The World the Way I See It

Tim Russert's loving tribute weekend

2008-06-16T17:28:00.000-07:00

I think I will really miss Tim Russert as every person who's been remotely involved or concerned about American politics will be. He's one of the few people who told the story straight and gave you an opportunity to trust him. But I'm still really surprised by the outpouring of on-air time devoted to him this past weekend. If NBC/MSNBC/the other NBCs had just replayed some of his best Meet the Press shows, that would be one thing. I actually expected that. Instead, they've spent hours interviewing the people that he interviewed and those folks stated their best memories of him. All weekend long. I guess if I didn't already know that Darfur was not on the American radar, I'd think that there was no other news other than Russert's passing. Maybe this weekend was a slow news weekend in the grand scheme of things. I'm just saying that spending that much time eulogizing a dead man, a good man we can't bring back, is a bit much.

What's the Difference between "IT" and "It"?

2008-01-24T08:06:00.001-08:00

This blog originally started eons ago as part of a class to discuss all things information technological, and that's why the blog was originally called "The World The Way I See IT" but the convo quickly veered into a discussion about everything else (as I knew it would). Forethought, while a curse most of the time, was helpful here. With just one lower case "t" this blog now can own up to its true calling: ranting about every single thing that bugs me. The template is new, too, so Rounders 3, I hardly knew ye, but I guess it's time for a change.

Meanwhile, I guess it's taken a whole day for it to sink in that Heath Ledger is really dead. We're about the same age, and it hits home to think that yes, an entire life can be lived in 28 years (or less, or more). However....Heath should be upset that a lot of his fan sites don't work. I can't tell whether or not these sites came down because of his death and the fans are so aggreived or before the news. That's bad PR.

So I guess this blog is still about IT!

US News' Article About Rebates is Really About Dumb People

2008-01-22T13:09:00.000-08:00

So first, I'm really surprised to return to my blog, only to find that because my Gmail account is open, that I don't have to log in to Blogger. I just go straight to the Dashboard. It's really strange, like all the doors are open even if I don't want them to be.

Anywho, the reason why I write is because I think the recent US News & World Report article "Why Shoppers Love to Hate Rebates" is missing the point. The author and her sources want to blame the companies for being shifty in how they decide to give out rebates. There's even legislation for companies to give consumers more time to fill out rebates. The point is that it won't make any difference. If you're too dumb to follow instructions, then find someone who can help you. Or don't buy something with a rebate if you know you're not going to send in the form.

What's missing from the article is a description of fulfillment companies' reluctance to give out rebate money that people should get when they do do everything right. How many phone calls did it take to get my $20 rebate check from Vivitar's fulfillment company? at least 4. Each time I talked to a human, I was told that the rebate was being processed or had been processed and was waiting for a check to be sent. I really think they were trying to wait me out so that I wouldn't bother. They had no reason not to give me my own money back, and once they get your money, they're slooooooooow to get up off of it. Rebates take a lot of time and vigilance, and consumers, especially stupid ones, don't want to put in the effort. So don't. Leave it to the pros, people like me.

And I think the legislation that they propose in the article is stupid. Publicizing redemption rates will fool consumers into thinking that their chances of getting their money back are low - it's money they're entitled to. If people are dumb enough to buy something and not follow the instructions to get a rebate, then it's their fault that they paid more than they should have. Knowing how many people are smarter than they are won't help them.

When I think about those nights in Montreal.......

2007-06-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so in my mind, I'm in Montreal right now, and I don't know why making teleportation machines haven't come to market yet. I'm driving to Montreal in several hours (which will take several hours) to chill and listen to free concerts for the next 4 days. I am so excited!

Since the exchange rate is so sucky, though, I think I'll make a game out of how to do things as cheaply as possible. Better than crying about it, right? I've already "reserved" a spot for all the free concerts, so I think between Granola and Slim-Fast bars for sustenance and the mall food-court, I think this will be a cheap vacation - you know, once I've shelled out hundreds of dollars for hotel and gasolina.

I am excited not to be checking my mail for several days, so I'll let you know how everything goes. I never intended this blog to be about travel, but I'm grateful to have the chance to visit other places. I mean, two countries in one summer? For some people, it's no big deal, and for other people, it's not even a remote possibility that they've even dreamed of. For me, it's...somewhere in between. Like I said, I'm grateful.

On transcription and On Friendship

2007-06-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

I've been working on the Romania project here and there, doing transcriptions - and an extra one that got dumped in my lap, grrr.... and I remember how much I hate transcription. Not that I ever forgot, but...it's just so boring, can't do anything else while you do them, and then between the myriad voices and the sound of air rushing over a microphone, it's just super tedious. Hate hate hate.

