June 30, 2006
Four Letters; "Web-Based Journal"
I subscribe to the Sunday New York Times, but I've never paid much attention to the crossword puzzle. I didn't grow up doing puzzles, partly because they strictly existed in pen-and-paper format and weren't accessible to me without someone else's assistance. But after seeing Wordplay with a friend last night, I'm considering shelling out a few bucks for a subscription to the electronic NYT Crossword Section. I have no delusions about being able to complete the Sunday puzzle, but I'm fairly confident that I could do a Monday or Tuesday puzzle without embarrassing myself. And perhaps by perfecting my crossword skills, I will win favor with my lord and liege, Jon Stewart, a renowned puzzle freak.
And speaking of the Times, here's an op-ed piece from today's edition by my friend Erik Lundegaard in which he responds to a somewhat trivial criticism of the new Superman film from the political right.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:30 PM | Comments (0)
June 29, 2006
Rule Of Law
The only branch of federal government that seems capable of making reasoned, adult decisions as of late is the Supreme Court. Today's decision quashing the Administration's efforts to hold special military tribunals for Gitmo detainees will be regarded as a landmark ruling for decades to come. The Court's opinion reaffirms that the President does not, even in the midst of this war without end, have the power to act as judge and jury. I'd like to hope that this decision marks a watershed moment; the beginning of the end to this President's arrogant power grab.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:38 PM | Comments (1)
June 28, 2006
Cinematic Kryptonite
In preparation for Bryan Singer's Superman film, I re-watched the 1978 version starring Christopher Reeve. I remember enjoying this film as a kid and I thought it might be interesting to see how it held up. Yeesh. The first half hour is okay, mostly because we get to watch Jor-El and General Zod glower at each other, but afterwards the movie descends quickly into uninspired camp. Lex Luthor in a wig? And what is up with that god-awful inner monologue ("Can you read my mind?") delivered by Margot Kidder? Her character is supposed to be a crackerjack reporter and she's reciting dialog that sounds like it was written by a teenage girl with a crush on the guy who sits in front of her in geometry class. Oh, and I'm pretty sure time doesn't run backwards simply because Superman reverses the Earth's orbit.
I want those two hours of my life back.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:22 PM | Comments (0)
June 27, 2006
All Bits Are Created Equal
Net neutrality, once an issue that was discussed primarily on tech sites like Slashdot or Ars Technica, is now receiving coverage in more mainstream news outlets. For the uninitiated, the debate surrounding net neutrality (or "network neutrality") centers on the following question: should the major telecom companies (Comcast, AT&T, etc.) be able to charge Internet companies like Google and Amazon a premium for access to their high-speed networks. Advocates of net neutrality believe that government regulation is necessary to prevent the telcos from restricting access to content that isn't on their "preferred" list. They argue that a provider like Comcast could restrict customers' access to a streaming video site that didn't pay a "Preferred Access" fee to Comcast.
Opponents of net neutrality do not want to see any government regulation. They argue that the telcos should be able to recoup the billion-dollar investments they made to increase the network's capacity and that they should be able to charge bandwidth hogs like Yahoo to fund any future network upgrades.
