August 31, 2006
Happy Ending
So, do you think the cops who recovered the Munch paintings split the two million M&Ms amongst themselves?
I'd write more, but I'm still digesting Fair food and all that lard seeping into my bloodstream is making me sleepy. More soon.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2006
I Want Candy
The Mars Company, maker of M&Ms, is offering a reward of two million dark chocolate M&Ms for the recovery of Edvard Munch's The Scream.
Wait, they make dark chocolate M&Ms now? Brilliant. I'm usually not much for sweets, but ever since my mom first gave me a taste of German dark chocolate, I can't resist the stuff. Granted, American-made M&Ms will probably not measure up to the chocolate I remember from my childhood, but I'm intrigued enough to give them a try. Now, if only they would start making Royals again.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:24 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2006
Advancing The Public Good
Minneapolis has selected local company US Internet to build the city's wireless network. A City Council vote to finalize the deal is expected on Friday. It looks like Minneapolis residents will be able to access the 1mbps network for about $20/month. Some residents might need to purchase a special "wireless" modem to boost their signal for cost of $75 or a rental fee of $5/month. For the sake of comparison, Qwest offers 256 Kbps DSL (about 25% of the speed of the proposed wireless network) for $27. Needless to say, Qwest is not happy with news that it will have to compete with a municipal network.
Some of you may remember that I served on a digital inclusion task force to develop recommendations for the "community benefits" portion of the contract. It appears that USI accepted most of them (you can read the Task Force's report here). Prices for consumers and businesses will be fixed for a decade. I am disappointed that no free option is available for low-income residents, but USI did agree to provide a free "walled garden" that contains access to basic municipal and neighborhood information. Additionally, USI will contribute $500,000 to the startup of a Minneapolis Digital Inclusion Fund and it will contribute an annual percentage of its profits to the Fund.
Let's hope the network functions as promised and that it will provide a real alternative to the Qwest/Comcast duopoly. The community benefits portion of the contract is truly innovative and other cities would be well served to use it as a model if they choose to contract with a private vendor for their own municipal WiFi.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:05 PM | Comments (0)
August 28, 2006
International Recognition
As NPR reports today, the UN has finalized the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The General Assembly will vote on the Convention in January and will be submitted to member nations for ratification. As I've noted before, the US has no intention of signing the convention because it claims that we already have adequate disability rights legislation. I'm tempted to point out that a UN Convention would be a less likely target for decimation by a hostile judiciary, but that's a topic for another blog entry. The US should ratify the Convention if for no other reason than to earn a few desperately needed karma points with the rest of the international community. This isn't exactly a controversial document and I can't imagine there would be much opposition to it in the Senate.
The UN might benefit from some disability awareness training, by the way. The last sentence in the UN's official press release on the treaty reads, "It is estimated that 10 per cent of the world's population, or about 650 million people, suffer from disabilities." Tsk-tsk, UN. Would you also issue a statement declaring that half the world's population suffers from being female?
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:59 PM | Comments (1)
August 27, 2006
Still Miles Away From The Promised Land
The concept behind the latest iteration of the Survivor series--segregating contestants on the basis of race--is one of the most repugnant ratings stunts in the history of mass media. Unfortunately, the show's producers are merely capitalizing on a disturbingly ominous cultural trend: it's acceptable to be a racist again, at least in the former CSA. For your consideration:
- Virginia Senator George Allen's bone-headed "macaca" remark directed at S.R. Sidarth, a Democratic operative who happened to be of Indian descent
- Tramm Hudson, a Florida congressional candidate, commenting that "blacks are not the greatest swimmers."
- A Baptist church in Mississippi that voted out a 12-year-boy who happened to be biracial because church leaders did not want his black relatives attending with him
- A white bus driver in Lousiana forcing black children to the back of the bus to make room for white students.
Whatever the reason, let's hope low ratings force CBS to make this season of Survivor the last. Hell, maybe the bad publicity will be sufficient to kill off the entire misbegotten genre of reality television. Except Amazing Race. That show is kind of cool.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 02:38 PM | Comments (1)
August 26, 2006
Riding The Rails
I may be going to Chicago in November and my boss and I are considering taking Amtrak for the trip. Have any fellow crips ridden on Amtrak recently? If so, I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences. I wouldn't expect train travel to be any more difficult here than in Europe.
It occurs to me that the only major mode of transportation I haven't experienced is sea travel. Best start saving up for that booking on the Queen Mary 2.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:49 PM | Comments (1)
August 25, 2006
Do You Realize?!
