I'm deriving a sort of guilty pleasure from watching my neighhbour Dave remodel his bathroom, because I felt the same pain this time last year, except doubly so because I was dumb enough to remodel two bathrooms simultaneously.
I have a pretty good track record in running large IT projects to schedule and budget, but I made most of the classic project management mistakes when I embarked on this project: I didn't have a clear idea of what the finished product should look like, I didn't have a budget worked out in advance, as the project progressed is grew steadily larger (in my defence that happens with old houses - as you pull things apart you inevitably find other problems that you just know you should fix rather than cover up), and despite the complete lack of a fixed scope I had a fixed deadline. I only got through it in the end because my Mum, Dad and brother James are absolute gems.
Not an experience I plan to repeat any time soon!
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Lessons from Katrina
I've been resisting the temptation to join the rush to blog on Hurricane Katrina, but it's difficult to ignore an event of such magnitude or with such a high human cost, so I figure I should at least try to draw some lessons from it.
The good news is that the death toll, as tragically high as it seems to be, is much lower than it would be (and has been in the past) if this had hit a much poorer country.
The bad news is that the death toll is still much higher than it should have been with the warning we had and quality of the transport and communications infrastructure available to warn people and move them to safer locations. Clearly in the months to come we need to spend time figuring out how to run more effective evacuations.
But the other important question, and this is where it gets hard, this is where it might seem less than sympathetic, is to ask ourselves if we are creating perverse incentives for people to make bad choices about where they live. Does it make sense to give people money simply to re-build in the same flood prone locations? What rational or moral basis is there for the rest of the community to subsidise people to live in places that are prone to hurricanes or flooding or earthquakes or whatever? It's one thing to provide relief to people who are struck by extraordinary events, but should we be picking up the tab for those events that ought to be expected?
It ought to be possible to break this cycle of "moral hazard" without ignoring the plight of those who have been affected. It doesn't mean denying anyone relief. It simply means attaching certain conditions that prevent people making the same mistakes again and expecting others to continue to carry the cost.
Update: Reports are emerging that since 2003 the Bush adminstration sigificantly reduced funding to the Corps of Engineers to maintain the system of levees that protect New Orleans. It seems the money was needed for the war in Iraq. Add to that the fact that the Loiusiana National Guard is much less able to provide disaster relief because so many of its people are in Iraq and the real cost of the President's Middle East adventure continues to grow.
The good news is that the death toll, as tragically high as it seems to be, is much lower than it would be (and has been in the past) if this had hit a much poorer country.
The bad news is that the death toll is still much higher than it should have been with the warning we had and quality of the transport and communications infrastructure available to warn people and move them to safer locations. Clearly in the months to come we need to spend time figuring out how to run more effective evacuations.
But the other important question, and this is where it gets hard, this is where it might seem less than sympathetic, is to ask ourselves if we are creating perverse incentives for people to make bad choices about where they live. Does it make sense to give people money simply to re-build in the same flood prone locations? What rational or moral basis is there for the rest of the community to subsidise people to live in places that are prone to hurricanes or flooding or earthquakes or whatever? It's one thing to provide relief to people who are struck by extraordinary events, but should we be picking up the tab for those events that ought to be expected?
It ought to be possible to break this cycle of "moral hazard" without ignoring the plight of those who have been affected. It doesn't mean denying anyone relief. It simply means attaching certain conditions that prevent people making the same mistakes again and expecting others to continue to carry the cost.
Update: Reports are emerging that since 2003 the Bush adminstration sigificantly reduced funding to the Corps of Engineers to maintain the system of levees that protect New Orleans. It seems the money was needed for the war in Iraq. Add to that the fact that the Loiusiana National Guard is much less able to provide disaster relief because so many of its people are in Iraq and the real cost of the President's Middle East adventure continues to grow.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Sadly, history does repeat itself
It's bad enough that the legislature in Hawaii is dumb enough to think that price caps are a sensible response to high gas prices, but now it seems politicians in California and other states and considering the same folly.
I just love this quote from the LA Times story:
What conceivable reason is there to believe it won't be just like the last time this was tried in the 1970's? And if that's not enough evidence for you, the Soviets spent seventy years trying this experiment on a national scale in every corner of their economy and were willing to sacrifice tens of millions of lives to their vision of a planned economy, but still it always turned out the same way - scarcity amidst waste and waste amidst scarcity and everywhere, absolutely everywhere, queues.
