Feeling Fructuous Today

Listening to: Kraftwerk - TransEurope Express
Weather: It's stopped raining!!!
Mood: Feisty

I guess I'm pretty wound up today. Some days you read the news and everything just gets you going... and some days there's almost nothing of interest in the news at all. Today belongs in the former category. Or maybe I'm just in more of a verbal mood than usual?

I was writing before about keeping a journal... something I did with the same religious fervor as a monk illuminating a new version of the Gospels. The process of journalling for me evolved dramatically during college. The first note book from 1989 was little more than proof that I had completed teh massive reading assignments that went with Jerzy Rosenberg's History and Theory of Architecture. Though for someone with such a broad spectrum of interests the notebooks quickly became a map of my education and philosophy. Reading notes on just about everything I read went in; drawings of interesting structures, forms, building ideas; water color paint; thoughts about movies I'd just seen, programs on TV; minutes from some late night caffeinated conversation with a fellow student... and of course the usual writings you put in a journal when you need to vent at 4AM and your room mates aren't conscious to lend an ear.

What this leaves me with today, is a great glimpse back into time to those college days. I mean everyone knows that their opinions and interests change over time, but until you can sort of meet yourself again it's hard to imagine how much they change. I am genuinely embarrassed by some of the idiocy I wrote down and I've spent a lot of time considering how I got to thinking a lot of that crap in the face of obvious errors and misconceptions. Well, today I have an unexpected insight to that process through my wife. She started back to college today and encountered what can only be described as your typical looney college professor. Now this particular one also happens to be a sociology teacher (or socialism teacher perhaps.) She spent her first day in class listening to this woman (who's name has graciously escaped me at the moment) state that she had "spent time abroad" and that while abroad she found out that rape doesn't ocurr in other countries unless it is committed by an American... OK, now take a moment and pick your jaw up off the floor.

In a blinding flash it suddenly ocurred to me where these crazy ideas come from... it also suddenly ocurred to me why Americans perform so poorly on standardized testing. We have lunatics teaching our children complete and utter lies. I can't believe a sociology teacher could stand there in front of a class and same something which is so blatently and provably untrue to a group of 18-20 year olds who don't know to look up things crazy people tell you. Students who need to memorize this woman's opinion for a grade... Students who trust that they are learning something rather than being fed rogue information.

One of teh many reasons I married Ashley is that she knows B.S. when she hears it. This story was relayed to me immediately after leaving class and proceeding directly to Add/Drop to relieve herself of this class and find a better one. When asked for a reason for dropping the class she informed her consellor that the teacher was "a left wing loon." :)

Wired News: Induce Act Draws Support, Venom

Wired News: Induce Act Draws Support, Venom

Senators Sponsoring this Act:
Mr. ORIN HATCH (R-Utah)
Mr. PATRICK LEAHY (D-Vermont)
Mr. BILL FRIST (R-Tennessee)
Mr. THOMAS DASCHLE (D-South Dakota)
Mr. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-South Carolina)
Mrs. BARBARA BOXER (D-California)

I wrote Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky) regarding this Act. Mitch McConnell true to form has already responded with a tone that seems to say, "I'll try to be open minded about this Act until the media companies start contributing money to MY campaigns as well." As someone who's spent weeks ripping his 400 CD library to MP3 for use in the iPod and on the home network, I don't like the idea that allowing people to make back ups of their legally purchased media items will be illegal. I'm still looking for a way to rip all of my 200 DVDs to a hard drive and access them from any TV I want without having to risk scratching them.

As it stands today, consumers have no defense against standard wear and tear on digital media. You cannot legally make a back up copy of a DVD in this country thanks to the RIAA and MPAA. SO when a prized DVD gets accidentally scratched or abused... what can you do to fix it? Buy another one of course... no wonder the industry doesn't want you making personal copies. I started ripping my CDs to MP3 and invested in the iPod for the sole reason that a growing stack of old CDs are completely unplayable after much use and abuse on road trips or after sitting in a stack next to the stereo for a few days... or what about that CD case which has mysteriously lost its CD? Well I don't have to worry anymore... I don't ever touch the accursed things. Thanks to some very nice technology from Apple Computer, I can play music from the iPods or via AirTunes anywhere I want... without ever risking damaging my precious hard copy. If I can find a simple way to achieve the same results with my DVDs, I will be on it immediately.