Especially when the interviews have had nearly nothing to do with the internets, the whole reason for going in the first place. And between my constant use of headphones and my transcriptioning, I worry a little about my hearing. What's actually easier is when a translator is needed, because then you have a little time in between the English to fix little mistakes. Plus, the text is shorter by about half because most of the convo you don't have to write anyway.

So in the meantime, I give you this stanza of a poem on friendship attributed to Sarah Orne Jewett. I just found the poem tonight and it makes me realize that even though I've been doing these transcriptions, I still, deep down, have faith in language and its ability to move me:

The massive iron rent in two, Still may be joined as strong as new,
Yes, just the very same; But friendship shattered, never more
Can be the same as 'twas before, Altho' it bear the name.

I put the mania in Romania

2007-06-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I didn't find internets in Romania as often as I would have hoped even though I am positive that many Romanians and many places in Romania have internets, but with our time constraints and limited information, we didn't find the right spots. For example, when we got back to Bucharest, we learned that there were few internet cafes left in town because most people had their own internet tubes running in their homes. That got me thinking about America, where there are few, if any, internet cafes - like, you can check your mail in Starbucks, but you'd better bring your own computer AND have a subscription to their ISP. And people tend to not appreciate it when you check your mail on their laptops for some reason. The bottom line is this: I am back safely in the land of capitalism and I really should fill in holes about this trip. So what we're gonna do is play a little game I call "Revisionist History." I'm gonna post some more details about Romania and this project and we're all gonna pretend that I posted them all in chronological order, ok?

Leaving the Village

2007-05-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

Since we have had no internets for days, there's toooooo much to post here. All smart locusts know when to leave town and since we ate all the food, drank all the wine, used all the water, and used all the toilet paper in Viscri, we called it a fortnight and left. I'm now in Sigisoara, birthplace of Vlad himself, about to take a night train to some villages and towns near the border of Ukraine...

Castelul Bran

2007-05-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

My last post was intended to be put up 2 days ago, but because there are 15 ways for the internets to fail and only one way for them to work right, I haven't been able to post. Yesterday was the day we tracked Dracula all the way to Bran and its fantastically beautiful castle. I was a little disappointed that the walls weren't dripping with blood and there was no torture chamber, so I feel a little conflicted about the castle. Really, Vlad himself only stayed there one night and the castle is really a story about the number of times Transylvania has changed hands over the centuries. The castle is beautiful, very homey, and I could live there so if someone out there has 80 million euros to drop, I'd like to talk to you. Meanwhile, the castelul should be marketed as a beautiful spot, not the craptastic tourist trap that it is. We saw more Dracula nonsense than I would care to remember, and a lot of other things that don't relate at all. Case in point: one tourist shop sold jester hats, don't know why, and another sold black vibrating dildo lighters. No joke.

Today we went to the Orthodox church to see a service and attended meetings with architects who have convened with the Emanescu Trust for a conference to figure out how to best rehabilitate the houses & structures here without destroying the character. Really interesting stuff.

Death March Today, Dracula Tomorrow

2007-05-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

We walked 10 kilometers (or at least most of us did) in the sun and shade via forest trails to another village, Messendorf, which also had a fortified church like the one in Viscri, our village. I swear, if we didn't have two horse carts to take us along, someone would have probably died. No, I exaggerate, but it was tough to keep everyone together between walkers and riders. Meanwhile, one stallion kept wanting to "talk"to the mare next to him, and he had a serious erection that no one could keep their eyes off of...hilarious. Let's all wish them well. One cart ran over a snake in the forest, and its tail writhed while its better half made a hasty escape. Too bad, really. I also got a splinter in my hand.

The scenery was beautiful though, because the countryside is absolutely beautiful, few bugs and poisonous things. We visited a sheep fold, had some fresh cheese and then went to the town where they had no troughs for our horses and basically, the town was in worse shape. There are only 3 Saxons left living in the village, and the one man we met was 97 and the lone caretaker of his church. He wasn't sad, but the situation definitely was. So then we went back to our village which looked like the big city in comparison, and tomorrow we go to Bran Castle to buy crappy Dracula souvenirs!

Sunday

2007-05-13T02:23:00.000-07:00

So...some of us didn't make it to the church on the hill today in time to attend services. We were held up at the carpenter's house for an interview and it was a lot of fun. I could tell that he was holding back from telling us everything since the convo was so political, but he was really generous, let us play with his cat & dog, he picked daffodils and white lilacs from the garden, and gave us plum brandy (which is a drink you give to guests, who have to partake). Since I'm totally recovered from the last run-in with the plum brandy, it was totally fine. He also cut us a fresh stalk of rhubarb! For the rest of the day I guess we'll be talking about our interviews thus far and I will probably bring up the whole "lack-of-internets" thing, so wish me luck on that one. In the meantime, the weather is beautifully sunny and I'm wishing my mother a happy mother's day. Our tour guide: "no, mother's day is in march, it's an international holiday. Why do you celebrate it today?" Guy in group: "in case you haven't noticed, the US doesn't follow international laws." True dat.