Given that we won the cold war because the Soviet economy imploded, how willfully ignorant do you have to be not to have learnt that the market is the only sustainable mechanism for allocating resources and creating wealth? But it seems in politics that it's impossible to resist the temptation to tell the public once again that government can somehow make water flow uphill, turn lead into gold, and yes, magically make gas prices lower. And way too many voters are stupid enough to believe it.
I just love this quote from the LA Times story:
Hawaii embarks this week on a radical experiment to cap gasoline prices, a move being keenly watched nationwide by legislators and consumer groups.I wonder what the hell they think is going to happen? That somehow this time the laws of economics won't apply? That simply because that's how they'd like it to be, some other less efficient allocation mechanism like queuing or the black market or influence peddling won't kick in when prices are regulated and can't do the job?
What conceivable reason is there to believe it won't be just like the last time this was tried in the 1970's? And if that's not enough evidence for you, the Soviets spent seventy years trying this experiment on a national scale in every corner of their economy and were willing to sacrifice tens of millions of lives to their vision of a planned economy, but still it always turned out the same way - scarcity amidst waste and waste amidst scarcity and everywhere, absolutely everywhere, queues.
Given that we won the cold war because the Soviet economy imploded, how willfully ignorant do you have to be not to have learnt that the market is the only sustainable mechanism for allocating resources and creating wealth? But it seems in politics that it's impossible to resist the temptation to tell the public once again that government can somehow make water flow uphill, turn lead into gold, and yes, magically make gas prices lower. And way too many voters are stupid enough to believe it.
The cure is worse than the disease
More evidence that the "drug problem" is primarily caused by banning something that millions of people want. Here's a report on California's move to ban smoking inside its prisons. The interesting fact in the final paragraph: now illicit tobacco sells for the same price on the inside as heroin.
This strongly suggests that the opposite is also true - that without criminalisation of drugs, heroin today would sell for about the same as tobacco. In those circumstances do you imagine that drug running would be the multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise that it is today? one that undermines both the social and political fabric of America and corrupts law enforcement to its core? Do you imagine that the huge proportion of petty crime perpetrated by addicts trying to fund their habits would exist if coke and heroin were as freely available as cigarettes?
The sad thing is that it's not like the United States hasn't gone down this path before. Prohibition of alcohol created organised crime. While the repeal of prohibition couldn't put the genie back in the bottle, what do you imagine America would look like today if it had continued? Something like Somalia or Afghanistan is my guess. A failed state run entirely bydrug booze warlords.
This strongly suggests that the opposite is also true - that without criminalisation of drugs, heroin today would sell for about the same as tobacco. In those circumstances do you imagine that drug running would be the multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise that it is today? one that undermines both the social and political fabric of America and corrupts law enforcement to its core? Do you imagine that the huge proportion of petty crime perpetrated by addicts trying to fund their habits would exist if coke and heroin were as freely available as cigarettes?
The sad thing is that it's not like the United States hasn't gone down this path before. Prohibition of alcohol created organised crime. While the repeal of prohibition couldn't put the genie back in the bottle, what do you imagine America would look like today if it had continued? Something like Somalia or Afghanistan is my guess. A failed state run entirely by
Monday, August 29, 2005
Network upgrade
I've just finished upgrading my home network router and wireless access point from an old Intel 802.11b unit to an 802.11g DLink DI-624 which is light years ahead in terms of speed, capacity and features but cost me about half of what the old one did three years ago.
DLink have their own proprietary extension to the 802.11g standard called Xtreme G which supposedly doubles the potential bandwidth to 108Mbps when used with other DLink components. I haven't switched this feature on and I have no plan to since as far as I'm concerned proprietary technologies are the work of the devil. At the moment I'm running a mix of Intel, Linksys, Dell and DLink network components without any problem because they're all standards compliant and I want to keep it that way.
I did have some trouble connecting my two TiVo's to the network because it's hard to tell the difference between an alphanumeric key and a hexadecimal key that is composed entirely of numerals (it would have helped if the error message was useful, like "invalid WEP key", rather than the generic "couldn't find gateway"). Once I sorted that out it has been running like a dream.
Unfortunately TiVo doesn't yet support 802.11g which is a shame since transferring recorded programs between TiVo's and to my laptop takes way too long at 11Mbps.
