. I didn't want to worry all summer about this. I decided I would leave at a time that would let me get there after the doors were open but before the near parking lot filled up. I did get there earlier than I normally would, but the near lot was already half-full. It is Saturday, but it is a drizzly, warm Saturday!
Sure enough, the lock was locked and both sets of skis and poles were still in the locker. I put the lock back on and pushed it closed.
As soon as I was outside again, I wondered if I did. Should I go back and double-check? Well, this time I had a clear memory of pushing the lock closed. Or was that a memory from another time?
Follow up on potluck frittata
The "cayenne" was cinnamon, but my wife liked it. She liked the potatoes with skin. I used a whole can of tuna for the half-recipe but it didn't seem like too much. However, the smell of tuna was quite strong.
We ate half for supper that night and the other half for lunch yesterday. The full recipe does serve 6-8.
Now that I'm a frittata "expert", what shall I try next?
We ate half for supper that night and the other half for lunch yesterday. The full recipe does serve 6-8.
Now that I'm a frittata "expert", what shall I try next?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
I tried a new potluck recipe
The New York Times printed a recipe for "Baked Tunisian Carrot, Potato and Tuna Frittata", by Martha Rose Shulman, 2010-03-02
I gave it a try this evening as a half recipe. I didn't cut the olive oil in half because I used the same size skillet as in the recipe. I didn't use parsley because we had none. I used cayenne, I think, instead of the harissa. I think it was cayenne; it was red and finely ground in a bag with only the co-op PLU numbers. I used fingerling potatoes unpeeled, only flicking off the sprouts. We had only albacore tuna packed in water, and so I added a tablespoon of olive oil after I drained the water.
Many Americans probably won't be too happy with mine; I sort of waved the salt shaker over the mix.
Since it was only a half recipe, I baked it for a bit less than 30 minutes. It was firm when I poked it with a table knife.
My printed copy of the recipe didn't include the picture. When I revisited the page to get the URL for this blog entry, I saw that it was served in the pan. I had flipped mine over on a plate thinking the browned crust would look nice.
I hope my wife gets home soon from her meeting so we can taste it.
I gave it a try this evening as a half recipe. I didn't cut the olive oil in half because I used the same size skillet as in the recipe. I didn't use parsley because we had none. I used cayenne, I think, instead of the harissa. I think it was cayenne; it was red and finely ground in a bag with only the co-op PLU numbers. I used fingerling potatoes unpeeled, only flicking off the sprouts. We had only albacore tuna packed in water, and so I added a tablespoon of olive oil after I drained the water.
Many Americans probably won't be too happy with mine; I sort of waved the salt shaker over the mix.
Since it was only a half recipe, I baked it for a bit less than 30 minutes. It was firm when I poked it with a table knife.
My printed copy of the recipe didn't include the picture. When I revisited the page to get the URL for this blog entry, I saw that it was served in the pan. I had flipped mine over on a plate thinking the browned crust would look nice.
I hope my wife gets home soon from her meeting so we can taste it.
Jobs: The Times They Are A-changin'
As I drove up Central Entrance in Duluth I was struck by how many billboards were LED billboards. Those that weren't were often a set of big panels screwed to the supports.
What are all those who pasted up great rolls of paper doing now? The panels are probably placed up in a fraction of the time needed for the rolls of paper. "As for changing [an LED billboard], it's as easy as clicking with a mouse button, rather than sending out a crew to pull down and replace a billboard message." - LED Billboards: Outdoor Advertising in the Video Age
But this kind of change is happening throughout many businesses; jobs are going away because of changes of business practices and technology. They won't be coming back and those who think they will are deluded. We have to change our whole education system to train people to adapt to change.
I don't hold out much hope for this. It was in 1963 that Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-changin'" was introduced. In the same era Pete Seeger wrote "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" with the line "When will they ever learn".
The times are are still a-changin' and we still haven't learned.
What are all those who pasted up great rolls of paper doing now? The panels are probably placed up in a fraction of the time needed for the rolls of paper. "As for changing [an LED billboard], it's as easy as clicking with a mouse button, rather than sending out a crew to pull down and replace a billboard message." - LED Billboards: Outdoor Advertising in the Video Age
But this kind of change is happening throughout many businesses; jobs are going away because of changes of business practices and technology. They won't be coming back and those who think they will are deluded. We have to change our whole education system to train people to adapt to change.
I don't hold out much hope for this. It was in 1963 that Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-changin'" was introduced. In the same era Pete Seeger wrote "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" with the line "When will they ever learn".
The times are are still a-changin' and we still haven't learned.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Investment or tax
Clive Thompson argues that we should have more public transit to reduce the incidents of texting while driving: "Clive Thompson to Texters: Park the Car, Take the Bus". He decries the fact that in the U.S. we are so car-dependent that we increase the number of textures driving; in other countries young people don't even consider getting a car as soon as they are eligible because public transit is so convenient.
Can't you just hear the "no-taxers" screaming about the cost of better public transit? Of course, most of them drive on tax-supported roads. They never stop to think that more public transit might reduce their travel time. Of course, fewer cars on the road also means fewer accidents, which are a cost in themselves. Fewer texters on the road means even fewer accidents. And fewer accidents means fewer court cases, which means less taxes to pay for courts. And fewer accidents means more money in all of our pockets to spend elsewhere.
Many cities even find that it pays to have free bus service: Bozeman MT, Steamboat Springs CO, and Park City UT. Park City really wins the prize with every 10-minute service on its mainline from early in the morning until late at night. Park City parking is very limited; I wonder how much acreage and dollars would have been used if there had been no free bus service.
Can't you just hear the "no-taxers" screaming about the cost of better public transit? Of course, most of them drive on tax-supported roads. They never stop to think that more public transit might reduce their travel time. Of course, fewer cars on the road also means fewer accidents, which are a cost in themselves. Fewer texters on the road means even fewer accidents. And fewer accidents means fewer court cases, which means less taxes to pay for courts. And fewer accidents means more money in all of our pockets to spend elsewhere.
