:: Life of Dave ::

:: Friday, May 30 2008 ::

Rachael Ray, that well known terrorist supporter, has apparently gotten the American... uh... food?... chain Dunkin' Donuts in trouble for wearing a scarf that "resembled a traditional Arab keffiyeh" in an ad. And since arab equals terrorist, blogger Michelle Malkin (have any of you heard of her before? Apparently she has trashy books and everything) started an (apparently successful) campaign to get the ads pulled.
:: David (13:11 in Michigan, 19:11 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]

:: Thursday, May 29 2008 ::

Server upgrades dragged me out of bed at five this morning, and now my brain is officially headed towards mush. I like doing server work in the morning, as I am very clear-headed for the first two hours, generally. But then things go downhill fast.
:: David (14:37 in Michigan, 20:37 in Paris) - Comment

:: Wednesday, May 28 2008 ::

The state where I live, Michigan, had some messed up weather the last 36 hours. It was apparently 85 degrees (29C) on Monday, and then the temperature just fell, straight down to somewhere around freezing - the thermometer when I woke this morning said 35 (a bit under 2C). I tried to cover the lettuce a bit, but it's hard to say if that will help.
:: David (6:57 in Michigan, 12:57 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[5]

:: Tuesday, May 27 2008 ::

Well that's just weird: apparently Sebastian Faulks has written a new James Bond novel to celebrate the centenary of Ian Fleming's birth. It was apparently given a lavish launch in London today. The author may be familiar to you for his more literary works, which makes his penning of this novel all the more interesting.
:: David (10:16 in Michigan, 16:16 in Paris) - Comment

So over the weekend the New York Times did an article on xkcd, a webcomic for serious geeks. And rather than thinking that xkcd had arrived, because it was covered in the New York Times, all I could think was that the Times was desperately trying to stay relevant. Which probably bodes ill for their long-term chances of survival.
:: David (7:25 in Michigan, 13:25 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]

:: Saturday, May 24 2008 ::

If there exists a reason to buy a big screen TV and an XBox 360 or PS3, Rock Band is it. We headed over to Tammy and George's last night, and had our first exposure to the game. Now, I know it's a blend and copy of about four games that were popular in Japan a decade ago, but that doesn't make it any less fun. What a riot.
:: David (23:45 in Michigan, 5:45 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[6]

:: Thursday, May 22 2008 ::

It isn't often you get to do it, but it always feels good when you can! After it crashed, I cleared the files off, and then got rid of some dead weight. Like Windows Vista.
:: David (0:12 in Michigan, 6:12 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

:: Wednesday, May 21 2008 ::

The identity of Ann Arbor is Overrated is finally revealed to the world.
:: David (16:50 in Michigan, 22:50 in Paris) - Comment

GasBuddy.com has a fun little interactive map that lets you explore gas prices across the US. If you zoom in really close to where I live, Ann Arbor, Michigan, you will see the prices are among the highest in the nation - my local station was $3.999 today. The radio reported oil had crossed the $130/barrel mark yesterday, so I don't see a decline anytime soon. (via TreeHugger)
:: David (10:08 in Michigan, 16:08 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[7]

Well, it's now Wednesday, and I'm still sore from biking in on Monday. Thankfully, I've been asked to watch a friend's cat, so I have an excuse to drive my car for the rest of the week. Maybe by next week my muscles will have mended.
:: David (10:04 in Michigan, 16:04 in Paris) - Comment

:: Monday, May 19 2008 ::

Whups! I finally killed Vista. Thank God. When the computer locked up again, as it often does, I let it run for a while, and it clicked over to the 'please wait' screen. After 15 minutes or so I forced the power off. I have to assume the computer was actually installing updates, as the laptop wouldn't boot after that. Which is fine - I burned a copy of the newest Ubuntu ('Hardy Heron', it is called, following the naming scheme of each release being an animal with an adjective(the last release was 'Gutsy Gibbon')) and my machine booted right up. I'll copy off my documents and send Vista away ... well, perhaps not forever, but I expect I'll wait for at least one more service pack.
:: David (22:31 in Michigan, 4:31 in Paris) - Comment

I can't decide if I would be angry or amused if I were trapped outside Chicago in a huge traffic jam caused by an Oreo cookie spill.
:: David (16:56 in Michigan, 22:56 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]

We watched Enchanted last week, and now one of the songs, "That's How You'll Know", is stuck in my head.
:: David (13:22 in Michigan, 19:22 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]

There was an interesting story in the NY Times over the weekend that suggested that having doctors apologize when they screw up cuts malpractice lawsuits by a large percentage.
:: David (7:56 in Michigan, 13:56 in Paris) - Comment

Well here's something I think we all probably saw coming: a new study seems to indicate that using a cell phone while pregnant leads to behavioural problems in children. The study was quite large, so the results are considered strongly indicative, although the doctors do note that:

there might be other possible explanations that they did not examine – such as that mothers who used the phones frequently might pay less attention to their children – and stress that the results "should be interpreted with caution" and checked by further studies. But they conclude that "if they are real they would have major public health implications".