The next thing to look forward to is Comcast's planned upgrade from 4Mbps to 6Mbps which is scheduled for September.
Update: It seems my new wireless hub has a much stronger signal. So now I can sit by the pool while I "work" and blog. Life really is tough!
DLink have their own proprietary extension to the 802.11g standard called Xtreme G which supposedly doubles the potential bandwidth to 108Mbps when used with other DLink components. I haven't switched this feature on and I have no plan to since as far as I'm concerned proprietary technologies are the work of the devil. At the moment I'm running a mix of Intel, Linksys, Dell and DLink network components without any problem because they're all standards compliant and I want to keep it that way.
I did have some trouble connecting my two TiVo's to the network because it's hard to tell the difference between an alphanumeric key and a hexadecimal key that is composed entirely of numerals (it would have helped if the error message was useful, like "invalid WEP key", rather than the generic "couldn't find gateway"). Once I sorted that out it has been running like a dream.
Unfortunately TiVo doesn't yet support 802.11g which is a shame since transferring recorded programs between TiVo's and to my laptop takes way too long at 11Mbps.
The next thing to look forward to is Comcast's planned upgrade from 4Mbps to 6Mbps which is scheduled for September.
Update: It seems my new wireless hub has a much stronger signal. So now I can sit by the pool while I "work" and blog. Life really is tough!
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Making hay while the sun shines
I never really grasped the literal meaning of 'making hay while the sun shines' until I moved to the Colorado Rockies. You see in Australia it's warm enough all year round to have plenty of pasture (except when there's drought, but that's a different story). Here in the high country you need to store enough fodder to sustain you're livestock for the four to six months that your pasture is buried under feet of snow or they won't survive the winter. And to do that, you've literally got to make hay while the sun shines so everywhere you go in the summer you see ranchers like this hard at work from dawn till dusk.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
My favourite aircraft
Since I travel a lot I have developed quite strong preferences for certain types of commercial aircraft to fly on.
My all time favourite is the Boeing 777. It's got a great feel in the air, excellent overhead bins, and is new enough that even the lesser airlines have reasonably modern facilities in them.
The aircraft I'm really excited about is the Boeing 787 or "Dreamliner" due to enter service in 2008. I'm looking forward to the improved cabin environment, especially the higher humidity levels that will be possible with an all composite construction (since there's no metal to rust, they don't have to worry about condensation).
The one I'm not looking forward to is the new Airbus A380. It's bad enough travelling on a 747, with huge queues of people at the boarding gates, immigration and baggage claim. I can't imagine what it's going to be like with another hundred or two hundred people on the same plane.
Apart from the fact that I don't think this is going to be an especially comfortable aircraft to fly on, I think Boeing is on the right track and Airbus are pursuing a very limited strategy with their focus on bigger planes flying hub to hub. I'm a big fan of point to point services, especially when it means avoiding busy hubs like Chicago, JFK, Sydney or Heathrow. My wife and I flew Singapore to Los Angeles direct last year on the extended range Airbus A340-500. Having flown Singapore to the US multiple times before, always with a connection through somewhere else, I have to say this was absolutely the way to go (although it helped that we treated ourselves to Singapore Airlines business class!)
Here's a more complete ranking of the various aircraft I've flown on:
- B787 (in anticipation)
- B777 (when fitted out 3-3-3, not 2-5-2 like United does, or even worse 3-4-3 like Emirates does)
- BAe146 (as small as you can get with all the comfort of a 'real' jet)
- A320 (wider than the 737 with the same 3-3 configuration)
- B737 (especially the newer variants)
- A340 (but watch out for the window seats because the fuselage curves in at about shoulder height)
- Dash-8 (all we have in Steamboat in the low season. Great scenic value on a clear day since it doesn't fly all that high and with 37 seats not much of a queue to check in or board!)
- Dash-7 (is a four engine STOL version of Dash-8 which used to fly in to Steamboat Springs' Bob Adam Field)
- A330
- B767 (the least reliable type in my experience, especially the Qantas fleet)
- B757
- A300
- B707 (I'm actually not that old, but MEA were still flying them in the mid-90s when I flew one from Beirut to Geneva. One of the classic planes in aviation history)
- Fokker F28
- DC9/MD80/B717
- B747 (too many people)
- Embraer RJ-145 (I'm 5'8" and I could barely stand up in this. OK as a substitute for a turboprop on a commuter route, but when airlines start using these on medium haul flights they've lost the plot)
- A380 (way too many people)
- DC10/MD11 (this was such a lemon it basically finished the manufacturer as a major player in the commercial aircraft industry)
- B727 (lots of speeding up and slowing down on approach resulting in considerable airsickness)
- Fokker F50 (the vibration is like having a dentist's drill for hours on end)
- Dornier 317? (don't mention the war!)