Many cities even find that it pays to have free bus service: Bozeman MT, Steamboat Springs CO, and Park City UT. Park City really wins the prize with every 10-minute service on its mainline from early in the morning until late at night. Park City parking is very limited; I wonder how much acreage and dollars would have been used if there had been no free bus service.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Little things can save our empire
I saved a few articles about education that take a different tack from all the grandiose schemes that are current and was going to write a summary. Then today's Star Tribune had several op-ed pieces that stressed some of the same old, same old ideology: blame the teacher's unions or put the schools under control of mayors.
As usual, I keep reading new stuff that takes time from writing about old stuff I had read. As I went through the list of articles for today's Yahoo! Finance, I was struck by the title "Collapse of the American Empire: Swift, Silent, Certain".
I think our national arrogance ("leader of the free world"), military overreach, and short-term ideological thinking do contribute to the possibility of our soon being surpassed by the likes of China, India, and Brazil.
One thing that can keep us going for a long time is our history of innovation, innovation that is often falling victim to ideology. As long as we run our schools on ideological principles like "No Child Left Behind" and control from larger and more remote political entities, innovation may be stifled.
To get more innovation, we have to educate children for creativity, not passing tests.
I finally finished Eric Booth's "The Music Teaching Artist's Bible: Becoming a Virtuoso Educator". The more I read, the more I understood he was talking about education in general. If we don't engage students in creativity, all the rote learning in the world will only turn out automatons. See "Teaching: putting in or drawing out?"
Then I read three revolutionary articles on education: "Scholar's School Reform U-Turn", "Building a Better Teacher", and "Why you should read Diane Ravitch's new book".
The first is how Diane Ravitch, a respected education historian who was in the first Bush's Department of Education, has changed her mind on some of the conservative standard views on education, including No Child Left Behind. If you want to get some idea of her independence, read her "The Language Police".
The second is a long New York Times Magazine article centered on a charter school founder who learned that teachers aren't being trained in the little things that really matter. The most striking paragraph was:
"When Doug Lemov conducted his own search for those magical ingredients, he noticed something about most successful teachers that he hadn’t expected to find: what looked like natural-born genius was often deliberate technique in disguise. “Stand still when you’re giving directions,” a teacher at a Boston school told him. In other words, don’t do two things at once. Lemov tried it, and suddenly, he had to ask students to take out their homework only once."
The third is a short review of Diane Ravitch's "The Death and Life of the Great American School System". The review gives a good summary of the ferment that is going on in education circles, a ferment that could give us a truly Great American School System.
As usual, I keep reading new stuff that takes time from writing about old stuff I had read. As I went through the list of articles for today's Yahoo! Finance, I was struck by the title "Collapse of the American Empire: Swift, Silent, Certain".
I think our national arrogance ("leader of the free world"), military overreach, and short-term ideological thinking do contribute to the possibility of our soon being surpassed by the likes of China, India, and Brazil.
One thing that can keep us going for a long time is our history of innovation, innovation that is often falling victim to ideology. As long as we run our schools on ideological principles like "No Child Left Behind" and control from larger and more remote political entities, innovation may be stifled.
To get more innovation, we have to educate children for creativity, not passing tests.
I finally finished Eric Booth's "The Music Teaching Artist's Bible: Becoming a Virtuoso Educator". The more I read, the more I understood he was talking about education in general. If we don't engage students in creativity, all the rote learning in the world will only turn out automatons. See "Teaching: putting in or drawing out?"
Then I read three revolutionary articles on education: "Scholar's School Reform U-Turn", "Building a Better Teacher", and "Why you should read Diane Ravitch's new book".
The first is how Diane Ravitch, a respected education historian who was in the first Bush's Department of Education, has changed her mind on some of the conservative standard views on education, including No Child Left Behind. If you want to get some idea of her independence, read her "The Language Police".
The second is a long New York Times Magazine article centered on a charter school founder who learned that teachers aren't being trained in the little things that really matter. The most striking paragraph was:
"When Doug Lemov conducted his own search for those magical ingredients, he noticed something about most successful teachers that he hadn’t expected to find: what looked like natural-born genius was often deliberate technique in disguise. “Stand still when you’re giving directions,” a teacher at a Boston school told him. In other words, don’t do two things at once. Lemov tried it, and suddenly, he had to ask students to take out their homework only once."
The third is a short review of Diane Ravitch's "The Death and Life of the Great American School System". The review gives a good summary of the ferment that is going on in education circles, a ferment that could give us a truly Great American School System.
More "We ain't seen nothing yet!"
I've repeated the above mantra many times with regard to computers. And several times a year, some new software or hardware is introduced that is a "game changer".
I started out programming a cards-in/cards-out computer in 1959. I now carry two computers in my pocket that have more power than that: a cell phone and an iPod. I added a 5MB hard drive to one of my first Macs. I now have a 500GB hard drive accessed wirelessly by two Macs. The first modems I used on mainframes were 110bps, and on microcomputers 1200bps. I thought moving from 56Kbps to 256Kbps broadband was a big step. Now 1.5Mbps seems slow. The highest currently available in Duluth is 20Mbps, but Google is looking at providing some city with 100Mbps.
Then I saw this about Cisco's CRS-3 router: "It can handle 322 terabits of traffic per second, or simultaneous video calls for every person in China, Cisco said." - "Cisco to introduce new heavy-duty router", Yahoo Finance/AP, 2010-03-09.
Oh, yes, it costs only $90,000. My DSL costs $22 (exclusive of $12.95 ISP charge) for 1.5Mbps. Let's see, my bps cost based on the monthly cost is $0.0000147; the Cisco router bps cost is $0.000000000280, or my bps cost is about 50,000 times the router bps cost.
Of course, I'm comparing apples and oranges here in more than one way, but the order of magnitude differences are mind-boggling.
The sobering thought is that moving all this data so fast for so many people may increase the world's knowledge, but will it make us any wiser?