Both sides have been engaging in massive amounts of spin to win favor in the court of public opinion, which only serves to confuse the issue further. Opponents of net neutrality neglect to mention that major internet companies already pay big bandwidth fees to the telcos. And advocates of regulation probably overstate the likelihood that the telcos will restrict access to content and risk a consumer backlash. On the whole, however, I'm in favor of at least some minimal regulation to ensure that all content is equally available to the public, regardless of the content's source or the ownership of the network pipes carrying that content. While I don't think the Internet is likely to become a proprietary network, most telcos are quasi-monopolies in their respective geographic regions, which requires society to exercise a higher degree of vigilance in this sector of the marketplace.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:21 PM | Comments (0)
June 26, 2006
Sweeping The Clouds Away
I took a trip in the Wayback Machine when I watched this clip of Stevie Wonder laying down the funk on Sesame Street with an extended rendition of "Superstition". I'm pretty sure I remember seeing this performance when I was a mere tyke. Actually, I owe Sesame Street a sizable debt for setting me on a road to academic achievement and professional success. My parents and Sesame Street were probably the two biggest influences on my budding intellect. Ernie was the character I wanted to hang out with the most, while Cookie Monster struck me as something of a simpleton. As I got older, I became a devotee of The Electric Company ("Hey, you guyyyys!") and 3-2-1 Contact, thus ensuring that I would be a lifelong acolyte of the Public Broadcasting Service.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:40 PM | Comments (0)
June 25, 2006
Grand Opening
The new Guthrie opens today and I think I'm going to venture over to the open house later. I've heard some mixed reviews of the new theater's accessibility and I hope to check it out myself. Downtown Minneapolis is experiencing something of a mini-Renaissance, with the new Guthrie, the new Central Library, and the new addition to the Minneapolis Art Institute. I was telling someone the other day that when I was a kid, I dreamed of living in a tall building in the downtown of a big city where I could walk to all kinds of fun and interesting things. Looks like I got my wish.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
June 24, 2006
Summer Job
Since May, we've had a legal intern at work to help us with some tasks related to the implementation of the Demonstration. He's a smart guy and eager to help, but I often have to remind myself to ask for his assistance. Most state employees don't have much in the way of administrative support, which means I usually end up doing my own copying and mailing, not to mention my own proofreading and research. It's great to have the help, but it requires a slight shift in my work habits.
I'm also reminded that my first legal internship was ten years ago this summer. I worked at the Minnesota Disability Law Center and I remember being in a constant state of mild unease because I was never completely sure I knew what I was doing. Most people don't understand this, but the core law school curriculum doesn't teach you much about the practical aspects of working in a legal setting. Law school teaches you to think like an attorney, but you're on your own when it comes to figuring out how to do day-to-day tasks like writing a letter to a client or drafting a policy white paper.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 02:35 PM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2006
Positive Attributes
It's Friday. I'm lazy. Accordingly, I turn to the unambitious blogger's favorite crutch, the list:
Five Things I Find Appealing in Members of the Opposite Sex
- Assertiveness--I'm a big fan of women who are confident and unequivocal in both thought and action. That's probably why I'm a sucker for pop culture content that features strong female characters.
- Intellect--No big surprise for those of you who know me. Smart, bright women get me all hot and bothered.
- Wit--Preferably the dry, obscure kind
- Butt--No, I'm not trying to be crude. However, when you go through the world in a sitting position, certain things are always at eye level and you develop affinities.
- Style--This isn't about clothes. It's about having a certain grace and presence that I have difficulty articulating, but I know it when I see it.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:42 PM | Comments (1)
June 22, 2006
Educational Viewing
This Royksopp music video makes beguiling use of infographics--the kind you might see in a high school textbook. It manages to be both artistic and geeky at the same time. Thanks to Kottke for the tip.