- Shorts 360 (a shipping container with wings, designed for the sole purpose of inducing airsickness)
- ...and last of all, the Lockheed C130 Hercules (yes this is a military aircraft, and it's a 'rugged' way to fly to say the least).
Of course business class in the worst aircraft type is better than economy class in the best!
Intelligent Design? Unintelligent idea
Anyone tempted to support the move to teach Intelligent Design as a scientific theory of similar stature to evolutionary theory ought to begin by reading The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins. Interestingly it's subtitled "Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design".
The argument against Intelligent Design is not all that difficult. In fact it's simple: it doesn't explain anything. To answer the question "where does the complexity of nature come from?" with "from pre-existing complexity (in the form of a creator)" is to provide no answer at all, because it brings you back to the same question - "well where did that complexity come from?"
As Dawkins explains so eloquently, evolutionary theory explains how complexity requires only simplicity, randomness and time to evolve. And the test of evolutionary theory is simply this: it explains the observable facts. Not perfectly, but that is why open minded and skeptical scientific enquiry continues to drive refinement in the theory. That's how science works.
Intelligent Design deserves the same status in the teaching of science as Lamarckism; as a discredited theory which very superficially makes sense but actually fails to explain any of the great body of evidence that is explained by evolutionary theory.
The argument against Intelligent Design is not all that difficult. In fact it's simple: it doesn't explain anything. To answer the question "where does the complexity of nature come from?" with "from pre-existing complexity (in the form of a creator)" is to provide no answer at all, because it brings you back to the same question - "well where did that complexity come from?"
As Dawkins explains so eloquently, evolutionary theory explains how complexity requires only simplicity, randomness and time to evolve. And the test of evolutionary theory is simply this: it explains the observable facts. Not perfectly, but that is why open minded and skeptical scientific enquiry continues to drive refinement in the theory. That's how science works.
Intelligent Design deserves the same status in the teaching of science as Lamarckism; as a discredited theory which very superficially makes sense but actually fails to explain any of the great body of evidence that is explained by evolutionary theory.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive
There's a reality series currently running on E! called Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive. It's set in Steamboat Springs which is reason enough for me to watch it despite my general disdain for the whole reality genre. But to its credit it also avoids what I see as the real evil of reality TV which is that most of it is based on creating incentives for the participants to lie, cheat and backstab and generally demonstrate the very worst in human nature in order to satisfy their greed.
The basic premise is to take a bunch of spoiled offspring of the rich and famous and put them to work on a cattle ranch. I would struggle physically with some of what these people are being asked to do because I'm a fair bit older and flabbier, but heaven help me, I wouldn't complain endlessly that camping out on the trail was not quite up to the Four Seasons standards they so obviously feel entitled to. But I suppose that's what makes it so entertaining.
I'll provide further information in later posts as the series progresses.
Update: later reviews of Episodes 1-4, Episode 5, Episode 7
The basic premise is to take a bunch of spoiled offspring of the rich and famous and put them to work on a cattle ranch. I would struggle physically with some of what these people are being asked to do because I'm a fair bit older and flabbier, but heaven help me, I wouldn't complain endlessly that camping out on the trail was not quite up to the Four Seasons standards they so obviously feel entitled to. But I suppose that's what makes it so entertaining.
I'll provide further information in later posts as the series progresses.
Update: later reviews of Episodes 1-4, Episode 5, Episode 7
I'm from the FCC and I'm here to help
The FCC has graciously decided to extend the deadline for VOIP (Voice Over IP) phone service providers to terminate the service of customers who fail to acknowledge that they understand the emergency calling limitations of VOIP.
I could live with the FCC forcing the VOIP providers to make their customers aware of this issue, but how exactly do they think they're protecting me by forcing my provider to terminate my service if I don't respond to the notice in time? VOIP may have some limitations in terms of emergency calling, but no service at all is a whole lot more limited!