I wonder how long we'll have to wait before this makes it to the officially proscribed list... (story via Gizmodo)
:: David (7:15 in Michigan, 13:15 in Paris) - Comment

:: Saturday, May 17 2008 ::

Today was graduation where I work, and I got to run the video camera. The speaker was the Honorable Christopher H. (“Chris”) Smith of New Jersey, well known for his position on issues such as abortion (see HR 3442, also known as the 'Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act of 2007', for an example).
:: David (15:26 in Michigan, 21:26 in Paris) - Comment

:: Friday, May 16 2008 ::

I ran across a really fun site that compares the oil price rise to the rise in price of whale oil in the mid-1800s. There are obvious differences, but it is interesting to wonder about how long it will take us to reduce usage (or switch to something else).
:: David (17:33 in Michigan, 23:33 in Paris) - Comment

Another reason to fear condos - what if your neighbours stop paying? Since the place is run as a pseudo-cooperative, things start breaking down fast.
:: David (9:43 in Michigan, 15:43 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

Well now that's a depressing piece of information: the NY Times, in reporting the recent decision by the California supreme court to strike down a ban on gay marriage in the state, notes that "Gay marriage is an issue on which the three major presidential candidates — John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton — are pretty much in agreement. All oppose it, while saying at the same time that same-sex couples should generally be entitled to the legal protections afforded married couples." In my delusions of a happy warm fuzzy 2008, I had assumed they were all in favour. Sigh.
:: David (9:41 in Michigan, 15:41 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

:: Thursday, May 15 2008 ::

Who knew that a blog post about Photoshop, by one of the people who build it, would lead me to Chickipedia, which styles itself 'the wiki of hot women'. Corporate blogs certainly are an interesting phenomenon.
:: David (22:00 in Michigan, 4:00 in Paris) - Comment

Dear Friends and Colleagues:
It has become clear to me that you all apparently have a sixth sense which detects when I am not working, and you are using this sense to tell when you should call me (because I am not busy). However, what your sense is apparently not telling you is that I am not working because I am in the loo. So, to the (many) people who got my voicemail this morning, now you know why. Please adjust your calling habits as needed.
:: David (10:57 in Michigan, 16:57 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[3]

:: Wednesday, May 14 2008 ::

I woke up this morning, for some reason, thinking about ZZ Top, the rock band that made it big in the '80s. How in the world did such freaky looking characters make it so big? The '80s were weird, that's all I can come up with. And don't get me started on the fuzzy guitars!
:: David (22:05 in Michigan, 4:05 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[3]

:: Tuesday, May 13 2008 ::

So it seems tips from politically connected insiders are as good as other tips - which is to say, not at all. Last week I posted that Hillary would be out at the weekend. No soup. She just won WV, and she says she's going all the way.
:: David (22:56 in Michigan, 4:56 in Paris) - Comment

Busy house day (I know this is the most boring crap in the world, but it's what I've been spending my time doing) - in addition to faxing off our last document, we also applied for the loan today. Which is interesting (to me, obviously). We were pre-approved, which means... nothing - they re-evaluate when you actually apply. So now we've actually applied, and were approved, which means... nothing - because now some dude will take over evaluating whether to give us the money or not. So why bother? I don't know. I'm sure it made sense in the heady days of the real estate bubble. Glad I missed it.
:: David (22:47 in Michigan, 4:47 in Paris) - Comment

Well, I faxed off the last doc this morning. Everything is signed and ready to go, assuming we get financed. We are now ever so slightly closer to owning a house. Hooray. Now if I can get through to the mortgage people and get that taken care of!
:: David (15:30 in Michigan, 21:30 in Paris) - Comment

:: Sunday, May 11 2008 ::

We went to see Flight of the Conchords last night. I laughed so hard my face hurt. The best part, I think, was that they haven't polished the act up - it was full of off-the-cuff comments, goof-ups, and one moment where we were all convinced one of them had been horribly injured (there was an orchestra pit in front of the stage which he appeared to fall into). Some new material with the old, which was nice. Overall one of the better things I've seen in quite a while.
:: David (11:19 in Michigan, 17:19 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[3]

:: Saturday, May 10 2008 ::

Hacking the surveillance society: a band in the UK made a video by performing in front of various security cameras across the country, then requesting the tapes from the government under the Data Protection Act.
:: David (2:27 in Michigan, 8:27 in Paris) - Comment

The U.S. Government stimulated me today, to the tune of $1,200. Needless to say, I have sacked it away so the terrorists can win. Of course, looked at another way I just spent several years of annual salary all in one fell swoop, buying the house. I am very curious if the plan will work. I'm sure models have been done with all sorts of bogus assumptions showing how much of a boost the economy will get, but even if we discount those, it's still a hell of a lot of cash hitting people's pockets all at once.
:: David (1:47 in Michigan, 7:47 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

:: Friday, May 9 2008 ::

Some of the most read news headlines from the BBC:

• * UN halts Burma aid after seizure
    - the government of Myanmar apparently wishes to distribute the food themselves.
• * Europeans get drunk 'to have sex'
    -A third of 16 to 35-year-old men and 23% of women questioned said they drank to increase their chance of sex.
• * Great tits cope well with warming
    -Researchers found that great tits are laying eggs earlier in the spring than they used to, keeping step with the earlier emergence of caterpillars.
• * Hezbollah takes over west Beirut
    -On the radio this morning it was suggested we could be looking at another civil war in Lebanon.