I'm wondering what kind of atmosphere to expect at tonight's charity screening of Serenity. I'm betting that most in attendance have already seen the film. I don't think the film has been around long enough to achieve true cult status, so I'm not anticipating that we'll be expected to recite lines a la Rocky Horror. I did finally watch the last episode from the Firefly DVD set. The last episode was brilliant and left me metaphorically shaking my fist at the failure of Fox executives to recognize quality writing. And who knew that the guy who used to play an attorney on Law & Order could play a bounty hunter to such chilling effect? Then again, I suppose that's not as much of a stretch as it might first appear.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:26 PM | Comments (0)
June 21, 2006
Ripple Effect
The massive cuts that Tennessee implemented last year for its TennCare health care program are having detrimental effects on some of the state's poorest and sickest residents, as illustrated in this NPR profile of one woman who is being forced to choose between medications because TennCare will cover only five prescriptions per month. Her story is heartrending, all the more so because thousands of other Tennesseeans are probably in similar dire straits. Governor Bredesen, who led the charge to restructure TennCare, defends his actions by emphasizing that he eventually wants to provide a basic level of health coverage for every uninsured resident before focusing on the needs of high-risk populations. But while Bredesen's goal of some sort of universal coverage is admirable, I think he needs to recognize that the people with significant disabilities were not the cause of the budget crisis resulting in the TennCare austerity measures. TennCare was badly mismanaged for years, but the people forced to reckon with the mistakes of politicians and bureaucrats are those people who can least afford to do so.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)
June 20, 2006
This Island Earth
Stephen Hawking is warning that it might be time to start thinking about leaving the cradle to ensure the long-term survival of the species. Of course, neither Hawking nor anyone can predict with any accuracy the number of habitable planets that might be within a reasonable distance of our solar system. And even if we did identity one or two planetary baskets into which we can place some of humanity's eggs, we aren't going to get there anytime soon. I'm not even sure I'll even see a mission to Mars in my lifetime. Hawking's "Spaceward Ho!" exhortations are well-intentioned, but somewhat lacking in practical suggestions.
But if some variation of Big Bad does slap the human race back into the Stone Age, somebody better remember how to find this global seed bank located near the Arctic. After all, survivors of the apocalypse are going to need some greens to complement their steady diet of irradiated giant rat.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2006
Cheesecake
What reason have I given the publishers of Maxim to believe that I might be interested in a trial subscription of their magazine? What specific demographic data do they possess that indicates I might be interested in articles on the Harley-Davidson Night Rod (am I supposed to snicker at the name?) and robots that will carry my golf clubs on the links? Don't get me wrong, the woman on the cover of the issue that appeared today in my mailbox is lovely, but I'm afraid the sight of a partially concealed breast (or a fully unconcealed breast, for that matter) just doesn't grab my attention like it once did. Their marketing people only had to look at my other subscription habits (New Yorker, Economist, Entertainment Weekly) to realize I'm a) old, b) boring, and c) a hopeless geek.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2006
Wheels Of Fury
Sticking with yesterday's automotive theme, here is the Kenguru. a Hungarian car for wheelchair users . As the photo below illustrates, the driver enters the car from and apparently locks himself or herself into place and controls the car with a joystick. It's a bit too Micro Machine-ish for me. One fender-bender might be enough to crumple this car like an an empty can of Fanta. And where the hell does the passenger sit? On the roof?
Thanks to Cory at Boing Boing for the tip.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
June 17, 2006
Vroom
I was in the mood for eye candy today, so I caught Cars at the local gigaplex. Pixar's latest effort isn't as nuanced or sophisticated as The Incredibles, but it has some sweet moments and the visuals (especially those of the desert Southwest) are breathtaking in their lyricism. And the trailer for Pixar's next film, Ratatouille, looks promising, if only because I'll be able to point to the various scenes of Paris and whisper "Saw that. Saw that, too," to whomever sits through the film with me.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2006
Deluge
The combination of closed streets (because of a bicycle race winding through downtown) and a fearsome downpour meant that it took me almost an hour to drive a friend home from a party in Northeast Minneapolis. So I've had my urban adventure for the week. Good night.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2006
The Sensible Center
Joel Spoonheim, a good friend and fellow Civics Board member, is running for Secretary of State as an Independent. While I am and most likely will always be a progressive DFLer, I think a strong Independence Party could have a healthy influence on Minnesota politics. After Governor Ventura left office, the Minnesota IP movement withered on the vine and nearly disappeared for a time. What remains to be seen is whether a significant number of Minnesota voters can be convinced to support an Independence Party that doesn't have a former pro wrestler as the headliner. Regardless, I wish my friend Joel luck and much success. I know him well enough to declare with confidence that he would make a supremely competent and eminently fair Secretary of State.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:26 PM | Comments (1)
June 14, 2006
An Evening With The Browncoats
I'm planning on attending next Thursday's showing of Serenity at the Riverview. The showing will benefit Equality Now, a non-profit working to end violence and discrimination against women and girls worldwide. I didn't get a chance to see the film when it was first released, so this will be a good opportunity to watch it in a great setting while benefiting a worthwhile charity. It starts at 9:30, which is a little past my bedtime for a school night, but I'm willing to sacrifice some sleep for what promises to be a fun event.
