The Blog with No Name

Traffic looked horrible today, so I decided to camp out at the office until the State of the Union and then live blog it . . . if there’s anything interesting. Stay tuned and refresh often.

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Ever noticed how a lot of heated discussions end up with comparison of somebody to Hitler or the Nazis? Sure you have. Well there’s a whole “law” about that called Godwin’s Law. Godwin’s Law states, “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.” Over at the Volokh Conspiracy there is a post discussing when it is appropriate to invoke this over-used comparison. I’ll admit there is one thing that sorta gets me to fulfill Godwin’s Law: discussing the Washington state smoking ban. I usually decry this as a “fascist(!!!)” move, but in truth I know it’s not. It is a knee-jerk, reactionary, overly-broad piece of democracy driven mainly by the majority’s annoyance with smokers, but it is not fascism (!!!).

I need a TV.

And to make this weirder, I don’t even have an overbearing girlfriend who is forcing me to get one. I have been known to grow weak and fall for evil temptations when a girl is involved. What guy hasn’t?

Anyway, I had some buds (no, not the kind you drink) over last night, and I think they can all attest to the fact that it’s lame crowding around my 17″ computer monitor in order to watch a movie or something. Since I live alone and have no significant other to make demands of me, my apartment is a prime location for guys to get together. However, without a TV there really is nothing to do at my place besides talk about old times and look at walls. Don’t get me wrong, my walls are pretty interesting and talking about old times is fun, but after we’ve told each story a dozen times, it’d be nice to flip on the telly.

I figure in about 2 months or so I’ll be able to afford a larger purchase, and I was thinking about getting this as a new computer display. It can take TV input, but now I’m wondering if I should just spring for a regular TV. Either that or I need to arrange my apartment in such a way that that could pull double duty as a computer monitor and a TV. Something to be thinking about.

Shocking, I know.

Of course, when Bill “Evil” Gates starts defending your actions, you know you’ve done something wrong:

However, Mr Gates argued today that freedom of information is available in China, despite sites discussing issues such as Tiananmen Square and Taiwan being blocked.

“I do think information flow is happening in China … saying that even by existing there contributions to a national dialogue have taken place. There’s no doubt in my mind that’s been a huge plus.”

Google also defends itself as well on the Google Blog:

Launching a Google domain that restricts information in any way isn’t a step we took lightly. For several years, we’ve debated whether entering the Chinese market at this point in history could be consistent with our mission and values. Our executives have spent a lot of time in recent months talking with many people, ranging from those who applaud the Chinese government for its embrace of a market economy and its lifting of 400 million people out of poverty to those who disagree with many of the Chinese government’s policies, but who wish the best for China and its people. We ultimately reached our decision by asking ourselves which course would most effectively further Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally useful and accessible. Or, put simply: how can we provide the greatest access to information to the greatest number of people?

Filtering our search results clearly compromises our mission. Failing to offer Google search at all to a fifth of the world’s population, however, does so far more severely. Whether our critics agree with our decision or not, due to the severe quality problems faced by users trying to access Google.com from within China, this is precisely the choice we believe we faced. By launching Google.cn and making a major ongoing investment in people and infrastructure within China, we intend to change that.

You see, Google’s doing this for the greater good. Which really isn’t that implausible I guess, but I still don’t like it. But what can be done? All the major search engines have grabbed their ankles for China (Yahoo! did something especially nasty, as Bob points out). I guess Google was on a pedestal considering it’s past history, it’s commitment to free services, and it’s motto “Do no evil.” I guess it still does no evil . . . no evil to it’s stockholders.

That’s Russia’s first World Boxing Association heavy weight champion, Nikolay Valuev. He stands at 7 feet and is 323 pounds. Unsurprisingly, his record is 43 - 0 with 31 TKOs. Can you even imagine going against that guy? Heck, his back hair could probably beat me up.