Amazingly, the storm clouds broke up just as I arrived at the fairgrounds last night and, aside from being slightly cool and windy, the rest of the evening was pleasant enough. This was my first concert at the grandstand and I was quite pleased with my seat and unobstructed view of the stage. While I know many people are passionate Sonic Youth fans, their particular brand of distorted jam play leaves me cold and none of their songs stuck in my head.
The Lips put on a riotous show that included dancing guys in Santa Claus outfits, dancing girls in retro sci-fi miniskirts, colored paper streamers, giant beach balls, and other whimsical props. Wayne Coyne, the lead singer, had an easy rapport with the audience and was quick to thank all of the stagehands who worked frantically to get everything set up once the skies cleared. Let's hope the Fair's organizers now realize that there is an audience for acts other than Brooks & Dunn and are able to book another band of equal caliber next year.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2006
Braving The Elements
Think of me when you're sitting at home tonight, all snug and dry, while I'm getting pelted with hailstones at tonight's Flaming Lips concert at the State Fair. But I'm willing to suffer such hardships for the sake of maintaining my hipster cred. More soon.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:52 PM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2006
The Other Side Of The River
A new high-rise condominium development is going up on the block adjacent to my workplace, The sales website promises "five-star amenities" and generally makes the building sound like the closest thing to a yuppified heaven on Earth. I like the notion of a thirty-second commute to work, but any inclination I had to make a serious inquiry about the availability of units was quickly disspelled when I realized one thing with jarring clarity--I would have to live in downtown St. Paul. The last time I found myself in downtown St. Paul at night, I nearly died from a sense of unbearable loneliness. A bramble of tumbleweed drifted through an intersection as my desperate cries for human companionship echoed among the deserted office buildings.
Now, I certainly intend no offense to my many friends who call St. Paul home. Many areas of the city are quite lovely. However, I think I'll remain a Minneapolitan for the time being and admire your fair environs from afar.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)
August 22, 2006
Hack 'N Slash
When I finish my book, I'm going to reward myself by picking up a copy of Titan Quest. I downloaded the demo and had a great time with this descendant of Diablo. I released all of my pent-up aggressions by repeatedly clicking on 3D-rendered beasties. I think I even muttered "ownz0red!" a couple times. These clickfest RPGs are a rather mindless form of entertainment, but sometimes my brain craves mindless like a drug.
And when the hell is Neverwinter Nights II coming out? I'm planning my next computer upgrade for the sole purpose of having the horsepower to play this game when it's released.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:38 PM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2006
Answering The Call
Katja tapped me with a meme a couple weeks ago and I didn't realize it, so this is overdue:
Why do you blog?
Aside from my narcissistic tendencies, I blog because I'm a compulsive writer. It's the form in which I express myself best. Before I started blogging, I kept a journal for about ten years, but that was a rambling, self-indulgent mess. Blogging forces me to be a better writer; it also gives me a forum for normalizing society's view of what it means to be a 30-something American guy with a physical disability.
Oh, and girls. My blog serves me way better than any dating profile.
How long have you been blogging?
My first entry appeared on August 24, 2002.
Self-portrait
See the upper-left corner.
Why do readers read your blog?
I assume most of readers fall into one or more of the following
a) family
b) friends
c) friends of friends
d) anonymous gimps/geeks/fellow travelers who have some fleeting interest in what I have to say
What was the last search phrase someone used to get to your site?
"19th floor"
Which of your entries unjustly gets too little attention?
I'm gratified that anyone takes the time to read me.
Your current favorite blog?
MetaFilter, now and always
What blog did you read most recently?
ThinkProgress
Which feeds do you subscribe to?
Way too many to list here.
What four blogs are you tagging with this meme and why?
Blue, Sally, Goldfish, and PZ because I would gladly hang with any of them.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:40 PM | Comments (2)
August 20, 2006
And No Religion, Too
This being Sunday, I thought I would point out a study and related article regarding the role of religious belief in several present-day liberal democracies. The study found that the more secular a society is, the more likely it is to have lower rates of violent behavior and teenage pregnancy. In other words, despite the claims of the faithful that religion exerts a positive influence on society, this study purports to offer evidence to the contrary.
Of course, other factors might also be at work that can explain the differences in violence and other social ills among democratic nations. But I sometimes wonder if America, in its current state, bears more resemblance to some of those theocratic regimes in the Mideast than we care to admit. And I think about how the European expulsion of the Puritans all those centuries ago and how it might have been better for everyone in the long run if the Puritans had been allowed to remain a minority in their homelands rather than being shipped off to a whole new country where they could plant the seeds of their future dominance.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2006
Critic At Large: Old Man's War
Military SF doesn't usually hold much appeal for me, but I picked up Old Man's War on the strength of recommendations from Cory Doctorow, among others. The novel's basic premise is this: in the future, senior citizens on Earth can volunteer for the Colonial Defense Force to protect human colonies from ruthless alien civilizations that are competing for the same real estate. The bennies of CDF service include a brand spanking new genetically modified body primed for combat duty. John Perry, a widower and writer (natch), narrates the story of his transformation from newbie CDF recruit to grizzled veteran of several battles with assorted alien baddies.