Village Life

2007-05-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

Romania is really neat. We all here feel like we've already been here for 3 weeks just because we've seen so much! Last night we actually saw the cows come home. There are a lot of animals here in the village, and the gypsies identify with me because of my dark skin and b/c i'm also part of a persecuted group. Too funny.

I like the Romanian language and i am learning bits and pieces - I think the romanians are impressed by the fact that i am already speaking. And, I'm getting good practice in because you have to say hello to every single person as you pass by.

I don't know if this project is really about the internet, which makes me nervous because that's what i said i came to do, and i can't tell if the subject has changed because we already realize now that people don't have the internet. But i feel like the whole time the study was always going to be about doing an ethnography of village life (which i don't care about) since the whole internet thing just hasn't come up a lot. Basically, the only people who have internet is...me - right now, using a laptop and a mobile phone to dial the modem and the phone keeps cutting off. I'm living at the Emanescu trust house, and the village of Viscri has about 400 people in it - it's actually a UNESCO World Heritage site http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/596 and Prince Charles owns a house here. The village is ethnically mixed, made up of Saxons originally from Germany, some Hungarian Gypsies, some Romanian Gypsies who want to identify as Romanian, not Roma, and the Romanians. Basically, the town is Saxon in its structure and architecture, but there are very few Saxons (25) still living in the village, so there's an effort to preserve the Saxon culture, but for who? There's also an effort for the village to make money, so they knit wool into socks. Of course, I had to buy a pair.

The food is excellent, so fresh. I was at first a little worried that the romanians think that "vegetarian" means "mushrooms" because i spent the first 2 days eating more shrooms than i have in my entire life. But the food here in the village is awesome and we have a different kind of vegetable soup with every dinner. The air is so fresh and the food is so fresh, my skin is starting to glow. In other consumption-related news, last night i drank too much wine palinca, the twice-distilled, oft used as "medicine" plum alcohol at dinner. It really wasn't a fair fight, and I was very hungover this morning and had to sit out on the morning interview with the metalworker. It really wasn't a fair fight.

The people in the group are friendly and we're already working hard on doing 3 interviews of village people a day - but the interviews are not about...the internet! I have been lucky enough to shadow the village nurse as she went on rounds visiting people with newborn babies or chronic diseases like diabetes. What seems to be emerging is that the villagers think their lives were a little better during communism and now they're really struggling and nervous about recently joining the Euro Union for a lot of different reasons (like what will happen to them, their culture, etc). The biggest news this minute is that some French dude saw a girl in our group this afternoon, has fallen in love, and now has come tonight with a horse to take her for an evening ride. I guess that's how they do it in the country?

Everything's Soooooooo Green!

2007-05-09T05:51:00.000-07:00

Hey hey hey from Romania! So a lot has already happened and I actually feel so comfortable here as if I've already been here a whole week or something. The people (the Romanians on the street and the Americans in my group) are very friendly. The flights were totally uneventful and even though I had to open my suitcase - probably because it was so densely packed they couldn't see in on their hi-tech monitors, I got through all the security checks and whatnot with no problems. When we got to the hotel I realized though that I have to leave bottles not screwed so tightly - I lost all my mouthwash, which spilled into the plastic bag and over everything else. Lucklily, i had some in the carryon bag, so I'm ok even for the 3 wks. I'll make it last, don't feel like buying more. I was the first person to meet Alina, our guide at the airport and then in the matter of a few hours, we had 14 people and were on the bus to Brasov, a cool town in Transylvania! What's cool is that we could see the mountains ahead and the road is literally pasted between two steep steep cliffs, with the teeny towns stretching across the road. We did about 6 hairpin turns at a time, too, pretty impressive. Reminded me of driving in california.

Brasov is a little touristy town but definitely helps with the whole culture shock thing. Lots of old stuff to see and people watching is really fun. I think the Romanians are a good-looking group of people and the men like jeans and those sporty jacket things. The young women like to look feminine and wear dainty scarves around their necks with their jeans - very cute. But then the old women look....really old. With scarves on their heads and hunched backs, rough faces - hard living? How can the cute young women transform into them?
[In the internet cafe, "La Tortura" is playing - memories]

Meanwhile, I had a deja vu moment this morning trying to figure out what I was going to wear to the village - the thought was that it really doesn't matter because...it's a village and we're totally going to stand out, especially me. I mean, I get looks, sometimes stares on the street so far, I find, but that's about it. I am totally used to that anyway, 'cause i get that in america too. I am trying to learn Romanian as fast as i can, because I want to be able to talk - already tired of feeling like an infant, ready to have whole conversations with people. Maybe not even that, but just being able to have a simple exchange.

