Monday, February 04, 2002

Dying in America

An interesting look at our country through the eyes of a Canadian: ''America's strange political culture of grief and dying'' by John Chuckman in YellowTimes.org.

Excerpt:
"Death in America does not come easily. That is, unless you are homeless or live on an Indian reservation or in one of the nation's vast urban ghettos or are one of tens of millions of working poor with the kind of health insurance that features exceptions instead of coverage. In all these cases, likely few will note your passing. Losers don't count in America, except at Fourth-of-July speeches by congressmen in tight races."

and
"Now, don't misunderstand. When the terrorists attacked, America deserved the world's sympathy and help, and she richly received it. But now, quite apart from its being well past time for a grossly self-indulgent people "to get a life," the country's brutal, stupid response - undoubtedly killing more innocent people than died in the attack itself and causing more misery than can be imagined in such a poor land - means she has relinquished further claims to the world's sympathy.

"It's hard to sympathize with people who insist on the very special, precious, eternal nature of their own loss, while failing even to notice what they do to others. The moral values here closely resemble those of certain survivors or victims in Texas who parade outside the prison during an execution and excitedly talk to newsmen about the closure someone's death is bringing to their lives."

But read the whole thing. Keep your knees in check for a change. At least admit what is true.
posted by lee on 02/04/02 at 07:06 PM

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Bush couldn’t go to the space station

He wouldn't be allowed to fly to the Space Station because of his history of "notoriously disgraceful" conduct, according to an article on Space.com: Partners Set Standards for Station Tourists; Miscreants Need Not Apply. He'd have to prove he went to rehab and somehow get back into the good graces of NASA in order to go.
posted by lee on 02/04/02 at 04:44 PM

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Sunday, February 03, 2002

its patriotic to commercialize patriotism

Been watching all the displays of patriotism and pseudpoatriatism during the last few months. Read all about the trademark wars over "Let's Roll!" on Puppet Press Journal. How the Todd Beamer Foundation (which has no readily apparent purpose other than to promote being the eyes and ears of homeland security, whatever the HELL that means) is somehow claiming it has more of a moral right to a commercialize the phrase "Let's Roll!" than companies or people using the phrase to sell bumper stickers and t-shirts. I think probably the Todd Beamer Foundation is going to have their application denied because here in the good ol' US of A, the commercialization of patriotism has a long, proud tradition. Here's some evidence: a Nabisco ad from 1914.

nabisco.jpg


This is from University of Minnesota's Digital Collections: War Posters. (Thank you to fimoculous for this little corner of the web.)

The commercialization of patriotism isn't nearly as offensive to me as reading about the families of 9-11 complaining bitterly that they're not getting a big enough piece of the pie fast enough. Or that they're not getting health insurance for life from their lost one's employer. As if losing someone to 9-11 automatically entitles them to more - a whole lot more - than losing someone to a heart attack or a car accident. I wish I could take my donation back and donate it instead to the Afghani children who need it more. I'd rather subsidize need than greed.
posted by lee on 02/03/02 at 06:41 PM

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Saturday, February 02, 2002

UPI asks:

Who will utter the 'P' word?.

Hmm, a good question. Why isn't anyone calling for a special prosecutor for the Enron debacle?
posted by lee on 02/02/02 at 06:02 PM

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Friday, February 01, 2002

GMChumpsSezChumba

Heard this on the radio yesterday, and Stanley found the story for me: Guardian Unlimited Observer | UK News | Anarchists sell tune to US car giant. Of course, the puny bit - relative to the money GM spends on marketing - CorpWatch got out of the deal amounts to maybe one dog pissing in the ocean. Could it be they're counting on the Butterfly Effect? But ya never know ...
posted by lee on 02/01/02 at 05:06 AM

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Thursday, January 31, 2002

and in the darkness bind them

Via Alex Knapp at Heretical Ideas:

Recently one of my friends, a computer wizard, paid me a visit. As we were talking I mentioned that I had recently installed Windows XP on my PC. I told him how happy I was with this operating system and showed him the Windows XP CD. To my surprise he threw it into my microwave oven and turned it on. Instantly I got very upset, because the CD had become precious to me, but he said: 'Do not worry, it is unharmed.'

After a few minutes he took the CD out, gave it to me and said: 'Take a close look at it.' To my surprise the CD was quite cold to hold and it seemed to be heavier than before. At first I could not see anything, but on the inner edge of the central hole I saw an inscription, an inscription finer than anything I had ever seen before. The inscription shone piercingly bright, and yet remote, as if out of a great depth:


12413AEB2ED4FA5E6F7D78E78BEDE820945092OF923A40EElOE5 I OCC98D444AA08EI324


'I cannot understand the fiery letters,' I said in a timid voice.


'No, but I can,' he said. 'The letters are Hex, of an ancient mode, but the language is that of Microsoft, which I shall not utter here. But in common English this is what it says:


One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them,
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them


It is only two lines from a verse long known in System-lore:


"Three OS's from corporate-kings in their towers of glass,
Seven from valley-lords where orchards used to grow,
Nine from dotcoms doomed to die,
One from the Dark Lord Gates on his dark throne
In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie.
One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them,
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie."'
posted by lee on 01/31/02 at 08:59 PM

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Fido Forever?

But taxidermists think freeze-drying Puff downgrades their professional standards ... At a handful of taxidermy shops, man's best friend and other pets are frozen in time.

Hmm, maybe we could freeze-dry Granny too ...
posted by lee on 01/31/02 at 06:31 PM

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Conventions & Web design

Via today's webword, an article definitely worth reading: Attack of the killer conventions by David Walker.

Which leads to Web Design Patterns by Martijn van Welie.

Then read Examining User Expectations of the Location of Web Objects by Michael L. Bernard.

A lot to digest. But interesting.
posted by lee on 01/31/02 at 04:41 PM

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Wednesday, January 30, 2002

Webgraphics

Wow ... webgraphics: a daily compilation of hypertext design resources, links, commentary and notes.
posted by lee on 01/30/02 at 05:12 PM

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Very cool resource - very cool

Form elements tutorial from Ross Shannon. I learned a couple of new things today - stuff I can use right now. Forms Accessibility | guiding users using TABINDEX, FIELDSET, LEGEND, ACCESSKEY and LABEL || HTMLSource ]. Go to the home page for more - this is a GREAT resource!

Thanks to ia for posting this today.
posted by lee on 01/30/02 at 04:57 PM

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