I suggest the FCC think a whole lot harder before continuing to pander to the traditional phone companies whose only source of competitive advantage is their ability to lobby and manipulate the regulators to their advantage, a phenomenon that economists call "regulatory capture" but which I call selling out the public to vested interests.
I could live with the FCC forcing the VOIP providers to make their customers aware of this issue, but how exactly do they think they're protecting me by forcing my provider to terminate my service if I don't respond to the notice in time? VOIP may have some limitations in terms of emergency calling, but no service at all is a whole lot more limited!
I suggest the FCC think a whole lot harder before continuing to pander to the traditional phone companies whose only source of competitive advantage is their ability to lobby and manipulate the regulators to their advantage, a phenomenon that economists call "regulatory capture" but which I call selling out the public to vested interests.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Aussies invade Hollywood
Have you ever noticed how many Aussies there are in Hollywood? If you haven't check out the following list of Australian actors that have appeared in recent years in major Hollywood movies or US network TV shows.
Academy Award winners
Cate Blanchett for The Aviator (also nominated for Elizabeth)
Russell Crowe for Gladiator (also nominated for A Beautiful Mind and The Insider)
Nicole Kidman for The Hours (also nominated for Moulin Rouge)
Geoffrey Rush for Shine (also nominated for Shakespeare in Love and Quills)
Academy Award nominees
Toni Collette, nominated for The Sixth Sense
Naomi Watts, nominated for 21 Grams
and the rest
Eric Bana, won critical acclaim for his role in the movie Troy
Simon Baker, stars in the television series The Guardian
Gia Carides, played cousin Nikki in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the television series My Big Fat Greek Life
Mel Gibson, (can you believe his only Academy award title or nomination ever was for Best Director for Braveheart?)
Rachel Griffiths, plays Brenda in the television series Six Feet Under
Hugh Jackman, stars as Logan/Wolverine in the X-Men movies (if you're a fan then you need to track down a copy of Paperback Hero, an obscure Aussie movie he did before he was famous, and check out his co-star Claudia Karvan - I can't understand why she hasn't made it big)
Anthony LaPaglia, stars in the television series Without a Trace
Jonathan LaPaglia, starred in the television series Seven Days
Heath Ledger, starred in the movie A Knight's Tale
Jacqueline McKenzie, stars in the television series The 4400
Julian McMahon, stars in the television series Nip/Tuck
Ben Mendelsohn, died a hero's death in the movie Vertical Limit
Poppy Montgomery, appears in the television series Without a Trace
Frances O'Connor, played the mother in Artificial Intelligence and Brendan Fraser's ideal woman in Bedazzled
Miranda Otto, played Eowyn in the The Lord of the Rings movies
Guy Pearce, came to notice in LA Confidential with Russell Crowe but was truly awesome in the movie Memento
Noah Taylor, played an uber-geek in the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Hugo Weaving, plays Agent Smith in The Matrix movies
David Wenham, played the prodigal son Farimir in the The Lord of the Rings movies
Sarah Wynter, appeared in the television series The Dead Zone
Oh, and don't forget wonderful Aussie directors like Bruce Beresford, Peter Weir, Baz Lurhmann and Fred Schepisi.
As best I can tell no other nationality (with the possible exception of Canadians) comes close in terms of Hollywood presence.
Academy Award winners
Cate Blanchett for The Aviator (also nominated for Elizabeth)
Russell Crowe for Gladiator (also nominated for A Beautiful Mind and The Insider)
Nicole Kidman for The Hours (also nominated for Moulin Rouge)
Geoffrey Rush for Shine (also nominated for Shakespeare in Love and Quills)
Academy Award nominees
Toni Collette, nominated for The Sixth Sense
Naomi Watts, nominated for 21 Grams
and the rest
Eric Bana, won critical acclaim for his role in the movie Troy
Simon Baker, stars in the television series The Guardian
Gia Carides, played cousin Nikki in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the television series My Big Fat Greek Life
Mel Gibson, (can you believe his only Academy award title or nomination ever was for Best Director for Braveheart?)