Romania Eve

2007-05-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Two posts in two days! It's like when you start exercising and you've done it two days in a row and you think you're invincible and that you really can do this forever. I'm not fooling myself, though, 'cause I know I will not be writing at all tomorrow because my butt will be doing the "sleep-for-2-hours, watch-movie-for-2-hours" all the way to Bucharest. I wasn't jet lagged when I did that on two 8hr flights to Nairobi, but I think it was because I confused my body to the point where it didn't matter what was going on. The plan: if you're not sleeping, then you'd better be eating, and if you're not eating, go to sleep. Simple.

So... I leave tomorrow, and I'm a little nervous (mom: proud) about flying somewhere where I don't speak the language, don't look remotely like the native folks, don't even know the people that I'm gonna be spending the next 3 weeks of my life with. When I'm not nervous, though, I think this feeling of anticipation might be better than Christmas. I have spent the entire day packing - not that I am a "everything but the kitchen sink" packer, but more like "am I not going to be able to buy this in ROM and can I fit it all into 2 carry-on pieces of luggage?" - so...it's taken me a while to get it all in and I *think* I've done it. My mom has been a big help and I appreciate it. I talked to my Aunt tonight and she had me laughing hard warning me about "village love" - that I shouldn't give up wanting to return home if I fall in love with some Romanian dude. "We will come to the village and get you." She's like, "don't think that you don't need things like running water just because you have love. You still need certain things." Funny. Then she made all my cousins yell into the phone "Have Fun in Romania" and the amount of endearment mixed with apathy was perfect. I'll remember that for a long time.

What a difference (almost) a year makes

2007-05-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings and Salutations! as Charlotte (the spider) would say. It's been a while since I've written a post, but I've been ridiculously busy, and honestly, I think I'm approaching my breaking point. Grad school is technically easy but it's a grueling set of hoops to jump through. Readin' and writin' aren't that difficult, especially when you've done them for so long and you think you're good at it, but when you have so much of it to do and it's so dense and all this unstructured time to get it done and you may or may not have a support staff to help you do all this work you have to do by yourself.

See, 'cause that's the problem: even if you have a great set of people behind you, most of the work has to be your own. YOU have to be the one to sit in class and take notes, YOU have to write your papers and use sources correctly to create original work, and then given the choice of working in groups, you'd really rather work alone.

So that's what makes grad schoo stuff hard. I am really diggin' anthropology because it's about...everything! And I am able to combine the 4 things I like about what I want to do with my life: 1) get paid to 2) travel around the world, 3) talk to people, 4) and write about stuff. I am so grateful for all the opportunities that anthro has been able to swing my way. That being said, the reason why I am writing today is because I am just two days away from going to Eastern Europe for the first time! I'm going to Transylvania, Romania to search for Dracula - no, I'm going to look at how the Romanians are dealing with the internet access that they've received. How are they using the services, how is the state using services? It seems a long way to go when I already know the answer is "porn" - b/c that's how everyone else uses it! - but I'm looking forward to going.

I am looking forward to going, but I really think it will be hard to get on the plane on Monday knowing that my friendship with my best friend is on such shaky ground - it can't keep me from leaving, but it's keeping me from being completely excited about this trip. I really wanted to patch things up well before I left, and I can't honestly say if that has happened. Makes me nervous and sad.

Dog Days of Summer

2006-06-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

I actually have very little to report from the front. I don't even really have any complaints right now, which is scary. I must have a cold.

This is the first post on a Thursday in this month in all of 2006

2006-02-23T12:54:00.000-08:00

America, as an idea, doomed itself when the founding fathers wrote about the triumph of freedom over tyrrany and yet at the same time brought African slaves to do the work. Since then, black Americans have been the nation's underdogs. Few people would use that term, "underdogs," but let's face it: when you go from not being human to being considered human, "underdog" fits the description.

America likes for people to fit into neat, easily digestible categories, and when someone doesn't fit, the anomaly has to be explained somehow. The result is the phenomenon of being "the first" black person to do whatever. The titles can get really ridiculously long. For example, announcers at the Olympics have described American speed skater Shani Davis as the "first black Olympic speed skater to win a medal in the Winter Olympics." It seems that the reason for all the extra words is not to state the truth (because it is true) but to call attention to the fact that he's black. The reality is that it's now politically incorrect to call someone simply "the black Winter Olympian" so there has to be more words to surround the obvious.

People seem to be impressed by his achievements not because he is an athlete or even as an American - he's remarkable because he is black. It's as if everyone is constantly being reminded that he and black people in general have "come so far" but it seems insincere. Pointing out someone as an anomaly and trying to make it sound like a good thing is difficult to do, but it doesn't make anyone feel like less of an anomaly. Aren't we past the idea of black people's achievements being "firsts?" - aren't we on to seconds and thirds, so it won't matter anymore? Why does someone's triumph have to be adjusted and translated into a "first" as if that is the way the average American can understand it? I want to give the average American more credit.