Several reviewers have compared this novel to Heinlein's classic Starship Troopers (which I haven't read). I was worried the book would be a testosterone-fueled romp through the galaxy complete with obsessively detailed whiz-bang descriptions of the military's toys. There's some of that, but Scalzi chooses to focus on the human costs of war and the arbitrariness of those losses. I do wish that characterization had been a little stronger. Many of the supporting characters seemed to be indistinguishable; they might as well have been called Wise-Cracking, Jaded Soldier #1, Wise-Cracking, Jaded Soldier #2, and so on. But Scalzi has crafted a satisfyingly lean machine of a plot that kept me too entertained to pay much mind to the book's flaws. I will likely pick up Scalzi's sequel, The Ghost Brigades.
Next up: the It Book of the summer, Scott Smith's The Ruins.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 02:17 PM | Comments (2)
August 18, 2006
Slide Show
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:02 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2006
Prior Commitment
I'm leaving shortly for a picnic (despite ominous skies and the scent of rain in the air). I want to share my feelings on the inherent evil of PowerPoint presentations, but that will have to wait until later. More soon.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:52 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2006
The Power Of Positive Thinking
We are less than three months away from the midterm elections, which means that the progressive blogosphere is due to start panicking...now. OMG, Casey is blowing his lead over Santorum! OMG, the Democrats' election strategy sucks! OMG, the Greens are Republican tools!
Take a deep breath, everyone. While it's never wise to forecast the future of the political landscape, I'm generally confident that enough people are sufficiently horrified by the last few disastrous years of Republican leadership to hand Democrats significant pickups in Congress and several governorships. We may or may not get our dream of a Democratic House and/or Senate, but we can't even think about doubting ourselves and the momentous wind at our backs. This can be our year to come out of the political cold and put this country on a saner path, if we're willing to put our self-doubts aside and work damned hard between now and November.
I think I'll give some money to Patty Wetterling this week. What are you doing to make change happen this fall?
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:31 PM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2006
View From Above
Crop circles are poor supporting evidence for extraterrestrial life (what kind of advanced aliens would waste time using their formidable psychic powers to flatten cornstalks?). But they make great wallpaper for my desktop. And I had to smile today when I saw this picture of a crop circle in the shape of the Firefox logo. Could crop circles be the next form of viral marketing? Are farmers across the land going to wake up to find ads for iPods and Gap jeans in their fields?
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:58 PM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2006
Fear In A Bottle
When I was watching news footage of the crowded airport terminals in the wake of last week's terrorism freak-out, I cringed at the thought of getting through airport security in this even braver, newer world where a bottle of hair gel is a potential explosive. I can only imagine the kind of scrutiny that the water bag for my humidifier would attract.
These new restrictions are incredibly silly, don't you think? Every new measure is a response to yesterday's threat. After 9/11. nail clippers and scissors were verboten. After Richard Reed, we had to take off our shoes. Now, a juice box is this year's box cutter. As Bruce Schneier notes, we spend billions of dollars creating the illusion of security for the nation's air travelers. The grim reality is that by the time a reasonably competent team of terrorists arrives at the airport, it's probably too late to stop them.
When it comes to stopping acts of terrorism, we all want the government to Do Something. We want to watch someone go through the motions of looking under the bed for monsters. But it's going to take more than empty gestures to keep us safe.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:10 PM | Comments (1)
August 13, 2006
Critic At Large: Assassination Vacation
Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation is an excuse for her to dwell on her obsession and share it with the rest of us. My hunch is that she is the kind of person who would pull you aside at a party to tell you everything she knows about the influence anarchist thinker Emma Goldman had on Leon Czolgosz, President McKinley's assassin. But if she is as engaging and funny and exuberant in person as she is in her writing, I would gladly listen to her for hours.
Assassination Vacation follows Vowell on a personal itinerary devoted to the lives and deaths of three assassinated American presidents: Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. Stops include the preserved home of Lincoln and his family in Springfield, the desolate Jersey resort town where McKinley died, and the former site of the utopian Oneida Community in upstate New York (which once hosted Garfield assassin Charles Guiteau). Vowell is at her most reverent when writing about Lincoln and she doesn't miss the opportunity to take jabs at the modern Republican party and its betrayal of Lincoln's legacy. But it is Lincoln's son, Robert Todd, who serves as the book's symbolic alpha and omega by having the the cosmic misfortune to be an invited presence at all three assassinations.