I started out programming a cards-in/cards-out computer in 1959. I now carry two computers in my pocket that have more power than that: a cell phone and an iPod. I added a 5MB hard drive to one of my first Macs. I now have a 500GB hard drive accessed wirelessly by two Macs. The first modems I used on mainframes were 110bps, and on microcomputers 1200bps. I thought moving from 56Kbps to 256Kbps broadband was a big step. Now 1.5Mbps seems slow. The highest currently available in Duluth is 20Mbps, but Google is looking at providing some city with 100Mbps.
Then I saw this about Cisco's CRS-3 router: "It can handle 322 terabits of traffic per second, or simultaneous video calls for every person in China, Cisco said." - "Cisco to introduce new heavy-duty router", Yahoo Finance/AP, 2010-03-09.
Oh, yes, it costs only $90,000. My DSL costs $22 (exclusive of $12.95 ISP charge) for 1.5Mbps. Let's see, my bps cost based on the monthly cost is $0.0000147; the Cisco router bps cost is $0.000000000280, or my bps cost is about 50,000 times the router bps cost.
Of course, I'm comparing apples and oranges here in more than one way, but the order of magnitude differences are mind-boggling.
The sobering thought is that moving all this data so fast for so many people may increase the world's knowledge, but will it make us any wiser?
Monday, March 08, 2010
For some, spring is a sad time
The snow is melting, the closing of Spirit Mountain is nearer, what will we skiers do when the snow is all gone?
My wife thinks the season is over. Rain is predicted for Wednesday and Thursday with highs in the mid-40s and lows above freezing all week. What will the snow be like on Friday?
Should we head north for Lutsen? Head back west for more Rocky Mountain skiing? Knowing us, we'll probably stay put.
Time to start at the fitness center with a full program to be ready for next season.
My wife thinks the season is over. Rain is predicted for Wednesday and Thursday with highs in the mid-40s and lows above freezing all week. What will the snow be like on Friday?
Should we head north for Lutsen? Head back west for more Rocky Mountain skiing? Knowing us, we'll probably stay put.
Time to start at the fitness center with a full program to be ready for next season.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
An irony in politics
It is rather ironic that the party that claims it is for individual freedom supports corporate interests more heavily than its opposition and punishes its members who do not follow the party line.
On the other hand, the party that has some semblance of balance between individual interests and community interests follows suit with members having many different ideas on where the balance is.
On the other hand, the party that has some semblance of balance between individual interests and community interests follows suit with members having many different ideas on where the balance is.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
I'm glad they don't build them like they used to
People often complain about the quality of cars, even before Toyota's fiasco. However, few stop to think how much more reliable and long-lasting cars are. One of the many features that is more reliable is the speedometer. We have had several cars in the last two decades that have had much more accurate speedometers than previous cars.
In the late 70s when the 55mph limit was opposed, many people gamed the system because a few court cases ruled that a driver could not be ticketed for going less than 10mph over the limit. I regularly drove my Fiat 124 Sport Coupe between southeastern Pennsylania and New York City at 70mph. Oops! That's 15mph over the limit. Not really, my actual speed was 63mph. I went right by at least one patrol car parked under a bridge while my CB crackled with a warning that there was a smokey under that bridge. It was also fun to watch those who had previously passed me slow down to less than I had been going.
When we bought our first Ford Escort I couldn't understand why so many people were passing me when I was going 55mph. I took a few measurements and discovered that I was actually going 47mph!! The dealer wouldn't do anything about it, making some noise about tire wear, blah, blah. Tire wear on a new car?? Once I began driving a true 55mph, I passed a lot of Escorts driving much slower than I was. I guess the Escorts were wearing their tires out within a few miles of the dealers.
The 1997 Ford F-150 I bought later had a much more accurate speedometer. I think it was correct within one mph at highway speeds. It did fairly well at lower speeds; I went past many a radar sign registering 30mph just like my speedometer.
Our 2002 Prius is just about as accurate.
On a recent trip we timed our Chevy Trailblazer at 70mph on a six-mile stretch of I-35W. If our speed was exactly 70mph we would have covered the six miles in 308.57 seconds. We covered the distance in 308.9 seconds, and so our speed was 69.926mph.
Of course, our measurements weren't that close because of reaction time, plus it is difficult to set cruise control right on the line on the speedometer. I think I had it slightly under, but I couldn't be positive without reading glasses.
Even that is damn good. If one were to allow a one percent error, the range of time would be slightly outside 306 to 312 seconds. That is a whole lot better than the 17 percent error of the Ford Escort or the 10 percent error of the Fiat 124.
In the late 70s when the 55mph limit was opposed, many people gamed the system because a few court cases ruled that a driver could not be ticketed for going less than 10mph over the limit. I regularly drove my Fiat 124 Sport Coupe between southeastern Pennsylania and New York City at 70mph. Oops! That's 15mph over the limit. Not really, my actual speed was 63mph. I went right by at least one patrol car parked under a bridge while my CB crackled with a warning that there was a smokey under that bridge. It was also fun to watch those who had previously passed me slow down to less than I had been going.
When we bought our first Ford Escort I couldn't understand why so many people were passing me when I was going 55mph. I took a few measurements and discovered that I was actually going 47mph!! The dealer wouldn't do anything about it, making some noise about tire wear, blah, blah. Tire wear on a new car?? Once I began driving a true 55mph, I passed a lot of Escorts driving much slower than I was. I guess the Escorts were wearing their tires out within a few miles of the dealers.
The 1997 Ford F-150 I bought later had a much more accurate speedometer. I think it was correct within one mph at highway speeds. It did fairly well at lower speeds; I went past many a radar sign registering 30mph just like my speedometer.
Our 2002 Prius is just about as accurate.
On a recent trip we timed our Chevy Trailblazer at 70mph on a six-mile stretch of I-35W. If our speed was exactly 70mph we would have covered the six miles in 308.57 seconds. We covered the distance in 308.9 seconds, and so our speed was 69.926mph.
Of course, our measurements weren't that close because of reaction time, plus it is difficult to set cruise control right on the line on the speedometer. I think I had it slightly under, but I couldn't be positive without reading glasses.
