Featured – Page 6

Social Network Overload

While technology has generally done huge things to help people communicate, I’m starting to feel like the internet has reached a kind of “saturation point” where the technology- or lack of integration and accessibility of information across applications – has become more of a limitingfactor in how I can take advantage of these communication channels.

Point in case: instant messaging. In the ’90s, AOL and Yahoo were king, and everyone was on. Now, I have to run a multi-protocol IM program to keep me logged into AIM, Yahoo, MSN, and Jabber. On top of that, I have to log into Office Live Communicator for my work contacts, Skype because it doesn’t work with my multi-protocol program…. What a mess!

Point in case: cell phone plans. Everybody has a “free mobile-to-mobile calling” plan to get existing customers to draw others in their social network to that cell service provider. Verizon has an amazing marketing term for this – you are “in.” Back in Arizona, it was very important to be “in,” because otherwise my friends would be more worried about calling or texting me. Now, providers are starting to let people choose a few numbers from other networks to add to the unlimited calling for an extra charge.

Point in case: social networking sites. Some people are on Facebook. Some people are on MySpace. Some people are on both but really would prefer that you use one over the other. If you’re not on one, you’re missing out on your friends’ activities and whatever they have to share. If you take pictures, are you going to publish them to Facebook? MySpace? Flickr? Are you going to take the time to upload them everywhere so that everyone sees them?

What it comes down to is competing products with the same basic functionality. Because most of these products/services lock your data into their network, it is hard to upload a photo or blog post and have it simultaneously show up everywhere: your social network profiles, photo galleries, your friends’ news feeds, your personal website. On the technical side, a lot of this could be improved by decentralizing data storage and making everything both publish and import RSS like crazy.

From a business perspective, I think that companies thriving on their social networks need to be wary of what happened to the record industry. At first, labels did extremely well because they controlled the distribution methods. Without their power to manufacture and distribute, artists were powerless. But technology improved and now the means to both produce and distribute music are much more accessible to everyone. Likewise, today much of the focus is on the site itself – are you on Facebook? Are you blogging on the same service as your friends? With time, this too will be come irrelevant, individual sites becoming homogeneous while technology still improves our ability to communicate.

On a much more practical level, I am frustrated by the need to keep up with everyone on different sites. I wish I could write my blog here, post my photos here, IM from one application, and have it all get to my friends. I don’t care about the transmission medium. I just am tired of all of the effort and upkeep involved in using many different apps that do the same thing. But if I don’t do it, I can’t reach everyone! Grr.

College Student Schools Ashcroft on Torture

John Ashcroft spoke at Knox college – a rather liberal school. There was, as expected, a great deal of people protesting his visit, with varying levels of maturity. Howerver, one student had a very revealing exchange with Ashcroft:

ME: First off, Mr. Ashcroft, I’d like to apologize for the rudeness of some of my fellow students. It was uncalled for–we can disagree civilly, we don’t need that. (round of applause from the audience, and Ashcroft smiles) I have here in my hand two documents. One of them, you know, is the text of the United Nations Convention against Torture, which, point of interest, says nothing about “lasting physical damage”…
ASHCROFT: (interrupting) Do you have the Senate reservations to it?
ME: No, I don’t. Do you happen to know what they are?
ASHCROFT: (angrily) I don’t have them memorized, no. I don’t have time to go around memorizing random legal facts. I just don’t want these people in the audience to go away saying, “He was wrong, she had the proof right in her hand!” Because that’s not true. It’s a lie. If you don’t have the reservations, you don’t have anything. Now, if you want to bring them another time, we can talk, but…
ME: Actually, Mr. Ashcroft, my question was about this other document. (laughter and applause) This other document is a section from the judgment of the Tokyo War Tribunal. After WWII, the Tokyo Tribunal was basically the Nuremberg Trials for Japan. Many Japanese leaders were put on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including torture. And among the tortures listed was the “water treatment,” which we nowadays call waterboarding…
ASHCROFT: (interrupting) This is a speech, not a question. I don’t mind, but it’s not a question.
ME: It will be, sir, just give me a moment. The judgment describes this water treatment, and I quote, “the victim was bound or otherwise secured in a prone position; and water was forced through his mouth and nostrils into his lungs and stomach.” One man, Yukio Asano, was sentenced to fifteen years hard labor by the allies for waterboarding American troops to obtain information. Since Yukio Asano was trying to get information to help defend his country–exactly what you, Mr. Ashcroft, say is acceptible for Americans to do–do you believe that his sentence was unjust? (boisterous applause and shouts of “Good question!”)
ASHCROFT: (angrily) Now, listen here. You’re comparing apples and oranges, apples and oranges. We don’t do anything like what you described.
ME: I’m sorry, I was under the impression that we still use the method of putting a cloth over someone’s face and pouring water down their throat…
ASHCROFT: (interrupting, red-faced, shouting) Pouring! Pouring! Did you hear what she said? “Putting a cloth over someone’s face and pouring water on them.” That’s not what you said before! Read that again, what you said before!
ME: Sir, other reports of the time say…
ASHCROFT: (shouting) Read what you said before! (cries of “Answer her fucking question!” from the audience) Read it!
ME: (firmly) Mr. Ashcroft, please answer the question.
ASHCROFT: (shouting) Read it back!
ME: “The victim was bound or otherwise secured in a prone position; and water was forced through his mouth and nostrils into his lungs and stomach.”
ASHCROFT: (shouting) You hear that? You hear it? “Forced!” If you can’t tell the difference between forcing and pouring…does this college have an anatomy class? If you can’t tell the difference between forcing and pouring…
ME: (firmly and loudly) Mr. Ashcroft, do you believe that Yukio Asano’s sentence was unjust? Answer the question. (pause)
ASHCROFT: (more restrained) It’s not a fair question; there’s no comparison. Next question! (loud chorus of boos from the audience)

The student has a detailed account of the entire event, with pictures and video, here.

I’ve said it before, but it bears saying again: Torture is not a political issue. Our own inhumanity encourages our adversaries to treat us with the same evil. This madness must be stopped.

Reigious Crackdown in Russia

Today’s New York Times has a saddening article about diminishing religious freedoms in Russia. While the constitution provides for freedom of religion, the Russian Orthodox Church has overwhelming power over Vladimir Putin’s government, which it is quietly using to persecute and eliminate other religious denominations, calling them “sects” in the derogatory.

Some protestants get random visits from the F.S.B. (think post-Soviet K.G.B.) and can no longer rent spaces of their own or express their beliefs in public- many have moved into hiding, meeting in private homes.

There are definitely much worse places in the world as far as freedom of religion is concerned – Turkey and China especially come to mind. But it’s disappointing to see a country take a step backwards when it comes to freedom. I hate to think of what life for followers of non-Christian faiths must be like in Russia.

Any religion can fall into the self-righteous trap of believing it is the only true one and all others are false, making this decision by faith alone. But even then, this does not give that group a free pass to do wrong to those with other beliefs. As Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

I surely hope that I will never make the mistake that the Russian government and Orthodox Church has made.

On Pennsylvania

It looks like Hillary Clinton won by about a 10% margin tonight in Pennsylvania. She went in with a huge lead, and the Obama camp was able to win part of that back. However, in the grand scope of things, this is not a “winner takes all event” – as a matter of fact, at this point it is nearly impossible for Clinton to win the pledged delegate count.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwd88C25J-0&w=425&h=355]

So the pledged delegate count belongs to Obama (MSNBC might not call it, but I will 😉 ). Pledged delegates are responsible for about 2/3 of the total of votes needed for a candidate to win the party’s nomination. The other third is determined by party leadership (the superdelegates). It’s a rather undemocratic process for the party elite to basically determine the people’s candidate, but that’s how it is at least this time around.

Nobody really knows how the superdelegates are supposed to cast their vote. Some argue that they should vote based on their constituents’ will, or that of the popular vote. Others say that superdelegates know better than the general public about which candidate is better qualified to lead.

If Hillary Clinton wants to make up her current delegate deficit, she will have to make a case to the superdelegates to vote for her. Since she can’t really win the pledged delegate race, she’ll have to convince superdelegates that she leads in the popular vote among Democrats nationwide. This will be an uphill race, but not completely impossible.

I find the exit polls interesting: Obama wins among voters under 45, voters with college degrees, and independent voters. Hillary Clinton’s strong demographics include conservatives, and 58% of the voters who said race was an important issues. That’s right – a lot of people voted for Hillary Clinton because she is white!