I was at a bar the other night when Davis' image came on the TV. One guy pointed him out to his graduate student friends saying, "he's a speed skater" and one woman exclaimed, "oh my god!" "Yeah," the guy said, and he proceeded to tell the story of Davis and the controversy surrounding him and his team regarding which events he should do. The woman's reaction was pretty mild, but clearly shocked because his black face and speed skating did not seem to go together. I shudder to think what's being said by people of less educational caliber in bars all over the country.

What is unstated is that there would have been some form of controversy anyway because of his skin color. Black people are not troublemakers but Americans erroneously use skin color to judge everything about a person - his performance at this Olympics was probably scrutinized more than anyone else on his team. It shouldn't matter anymore that he's the first or that he's black. It should only matter that he's one of the best.

Scary 2006

2006-01-24T21:43:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I'm in the middle of a huge research project (for my own purposes, of course - otherwise, I'd definitely be asleep!) so I'm trolling the internet like I have no good sense. But I'm finding a lot of stuff, and I'll let you know if anything pans out. Hope so.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Graduate...

2005-07-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

There's always more stuff to be done! Now that it's summer, I have the time to get some of my own projects up and running. Stay tuned for more information about what's new!

SBBS

Crypto-what, now?

2004-11-21T10:27:00.000-08:00

Cryptonomicon sounds like an interesting book with its parallels between computer code and military code breaking. Neal Stephenson, despite the quirks that Steven points out in his presentation, has emerged as a more influential author than Gibson for our purposes, I would argue. I think it's neat that Stephenson inserts real people with his characters - it gives the characters some weight especially when they have names from obscure nursery rhymes and don't seem motivated in the book. What sounds most interesting to me is the way the author describes human biological functions in mechanical terms. I'm sure I've seen it before, but it makes me think about the similarities between humans and machines.

Hackers United

2004-11-21T09:48:00.001-08:00

On Cyberpunk: Outlaws & Hackers on the Computer Frontier: I think it's neat that hackers are compared to frontiersmen on the verge of discovery. I disagree with the idea of hackers in the 60s and 70s as having a positive connotation - what did they do to get it? Fact check, find security breaches, or just have fun with no sense of gain at someone else's expense? I don't believe that that era was some kind of "golden age" when theft never happened. Well, maybe one bad apple spoiled the bunch. I don't know.

I like how the stories are filled with detail and sound like fiction - i guess it's those that seem the wildest (like RTM and the accidental release of his daemon) are actually true. This story especially hits home the idea that the limits of computer tech haven't yet been found.

Hackers United

2004-11-21T09:48:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's Party is not my idea of fun...

2004-11-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

unless it involves going to the Lucky Dragon. I'm just waiting for the day that WalMart gets tech savvy and starts installing computer screens in its stores. It would be a small leap, considering milestone life events already happen there: births, deaths, weddings. Very neat but very big brotherish.

I really liked how the presentation linked themes from class to the book - it was really helpful for getting a feel about what it was about.

I'm surprised that the Golden Gate Bridge in All Tomorrow's Parties is the setting for a shanty-town. You'd think that such great waterfront/waterview real estate would be the spot for homes of the uber rich.

Neuromancer

2004-11-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

Unlike Digital Sensations, I’m looking forward to reading Neuromancer since it seems like the cult classic “mother of all science-fiction relating to the internet,” making Gibson the father of the internet. Everything about the book seems right – the year it was published, 1984, was two years after Blade Runner and the year that Apple launched that great commercial and the start of the affordable ubiquitous personal computer. My worry is that the characters won’t be as interesting as the digital environment being created from Gibson’s mind or that the book won’t live up to its hype.

Digital Sensations

2004-11-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

I found this book really confusing, and I didn't even read it! Kudos to Elif for doing such a good presentation. It sounds so difficult to grasp, that I don't really want to read it unless I could give it my undivided attention. Virtual reality is an interesting topic, but even the words themselves cause a lot of thought. Virtual reality. Virtual reality. Almost real? A simulation of real? What is real? Digital Sensations (a sexy title) states that VR is as useful as it is a new way to perceive “the real.” I really didn’t understand the whole metaphor of light and positioning viewers in the light, other than the idea that VR requires light to work. Virtual environments seem real, but I doubt that they will ever be considered really real because people know that they are not. Everyone knows that when they enter a virtual environment that it is not real. I’m not sure that people who interact with VR really want a “vehicle for merging a hyper-individuated modern consciousness into a larger whole” but maybe they want to learn how to fly planes or play games. To me, VR seems more a place for action than being. Perhaps if I knew more about the applications of VR then I would agree more with the author. Oh, and the definition of Human Geography: “The relationships between people, place, space, and the environment” (Nottingham Trent Univ.)

