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May 30, 2009
Facebook - Another Internet Phenomenon I Don't "Get"
It seems the cards were stacked against me - after Dawnise finally gave in and signed up for Facebook, the topic came up at work the other day, and I decided I needed to see what the hell the big deal is.
So I signed up and looked around.
And I still don't get it.
I played with Orkut for a while too, but ultimately didn't "get" that either and killed my account. I use LinkedIn mostly as a "usually up to date" address book for past colleagues, but I don't "get" the social networking thing.
Perhaps one day I'll have an epiphany, but for now...
Posted by dberger at 8:15 PM | Comments (3)
Well *That's* Not How It Was Supposed To Go...
Dawnise had a full social schedule today - a work spouse event in the early afternoon followed by roller derby finals in the evening.
So after dropping her and a colleague's wife off down town, I came home, changed into jeans, and hopped on her bike, with the intent of putting a hundred and fifty or so miles on it. I've been taking it to work occasionally lately, and while it's running OK, it's still got old gas in the tank, and I figured what better way to get rid of the old gas than to spend a few hours on the road, destination where-ever.
Continue reading "Well *That's* Not How It Was Supposed To Go..."
Posted by dberger at 6:44 PM
May 28, 2009
The Day The Universe Changed
While Netflix hasn't seen fit to stock Connections (fortunately, the Seattle Public Library does), they do have The Day The Universe Changed, and Dawnise and I have been watching it over the past few nights.
While discussing it with colleagues, I ranted for a moment about how "obvious" Burke made the proof that vertical angles are equal and wondered why my Jr. High geometry teacher hadn't used a similar technique. The response from my colleague was "'cause he was your Jr. High geometry teacher, and this is James Burke."
Indeed.
Posted by dberger at 10:04 AM
May 27, 2009
Equal Protection
While waiting for a build to complete, I decided to read the CA Supreme Court opinion regarding Prop 8, which institutionalized discrimination in the California constitution (guess you can figure which side I'm on).
The first dozen pages, which contain the majority opinion, reek to me of hiding behind technicalities and ignoring the core issue. It wasn't until I jumped head to the one (!) dissenting opinion (by Moreno) that I read anything resembling reasoned but human argument.
The question before us today is whether such a change to one of the core values upon which our state Constitution is founded can be accomplished by amending the Constitution through an initiative measure placed upon the ballot by the signatures of 8 percent of the number of persons who voted in the last gubernatorial election and passed by a simple majority of the voters....
For reasons elaborated below, I conclude that requiring discrimination against a minority group on the basis of a suspect classification strikes at the core of the promise of equality that underlies our California Constitution and thus “represents such a drastic and far-reaching change in the nature and operation of our governmental structure that it must be considered a ‘revision’ of the state Constitution rather than a mere ‘amendment’ thereof.” (Amador Valley Joint Union High Sch. Dist. v. State Bd. of Equalization (1978) 22 Cal.3d 208, 221 (Amador Valley).) The rule the majority crafts today not only allows same-sex couples to be stripped of the right to marry that this court recognized in the Marriage Cases, it places at risk the state constitutional rights of all disfavored minorities. It weakens the status of our state Constitution as a bulwark of fundamental rights for minorities protected from the will of the majority. I therefore dissent.
Moreno concludes
Proposition 8 represents an unprecedented instance of a majority of voters altering the meaning of the equal protection clause by modifying the California Constitution to require deprivation of a fundamental right on the basis of a suspect classification. The majority’s holding is not just a defeat for same-sex couples, but for any minority group that seeks the protection of the equal protection clause of the California Constitution.
This could not have been the intent of those who devised and enacted the initiative process. In my view, the aim of Proposition 8 and all similar initiative measures that seek to alter the California Constitution to deny a fundamental right to a group that has historically been subject to discrimination on the basis of a suspect classification, violates the essence of the equal protection clause of the California Constitution and fundamentally alters its scope and meaning. Such a change cannot be accomplished through the initiative process by a simple amendment to our Constitution enacted by a bare majority of the voters; it must be accomplished, if at all, by a constitutional revision to modify the equal protection clause to protect some, rather than all, similarly situated persons.
Posted by dberger at 10:26 AM
May 23, 2009
Whoa Ugly
The landscapers are outside finishing up the thatching (de-thatching?), aeration, and re-seeding of the lawn.
We had a lot of thatch.
We now have a lot of not-lawn.
I'm sure it'll grow back, assuming a typical Seattle spring weather pattern, but boy is it ugly at the moment.
Posted by dberger at 5:52 PM
May 20, 2009
Walking On Sunshine
I can't decide which is worse - that I was bopping my head to "Walking On Sunshine", or that I was picturing Jack Black while doing so...
Posted by dberger at 2:30 PM
May 19, 2009
My New Favorite Chinese Soup
The other night I decided to get Chinese takeout for dinner, and since Dawnise was out of town, I figured I might as well make it a bunch of things that she doesn't care for and, hence, we don't order.
Continue reading "My New Favorite Chinese Soup"
Posted by dberger at 6:42 PM
May 18, 2009
The Anubis Gates
Finished The Anubis Gates this evening. By far the tightest time travel story I've read. Plenty of twists and turns but (as far as I could tell) self-consistent. And the end was not only appropriate, but satisfying as well. Definitely worth reading.
Posted by dberger at 9:07 PM | Comments (1)
May 11, 2009
Experiments in Sleep
When we moved to Washington, and into our first house here, we bought a new mattress (and bed). It's a Sealy "backsupporter" with a fancy memory foam pillow top, and after only four years, it looks like we're in the market for a new mattress.
Continue reading "Experiments in Sleep"
Posted by dberger at 9:31 AM
May 7, 2009
Feeling Outnumbered
I think I inherited my dislike of clutter from my dad - and like him, I'll occasionally go on a bender - unable to stop or sit still until whatever it is that set me off is dealt with.
Dawnise calls this "going manic."
Continue reading "Feeling Outnumbered"
Posted by dberger at 9:13 PM | Comments (1)
May 5, 2009
Software Fail
Someone explain to me why loading an image in Preview.app, horizontally flipping said image, saving the image, and then printing it, prints the image in it's original orientation?
Saving the image as a new name, without "use exif orientation tag" checked, does the right thing - but "exif orientation tag" means nothing to Dawnise.
And while I'm on the topic - someone explain why Amarok 2 lost the ability (present in Amarok 1.x) to read cover art from id3 tags? And why Banshee (1.4.3) shows me "shuffle by artist" and "shuffle by album" options, but won't enable either one?
I hate computers.
Update: Amarok problem solved.
Posted by dberger at 9:42 PM | Comments (1)
May 4, 2009
Weather By Sybil
We did a bit of shopping on Saturday, and Costco had fresh Marlin, which I hadn't had in ages.
Continue reading "Weather By Sybil"
Posted by dberger at 9:14 AM