It's in my nature to be suspicious of laws like this. I have this nagging 1984-esque scenario unfolding in the back of my mind lately. The drive to keep the public from having free access to TV broadcasts, music, movies, etc... is probably part of some large scale social engineering strategy. I've never understood the need for region coding on DVDs unless you don't want Americans and Europeans watching the same things... I remember reading about the American release of the first Harry Potter book in which they decided to re-define alchemical terms to make the title more palatable to Americans... hence the Philosopher's Stone (the correct term from Alchemical sources) became the Sorcerer's Stone when published here in the US. It's clear that the media companies in America have a real interest in controling what Americans see and hear. The battles over the broadcast flag for TV broadcasts, encryption for DVDs and CDs, TiVO and the like, are almost certainly about more than protecting copyright content. It's almost as if they don't want us to be able to record anything on our own.

Remember keeping a journal was a crime in Orwell's 1984. In fact Winston Smith's job is to edit the past in that book. He goes back through old newspapers and edits out obsolete words and erases people who have fallen out of favor from positive news articles. Since no one keeps their own copies of the news, the official edited record is all they can base the legitimacy of their memories on. The government can change the past as it sees fit at any particular time and no one can prove that it has. 2+2 has always equalled 5.

So then is the media really interested in protecting their content or in securing control over our memories? When I buy a movie or record a TV show it is usually because I want to be able to remember it later. I have something I can go back to. Something to refresh my memory. In my journals I am often embarrassed by some of my thinking... but it's there on paper in my own handwriting... I have to deal with it. But if keeping that journal was illegal then I'd never be able to see that the change was taking place in my head. If I want to record a news event on TV and look at it 15 years from now, I can see if the future perception has changed from the present one. If that ability is made illegal, who can say (other than the copyright owner) if the record was changed somewhere along the line?

One day they may decide to edit Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and remove the word "nigger". Then the only thing left is to round up all the old copies and burn them. The text would be changed forever and no one could prove that it had ever said anything different than "African Jim". But this process involves erasing history, not to mention book burning, which should scare any sane person. No matter how painful or embarrassing, some things must not be forgotten because the memory of that prevents similar events from taking place.

So how do you keep people from hanging on to media? Make it illegal to archive it. Make it illegal to record it. Make it illegal to share it. Make it illegal to use it as a reference. And most certainly make it illegal to invent technology which might help people do any of those things. The Induce Act definitely covers that effectively.

If you think it's important to protect your technology rights, I recommend you write your Senators ASAP and let them know that all the big media money in the world isn't going to get them re-elected if they keep pissing off their constituency by supporting dangerous laws like this one.

The U.S. Senate

Oh No They Didn't...

Child Pimp & Ho Costumes

Mixed feelings for Jane Galt for providing this disturbing twist to my day. Just what every kid needs: a mass produced solution for inflicting lifelong psychological damage and reinforcing absurd racial and sexual stereotypes. I hope this is really part of some social worker sting to root out parents who might actually buy this stuff for their kids... You place an order and they send out the child-services SWAT team. I'm actually too shocked to effectively work this into something really distastefully funny right now...

Forbes.com: Jobless Claims Up on Impact of Charley

Forbes.com: Jobless Claims Up on Impact of Charley

What is it with the Bushes and hurricanes? Wasn't it just 12 years or so ago when hurricane Andrew tore up the Southeast and sent the economy into a little dip. That was right before the presidential election between Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton. The economy dipped and the Democrats played it up as the fault of the Republicans instead of Andrew's fault. I can see this playing out during the final months of the campaign as the Democrats continue to harp on the economy as an issue which the Republicans are failing to address. Personally, the economy seems to be doing great. After September 11th, work fell off dramatically and even with reduced staff it was hard to keep busy for a full 8 hours a day. We've hired new people and I still have to work overtime now and then to keep up. Since architects make their money off of businesses and wealthy individuals, I'd say that things are turning around for lots of people. If a business has money to spend on physical assets, then everything else must be doing well. My investments are above the September 11th levels as well. Bush and Co. get good marks on the economy, though I notice my fellow Democrats don't seem to want to admit it.