And if any philanthropic geeks are interested in joining me, drop me a line.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:30 PM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2006
Uppity Gimps Need Not Apply
"If I had no legs, I wouldn't enter for the London Marathon." With these words, Guardian columnist Alexander Chancellor launches into a somewhat oblique criticism of the "political" efforts of employers to hire people with disabilities. So as not to come across as too much of a...well...dick, he first praises us supercripples who are "triumphantly successful" in our chosen careers. He notes the accomplishments of a renowned percussionist who happens to be deaf, but the strain of trying to conceal his true nature must have been too much for him, because he then writes, "Why she wanted to embark on this career, and how she has succeeded at it, I cannot imagine." That a person who is deaf might possess a deep love for music seems to be a fact that he can't entirely square with his tragically limited worldview.
By the end of the column, we learn that the source of Chancellor's grumbling appears to be a letter carrier who has dyslexia and failed to deliver several hundred pieces of mail. But in the course of his grousing, Chancellor seems to be charging some of us for not knowing our place. "It is still a mystery to me why people should be determined to do the one thing for which fate has sought to disqualify them," he writes. Couldn't the same be said of someone who rises out of poverty or some other life trauma to achieve success? Sometimes, reach exceeds grasp, no doubt about it. But what Chancellor calls "fate" is what many of us would call "prejudice" or "ignorance."
The real mystery to me is why the Alexander Chancellors of the world get paid for their ill-informed ramblings while talented young bloggers toil away in obscurity.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2006
Get Ready To Rumble
Minnesota Attorney Mike Hatch received the DFL endorsement for governor at the party's state covention this weekend. Unless Becky Lourey is able to pull off an upset in the September primary, Hatch will probably be the one to face off against Pawlenty this fall. Politically, I align more closely with Lourey. She is a passionate advocate for universal health care and has spent much of her time in the Legislature working to expand access to health care for all Minnesotans. I worry that Hatch can come across as both gruff and ambivalent about his own views on issues. Nevertheless, Hatch has demonstrated his ability to win elections and he has a strong record as a defender of consumer rights. And he definitely does not even try to hide his contempt for Pawlenty. If Hatch can speak to the people in plain terms about the damage the current administration has inflicted on the state and his plans for fixing things, he might have a shot.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:09 PM | Comments (1)
June 11, 2006
Tipping Point
Despite what some conservative blowhards would have you believe, Al Gore's film isn't a stern 90-minute piece of propaganda on how we humans are causing our own extinction. Yes, he does illustrate how dire things could become if carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere continue to rise exponentially, but he expresses a lot of optimism for our capacity to address the problem, if only we can summon the necessary political will. The film's website contains lots of practical tips on reducing our carbon footprint in the course of our daily lives, most of which I can comply with except for the one about planting a tree. Here in downtown, we are sorely lacking in tree-lined boulevards, so maybe I can start a letter-writing campaign to urge the City Council to green up the neighborhood.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 03:12 PM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2006
It's The End Of The World As We Know It
Since my favorite way to spend a Saturday is to contemplate the myriad ways the human race could destroy itself, I'm meeting a friend later today to see Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. For a documentary, it's pulled in surprisingly large fistfuls of cash. Like most progressives, I like the new, improved Al Gore, who seems to have rediscovered that fire in his belly. If only we had seen this man in the 2000 presidential race. But I think there's an outside chance we might see him in '08.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2006
Gooooooaaaaaallllll!!!