Even that is damn good. If one were to allow a one percent error, the range of time would be slightly outside 306 to 312 seconds. That is a whole lot better than the 17 percent error of the Ford Escort or the 10 percent error of the Fiat 124.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Look who's buying Congress
Barbara Streisand wrote an interesting column on fair elections, "Elections Should Be Won -- Not Bought", Huffington Post, 2010-02-23.
She argues that "Under [the] Fair Elections [Act], candidates would raise a large number of small contributions from their communities in order to qualify for Fair Elections funding."
I wonder how many communities she lives in. I checked OpenSecrets for her contributions. Giving her address as California, she gave $1,000 each to Thomas Howard Geoghegan, John Hall, and Howard L. Berman. Looking these gentlemen up, I found that they are all Representatives. Geoghegan is from Illinois, Hall is from New York, and Berman is from California. Is she buying elections in New York and Illinois?
Closer to home, I looked up donations by ZIP code. I found that a neighbor gave two $500 contributions to Maureen Reed. I haven't heard of any Reed running for office in Duluth. No, she's running against Michele Bachmann in the Sixth District around the Twin Cities. I would dearly love to see Michelle Bachmann replaced, but I can't vote for either candidate. And if I can't vote for these candidates, is it fair for me to contribute to either?
She argues that "Under [the] Fair Elections [Act], candidates would raise a large number of small contributions from their communities in order to qualify for Fair Elections funding."
I wonder how many communities she lives in. I checked OpenSecrets for her contributions. Giving her address as California, she gave $1,000 each to Thomas Howard Geoghegan, John Hall, and Howard L. Berman. Looking these gentlemen up, I found that they are all Representatives. Geoghegan is from Illinois, Hall is from New York, and Berman is from California. Is she buying elections in New York and Illinois?
Closer to home, I looked up donations by ZIP code. I found that a neighbor gave two $500 contributions to Maureen Reed. I haven't heard of any Reed running for office in Duluth. No, she's running against Michele Bachmann in the Sixth District around the Twin Cities. I would dearly love to see Michelle Bachmann replaced, but I can't vote for either candidate. And if I can't vote for these candidates, is it fair for me to contribute to either?
The new Red Menace!
Those who want power often use scare tactics to get people to support them. Even in democracies - Joseph McCarthy, 9/11, Iraq and WMD. Now we have those who want power and lucrative government contracts have declared that we are in a cyberwar!!
"There is no cyberwar and we are not losing it. The only war going on is one for the soul of the internet." "Cyberwar Hype Intended to Destroy the Open Internet", Ryan Singel, Wired, 2010-03-01.
"There is no cyberwar and we are not losing it. The only war going on is one for the soul of the internet." "Cyberwar Hype Intended to Destroy the Open Internet", Ryan Singel, Wired, 2010-03-01.
The trouble with politics. We have met the enemy and he is us!
A must read is Charles Wheelan's "The Real Problem in Politics? It's Us", Yahoo! Finance, 2010-03-01.
As long as we vote for Representatives who allocate Federal money for local bike trails or who advocate not participating in the Census.
If you object to this behavior, don't vote for these candidates, even if the opposition is worse in your eyes, and don't stay away. Show up and leave a blank ballot.
As long as we vote for Representatives who allocate Federal money for local bike trails or who advocate not participating in the Census.
If you object to this behavior, don't vote for these candidates, even if the opposition is worse in your eyes, and don't stay away. Show up and leave a blank ballot.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The Party of One has capitulated?
Well, today I logged on to the Coffee Party. Does that mean I have quit the Party of One? Maybe not, the Coffee Party is more an affiliation of many parties of one. The only common thread is that most members are tired of professional politics as usual and tired of shrill politics from others. My first post was:
As my father-in-law often said, "Throw the bustards out", even though he considered himself a staunch Republican and a proud NRA member.
My own saying is, "Vote for Joe, vote for Moe, or vote no, but vote."
Too much is being made of Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts.I do hope you will consider looking at the Coffee Party and make a thoughtful decision on how much you want to support politics as usual.
First, he came across to many people as folksy and Martha Coakesly (sp?) came across as arrogant.
Second, too many forget that 45% of the eligible voters didn't even show up. So, 52.7% of 55% is about 29% of the eligible voters. That looks like a landslide for "None of the above".
As somebody else posted on this website, "Vote! Vote! Vote!" . I would add that we should vote even if we leave a blank ballot. A blank ballot gets counted, a ballot not cast does not get counted.
As my father-in-law often said, "Throw the bustards out", even though he considered himself a staunch Republican and a proud NRA member.
My own saying is, "Vote for Joe, vote for Moe, or vote no, but vote."
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Coffee Party USA, political discourse we can believe in
I was pleased to read in today's Star Tribune that Annabel Park of Silver Spring MD has started the Coffee Party as an antidote to the Tea Party and to the extreme polarization of the two so-called major parties. The actual article was from the Washington Post and can be found at "Coffee Party activists say their civic brew's a tastier choice than Tea Party's".
The Coffee Party hasn't gained the notoriety and participation of the Tea Party yet. Maybe it never will, because too many people would rather point fingers than actually rationally discuss issues. But let's still have hope, maybe this is the change we've been waiting for.
If you do a google search for coffee party park you will get over 20 million hits. Maybe thing are perking along better than the Star Tribune intimated.
Besides Ms. Park's Facebook page mentioned in the article, the Google search yielded coffeepartyusa.com.
As a Party of One, I am mixed on how much support to give to the Coffee Party. But I will do my best to keep up with its activities and to wish it well in returning us to the country the Founders envisioned.
To paraphrase Walt Kelly's Pogo, we have met the government and it is us!
The Coffee Party hasn't gained the notoriety and participation of the Tea Party yet. Maybe it never will, because too many people would rather point fingers than actually rationally discuss issues. But let's still have hope, maybe this is the change we've been waiting for.
If you do a google search for coffee party park you will get over 20 million hits. Maybe thing are perking along better than the Star Tribune intimated.
Besides Ms. Park's Facebook page mentioned in the article, the Google search yielded coffeepartyusa.com.