Vowell is clearly fascinated by the myriad cast of presidents, assassins, and eccentrics that populate her book. And in the best tradition of historical writing, she lets the reader share in her fascination.
Next up: the first volume of Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 04:16 PM | Comments (3)
August 12, 2006
The Universal Arcade
I've been messing around with a freeware game called Access Invaders. As you might guess, it's a Space Invaders clone that can be played through a variety of methods (keyboard, single switch, mouse); it also contains options for people who are blind or have low vision. The game is highly customizable and nearly every element can be tailored to suit the player's disability. I can't see this kind of accessibility penetrating the mainstream gaming market anytime soon, but it's an interesting experiment that will hopefully inspire similar efforts.
Thanks to Ouch! for the tip.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 03:00 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2006
But Is It Art?
I despise those inspirational posters that adorn the office walls of middle managers across the nation. You know the ones--they feature a generic scenic photo with some faux-Zen caption extolling the virtues of teamwork or vision. But I can totally get behind these Star Trek-themed riffs on the concept. You gotta love the one featuring James Kirk and his deliciously smarmy smile. He looks like he's relishing a recent sexual conquest. "Yeoman Rand? Yeah, I tapped that. Isn't that right, Lieutenant Uhuru? After all, you were there, too. Heh."
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:50 PM | Comments (2)
August 10, 2006
Get Me My Agent
Stephen Hawking is slated to do the introductions to the episodes of the upcoming television anthology Masters of Science Fiction. I knew I should have gone into the sciences. Maybe I too could have scored TV appearances and gotten a toy company to create an action figure of me.
Do you think Hawking has groupies? Does he get all diva and have contract riders that require the television in his dressing room be tuned PBS and that he will respond only if addressed as "O Great and Incalculably Brilliant Mister Hawking"?
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:50 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2006
Group Dynamics
I just got a note in my Inbox regarding an organizing meeting for the DFL Disability Caucus. I attended similar meetings during the 2004 election cycle and still have mixed feelings about the experience. The people who took it upon themselves to chair the group were not well-known in the disability community and were not entirely familiar with the rules of disability etiquette. One of the co-chairs was shockingly rude to a volunteer with a developmental disability during a meeting; it was missteps like this that created a lot of tension within the group and ultimately made me reluctant to get involved in future campaign efforts.
But I'll probably go to the meeting, despite any misgivings I might have. I do see that the organizers are making allowances for people to teleconference into the meeting, which already shows me that they at least have a clue.
If you're interested in attending the meeting, here are the details:
The Minnesota DFL Disability Caucus invites you to attend an organizing
meeting on Wednesday, August 16th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
at:
(The information desk can direct you to the correct room.)
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:33 PM | Comments (0)
August 08, 2006
Day Of Reckoning
I'll be keeping an eye on the returns from the Connecticut Senate primary tonight. If Lieberman does lose, he will have been defeated by an unbeatable opponent: history. Ned Lamont seems like a competent, bright guy, but the election isn't about him. This is the first election cycle in which discontent with the Iraq War--and by extension, the incumbent administration, has completely permeated the electorate. It began in 2004, but we needed another two years of incompetency and horrific violence to persuade most voters that it's the war, stupid. But Lieberman has been slow to recognize that shift in the mood of most Americans.