We'll wait and see how long it takes for the economic fallout from Charley to hit the political circuit and what context it takes on in the process. If Charley related economic issues surface under the guise of Republican mismanagement, I'm going to be thoroughly disgusted with my party. Can this work in two elections? Tune in and find out!

Sudan's Darfur region

International News Article | Reuters.com

This whole situation just baffles me to no end. So far there are 50,000 dead in Darfur as Muslim militias supported by the government try to wipe out the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM.) So, while this is raging on in Sudan and people are dying, what is the mighty UN doing? NOTHING. Well, they are asking the participants to please stop. Does this carry any weight with the Muslim militias (Janjaweed)? Not really. While the government is in Nigeria discussing the situation with international comittees and the U.N. they are just continuing the violence. Is the JEM listening... well as long as the muslim militias are still shooting at them... they really don't have much incentive to disarm.

The idea of an arbitrating body for the world is great but, the really dangerous people the UN is supposed to protect peace loving people from are learning to exploit the bureaucracy of that body very effectively. While the UN is debating and playing politics and being sensative to the needs of the world, the killing continues unabated. These rogue nations have one guy who goes to the U.N. and bloviates about national security and sovereignty and introduces a mountain of legal hurdles to stall any actual action until the conflict is resolved, or crushed, or covered up and the original point has been made moot. Once genocide has been completed, for example, what's there to discuss with the U.N.? Sanctions aren't going to bring back the dead.

There's a prevalent snippet of wisdom that floats around the dark corners of a bureaucracy: "It's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission." You see it in the architectural profession a lot when dealing with the government. For example, here in Lexington, there is a case working its way through the system involving Home Depot. Apparently there were zoning or leasing prohibitions in place at Lexington Mall to prevent the building of free standing structures on the mall's property. In violation of this provision, a Home Depot went up very quickly and started doing business. That was at least three years ago... The courts have decided that the Home Depot was built ilegally... but what do you do now that it's there and open? Will the courts make them tear it down? Or is that punishment too severe for the crime? The last ruling ordered the structure to be taken down and of course it's being appealed... But while all this is going on, there is a Home Depot there and it's making money. In reality there isn't much to a Home Depot building. It's a lot of concrete floors and a steel structure with some exterior walls. Putting them up and taking them down is a fairly simple matter. It is reasonable to believe that Home Depot has already made enough money from this store to build a new one and then some. If they have to take it down, so what? They've made their profit already.

Essentially Home Depot is exploiting the system's ineffectiveness to achieve it's ends just as many rogue nations do. This seems to arise from a difference of world views. For example, Islam and Judaism see the world very differently than Christians or Buddhists or Hindus. For Semitic cultures like Jews and Arabs the world is headed to the end of history and there will be judgement on the whole of creation. Your God is going to come down and judge your actions. He has given you orders thousands of years ago and you have to fulfill them. In this world view, the ends justify the means. It is OK to slaughter women and children and innocent civilians because you are doing it for the greater glory of God or Allah... or so the extremist view holds.

Exploiting the goodwill of those who would stop you is well within the playbook here. Christianity differs from it's cousins Islam and Judaism in that it received a healthy dose of Hellenistic philosophy in it's conception. It fuses the linear time model with the cyclic time model. The means are an end in themself. You cannot justify a means with an end because the end is predicated on living a certain way that includes universal love and the disolution of boundaries between people. Buddhism also incorporates this ideal into its theology.

So, while the well intentioned UN is a great tool for mediating between Christian, Hindu and Buddhist nations, it cannot penetrate the thick skins of cultures which do not share that world view as it stands today. One fifth of the world is Muslim today, that's a big fraction of the world to be abusing a system which is supposed to be keeping peace. Until the U.N. recognizes it's failures in this area, the middle east and the Muslim world will continue to be a troubled place... and the U.N. will continue to be ineffective there.