As a Party of One, I am mixed on how much support to give to the Coffee Party. But I will do my best to keep up with its activities and to wish it well in returning us to the country the Founders envisioned.
To paraphrase Walt Kelly's Pogo, we have met the government and it is us!
Lucky us! Carrying pickup cargo in an SUV
In one of this season's heavy snows, one of the branches of the arborvitae in our front yard became badly bent and never recovered. It is too high for us to reach and so we planned to bring back our 14-ft. pruning pole from our cabin.
When we had the pickup truck, this would not have been a problem. Collapsed, the pruning pole would fit in the bed on the diagonal. Now that we have a Trailblazer SUV, no way would it fit.
I took off the saw blade and put it on the back bumper. I pulled apart the two poles and the shorter one fit on the diagonal behind the front seats. The longer one ran the length of the SUV and between the front seats without interfering with the shift lever. Once I got that done I could put in the rest of the gear in the back.
We stopped at a supermarket on our way back. As I opened up the hatch to put the groceries in, I saw the saw blade still on the back bumper! It was slightly stuck to the bumper because of dampness; but still, that it stayed put for 45 miles with a few bounces including over railroad tracks is something to marvel at.
When we had the pickup truck, this would not have been a problem. Collapsed, the pruning pole would fit in the bed on the diagonal. Now that we have a Trailblazer SUV, no way would it fit.
I took off the saw blade and put it on the back bumper. I pulled apart the two poles and the shorter one fit on the diagonal behind the front seats. The longer one ran the length of the SUV and between the front seats without interfering with the shift lever. Once I got that done I could put in the rest of the gear in the back.
We stopped at a supermarket on our way back. As I opened up the hatch to put the groceries in, I saw the saw blade still on the back bumper! It was slightly stuck to the bumper because of dampness; but still, that it stayed put for 45 miles with a few bounces including over railroad tracks is something to marvel at.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Is "Consumerism" such a bad thing?
So-called conservatives and so-called progressives seem to deal in sweeping generalizations rather than looking at the sweeping scope of ideas and facts.
"Slow Consumption" is a case of looking at one facet of American life and assuming that it holds across all of American life. (Utne Reader, March April 2010)
Yes, there are cheap goods that wear out and that we toss and replace. But there are also many things that last and last.
Among these are the modern automobile. I am so glad that they don't build them like they used to. I bought a new 1997 F-150 truck in May 1996. In the fall of 2009 somebody asked me if it was new. Only a few times in those 13 years did I cancel a trip because of a problem. But it was undrivable only once; it had a flat tire. I traded it in this fall for an SUV and later met the buyer; he was pleased with his purchase.
We have furniture that is over thirty years old. We live in a house built in 1922. We have appliances that are less than ten years old, but mostly because their energy consumption is so much less; that is, the new is truly better.
Yes, we have gone through many coffee makers. But we wouldn't have to do so if we were willing to accept a little less convenience. We could buy a stovetop percolator for less than $15. If we kept it clean it would last for decades.
Film cameras lasted for years and years. I had an SLR for over 30 years with few repairs. But then digital cameras came along. They are so much more convenient and they are so much less expensive to operate. I can take the equivalent of over twelve rolls of film on a single memory card, over and over again. Think of all the chemicals that are not needed and that do not go into our water supply. I put the photos on my computer and never use prints except for display on a wall. Think of all the trees that are "saved".
Ah! computers! They are not long lasting. Not because they are not durable. I have a couple in my closet that are over ten years old that still work. But I don't want to use them; they cannot access all the information that is out there, including the online version of the Utne Reader.
Why? Because of Magree's first law of computing: the capability of software rises to meet, if not exceed, the capability of the available hardware. And hardware capability will keep increasing rapidly over the next several years.
Why? Because of innovation. What was known about computers in 1984 is a small fraction of what is known about computers now. Ideas build on ideas. We have a precursor in automobiles.
When Henry Ford built the Model T, did he have any idea about windshield washers, turn signals, side view mirrors, electric starters, automatic transmissions, seat belts and air bags, radios, power steering, power brakes, and hundreds of other features we would not be without in today's cars?
Change is a constant in our society. It has many downsides, but change can bring about a better life for all. Without change, many of us would be peasants in Europe working long, hard hours for the lord of the manor.
"Slow Consumption" is a case of looking at one facet of American life and assuming that it holds across all of American life. (Utne Reader, March April 2010)
Yes, there are cheap goods that wear out and that we toss and replace. But there are also many things that last and last.
Among these are the modern automobile. I am so glad that they don't build them like they used to. I bought a new 1997 F-150 truck in May 1996. In the fall of 2009 somebody asked me if it was new. Only a few times in those 13 years did I cancel a trip because of a problem. But it was undrivable only once; it had a flat tire. I traded it in this fall for an SUV and later met the buyer; he was pleased with his purchase.
We have furniture that is over thirty years old. We live in a house built in 1922. We have appliances that are less than ten years old, but mostly because their energy consumption is so much less; that is, the new is truly better.
Yes, we have gone through many coffee makers. But we wouldn't have to do so if we were willing to accept a little less convenience. We could buy a stovetop percolator for less than $15. If we kept it clean it would last for decades.
Film cameras lasted for years and years. I had an SLR for over 30 years with few repairs. But then digital cameras came along. They are so much more convenient and they are so much less expensive to operate. I can take the equivalent of over twelve rolls of film on a single memory card, over and over again. Think of all the chemicals that are not needed and that do not go into our water supply. I put the photos on my computer and never use prints except for display on a wall. Think of all the trees that are "saved".
Ah! computers! They are not long lasting. Not because they are not durable. I have a couple in my closet that are over ten years old that still work. But I don't want to use them; they cannot access all the information that is out there, including the online version of the Utne Reader.
Why? Because of Magree's first law of computing: the capability of software rises to meet, if not exceed, the capability of the available hardware. And hardware capability will keep increasing rapidly over the next several years.