Rachel Griffiths, plays Brenda in the television series Six Feet Under
Hugh Jackman, stars as Logan/Wolverine in the X-Men movies (if you're a fan then you need to track down a copy of Paperback Hero, an obscure Aussie movie he did before he was famous, and check out his co-star Claudia Karvan - I can't understand why she hasn't made it big)
Anthony LaPaglia, stars in the television series Without a Trace
Jonathan LaPaglia, starred in the television series Seven Days
Heath Ledger, starred in the movie A Knight's Tale
Jacqueline McKenzie, stars in the television series The 4400
Julian McMahon, stars in the television series Nip/Tuck
Ben Mendelsohn, died a hero's death in the movie Vertical Limit
Poppy Montgomery, appears in the television series Without a Trace
Frances O'Connor, played the mother in Artificial Intelligence and Brendan Fraser's ideal woman in Bedazzled
Miranda Otto, played Eowyn in the The Lord of the Rings movies
Guy Pearce, came to notice in LA Confidential with Russell Crowe but was truly awesome in the movie Memento
Noah Taylor, played an uber-geek in the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Hugo Weaving, plays Agent Smith in The Matrix movies
David Wenham, played the prodigal son Farimir in the The Lord of the Rings movies
Sarah Wynter, appeared in the television series The Dead Zone
Oh, and don't forget wonderful Aussie directors like Bruce Beresford, Peter Weir, Baz Lurhmann and Fred Schepisi.
As best I can tell no other nationality (with the possible exception of Canadians) comes close in terms of Hollywood presence.
Vigilante justice just isn't
A story from the LA Times about how John Loftus of Fox News published the address of a suspected terorrist. Only problem is that the terrorist left three years ago and the family living there now are the ones being subject to terror.
Do we never learn the lessons of history? Do people not understand what happens when we discard concepts of due process and take the law into our own hands? It's exactly the same mentality that justified the lynching of blacks in the south and the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany.
The response from John Loftus which amounts to 'oops, mistakes happen, but I meant well' is pathetic beyond belief for a guy who is a former prosecutor. Sounds like his career choice was more about power and self-aggrandizement that any sort of commitment to the rule of law.
As for Fox News, they've reprimanded him. Well big fat hairy deal. If they had an ounce of journalistic integrity they'd fire his arrogant, stupid ass.
Do we never learn the lessons of history? Do people not understand what happens when we discard concepts of due process and take the law into our own hands? It's exactly the same mentality that justified the lynching of blacks in the south and the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany.
The response from John Loftus which amounts to 'oops, mistakes happen, but I meant well' is pathetic beyond belief for a guy who is a former prosecutor. Sounds like his career choice was more about power and self-aggrandizement that any sort of commitment to the rule of law.
As for Fox News, they've reprimanded him. Well big fat hairy deal. If they had an ounce of journalistic integrity they'd fire his arrogant, stupid ass.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
A tyranny of stupidity
Reports of police action to break up a rave party in Utah are disturbing at a number of levels.
First, it's another graphic example of the culture of force as the first option rather than a last resort that seems to pervade law enforcement in this country.
Secondly, it's a massive misdirection of effort to send nearly a hundred officers along with dogs and helicopters to arrest people who are harming no-one but themselves rather than focusing on protecting citizens from real crimes like murder, rape and robbery.
Finally, the mendacious and arrogant stupidity of arresting the private security guards for possessing illegal drugs that they had confiscated from the party goers illustrates that this exercise was motivated primarily by the state's desire to demonstrate its power to oppress.
First, it's another graphic example of the culture of force as the first option rather than a last resort that seems to pervade law enforcement in this country.
Secondly, it's a massive misdirection of effort to send nearly a hundred officers along with dogs and helicopters to arrest people who are harming no-one but themselves rather than focusing on protecting citizens from real crimes like murder, rape and robbery.
Finally, the mendacious and arrogant stupidity of arresting the private security guards for possessing illegal drugs that they had confiscated from the party goers illustrates that this exercise was motivated primarily by the state's desire to demonstrate its power to oppress.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Lee Kwan Yew on the rise of China
Here's a link to a brilliant interview with Lee Kwan Yew, former Singapore Prime Minister and current elder statesman, on the implications of China's economic and military rise.
Having lived in Singapore, I have enormous admiration for this man. He demonstrated the difference that the right leadership makes to the future of a country. In 1960 Singapore and the Philippines (where I have also lived) were at a similar level of development. Though the Philippines was the country with the natural resources, half a century later it is Singapore that has joined the first world while the Philippines languishes in corruption, poverty and disorder. Lovely people but a completely disfunctional country.