The situation in Myanmar warrants a whole other blog post, as it's so insane.
:: David (9:52 in Michigan, 15:52 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[4]

:: Thursday, May 8 2008 ::

Lest you ever think things haven't changed, here's a story of a soldier in Afghanistan who accidentally hit redial on his cell phone while in the midst of a firefight. His folks' answering machine captured the event on tape.
:: David (9:44 in Michigan, 15:44 in Paris) - Comment

:: Wednesday, May 7 2008 ::

The most disturbing show on TV is ending its run.
:: David (13:25 in Michigan, 19:25 in Paris) - Comment

It's being speculated in a number of places, and now I've heard it from an anonymous tipster that Hillary will be out of the race before next week.
:: David (13:24 in Michigan, 19:24 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

Jezebel sums up the latest US election results, succinctly:

• Obama won North Carolina, but everyone knew that would happen!
• Clinton (probably) won Indiana, but everyone knew that would happen too!

I sure hope these folks finish up soon. If I hear one more talking head blathering on about how (Obama/Clinton) can defeat (Obama/Clinton) and seal up the democratic party nomination, I may go insane.
:: David (7:49 in Michigan, 13:49 in Paris) - Comment

The consumerist pointed me to a really cool graphic the New York Times has done, showing the breakdown of consumer spending in the US, along with the year-on-year change in prices for each element. The physics geek in me likes the fact that they chose red and blue as their color scale (so, for example, the huge red shift in gasoline implies that the price is getting further and further out of reach).
:: David (7:36 in Michigan, 13:36 in Paris) - Comment

:: Tuesday, May 6 2008 ::

For those wondering what a dissertation looks like, it looks a lot like this.
:: David (22:50 in Michigan, 4:50 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[1]

Sasha handed her dissertation over to the appropriate authorities yesterday, so to celebrate we had some folks over for champagne, strawberries, and white chocolate fondue. Now she gets to wait a month, then defend.
:: David (7:07 in Michigan, 13:07 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[6]

:: Monday, May 5 2008 ::

I got on a reading kick this weekend, plowing through four random books: two by Meg Cabot - Shadowland and Code Name Cassandra, both of which are light, fluffy 'teens with superpowers coming of age' books, and then Dauntless by Jack Campbell and An Accidental Goddess by Linnea Sinclair, both of which are SF, though bizarrely one is military SF and the other is romance/SF (if you look at the covers you'll be able to work it out pretty quick - yikes). If you feel the urge, click through - disclaimer, of course, that Amazon will pay me if you do (well, if you do, and then you buy something).
:: David (9:38 in Michigan, 15:38 in Paris) - Comment

:: Saturday, May 3 2008 ::

I can't believe they actually printed this: in an article on the controversy in Japan over poison-free puffer fish (which some of you may know as fugu), the New York Times links two very different cultural figures:

Indeed, fugu has appeared in the haiku of Basho, Japan’s greatest poet, and in “The Simpsons,” in an episode in which Homer accidentally eats poisonous fugu.

To review, the man who wrote

On a journey, ailing-	旅に病んで
My dreams roam about	夢は枯れ野を
Over a withered moor.	かけめぐる

is linked with the man who said "Volunteering is for suckers. Did you know that volunteers don't even get paid for the stuff they do?"
:: David (22:00 in Michigan, 4:00 in Paris) - Comment

The Economist has a wonderful chart showing that Africa has taken the piracy crown from Asia since 2004. Yarrr!
:: David (11:21 in Michigan, 17:21 in Paris) - Comment

:: Thursday, May 1 2008 ::

Huh. I was looking at my search statistics, and wondered why 'Underwater Nudes' was a search term with my name. Turns out there's a guy in the UK who has a book with that title.
:: David (7:28 in Michigan, 13:28 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[3]

Pity the Lesbians. No, not those lesbians - I mean the residents of the island of Lesbos. Apparently someone told them their name was associated with a certain lifestyle, and now one man, Dimitris Lambrou, has decided to make it stop by taking a Greek gay rights group to court. He says once they win in Greece they're going international. I expect the way may be rockier than Mr. Lambrou expects.
:: David (7:15 in Michigan, 13:15 in Paris) - Comment - View Comments[2]