Why? Because of innovation. What was known about computers in 1984 is a small fraction of what is known about computers now. Ideas build on ideas. We have a precursor in automobiles.
When Henry Ford built the Model T, did he have any idea about windshield washers, turn signals, side view mirrors, electric starters, automatic transmissions, seat belts and air bags, radios, power steering, power brakes, and hundreds of other features we would not be without in today's cars?
Change is a constant in our society. It has many downsides, but change can bring about a better life for all. Without change, many of us would be peasants in Europe working long, hard hours for the lord of the manor.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Learning to sing should be easier than learning the alphabet
As I was driving to my voice lesson, I considered that there were only 25 sounds in a two-octave range: C-Db-D-Eb-E-F-Gb-G-Ab-A-Bb-B-C-… and 12 to the next C. If you work at it, you can memorize a few notes, sing one of them, walk to a piano, press that note, and find you are right on.
Well, why not work on memorizing all 25? Since as a struggling kindergardener you memorized 26 letters in the alphabet, shouldn't you as an intelligent adult be able to memorize all 25 sounds in a two-octave range. Even fewer sounds if you can't manage two octaves, yet!
A trick is to memorize a song and use the starting note as your first "memorized note". I can do it with the first note of Arirang, maybe three out of four times. Only 24 to go!
Well, why not work on memorizing all 25? Since as a struggling kindergardener you memorized 26 letters in the alphabet, shouldn't you as an intelligent adult be able to memorize all 25 sounds in a two-octave range. Even fewer sounds if you can't manage two octaves, yet!
A trick is to memorize a song and use the starting note as your first "memorized note". I can do it with the first note of Arirang, maybe three out of four times. Only 24 to go!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
A sensible discussion about education
Bob Herbert wrote a thoughtful op-ed about Deborah Kenny who has started three charter schools in Harlem, "Where the Bar Ought to Be", New York Times, 2010-02-22. She has achieved astounding results, but even more thoughtful are the highlighted comments. They get into the nitty-gritty of trying to educate students who come from a non-supportive environment.
It was a joy to read these comments. They had none of the mudslinging that makes reading comments a chore. I think the New York Times is to be lauded for making this selection.
I wanted to say more about the comments, but the New York Times seems to be overwhelmed by readers and I can't get pages to come up. I hope you have better luck.
It was a joy to read these comments. They had none of the mudslinging that makes reading comments a chore. I think the New York Times is to be lauded for making this selection.
I wanted to say more about the comments, but the New York Times seems to be overwhelmed by readers and I can't get pages to come up. I hope you have better luck.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Cash is becoming obsolete, will credit cards follow?
Imagine this! You go into a store to purchase something. When it comes time to pay you whip out, not your credit card but your cell phone. The merchant gives you a number, you call PayPal, enter the amount of the purchase and the number the merchant gave you. A moment later the merchant receives a notice on his or her computer that the payment has been made. The merchant wraps your purchase and thanks you for your business.
Far-fetched? No, it is technologically feasible and has been implemented in many parts of the world, see "Mobile Payments". The above scenario is a four-step process. The purchaser calls his or her financial institution. That company approves the sale and calls the merchant's financial institution transferring the money. That company sends a message to the merchant's computer. The merchant sees the message and completes the sale.
Apple has this down to a three-step process for iTunes and PayPal has it down to a seven-step process. I would guess that Apple trusts most of its iTunes users and eliminates the approval process. See "From Credit Card to PayPal: 3 Ways to Move Money", Wired, February 2010. See also the main article, "The Future of Money: It's Flexible, Frictionless and (Almost) Free".
To think that Congress passed an enormous bill to rein in the reign of the credit card companies. It could have passed a one-page bill to authorize Federal agencies, including the IRS to accept payments through PayPal.
True capitalists should welcome this creative destruction, which really is the basis for innovation, not behemoth near monopolies. For more on creative destruction, see Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction
Far-fetched? No, it is technologically feasible and has been implemented in many parts of the world, see "Mobile Payments". The above scenario is a four-step process. The purchaser calls his or her financial institution. That company approves the sale and calls the merchant's financial institution transferring the money. That company sends a message to the merchant's computer. The merchant sees the message and completes the sale.
Apple has this down to a three-step process for iTunes and PayPal has it down to a seven-step process. I would guess that Apple trusts most of its iTunes users and eliminates the approval process. See "From Credit Card to PayPal: 3 Ways to Move Money", Wired, February 2010. See also the main article, "The Future of Money: It's Flexible, Frictionless and (Almost) Free".
To think that Congress passed an enormous bill to rein in the reign of the credit card companies. It could have passed a one-page bill to authorize Federal agencies, including the IRS to accept payments through PayPal.
True capitalists should welcome this creative destruction, which really is the basis for innovation, not behemoth near monopolies. For more on creative destruction, see Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Please pay your bill on receipt
Or if you prefer, you can pay for this column as soon as you read it and receive a five-percent discount.
This little entry was triggered by a wonderful spoof of the health care system by Nicholas Kristof, "I Cost More, but I'm a Specialist", New York Times, 2010-02-20. He writes that "We Americans have the greatest news care system in the world…" His bill for our reading his column is $1,681.63.
He also has a link to another spoof, "If Air Travel Worked Like Health Care", Jonathan Rauch, National Journal, 2009-09-26.
Since I'm only 1/100th as good as Nicholas Kristof, my bill for your reading this column is $16.82. I'm sorry but we do not accept credit cards nor do we bill your news insurance provider.
This little entry was triggered by a wonderful spoof of the health care system by Nicholas Kristof, "I Cost More, but I'm a Specialist", New York Times, 2010-02-20. He writes that "We Americans have the greatest news care system in the world…" His bill for our reading his column is $1,681.63.
He also has a link to another spoof, "If Air Travel Worked Like Health Care", Jonathan Rauch, National Journal, 2009-09-26.