Mr Lee differs fundamentally from the standard politician in that he tells his people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. That approach has served his country extremely well.
Having lived in Singapore, I have enormous admiration for this man. He demonstrated the difference that the right leadership makes to the future of a country. In 1960 Singapore and the Philippines (where I have also lived) were at a similar level of development. Though the Philippines was the country with the natural resources, half a century later it is Singapore that has joined the first world while the Philippines languishes in corruption, poverty and disorder. Lovely people but a completely disfunctional country.
Mr Lee differs fundamentally from the standard politician in that he tells his people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. That approach has served his country extremely well.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Routt County Fair
Today we made a visit to our local county fair - what we would call the "agricultural show" or "show" in Australia (or in Queensland where they do things differently, the "Exhibition" or "Ekka").
My wife went to see her friend's quilting which won a number of prizes (congratulations Judy). I went to see the pigs. You see I grew up on a pig farm where we had literally thousands of pigs. I like pigs. They're much smarter, cleaner and friendly than most people realise. Plus they love it when you scratch them behind the ear. Like a dog without the barking and biting.
My wife went to see her friend's quilting which won a number of prizes (congratulations Judy). I went to see the pigs. You see I grew up on a pig farm where we had literally thousands of pigs. I like pigs. They're much smarter, cleaner and friendly than most people realise. Plus they love it when you scratch them behind the ear. Like a dog without the barking and biting.
Google Earth - out of this world
I've been pretty much obsessed with computers for the past 15 years and in that time I'm seen some really impressive stuff. But nothing, absolutely nothing, has come close to the experience I had last night when I downloaded Google Earth. I just love Google's description of this product as "a 3D interface to the planet".
Let me try to give you a feel for what this can do. First, let's start with bringing up a satellite image of where I live.
That's cool, but we've been able to do that online for five or six years. Where it gets interesting is when we start to tilt the view to get three dimensions.
Or rotate it to see the ski mountain behind my house.
We can zoom out to get a complete view of Steamboat Springs.
We can zoom out even further to see where I am in relation to Denver.
Let's see where I am in the western United States.
Finally, here's we I am in relation to the entire North American continent.
As impressive as that is, it doesn't capture the dynamic nature of the program. I can plug in another location, such as my parent's house, and it will give me a 3D view of flying across the Pacific to a small town in south-eastern Tasmania.
Let me try to give you a feel for what this can do. First, let's start with bringing up a satellite image of where I live.
That's cool, but we've been able to do that online for five or six years. Where it gets interesting is when we start to tilt the view to get three dimensions.
Or rotate it to see the ski mountain behind my house.
We can zoom out to get a complete view of Steamboat Springs.
We can zoom out even further to see where I am in relation to Denver.
Let's see where I am in the western United States.
Finally, here's we I am in relation to the entire North American continent.
As impressive as that is, it doesn't capture the dynamic nature of the program. I can plug in another location, such as my parent's house, and it will give me a 3D view of flying across the Pacific to a small town in south-eastern Tasmania.
Goodbye summer
Yellow aspen leaves
Summer's melancholy
Joyful memory
I was inspired to write this haiku because we saw our first signs today of the leaves turning.
Summer's melancholy
Joyful memory
I was inspired to write this haiku because we saw our first signs today of the leaves turning.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
A new definition of pathetic
Today I discovered the only thing I hate more than email spammers and senders of unsolicited 'pre-approved' credit card offers are blog comment spammers, scum-sucking, bottom-dwelling, slithering piece of s..t parasites who use automated software to attach comments advertising all manner of snake oil to blogs.
The one attached to my blog was (past tense since I deleted it) pushing stock in a company called Energy & Asset Technology, Inc (EGTY). I checked out the stock's performance and discovered they're down 91% in the past 12 months and 60% in the past week.
One really weird thing given that this practice is totally unethical and anti-social is that the spam incorporated a disclosure statement, including the standard recommendation to seek professional advice from a registered financial advisor. Yep, I can just imagine telling my financial advisor I want to buy a stock I saw advertised in a blog comment spam!
But I particularly liked this gem:
Translation: This firm is on the way out, but we plan to dupe you into buying some of our shares before they become completely worthless.
I can't for the life of me understand how people who do stuff like this can look at themselves in the mirror in the morning. Do they not realise what truly pathetic excuses for human beings they are?