My completely unscientific Zeke’s Gut Feeling™ rating for the Democratic nomination puts Obama at a 66% chance, and Clinton at a 33% chance. In the next month or so, look for Democratic party leadership, which has remained fairly neutral, to push superdelegates in one direction or another to save the Democratic ticket from the candidates, who are starting to hurt their own chances at winning the general election by giving the public (and John McCain) more reasons why they might not be qualified to lead the country. If this goes all the way to the convention, it’s gonna be ugly.

Bush Signed Memo Authorizing Torture

Daily Kos has a very in-depth article containing a memo signed by President Bush that set policy exempting detainees from the Geneva conventions, an international law that affords basic human rights to prisoners. Not a law giving them nice, cushy amenities they don’t deserve – just protections from torture, and allowances for noncombatant organizations like the Red Cross to care for their basic health needs.

The Bush administration spin machine has been doing its best to prevent any blame from falling on current officials or anyone central to the administration. But here it is: a memo signed by the President breaking our commitment to international law and thus authorizing torture and other inhumane acts (page 1) (page 2).

I really thought we were above tactics from the middle ages. Everyone knows that torture doesn’t produce usable intelligence. We have failed the demands of being a world leader. We have failed our own standard of “justice for all.” We have endangered our own future by treating our enemies unjustly and inhumanely, inviting them to treat us with the same gross lack of humanity.

This is not a political issue. Every remaining presidential candidate will not continue this madness, but the damage to our reputation in the world and in history is done.

Across the Universe

I very rarely buy movies – I’ll watch ’em once and forget about them for years. But I’ve been trying to get over Across the Universe for about six months now. I don’t know what it is – and I won’t bother to try and put it into words, I strongly recommend experiencing it for yourself.

On a very basic level, it’s a musical with a storyline inspired by 34 Beatles songs. But, despite my admitted love of the Beatles, this movie’s quality comes from its organic, original aspects. It uses the 1960s as a backdrop, but does not strive to authentically recreate the decade. Instead, Across the Universe takes events of the past to reach out to the viewer of the present, whoever they may be and whatever experiences they have to relate with the movie.

Historically, it touches on everything without painting the sixties in a partisan perspective. The movie addresses the highs and lows: race riots, generational struggles for identity, the concept of true love, the concept of “free” love, the pains of war, the hypocritical radicalism in resistance of war… It is a piece on everyone’s experience during such a transformational era.

In a personal regard, Across the Universe makes me react with a sudden urge to explore my own life, passions, and perspectives. Watching a movie that starts with the uncomfortable question of “What defines a person: who you are, what you do, or how you do it?”, then follows several characters with differing passions try to coexist and keep their differences from clashing with each other, and then finally throws all distraction aside, proclaming, “All you need is love” gives me a kind of reality check. I have to wonder if what I’m doing today is the right thing to get me where I want to be – and much more importantly, if what I’m doing today is helping me love others on a very personal level.

It’s also a very different movie than most contemporary American cinema today- it’s not a linear story that strictly follows the “establishment-rising action-climax-falling action-resolution” formula. Most of the actors are unknown to the world at large, making the film even more personal and less about watching established stars in the same old roles.

So give it a shot- I don’t want to say “this is a great movie because it’s entertaining to watch,” or that I agreed with its overall message or anything. I like it so much because of the reactions and introspection that it triggers.

9/11 Commentary, in Context

There has been a lot of fuss recently over various presidential candidates’ pastors’ comments. Barack Obama has had some, and John McCain’s pastor is now facing scrutiny as well.

I believe that, except for Governor Huckabee, who is himself a clergyman who chose to run for office, these issues have no relevance to any political campaign, and can only be used as personal proxy attacks with limited factual significance.

However, as this issue currently dominates national news, and it touches on two very important issues – my faith and my politics – I think it deserves to be addressed.

Rev. Wright’s comments post-9/11 were taken out of context by the media – he was quoting a US Ambassador as part of a larger sermon with a different message. Consider his comments in context, compared to those of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson on 9/13/2001:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOdlnzkeoyQ&hl=en]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-CAcdta_8I&hl=en]

I do not share viewpoints with either of the above videos. I disagree with parts of both. I agree with other parts of both. But the issue deserves better attention than the sensationalism being encouraged by the media and by desperate campaigns right now.