Since I'm only 1/100th as good as Nicholas Kristof, my bill for your reading this column is $16.82. I'm sorry but we do not accept credit cards nor do we bill your news insurance provider.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Report spoof email as often as you can
It seems that every day I get some spam that intimates that it is from a major corporation and that my account has been compromised. I report almost every one of these to the spoofed corporation (if I've found an email address for such) as well as to the Federal Trade Commission (spam@uce.gov) and the Anti-Phishing Working Group (reportphishing@antiphishing.org).
Sometimes it is hard to find an email address for a spoofed company. Somewhere on a home page or a help page you might find a link to spam, spoof, phishing, fraud, or security.
You might think that it is a bit of work to report spoofing, but consider it like calling the police when you see suspicious activity around a neighbor's house. Consider also this statement that I received from PayPal after reporting a phishing message:
Every email counts. When you forward suspicious-looking emails to
spoof@paypal.com, you help keep yourself and others safe from identity
theft.
See also my blog entry Phishing against which bank this week?
Sometimes it is hard to find an email address for a spoofed company. Somewhere on a home page or a help page you might find a link to spam, spoof, phishing, fraud, or security.
You might think that it is a bit of work to report spoofing, but consider it like calling the police when you see suspicious activity around a neighbor's house. Consider also this statement that I received from PayPal after reporting a phishing message:
Every email counts. When you forward suspicious-looking emails to
spoof@paypal.com, you help keep yourself and others safe from identity
theft.
See also my blog entry Phishing against which bank this week?
Thursday, February 18, 2010
One of those days
We skied a lot today at Bridger Bowl. Not as much as many other people, but far more than we would have done at Spirit Mountain in Duluth. The sore thighs I was developing in the afternoon are no longer bothersome, but getting motivated to do anything is "bothersome".
I should answer my brother's email, I should practice singing, I should write some more meaningful blog entries, I should… Maybe I should go to bed, but 8:00 just seems too early.
One of the minor interesting things is mentally adjusting clocks. I reset my watch to Mountain Standard Time, but I didn't reset our car clock. I reset my iPod to MST but not my computer. Then my iPod's alarm goes off an hour early in the morning. It's back on Central Standard Time!!!
Ah ha! I synchronized my iPod with my Mac and that changed the iPod time again. So now I've set the Mac to automatically adjust the time to its location.
I suppose I should reset my camera clock also, but will the exact time matter on the photos?
Tomorrow is our last big day of skiing. I hope I have enough energy for the half-hour drive back to Bozeman. And enough energy to write emails, to sing, and to write a meaningful blog or two.
I should answer my brother's email, I should practice singing, I should write some more meaningful blog entries, I should… Maybe I should go to bed, but 8:00 just seems too early.
One of the minor interesting things is mentally adjusting clocks. I reset my watch to Mountain Standard Time, but I didn't reset our car clock. I reset my iPod to MST but not my computer. Then my iPod's alarm goes off an hour early in the morning. It's back on Central Standard Time!!!
Ah ha! I synchronized my iPod with my Mac and that changed the iPod time again. So now I've set the Mac to automatically adjust the time to its location.
I suppose I should reset my camera clock also, but will the exact time matter on the photos?
Tomorrow is our last big day of skiing. I hope I have enough energy for the half-hour drive back to Bozeman. And enough energy to write emails, to sing, and to write a meaningful blog or two.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Avalanche!
We are now in Bozeman MT while skiing at Bridger Bowl as part of the annual Ski Hut trip.
This morning I had a lesson and my wife chose to stay in town. After the lesson I stopped at a mid=slope chalet for coffee and then went up for another run. I was so tired that I decided to ski back down to the base, have lunch, and then maybe go out again. This was about 11:30.
Some people in our group said that they had seen an avalanche from the lift and heard that people were in the area. Later Scott Neustel, owner of Ski Hut, came in looking distressed. He was on a nearby ridge when it happened and his group was told to stay put for a bit.
He had managed to take a picture of the avalanche and passed his camera around. Imagine the tree tops reaching to the bottom of an "e" in this text; the top of the avalanche cloud reached to the top of the "e". Some people said the snow was moving at 70-75 mph.
As of 4:43 MST, no one had been reported missing, but stories are circulating about close calls. The authorities are still checking by helicopter and snowmobile.
Anybody taking the lift to the high country is required to take a working transponder. But authorities never can be sure that somebody didn't take another route up.
When I drove back down, almost every turn out had people stopped and looking up at the mountains. I don't know what they could see other than a helicopter circling around.
This morning I had a lesson and my wife chose to stay in town. After the lesson I stopped at a mid=slope chalet for coffee and then went up for another run. I was so tired that I decided to ski back down to the base, have lunch, and then maybe go out again. This was about 11:30.
Some people in our group said that they had seen an avalanche from the lift and heard that people were in the area. Later Scott Neustel, owner of Ski Hut, came in looking distressed. He was on a nearby ridge when it happened and his group was told to stay put for a bit.
He had managed to take a picture of the avalanche and passed his camera around. Imagine the tree tops reaching to the bottom of an "e" in this text; the top of the avalanche cloud reached to the top of the "e". Some people said the snow was moving at 70-75 mph.
As of 4:43 MST, no one had been reported missing, but stories are circulating about close calls. The authorities are still checking by helicopter and snowmobile.
Anybody taking the lift to the high country is required to take a working transponder. But authorities never can be sure that somebody didn't take another route up.
When I drove back down, almost every turn out had people stopped and looking up at the mountains. I don't know what they could see other than a helicopter circling around.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
The scourge of drunk drivers
Ralph Doty wrote an interesting column in last week's Budgeteer News. I've have often thought about writing something similar but haven't done the research. When we lived in Sweden from 1970 to 1974 I had heard that even a member of Parliament was sentenced to prison for driving drunk.
Ralph's column led me to do a search on
http://publikationswebbutik.vv.se/shopping/ShowItem____3944.aspx
and click on "Ladda när document". This will download "National cooperation against drink and drug driving in traffic according to the Skellefte model" into your computer. The Skellefteå model is a very comprehensive program to combat a very serious problem.
BTW, if you read Swedish, you can also find some documents that relate some really sad stories about the consequences of drunk driving.