On the Election

2004-11-04T10:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, let me just say this about our post-election condition with having to endure another 4 years of George Bush, the son: it’s not going to get better, it’s going to get worse. Many people feel that he’s the only one who should try to fix his own mistakes and continue to work his “strategery” to help the situation in Iraq. That’s crap. The current state of Iraq is because of Bush and I’m sure lots of Iraqis think that life was better under Saddam even if they didn’t like him – at least they had electricity to run their houses. Anyone who didn’t think that there would be a war in Iraq when Bush was elected the first time is an idiot. Never mind the Bush administration’s alienation of the UN and individual foreign nations who believed a war was not a good idea. If the Bush foreign policy machine satisfies you, and you shouldn’t be, then you can’t be happy with his domestic policies either. Leave No Child Left Behind is a joke that has muddied something as simple as educating children. I’m not a rich person, but even if I were, I can’t say that I’d relish all the tax cuts afforded to me by virtue of the fact that I have money.
The steady stream of jobs to other countries makes me ask: “What do Americans do for a living?” Because as far as I can see, they don’t do much even though they work hard and are not very educated. They’re not really politically active but opinionated. Americans can’t really afford to have someone in a foreign country do their jobs when you’re living paycheck to paycheck and are in danger everyday of no longer having a job. I don’t support any of the Republican ideology, but I don’t support the Democrats lying down on key issues and allowing the Republicans to have their way with them either. This is still supposed to be a two-party system.
Here’s why it’s going to be worse this 4 years: 1) the next people to be in Cabinet and other high positions of power will be the deep, staunch, hardcore Republicans, not the photogenic and appealing Colin Powells of the party. It will be these people who will get the laws passed that affect everyone in a negative way. 2) The Supreme Court will become more conservative and key cases could be overturned. 3) The War on Iraq and the War on Terrorism (which are two different things) will never end. I welcome comments as I step down from my soapbox.

Blogger and high traffic

2004-11-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

You know what's great about Blogger? Everyone is on it and reads it. You know what's bad about Blogger? Everyone is on it and reads it. Of course, I only started blogging months ago, and like a true snob, I'm complaining about the high traffic when I'm a contributor to it. Blogger has been acting funny recently, so I’ve been waiting a little while to see if the errors can be fixed. Doesn’t look like it – probably just high traffic volume. Speaking of high traffic, the traffic in Hampton Roads/Seven Cities or whatever the hell you want to call this place (it will always be Tidewater to me) hasn’t gotten any better since I moved away and returned this May. Ridiculous.

Wired Style: The Manual of Style? - I think not.

2004-10-29T22:05:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking more about Wired Style, and I just think that it's a failure as as far as a decent style manual is concerned. I think it really should be overhauled because it assumes that the reader knows how to recognize computer jargon or how to write. I guess it's unclear just who the book's audience is. For example, lots of literary style manuals like the MLA are written for people who kinda already write analytical papers, but it's broken down enough that you can get started if you've never written one before. If someone who hasn't really known how writing in print transfers to the internet or even how to write online or how to write about computer-related things, they won't get much out of the book. There should be an appendix of symbols and a separate appendix of abbreviations, as well as maybe a nifty timeline of important computer/writing events, just to put things in perspective. It's just not useful the way it's written, and I'm surprised that they haven't jumped on that "let's make a revision of the book every year just to make an extra buck" and instead they haven't really updated it at all. I might have to make my own revision (but of course, that takes work)
As for the style manual part, it doesn't tell you what the rules are, only that you should break them.
I say, to break or even bend the rules, you have to know what they are first. That is all.

P.S. Carl's comment on the "abandonment of all rules of English" is really funny if you haven't read it. (11/07/04)

I'm Somewhere between a Morlock and an Elloy...

2004-10-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

On Ned Stevenson's In the Beginning There Was a Command Line: I really liked Ned Stevenson's comparison of operating systems such as Linux and Mac OS to car models. It creates a good visual picture of the kind of operating system a person would want to ally himself with. Even moreso I really liked the comparison to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine where the Elloys are the beautiful people who don't care to know how things work but use the system. I think that pretty much comprises most of the planet. I am the kind of person who tries to know how things work, and I'm proud to admit that I used to know MS DOS really well. Iknow I'm not the only one out there who did - see Steve's post. At that time, you needed to know DOS, there was no way around it. In fact, I think all the operating systems since Windows 3.1 or 95 really insult the intelligence of the user by putting things behind barriers so the user can't get to them. Me, I want to know what's behind them. As far as I'm concerned, newer versions of any operating system are just evidence of pithy improvements and vigorous attempts to convince consumers that things are different or "new and improved," when they're not.