Here’s some other heavy weight stats so you can get a feel for the ginormousness of this guy:

Muhammed Ali: 6′ 3″, 210 lbs
George Foreman: 6′ 3″, 217.5 lbs
Lennox Lewis: 6′ 5″, 245 lbs
Mike Tyson: 5′ 10″, 218 lbs
Evander Holyfield: 6′ 2″, 242 lbs
Nikolay Valuev: 7′, 323 lbs

Valuev’s reach is also longer than every one of those guys’s — over a foot longer than Tyson’s!

(via Drudge)

There’s a second part to that Mensa test I linked to earlier. Test your wits here. This one is definitely more challenging than the first one I linked to. I have 11 16 so far.

(via Chris on IM)

Shocking, I know. It’s really lame to see such a cool company like Google, who’s motto is “Do no evil,” sell out to the commies for money.

Online search engine leader Google Inc. has agreed to censor its results in China, adhering to the country’s free-speech restrictions in return for better access in the Internet’s fastest growing market.

. . .

Because of government barriers set up to suppress information, Google’s China users previously have been blocked from using the search engine or encountered lengthy delays in response time.

The service troubles have frustrated many Chinese users, hobbling Google’s efforts to expand its market share in a country that expected to emerge as an Internet gold mine over the next decade.

China already has more than 100 million Web surfers and the audience is expected to swell substantially _ an alluring prospect for Google as it tries to boost its already rapidly rising profits.

. . .

To obtain the Chinese license, Google agreed to omit Web content that the country’s government finds objectionable. Google will base its censorship decisons on guidance provided by Chinese government officials.

Although China has loosened some of its controls in recent years, some topics, such as Taiwan’s independence and 1989’s Tiananmen Square massacre, remain forbidden subjects.

Google officials characterized the censorship concessions in China as an excruciating decision for a company that adopted “don’t be evil” as a motto. But management believes it’s a worthwhile sacrifice.

“We firmly believe, with our culture of innovation, Google can make meaningful and positive contributions to the already impressive pace of development in China,” said Andrew McLaughlin, Google’s senior policy counsel.

To be fair, MSN has already capitulated to commie demands, but I expect that from the likes of Microsoft, which is practically evil embodied in a corporate form. However, I thought Google, which wants to paint itself as a pure benevolent giant, would have higher standards than this. But here’s the real pay off:

Google is cooperating with China’s government at the same time it is battling the U.S. government over a subpoena seeking a breakdown of one week’s worth of search requests _ a list that would cover millions of terms.

Good job, Google, you two faced losers. I can’t imagine how a subpoena for one week’s worth of search requests is worse than censoring the entire internet for a government that actively crushes dissent, religion, and free expression.

• If you are in the passing line (the far left lane), you must travel at least 6 mph faster than the designated speed limit at all times. You are encouraged to travel up to 9 mph, unless the flow of traffic allows you to go even faster.
• If you are merging onto a highway, you must be moving at 95% of the designated speed limit of the flow of traffic on the highway by the time you merge.
• If you own a sports car worth more than $75,000 you must exceed the designated speed limit at all times for the vicarious enjoyment of others. If you ever go slower than the designated speed limit, except when your speed is dictated by circumstances beyond your control, your vehicle will immediately be removed from your possession and given to somebody who will drive like he or she has a pair.
• You may never park like a noob. A general rule of thumb is to always park with other people in mind. All cars parked in a noobish manner will be immediately removed and destroyed.
• Upon entering a highway, you must choose a speed and stay within 5 mph of that speed at all times unless external circumstances make this impossible.
• If you are talking on a cell phone while driving, you should pull off to the shoulder or at the very least move into the right lane. You also must flip yourself off at regular intervals throughout the phone conversation.

Disney is buying Pixar for $7.4 billion. I thought the only good way for this deal to go down would be if Pixar would maintain a lot of creative independence, and it seems like it will since several of its key executives will be handling most of Disney’s animation division. Jobs takes yet another step up in the world . . .

Of course, this will have little bearing on Pixar’s film this year, Cars, but it will be interesting to see if this starts a downward turn for Pixar’s films. Honestly, Cars hasn’t gotten me that excited yet, so maybe this is the beginning of the end for Pixar already!