Of Vista, Big Monitors, and DRM

My 20″ Widescreen came in today. Sometime in the future it will belong to a desktop that I plan to build, but in the meantime, I am running it in a dual-monitor setup with the 14.1″ screen on my laptop.

The monitor itself is great… I got it for a steal and at 1650×1080 resolution, the thing is positively gigantic.

But it really brings out the weaknesses in my laptop. The thing isn’t designed for graphical prowess in the first place – Intel GMA 950 internal graphics are fine for the 1200×800 built-in screen, and I am really quite lucky that the thing supports Aero Glass in the first place. It even runs a dual monitor at 1280×1024 without even a hiccup. But if I go dual with my new beast, say goodbye to Aero, and say hello to Fisher-Price-reminiscent Vista Basic.

It’s OK. Aero works when I only have the big monitor turned on, and it’s like a 6″ upgrade from the built-in screen, so it’s still great.

But even when it’s only running this one monitor, my internal graphics really take a plunge.s Stuff moves around slowly and anything graphics-intensive is a lot slower. And then I get this nasty guy while playing a DVD:

Thank you very much, Windows Vista! This is a standard DVD (none of the crazy copy protection in HD-DVD or Blu-Ray) that I own, and am trying to play on my own monitor. Luckily, I have better video programs, but this is still an unacceptable nuscience.

Ratdog at Red Rocks

I’m back stateside!

Last night I saw Ratdog at Red Rocks. It was a great show! Their lead guitarist has throat cancer, which is unfortunate, but Steve Kimock is taking his place for a little while on the tour, which is great for a Kimock nerd like myself.

I also got to break in my new(ish) Canon. Part of the reason I got it was to improve my photos at dark concerts, which usually are so bad that I don’t even bother taking a camera along. This one has a lot more manual control, which is helpful since the automatic point-and-shoot stuff tries to take pictures with super-low shutter speeds that don’t work in a low-light venue. I could definitely get better pictures with a DSLR with an expensive lens, but for the money and time put into learning some settings, I’m pretty happy with what I got here – I fired off 455 shots and got 115 or so that I liked.

You can view the Picasa Web Album of the very best ones here. Or, if you want to see all 108 that I like, click here. They’re still noisy and a bit blurry, but I’m happy just to have the ability to take decent photos at a great show!

Bible: “Pi is Exactly Three!”

There is an episode of “The Simpsons” in which the nerdy professor, John Frink, silences a room of academics by shouting, “PI IS EXACTLY THREE!”

Once the room is silent, he apologizes and tells his audience that he needed to take desperate measures.

But there’s more to this story… Read 1 Kings 7:23 (ESV):

Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.

Notice anything strange? It’s summer, so I’ll give your brain the benefit of the doubt and go over it.

Any basic arithmetic, geometry or algebra class teaches us that (Circumference) = (Diameter) * π. So if this thing had a diameter of ten and a circumference of 30… then:
30 = 10 * π
(30/10) = π
3 = π

Now this is from a document that is several milennia old. Normally you could blame it on a less advanced culture and move along. But this puts me in a difficult place.

Now I don’t know what to think. Most of the Christians I know would say outright that the Bible is literally true. Since I believe in Man’s complete depravity, I am guarded when anyone claims to represent God or to correctly interpret His will. I have trouble trusting that a thousands of years-old document rooted in oral recitation, contradictory source texts, and multiple translations can be 100% accurate and literally true. Then again, I refuse to trust in even my own judgement, as I, too, am fallible. Call it a gut feeling which I noted, and waited to make my own decision until I could see more proof one way or the other.

If God wills the Bible to be 100% accurate, of course it will happen. But I don’t know if God does will it. Overall, it would not be a horrible thing to accept that he does by faith.

But π = 3?

From my own observations, I cannot accept that pi equals three. OK, big deal. But at this moment, from what I see right now, I cannot believe that the bible is 100% literally true.
Some argue that they were simply rounding up. Fine by me, but that is not literal.
Some argue that they made improper measurements. Fine by me, but that is not truth.

This is in no way threatening my relationship with Christ or most of my central beliefs. I’m just really surprised to see this. Does anybody have some wisdom or insight that would help here?