Update: Google has introduced a "word verification" option (a form of CAPTCHA or 'reverse Turing test') for comments to prevent this sort of automated comment spam. It's now turned on, so die spammers, die!
The one attached to my blog was (past tense since I deleted it) pushing stock in a company called Energy & Asset Technology, Inc (EGTY). I checked out the stock's performance and discovered they're down 91% in the past 12 months and 60% in the past week.
One really weird thing given that this practice is totally unethical and anti-social is that the spam incorporated a disclosure statement, including the standard recommendation to seek professional advice from a registered financial advisor. Yep, I can just imagine telling my financial advisor I want to buy a stock I saw advertised in a blog comment spam!
But I particularly liked this gem:
Be aware of an inherent conflict of interest... due to our intent to profit from the liquidation of these shares
Translation: This firm is on the way out, but we plan to dupe you into buying some of our shares before they become completely worthless.
I can't for the life of me understand how people who do stuff like this can look at themselves in the mirror in the morning. Do they not realise what truly pathetic excuses for human beings they are?
Update: Google has introduced a "word verification" option (a form of CAPTCHA or 'reverse Turing test') for comments to prevent this sort of automated comment spam. It's now turned on, so die spammers, die!
Why the major airlines aren't bouncing back
An interesting article in USA Today titled "why the major airlines aren't bouncing back".
As I mentioned in a recent post, uncompetitive labour costs are killing them(1), and despite all the sound and fury in the past three years, they've only closed a part of the gap with the low cost carriers.
Other factors do come in to play, like the composition of their fleets (generally older and less fuel efficient which is a killer with high oil prices) and the airports they choose to fly from (e.g. United flies from expensive and congested O'Hare while Southwest services the Chicago market via Midway) but they are less important than labour costs and in some cases, like United and American's ownership of scarce landing slots at airports like JFK and Heathrow, actually help improve their profitability.
Here's the bottom line. If the legacy carriers can fix their labour costs, they'll be around long enough to address these other issues, but if they can't it's just a matter of time before they go the way of Pan Am and TWA.
(1) I was talking about United, but it's just as true for the other majors. And yes, the Northwest mechanics (mostly men) are being just us short-sighted as the United flight attendants (mostly women) so there's no gender bias here.
As I mentioned in a recent post, uncompetitive labour costs are killing them(1), and despite all the sound and fury in the past three years, they've only closed a part of the gap with the low cost carriers.
Other factors do come in to play, like the composition of their fleets (generally older and less fuel efficient which is a killer with high oil prices) and the airports they choose to fly from (e.g. United flies from expensive and congested O'Hare while Southwest services the Chicago market via Midway) but they are less important than labour costs and in some cases, like United and American's ownership of scarce landing slots at airports like JFK and Heathrow, actually help improve their profitability.
Here's the bottom line. If the legacy carriers can fix their labour costs, they'll be around long enough to address these other issues, but if they can't it's just a matter of time before they go the way of Pan Am and TWA.
(1) I was talking about United, but it's just as true for the other majors. And yes, the Northwest mechanics (mostly men) are being just us short-sighted as the United flight attendants (mostly women) so there's no gender bias here.
Why not shoot them?
I'm watching on CNN right now live coverage of Israeli police trying to remove Jewish settlers who have barricaded themselves on the roof a synagogue in Gaza.
What I'm seeing is the settlers throwing rocks and wood at the police who are showing great restraint. What I'm wondering though is this. If it's appropriate for Israeli police and soldiers to shoot Palestinians boys who throw rocks, why aren't they shooting the settlers?
What's that? Did I hear you say it's not right to shoot people dead for throwing rocks? Hmmmm.
Pardon me Israel, but your moral relativism is showing.
Update: CNN is reporting that the settlers are throwing acid on the police. What do you think would happen if Palestinians did that? I have no doubt Ariel Sharon would label them terrorists.
What I'm seeing is the settlers throwing rocks and wood at the police who are showing great restraint. What I'm wondering though is this. If it's appropriate for Israeli police and soldiers to shoot Palestinians boys who throw rocks, why aren't they shooting the settlers?
What's that? Did I hear you say it's not right to shoot people dead for throwing rocks? Hmmmm.
Pardon me Israel, but your moral relativism is showing.
Update: CNN is reporting that the settlers are throwing acid on the police. What do you think would happen if Palestinians did that? I have no doubt Ariel Sharon would label them terrorists.
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