The World Cup, the biggest sporting event on the planet, began today. While productivity in most of the world's nations will take a hit as close to a billion people tune in to the matches on television, radio, or the Web, we Americans remain proudly oblivious to the event. This shouldn't really surprise anyone. After all, we couldn't be bothered with the metric system either. I do hope the American team does well, but I'll be pulling for my birthplace, Germany. Deutschland über alles!
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
June 08, 2006
I Call This One "Redemption On The #5"
The Twin Cities is a rather literary community. We're so literary, in fact, that we invite poets to give spoken word performances on our public transit. Michael Schaub over at Bookslut is not quite convinced that this is a good idea. I'm kind of sorry that I missed out on this civic art experiment, but then again, I'm kind of not. In my experience, when poetry is good, it's usually quite good. When it's bad, it's usually excruciating.
I do remember some guy reciting a poem on the S-Bahn in Berlin. I have no idea if it was any good, but other riders gave him money. I suppose one measure of a society's civility is whether its public transit riders welcome a little art during their commute or whether they beat the crap out of the offending artist.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:59 PM | Comments (1)
June 07, 2006
Good Government
While even your grandmother probably maintains a blog, elected officials continue to be wary of the practice. Few public officeholders blog on a consistent basis and this reluctance to use such a potentially powerful medium probably has several causes. Many lawmakers fear that political opponents could take a blog entry out of context and use it as a campaign weapon against the author. And while blogs can make an elected official seem more accessible, it also provides an avenue for intense criticism from members of the public, criticism that, whether accurate or not, could influence other voters. But on the whole, the potential benefits of blogging for lawmakers outweigh any potential risks. Blogging is a quick and cheap method for reaching out to constituents and encouraging a more participatory democracy. Here in Minneapolis, Councilmember Cam Gordon maintains a blog and he persuaded the City Council to pass a motion permitting all Councilmembers to use city resources to maintain blogs. In fact, political blogs are more likely to proliferate at the local level before lawmakers at the federal level get up the gumption to blog at any meaningful level.
I've often wondered what I'd do with this blog if I ever ran for office. My advisors would probably urge me to mothball the whole thing, but I'd probably resist. The people deserve to know what they might be getting themselves into if they elect me.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:09 PM | Comments (2)
June 06, 2006
Black Sabbath
Greetings, fellow servants of the Dark One! Much work was done today to please my Master, the Prince of Lies. I took the day off from work so that I could devote all my energies to proper observation of the required rituals. I was up very late last night, making the necessary preparations. Do you have any idea how long it takes to carve a pentagram into a living room floor? But I digress. At first light, I instructed my nurse to arrange my body within the pentagram and I began the ritual chanting of the first three chapters of the Necronomicon. Now, some acolytes will say that it is acceptable to wear a towel or even a robe during the Recitation. They are misguided fools and they will be made to suffer in the stinking cacodemon pits that our Most Foul Lord reserves for His weakest followers. One must be naked when the Recitation is given. After all, how is one otherwise supposed to properly smear the chicken blood on one's body to conclude the ceremony?
But though it may offend His Wretchedness, I must admit that my back is killing me. Lying on a cold, hard floor for three hours may ensure that my Master rewards me with riches and willing concubines to satisfy my carnal pleasures, but what good are riches or concubines when my spine feels like it may crumble to dust at any moment?
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:27 PM | Comments (2)
June 05, 2006
Critic At Large: Saturday
Like snowflakes, no two days in a human life are exactly alike. While most of our days seem to fade into our respective pasts in a monochromatic blur of routine and habit, each day is singular. Ian McEwan's Saturday is a recounting of a singular day in the life of one man, Henry Perowne, a neurosurgeon living in London. The book follows Henry through the entire course of a singular Saturday in his life. In many ways, his Saturday is mundane; it could be the Saturday of any affluent, urban-dwelling professional. He plays squash, he visits his elderly mother at a nursing home, he goes shopping for dinner. But a few small but important events transpire that ultimately stand apart this Saturday from all others. Set against the backdrop of the buildup to the Iraq war, McEwan gracefully chronicles Perowne's constant inner dialogue, which fluidly shifts from present to past, from memory to anticipation. The book reminds us that it is the random, unpredictable moments, blazing across the horizon of our existence like a comet, that make life both sublime and horrifying.