Globalization - not to be taken lightly

2004-10-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about globalization and Thomas Friedman's book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, and I still think that globalization is a good idea overall that will have really bad consequences if it's exploited. I'm definitely going to read it. I'd like to direct you to International Living.com that flags the hottest new markets to people with the means to take full advantage of them. On the surface they advertise the best places to live around the world for cheap: which countries are starting to get roads and cities, which countries are about to become part of the European market, or which places are just plain cheap because of the exchange rates. (I started subscribing to them because I like the pretty pictures in my mailbox everyday - absolutely beautiful.)

However, there is an undertone of greed in truest capitalist fashion. In reality, they are pinpointing places for Americans (and others) to buy up all the real estate and resources from native people all over the planet just so they can save a buck. The newsletters seem to say, "take advantage of these people and this land because this is the right time and if you don't, someone else will." This is especially true in the supplemental advertising describing "secret investment tips," "invest in teak wood" and the like.

I guess it makes sense if these are the people who like travel and have money, etc. But Friedman's idea of cattle stampeding to whichever market or area is easiest to monopolize is a scary idea to me because it means people and corporations are simply running straight to money without regard for people, environment, or consequences.

Aah, money and power. Not to say that I don't like money and power, or capitalism for that matter, but they're all things that can be used for good or for evil. I fear a world with lots of Lexuses and very few olive trees.

Dan Cavallaro's Restatement of The Cyberuniverse

2004-10-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

Perhaps because the book was published in 2000, which was light years ago as far as computers are concerned, but Cavallaro's book appears to be a restatement of everything that has the word "cyber" in front of it. Maybe it tries to do too much in uniting things that seem so related but are as different as people are. It's likes's Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle - how do you pinpoint something that's moving quickly?

I do like how the definitions of specific words like "cybercity" are cited as coming from particular sources, since these terms are coined from words that represent real objects. The referenced definitions give the words some credibility. I really like the idea of a percentage of the population are cyborgs - that's funny and it makes me think!

I am still trying to figure out the "mythology is technology and technollogy is mythology" thing.

Read this Post and then Steal It!

2004-10-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

I find it interesting and somewhat helpful that "people in the biz" have tried to write books to help people create great web sites and be street-wise on the internet. On the other hand, I don't feel the presence of the internet as much in the "Read Me First" book as in "Steal this Computer Book 3." I think I've read a "Steal this computer" book, but I don't know if it was this one or an earlier version. I definitely remember the "underground newspaper" feel as if you were getting some pretty important information. It seems like "Read Me First" is more like a technical writing guide adapted for the internet, and the latter is more about the internet even if the topics (viruses and search engines? someone could write a whole book on each) are more unrelated and glossed over. I also find it interesting that the books have commands in their titles - do this, do that. I think the point is that you have to do something when dealing with the internet. It's not like TV or radio where you can sit and let everything wash over you.

Publish and Republish; 21 Dog Years

2004-10-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

I find it really interesting that as the admin on a blog you have the opportunity to change everything about the blog as you see fit, including your past comments. It makes everything "fair game" for change, which is the only constant thing in the universe anyway. Usually, when statements are published, they become "fixed" in the medium, but with a blog post, you can revise everything and repost it as if your first words never existed. Talk about being master of your own domain!

P.S. Is there any difference between the fonts Georgia and Lucida Grande on Blogger? Just curious...

In the meantime, I've been thinking about 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com and the idea of authority. What right does Mike Daisey have to talk about Amazon? I guess a dummy's answer is that he was the one smart enough to write the book and get it published. You don't hear about anyone else's experiences at Amazon, but maybe they were too busy working to write books. Of course, we know now who he is, but they remain nameless. But really, I think it is really interesting and a little sad that working 3 years was more than enough time to have his obsessions, steal enough office supplies, and maybe do a little work so that he would have enough "material" and credibility for a book. So far, 21 Dog Years appears to be a commentary on the lack of job security coupled with the gen-x-y-z tendency not to stay at a job longer than needed (hence the reasoning behind stretching 3 years to 21. Word on the street is that Amazon is an environment that causes 3 years to feel like 21). Add to that the quick changing world of IT, and you get a book written by a self-proclaimed professional slacker who gathered enough energy to write about his own job. I still find it ironic that Amazon sells it. Very clever.

I haven't read the book yet, but after the presentation, I'm really looking forward to the read. I would like to recommend Iain Levison's A Working Stiff's Manifesto which is simultaneously really funny and a sad commentary on work. It was also a comfort to me last year while I worked at my sweatshop of a job. I would also like to point out the irony that he was an English major (cripes!) who works at jobs that don't really involve English, only for him to sit down and write his autobiography! Maybe his degree helped him make money after all. I've wondered if his book would be as interesting if he didn't have a degree and in english, of all respectable majors. Would we even be hearing his story? If Maisey hadn't worked for Amazon, would his book be noteworthy?