Any, and I do mean any, hard rockin’ band that dares to put a spiritual’s call-and-response section on an album is cool in my book. They should be cool in your book too. That’s why everybody who likes hard rockin’ bands should buy Thrice’s latest album, Vheissu. I’d say it’s one of the cooler albums I’ve bought in a while. Also, it’s great to find out after I bought it that a portion of the sales goes to benefit good organizations (for the record, I’ve bought one album that after I saw what the band supported, I refused to listen to the album and I wish I could have returned it). It’s so relieving to buy an album that supports the advancement of writing rather than the advancement of PETA. And then on their site they also link to the Invisible Children site. I had the opportunity to see that film (trailer here) at SPU a few months back, and it’s a heart breaking story about the current situation in Northern Uganda. To be honest, I’ve felt some pangs of guilt because I never blogged about the movie. It really needs to be promoted, and people do need to be made aware that thousands of children in Northern Uganda are being kidnapped into a slave army. This is the type of social activism I can get behind, and I wish more people would.

Writing about the album may seem utterly trivial now, but I think the album has a lot to offer the listener. Thrice didn’t change their sound too much from their previous album, The Artist in the Ambulance, though it may have gotten a little softer. It still definitely has some rock out moments, but they are a bit fewer and farther between than Artist. The lyrics are positive and consistently offer hope, which is welcome change from the normally depressing lyrics of other bands in the genre. Many of the songs express a yearning for something better, completeness, or a higher truth. The whole feel of the lyrics is undeniably spiritual. For example, they basically quote a famous passage from the Good Book in “Of Dust and Nations”:

so put your faith in more than steel
don’t store your treasures up, with moth and rust
where thieves break in and steal
pull the fangs from out your heel
we live in but a shadow of the real

And in the “Image of the Invisible” also hints at some deeper truths:

we all were lost now we are found
no one can stop us or slow us down
we are all named and we are all known
we know that we’ll never walk alone

we’re more than static and dial tone
we’re emblematic of the unknown
raise up the banner, bend back your bows
remove the cancer, take back your souls
we are the image of the invisible

though all the world may hate us, we are named
though shadow overtake us, we are known

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this satisified with an album purchase. I hope some of you can share in my satisfaction.

Yeah, so I’ve been a loyal Hawk fan since like forever. I’m just so glad that my boys finally make it to the Big Game like they so richly deserve. However, I am sick of all those people who get into football just when the local team is doing good. Dude, that’s so weak. Fan for life or no fan at all. That’s how it should be.

I already know I am, and I’m not even done with this test (my boss gave me the link! honest!). I’ve gotten 24 25 26 of them so far in between tasks at work. I’ll stop at the end of the work day. Take a crack at it. Remember, you only need 19 to be a genius!

UPDATE: I’ve figured out another 4 and was told the answer to one more. So I know the answers to 31 of them. I’m a little disappointed that some of these last ones aren’t that clever or interesting. One of them I completely guessed on, and it ended up being this obscure fact. So, far 33 is my favorite by far.

I will look up the remaining 2 answers Monday morning. I just really hope the answers make me say “Yeah, I wouldn’t have gotten that” instead of “Doh! I should have known!”

I had a lot of feedback not in the comments about this test. A lot of people said they really liked it. So, I’m working on set of puzzles on my own. Maybe I’ll post them if I feel they’re good enough.

UPDATE: Well, it was a split. Sorta. One I probably would have been able to get eventually. The other I actually guessed half of but gave up on it because I didn’t know enough of the appropriate parlance. If only I was more informed about a certain pastime . . . Anyway, I’m still a genius.