Next up: George R.R. Martin's A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in his A Song of Fire and Ice opus. At more than 700 pages, I'm going to have to exercise some serious discipline to finish this book in a reasonable amount of time. It's been nearly three years since I read the last book in the series, but the chapter synopses over at Tower of the Hand are proving very helpful.
What books are on your summer reading lists?
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 10:36 PM | Comments (0)
June 04, 2006
Because You Can Never Have Too Many Lawyers
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released a fact sheet providing guidance to employers attorneys with disabilities. Most of the information is on basic concepts related to the ADA, like what kinds of questions a hiring committee can ask of candidates with disabilities and the types of reasonable accommodations that may be requested by attorneys with disabilities. The authors of the fact sheet have included some well-conceived examples to illustrate how the ADA applies in a legal employment setting. It's good to see the EEOC encouraging the legal profession to become more open to people with disabilities, but I'd also like to see more concerted efforts on the part of employers to recruit and hire attorneys with disabilities, particularly in the private sector.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2006
Lush Life
An acquaintance of mine, a young woman with a disability, passed away suddenly last week. I didn't know her well, but her partner is a colleague and good friend of mine. Her memorial service was this morning and the church overflowed with those who had come to say goodbye. Her empty wheelchair and a photograph of her and her devoted service dog sat in arrangement on the elevated stage at the front of the sanctuary. I looked at them and I watched the pews fill with mourners and I thought about all the usual things you think about when you're confronted with someone else's mortality and, by implication, your own. How sad it was that this person couldn't have remained with the people she loved for a longer period of time. How remarkable and rich her existence had been. How I sometimes allow myself to be absorbed in the bothersome minutiae of daily life and forget to savor the occasional moment.
It's an absolutely perfect day outside. I hope you're enjoying a little perfection, wherever you are.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 03:18 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2006
I'm A Better-Looking Charles Xavier
A friend and I will see the third installment of the X-Men series later tonight. I'm anticipating that this movie will be teh suck, given the largely ambivalent tone of most of the reviews I've read. But I'm a dutiful geek and a loyal mutant, which means I'm honor-bound to see this film.
I've neglected to mention this, but the BBC has been doing a disability-themed podcast for the past few months. I still haven't had a chance to listen to any of the episodes yet, but I hope to remedy that soon. Of course, it would be nice if I could highlight a similar podcast originating from this side of the pond.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:04 PM | Comments (1)
June 01, 2006
Won't Get Fooled Again
I'm usually suspicious of conspiracy theories, whether they come from the right or left. So often, conspiracy theories seem to force a narrative on events that allows proponents to avoid confronting the more prosaic factors underlying most large-scale tragedies: human failings on a massive scale and an indifferent universe. But I just scanned Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s Rolling Stone article in which he makes a compelling case that significant voter fraud occurred during the 2004 presidential election, particularly in Ohio. I've heard similar claims in the past and I always dismissed them as more hyperbole from the fringe left. I reasoned that any indications of election fraud would have been revealed in the media. Perhaps the idealist in me wanted to trust in the supposed transparency of our electoral process--to refuse to believe that another fiasco like the election of 2000 could happen again. I'm certainly not qualified to judge whether fraud did indeed occur in Ohio, but I may have been mistaken when I so casually dismissed the protests of some of my fellow progressives.
I'm also starting to think that the disability community's push to have electronic voting machines installed in every precinct might be making us unwitting enablers of future stolen elections. I'd rather let another person mark a ballot for me than have any concerns that the security of my vote could be compromised.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)