Ralph's column led me to do a search on
Sweden "drunk driving" prisongiving over 60,000 references. An answer.com item led me to Vägverket's site (Swedish Highway Administration) and I did a further search to find a relevant document in English. If you want to read it, go to
http://publikationswebbutik.vv.se/shopping/ShowItem____3944.aspx
and click on "Ladda när document". This will download "National cooperation against drink and drug driving in traffic according to the Skellefte model" into your computer. The Skellefteå model is a very comprehensive program to combat a very serious problem.
BTW, if you read Swedish, you can also find some documents that relate some really sad stories about the consequences of drunk driving.
Monday, February 08, 2010
Don't throw out the sports section!!
When we get the Sunday Duluth News Tribune, we separate out the glossy ads, the classifieds, and the sports section and put them into the recycling pile. We've been doing it for years, pausing at the sports section only if there is a human interest story on its front page.
For some reason a week ago I paused and said I should check for the Outdoors section on the last page of the sports section. Goodness, gracious, there was an article about Wes Neustel, former owner of Ski Hut and organizer of the annual Ski Hut trip to Bozeman MT. We know Wes, like thousands of others, and look forward to this trip.
Yesterday, I paused again before tossing the sports section on the recycling pile. On the Outdoors page was an article about Tim Bradach finding locked moose horns near his property in Brimson. Gosh, his and some friends' property is right across the road from ours. And double gosh, on Saturday I was musing on how long it was since we saw any moose tracks on our trails. The moose hadn't disappeared; we just hadn't looked hard enough.
For some reason a week ago I paused and said I should check for the Outdoors section on the last page of the sports section. Goodness, gracious, there was an article about Wes Neustel, former owner of Ski Hut and organizer of the annual Ski Hut trip to Bozeman MT. We know Wes, like thousands of others, and look forward to this trip.
Yesterday, I paused again before tossing the sports section on the recycling pile. On the Outdoors page was an article about Tim Bradach finding locked moose horns near his property in Brimson. Gosh, his and some friends' property is right across the road from ours. And double gosh, on Saturday I was musing on how long it was since we saw any moose tracks on our trails. The moose hadn't disappeared; we just hadn't looked hard enough.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
I tried to cut my leg off
Well, not really, but I came close.
I was cutting stumps flush with the ground. I was working on the last for the day and in a rather awkward kneeling position. I knew that I should be careful and shifted my legs to be farther away from the chain saw.
Then I shifted again and the chain saw came out and caught in the knee of my jeans, ripping a small part. I looked closer and it also ripped the knee of my long johns. I thought I felt a small cut on my knee. I put the saw down and walked into the cabin to look at it.
I pulled down my pants and long johns, and sure enough there was a bloody streak across my knee.
My wife got out the first aid kit, swabbed the cut with an antiseptic wipe, put a gauze pad on the cut and fixed it with adhesive strips, and for good measure she wrapped it all with an elastic bandage.
My knee is not as good as new yet, but I am quite ambulatory. In fact, we went snowshoeing later. Not very far; we had to cut a lot of snow-laden brush bent over the path. Afterwards, the brush cutting made my shoulders hurt more than my knee did. Also the cut knee hurt less than the other knee which has been sore for over a year.
However, as I write this, my cut knee is reminding me that it is damaged. My next step is to take a shower, see how it looks, and have my wife redress it.
Interestingly, I'll be seeing a dermatology nurse practitioner on Tuesday for some other skin problems, some of which are on the cut leg. Will she be surprised!
I was cutting stumps flush with the ground. I was working on the last for the day and in a rather awkward kneeling position. I knew that I should be careful and shifted my legs to be farther away from the chain saw.
Then I shifted again and the chain saw came out and caught in the knee of my jeans, ripping a small part. I looked closer and it also ripped the knee of my long johns. I thought I felt a small cut on my knee. I put the saw down and walked into the cabin to look at it.
I pulled down my pants and long johns, and sure enough there was a bloody streak across my knee.
My wife got out the first aid kit, swabbed the cut with an antiseptic wipe, put a gauze pad on the cut and fixed it with adhesive strips, and for good measure she wrapped it all with an elastic bandage.
My knee is not as good as new yet, but I am quite ambulatory. In fact, we went snowshoeing later. Not very far; we had to cut a lot of snow-laden brush bent over the path. Afterwards, the brush cutting made my shoulders hurt more than my knee did. Also the cut knee hurt less than the other knee which has been sore for over a year.
However, as I write this, my cut knee is reminding me that it is damaged. My next step is to take a shower, see how it looks, and have my wife redress it.
Interestingly, I'll be seeing a dermatology nurse practitioner on Tuesday for some other skin problems, some of which are on the cut leg. Will she be surprised!
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Clever trailer hitch cover
As a pickup passed me the other day, it was hard not to notice the cover on the trailer hitch – a pig riding a motorcycle, a hog on a HOG!
For those not in the know, HOG is a nickname for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. For the origin of the nickname, click here. You'll find in the same article more than you ever thought you wanted to know about the history of Harley-Davidson.
For those not in the know, HOG is a nickname for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. For the origin of the nickname, click here. You'll find in the same article more than you ever thought you wanted to know about the history of Harley-Davidson.
Interesting connections and challenges
Stonyfield Farms, a yoghurt maker, had an offer for "Anticancer, A New Way of Life" by David Servan-Schreiber. I had seen references to the book before and had noted the author's name. When I saw the offer today, I wondered again if the author was related to Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, the author of "Le Defi Americain" ("The American Challenge"). Sure enough, Wikipedia has David as Jean-Jacques' eldest son.
I should reread "Le Defi Americain". The elder Servan-Schrieber was worried about the U.S. swamping Europe economically and culturally. Ironically, his eldest son immigrated to the U.S. And even more ironically, the U.S. is becoming overwhelmed economically by China.
I should reread "Le Defi Americain". The elder Servan-Schrieber was worried about the U.S. swamping Europe economically and culturally. Ironically, his eldest son immigrated to the U.S. And even more ironically, the U.S. is becoming overwhelmed economically by China.
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