I don't think Lieberman is a bad guy. I can even excuse his early support of the war; most of the country was still in a post-9/11 state of daze and confusion that was expertly, albeit cynically, manipulated by this administration. What I can't forgive is his unwillingness to recognize that he was wrong; his failure to align his beliefs with the facts before him. He displays a kind of ideological rigidity that is all too depressingly familiar after six years of living in Bush's America.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:06 PM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2006
Dot Every I, Cross Every T
As someone who has spent a lot of time working on contracts over the last couple months, I can appreciate the effort and attention to detail that is required to craft iron-clad agreement. Unfortunately, even the best lawyers can sometimes craft a sloppy or vague clause, as Rogers Cable discovered recently when a misplaced comma forced it to shell out additional millions of dollars to a vendor. Lawyers sometimes get a bad rep for exploiting such "technicalities", but words and punctuation do matter. And that's reassuring to a grammar freak like me.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:27 PM | Comments (0)
August 06, 2006
Man's Overaffectionate Friend
You'll have to excuse the look on my face. It's been a while since I've had a tongue in my ear. But I can hardly help it if this dog finds me irresistible. Most living creatures do.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:13 PM | Comments (0)
Good Boy
This is Thor, my sister's puppy. It's a puggle, one of those designer breeds that evokes adoring coos even when said creature is relieving himself on your bamboo floor. I'm considering using Thor as my official mascot during the upcoming revolution. I'll be like the guy from SPECTRE in the James Bond films. As I explain to the UN Security Council that my orbiting death ray is indeed quite operational, the camera will stay focused on Thor gnawing on his favorite chew toy.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:06 PM | Comments (1)
August 05, 2006
Open Road
The first hints of my next adventure are beginning to reveal themselves to me. I've never taken an extended road trip to any destination outside the upper Midwest. A road trip is one of those quintessentially American forms of recreation; an opportunity to experience the resplendent vastness of this country, its eccentric charms and mystifying quirks. So the plan for next summer is a two-week journey that will take me from Minneapolis to my brother's new home in the San Francisco Bay Area, with at least one layover in Vegas for two to three days. I want to see things both majestic (Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone) and vulgar (roadside diners, tourist traps). Depending on the kind of experience I have, perhaps I can turn it into a travelogue or the basis of a novel.
Some planning will be required, but it should be a cinch compared to the preparations I made for Europe. Between now and next year, I'll probably be asking all of you for ideas on stops I should make, routes I should take, etc. Don't hesitate to share your own road tripping experiences with me.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 04:10 PM | Comments (2)
August 04, 2006
Oh, Snap!
Mike Nelson, former castaway on the Satellite of Love, is now offering a new way for us to listen to him mock modern American cinema. His new site, RiffTrax, offers commentary tracks for specific movies that users can listen to on an MP3 player while watching a DVD of the movie. The first two available tracks are for Roadhouse (a nuanced film celebrating the drunken misogynists of rural America) and The Fifth Element (award-winner of the Special Oscar for Most Incomprehensible Science Fiction Film Ever).
My reaction to Nelson's idea is mixed. I have no doubt that his riffs are funny and worth a listen. However, the process of fumbling with both your iPod and DVD player to make sure the two are in sync seems like a hassle. And it just won't be the same without Crow and Tom Servo serving as fellow-wiseacres-in-arms. But with MST3K now off the air, I'll take my biting jibes at pop culture where I can get them. And Nelson had better do a track for Battlefield Earth. That film is just begging for a thrashing.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:44 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2006
The Other Side Of The Aisle
While Democrats are perceived as being more sympathetic to the concerns of people with disabilities, the occasional Republican elected official manages to earn the respect of their local disability community. Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who was a longtime Republican before becoming an independent, has won accolades from disability advocates for his support of key legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich, another Republican, is using his disability rights to court voters with disabilities. Ehrlich's efforts to woo the disability community seem to go beyond the typical (sometimes halfhearted and condescending) overtures that most politicians make to various demographic groups during election season; his running mate, Kristen Cox, is blind and is head of the cabinet-level department devoted to disability issues. He has also provided full funding to Maryland's Medicaid buy-in program.
I don't know enough about Ehrlich to opine about his worthiness for reelection. I do know that if our own governor suddenly created a cabinet-level position devoted to disability issues, I would start searching for the alien pod containing the body of the real Pawlenty. Perhaps some Democratic governors will realize that we deserve more than rhetoric.
Thanks to Howard Renesland for the tip.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:23 PM | Comments (1)
August 02, 2006
Channel Surfing
I'm experimenting with the Democracy Player, a open source tool for downloading and viewing an array of...vcasts?...vblogs?...whatever, Internet video. Democracy Player offers a range of channels (news, technology, women dressed in French maid outfits, etc.), but I haven't found much compelling content. The music video for the New Pornographers' "Sing Me Spanish Techno" was clever, but I'm not seeing much that I'd want to watch on a regular basis. But I'll keep exploring to see if I can find something that doesn't involve pasty-skinned geeks blathering on-camera about how cool the Nintendo Wii is gonna be or pasty-skinned geeks emoting off-camera as they show video of some hottie they found on MySpace.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:39 PM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2006
A Foot In The Door
My sister, the budding attorney, is looking for a part-time job that will give her the opportunity to acquire some practical legal skills. Being the good brother that I am, I volunteered to e-mail an inquiry to some of my colleagues and friends in an effort to scare up some leads for her. No luck so far, but on the off-chance that someone reading this blog needs a legal intern or clerk, drop me a line and I'll share her resume with you. I can personally attest that she responds quite well to be being bossed around.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:47 PM | Comments (0)