Macworld has some speed tests on the new Intel-based iMac. In short, speed boosts in the real world (viz. the average user’s experience) are really no where near the 2x that Apple has been claiming. Apps and functions generally perform better if the app is a Universal Binary app, but non-native apps running under Rosetta are essentially crippled, which is to be expected since Rosetta is an emulator. The article concludes:

That’s one reason why Apple’s initial speed claims of doubled performance (with some tests running showing as much as a 3x speed boost) were so breathtaking, since they were coming from a chip meant to run small and cool. Unfortunately, our tests suggest that the remarkable results of Apple’s published tests aren’t reflected in most of the real-world applications we tested. Based on our initial tests, the new Core-Duo-based iMac seems to be 10 to 20 percent percent faster than its predecessor when it comes to native applications, with some select tasks showing improvement above and beyond that.

Potential iMac buyers who predominantly rely on applications that aren’t available in Universal versions (or, for that matter, those who rely on Classic, which is incompatible with Intel-based Macs) will likely not be interested in these first Intel systems. Running a handful of programs in Rosetta seems reasonable, but if you rely on numerous applications that aren’t yet Universal, it’s probably wise to wait.

Now that we have Intel-based Macs in the wild, we can finally start getting hints of how this transition period is going to be. Right now, it seems that at least the transition period will not have the wow factor Steve Jobs thinks we will get. Of course, the end result may put Apple machines in a much better position than if they had stuck with IBM’s chips.

Pat Robertson isn’t the only idiot out there peddling strange beliefs concerning God’s corrective wrath. The mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, said some strange things yesterday:

“Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it’s destroyed and put stress on this country,” Nagin, who is black, said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day.

“Surely he doesn’t approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We’re not taking care of ourselves.”

Oh, where to start? I’m not so sure God sent the hurricanes as much as maybe, you know, the weather patterns, the oceans currents, and maybe a butterfly flapping its wings in Japan sent the hurricanes. Could God have sent the hurricane? Sure, but I really really doubt He did. In Iraq under false pretenses? Way to go, Nagin, for bringing up a divisive issue on a national holiday and being ignorant about it in the process. Anybody who thinks we went into Iraq only for WMDs definitely wasn’t paying attention to the run up to the war. Finally, it seems Nagin takes that old platitude “God helps those who help themselves” even farther out of whack. Nagin seems to believe God also punishes those who don’t help themselves. I wonder what Nagin would say about Job . . .

Let’s move on:

Nagin also promised that New Orleans will be a “chocolate” city again. Many of the city’s black neighborhoods were heavily damaged by Katrina.

“It’s time for us to come together. It’s time for us to rebuild New Orleans _ the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans,” the mayor said. “This city will be a majority African American city. It’s the way God wants it to be. You can’t have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn’t be New Orleans.”

Nagin described an imaginary conversation with King, the late civil rights leader.

“I said, `What is it going to take for us to move on and live your dream and make it a reality?’ He said, `I don’t think that we need to pay attention any more as much about other folks and racists on the other side.’ He said, `The thing we need to focus on as a community _ black folks I’m talking about _ is ourselves.’”

Nagin seems to have a very close connection with God, and I wasn’t aware God had such a soft spot for New Orleans, a city widely known for its debauchery, crime, and gambling. Nagin’s imaginary conversation with King is not only fantastical but also insulting to King’s legacy to the civil rights movement. Didn’t Dr. King end some historic speech somewhere about his dream of having his children be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin? Ah, yes, he did. Maybe Nagin forgot that King’s dream was a color blind society.

To be fair, Nagin has apologized for the “chocolate” comments, sorta:

“I’m really sorry that some people took that they way they did, and that was not my intention,” the mayor said. “I say everybody’s welcome.”

Nagin added that he never should have used the term “chocolate.”

Let me translate this: “I’m sorry everybody was dumb enough to make reasonable assumptions about what I said yesterday, but after I got flack for it I realize it was stupid.” You know, this apology looks like an apology I might have given when I was in high school. It seems to me that a man of his age and profession would have realized a more tactful apology would address his errors rather than his audience’s mistake.

“I’m very pleased to tell you our future is flippin’ sweet.” - Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski

Hear it here (428 KB mp3) about 10 seconds in.
(thanks to Mr. Andy Compton via IM)

UPDATE: Andy gives an update. Those Republicans are so hip!