January 31, 2003

Blogger is causing me to

Blogger is causing me to pull my hair out right now. Everytime I try to update, I get a mysterious "broken pipe" error. Such an arcane message; it doesn't really tell me anything. A very helpful woman at my ISP helped me determine that everything is fine on my end, so it must be Blogger. I'm tempted to switch to Moveable Type, but then I need to find a new host that supports CGI scripting. Any thoughts?

Bravo to this Texas Tech prof who refuses to write letters of recommendation to students who do not subscribe to the theory of evolution. No, this is not discrimination. A professor has always been free to choose the students for whom letters will be written. But if you're going to pursue advanced studies in the biomedical sciences, I can't see how you can ignore one of the field's most fundamental findings. Should a prof write a letter for a physics student who doesn't believe in relativity?

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:08 PM | Comments (2)

January 30, 2003

Bush’s speech on Tuesday night

Bush’s speech on Tuesday night fell somewhere between dreary and soporific. His attempt to link Iraq to al-Qaeda was akin to watching a 5-year-old stubbornly try to make two mismatched puzzle pieces fit together. But those tax cuts are just what this economy needs to give it a kick—right in the balls.

Salon has long been one of my favorite web mags. The articles cover a smorgasbord of issues and the writing is usually excellent. I haven’t been reading as much of it recently because I was reluctant to subscribe to something that might shut down any day. But now it’s possible to access all of the articles by clicking through some ads. It takes ten seconds and it’s really worth it. Warning: the magazine is decidedly on the left of the political spectrum, with the occasional token conservative columnist.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 01:00 PM | Comments (0)

January 27, 2003

Not much time to write.

Not much time to write. It's been damn cold in these parts lately. It takes about 15 minutes for sensation to return to my hands once I get to work.

What a ho-hum Superbowl. The only entertaining part was the ad for the new Matrix films.

FINALLY finished Neverwinter Nights. The sad thing is that I actually felt like I accomplished something.

My story is now over 6,000 words.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 01:01 PM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2003

Okay, now I’m scared. Hey,

Okay, now I’m scared. Hey, just because I’ve downloaded a few songs here and there doesn’t make me a bad person. But maybe I should start thinking about a road trip to Canada.

Why is it that every fictional character on television who uses a notebook computer has a damn Powerbook? I guess that little glowing apple just looks sexier than a blocky Dell. But the blatant product placement irritates me, or maybe I just feel inferior because I can’t afford one.

And kudos and props to former Illinois Gov. George Ryan for recognizing the inherent flaws of the death penalty. Too bad certain prominent Democrats can’t recognize that.

Back to work.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)

January 17, 2003

I've always been something of

I've always been something of a frustrateed writer (thus this blog). Every year I resolve to write at least one piece of substance. And every year I utterly fail. I usually get bored with my writing or just become too lazy to stick with it. But lately. I've been working on an idea that has been bouncing around my head for a while. I've banged out about 4000 words so far, which isn't bad considering that I type with my head. Once it's finished, I plan on submitting it to one of the niche SF magazines. If nothing else, I can slap it up here for all nine of you to read!

Back to work. By the way, if you have something you think is blog-worthy (like a link or strange story), just e-mail me.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 12:57 PM | Comments (0)

January 10, 2003

Nick Dupree is a young

Nick Dupree is a young man living with his parents in Alabama. Like me, he uses a ventilator and requires 24-hour nursing care. Unlike me, Nick faces the prospect of being sent to an out-of-state nursing home when he turns 21 next month. Thanks to Alabama’s draconian Medicaid laws, Nick’s nursing care will be terminated as soon as he reaches 21. Nick has set up a web page that describes his plight and his efforts to change the law. After you check that out, consider writing Governor Siegelman of Alabama and urge him not to imprison this bright young man in a soulless institution.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:36 PM | Comments (0)

January 07, 2003

America’s capacity to produce kitsch

America’s capacity to produce kitsch leaves me in awe sometimes. Check this out. I’m not sure whether I should laugh hysterically or cringe in disbelief..

They announced the Grammy nominees today. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I really dig Avril Lavigne. She has a great voice but doesn’t resort to any creepy I’m-a-hot-slutty-teenage-girl-so-fuck-me-blue overtures. And I’m actually beginning to admire Eminem’s verse.

Speaking of music, FREE MONEY! That’s right, get your piece of class-action scratch from RIAA, the same people who brought you the death of Napster. We hates them.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)

January 04, 2003

You know, I always wondered

You know, I always wondered why my family ate lots of Chinese.

Well, the New Year has arrived. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves and didn’t suffer too many ill after-effects. Now that the holiday season is over, we can turn our attention to more pleasant things like war and ballooning state deficits. Our own boyish governor-elect is proposing cuts in our state’s Medicaid program. As someone who depends on this program for every aspect of daily life, such talk makes me cringe a little. But I’m more concerned for people who are working minimum-wage jobs and don’t have any access to affordable insurance. They’re always easy targets because they don’t evoke the same degree of (let’s be honest) pity as do people with visible disabilities or the elderly. My mom, who’s from Germany, always marveled at how this country treats health care as a privilege rather than a right. Just utter the phrase “national health care” and you’re accused of being a socialist. I wonder if these people would be happier living in a country that practices a purer form of laissez-faire capitalism, like Somalia.

Posted by wintermute2_0 at 01:06 PM | Comments (0)