My blog post

2004-10-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

So far I have posted to Emily's blog post about being sick.

where the wild things are

2004-09-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

From Sept 7:

I have always loved the book Where the Wild Things Are, and so a retelling of the book in this format has some high expectations to meet. This is not at all what I expected: it's a completely different story, but a good one, I think, if only I could figure out how to get the pages to tell the story in a way that makes sense in terms of plot. I'm annoyed to have to go around in circles.

And it was still hot.

Revision: I re-read the "re-telling" of the book, and it just doesn't do it for me. I think it's missing the whimsy, for lack of a better word. A boy who travels to an island of monsters? Sure! But the story of the "pistol-packing mama" lacks a certain spark that the original has. I'm really surprised that Maurice Sendak himself doesn't have a better website as an artist and an author.

Orbital

2004-09-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'm glad there's an explanation of this piece, because otherwise I would be really, really lost. The blizzard of words on the screen is pretty, and would make an awesome screen saver, but I can't really make them out or assemble them into a coherent thought. I am now neutral toward the poem "orbital,", perhaps because after everything else, the plain text is random.

Revision:
I now agree with what we were talking about from class last week with Remediation: Understanding New Media that if the site is designed well, then content and form can converge. This viewing of Orbital is what has changed my opinion from not liking the poem to being able to appreciate the work as a whole. I guess at first glance I was expecting to see a real poem, maybe with some stanzas, but I didn't realize that the IP address dictates which words come flying across the screen. I think Amanda's comment that Orbital is "one of the most fitting uses of cyber text" is interesting because it leads back to what we had decided in class that something extra must be added to the website. Call it a piece of "flair," call it whatever you want, but it just can't be a poem put up online. Otherwise, it looks like a souped-up powerpoint presentation. Of course, it remains to be seen what my own project will be...

Multitasking: The Next Step in Human Evolution

2004-09-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

This morning, I'm sitting here reading from pieces of paper, typing and reading on the screen, and I've got some Red Hot Chili Peppers playing in the background just to keep me awake and moving. The phone is ringing, and my VCR just started itself to tape all the TV shows I don't have time to watch. Multitasking, which perhaps used to be a special skill like a magic trick, is now something that everyone should be able to do to keep up with our fast-paced society. Emily's post states that the audience has to be disciplined in order to use the technology. As children, we learned to do tasks individually, and when we mastered them, we were able to add on more responsibilities. I think now the technology is so cutting-edge and people are so busy that they are distracted from learning the new stuff because their opportunity for education runs concurrently alongside everything else. Maybe it's because of Situated Cognition: with everything being based on associations, people are forced to lean upon what they know to get them through the unknown.

Waxing poetic

2004-09-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

The idea of thinking of topic ideas for the "big project" is actually a really difficult task. I find myself returning to some similar ideas, so I'll throw them out tonight. Now that I've stated that the project shouldn't look like a souped up Powerpoint Presentation, I'm now worried that my project might meet that fate. This reminds me of a Wired Magazine September 2003 article "PowerPoint Is Evil" about how many people are fed up with Powerpoint. Some people have tried to embrace Powerpoint and create art with it, and others have decided never to sit for a slide show again. I am still in the "trying to use Powerpoint" category, ne'ermind creating art. I love the article's tagline: "Power Corrupts. PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely." You have to admit, a bad powerpoint show is painful. But so is anything else done badly - it's not Powerpoint's fault that it brings out the tacky in people.

Annoyed with technology, part deux

2004-09-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

And another thing: I went for a walk the other day only to realize that I had stopped by every lab within a mile radius because each computer at each stop had something different. How strange that one computer is not enough!

Annoyed with Technology

2004-09-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

I was filling out an online application and I realized that I kept repeating myself on the answers to the questions because I was only allowed to see one question at a time. That bugs me so much. I also really hate it that computers have inserted themselves so much into the culture that mere mortals are helpless to improve the situation: "That's the way the system was set up, I can't make changes to or override the program, blah, blah."

On "Perspective: Notes Toward the Remediation of Style"

2004-09-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

I really liked Collin Brooke's hypertext essay even if I didn't completely understand all of the subject matter. I definitely agree, though, about his argument that social relations are based on aesthetics and that the basis of attitudes toward things lies in the vocabularies of other things, such as altitudes. His work is graceful and subtle but is limited to only moving the text around.

Welcome to my world

2004-09-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

After several days of not being near a computer or able to logon, I am glad to be able to post my opinions of anything and everything here. Or would those be epinions?

Green Squiggly Lines

2004-09-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

I think computers and word processors (do they really process words, anyway?) have definitely changed the ways that people compose their writing. I think that just as there are ways to speak English (street slang, standard English, dialect) there are ways to write too, and I can't tell if the movers and shakers of the English community (ie professors, authors) have successfully reconciled this, nevermind grappling with the changing technology. What are green squiggly lines? The essay gets the point across without a lot of flashiness.