August 31, 2010
Renegade Governor
Tim Pawlenty only has a few months left in office, but he remains ever vigilant against the evils of socialized medicine and the threat it poses to the moral fiber of good and decent Minnesotans. Earlier today, he issued an executive order instructing state agencies not to apply for any grant funding under the Affordable Care Act "unless otherwise required by law." The text of the order was is filled with catchphrases that are the standard fare of Tea Party rallies ("federal takeover of health care", "intrusions into individual liberty", etc.), providing incontrovertible and rather vulgar evidence of Pawlenty's presidential ambitions.
The order also has the effect of jeopardizing Minnesota's opportunity to receive planning money for the state insurance exchange that must be operational in a few years. Passing up this opportunity will hamstring the state's efforts to comply with federal law, which might prompt the federal government to step in and operate the exchange on Minnesota's behalf. Both liberals and conservatives can probably agree that such an outcome would be less than ideal. But if Dayton loses to Emmer--a wholly-owned tool of the Tea Party--that might be exactly what happens.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:00 PM | Comments (2)
August 30, 2010
Memento
I don't have any particularly strong feelings on what happens to my body once I die. After all, I'll be dead. Donating myself to science is one option. I'd probably make a really memorable dissection for some unsuspectingly med student. Or I could have my ashes scattered in some faraway place (or maybe just onto the street below my window). But then I discovered that it's possible to have one's cremated remains pressed into vinyl records with a personalized selection of tracks. Custom artwork is extra, but I'm sure my loved ones would be willing to put up some additional cash to remember me properly. But I'm going to state explicitly that the cover art better not feature anything resembling roses, skulls, or paisley. Tasteful nudity, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable and tacitly encouraged.
I'd better get to work on my playlist. Hmm, should I start with Blue Oyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" or Radiohead's "Creep"?
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)
August 27, 2010
Lottery Winner
My sister called me a little while ago to inform me that she had won an iPad at a workplace drawing. She seemed pretty excited and I didn't have the heart to tell her that it will probably be yesterday's model in a matter of months. But I still bugged her to bring it over so I could properly fawn over, er, I mean, mock it.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2010
Bang Bang
That Canadian filmmaker who replaced his prosthetic eye with a digital video camera keeps doing crazy stuff and I keep blogging about it. Now he's on a quest to find a female amputee who would be willing to be fitted with a paintgun prosthetic. Him artistic vision is likely inspired by the Tarantino/Rodriguez film Grindhouse, which featured a comely woman with a machine gun as a prosthetic for her missing leg. I'm sure he'll get more than a few applicants, although I'm not sure how one would hold auditions for something like this. It's probably a tad exploitative, but I choose to view it as a deconstruction of traditional notions of disability and femininity.
And now I have a really strong urge to finally watch Grindhouse.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:36 PM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2010
Never Enough
I have to blog and run tonight, but it will probably do my brain some good to get away from my various electronic devices. At least, until I get home and soak up some streaming Netflix goodness while checking my Twitter feed and leveling up my rogue in World of Warcraft. My brain may be turning to pudding, but it's having a lot fun along the way.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:45 PM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2010
No Brotherly Love For Bloggers
The city of Philadelphia is requiring bloggers to pay $300 each for a business privilege license, regardless of how much money that proprietor actually makes via the blog. One blogger targeted by the city reported making a total of $11 over a two-year period. Even a pinko liberal like me can recognize that this might be a case of government overreach. Just because a blog features a couple AdSense or Amazon ads doesn't mean that it's a profit-making machine. I've made a whopping $10 from this blog over the years and to label me a business would be an insult to other businesses. Municipalities are entitled to seek out new revenue streams in these cash-strapped times, but trying to milk casual bloggers probably won't impress the tech companies that cites like Philadelphia hope to attract.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:52 PM | Comments (1)
August 23, 2010
Our Ways Must Seem Strange To You
NPR is running a series of stories examining human evolution and how it has influenced our species' rise to dominance. Today's feature profiles human social behavior as seen through the eyes of Lisa Daxer, a college student with autism. Lisa likens herself to a resident alien studying human social customs. She also talks openly about how her own difficulties in deciphering social cues led to a struggle with depression. Lisa's aptly titled blog Reports from a Resident Alien is a great source for further reading about her take on living with autism and her adventures in higher education. Her entry urging people with autism to identify with the disability rights movement is particularly insightful (if one overlooks her adulation of a certain Stephen Hawking).
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2010
Full Force Of The Law
The graph below is from a USA Today article on the significant rise in employment discrimination claims filled by people with disabilities in the past year. The increase coincides with both the recession and passage of legislation that undid the Supreme Court's overly restrictive interpretation of what constitutes a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The more cynical might look at this graph and complain about litigious workers, but I find this news encouraging. Disability discrimination in the workplace is still pervasive and employers are still inclined to target people with disabilities when trimming their payrolls in harsh economic times. Congress always intended for the ADA to provide broad protection to workers with disabilities and many were denied that protection because of the Court's dim view of the original law. A spike in claims now might send a message to employers that they must make a real effort to accommodate their workers with disabilities. 
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:28 PM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2010
Thus Begins My Rise To Power
In a strange twist of fate, I was recently offered a spot on my building's board of directors. Considering that my troublemaking ways (namely, a booming home sound system) brought me before the board not too long ago, this is kind of like Ted Haggard getting appointed to the National Council on Wholesome Wholesomeness. America really is the land of second chances, isn't it? Now I'll finally have the pull necessary to make some much-needed improvements to the building, like installing Pringles dispensaries in the elevators and erecting a giant crane that can lift my chair up to the completely inaccessible pool area.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:05 PM | Comments (1)
August 18, 2010
Today In Geek News
Skyline is the latest entry on my "movies-that-I-really-want-to-see-but-upon-seeing-will-probably-leave-me-feeling-disappointed-and-cheated" list.
Ray Bradbury has become a crazy old coot.
The deleted scene from Return of the Jedi of Luke Skywalker fashioning a new lightsaber is intriguing. Rumor has it that another scene shows Luke and Leia stealing one last forbidden kiss in Jabba the Hutt's palace, right in front of a carbonite-encased Han Solo.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:23 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2010
No More Excuses
Congress is beginning to take note that mobile devices and web videos remain inaccessible to many with disabilities, particularly those who are deaf or blind. Massachusetts Representative Ed Markey is proposing legislation that would mandate certain accessibility requirements for tech developers, such as requiring TV shows on the web to be captioned and ensuring that more cellphones have basic accessibility features for people with visual impairments. The electronics industry have offered tepid support for the measure, offering support for the general goal of accessibility while arguing that government mandates interfere with innovation. That might be a credible argument if the tech industry was actually demonstrating an interest in innovating when it comes to accessibility. Smartphone manufacturers are particularly guilty of dragging their feet on the issue. The iPhone, for example, is now in its fourth generation and it's only marginally more accessible than the first generation.
The forthcoming election is probably going to prevent this bill from getting traction anytime soon. But the it might provide a persuasive reminder to Apple, HTC, and others that they risk closer scrutiny if they continue to ignore users with disabilities.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:41 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2010
Critic At Large: The Kids Are All Right
A few years ago, a movie like The Kids Are All Right would have caused a lot of consternation in the media. "A movie about lesbians? Lesbians with children? Lesbians with well-adjusted children? Liberal Hollywood has gone TOO FAR!" Such sentiments can still be found in the more conservative portions of the Internet, but perhaps it's a sign of progress that Kids hasn't sparked much controversy and is instead being hailed as one of the movies that might have saved the summer movie season from being a complete disappointment.
Nic and Jules (Annette Benning and Julianne Moore) are a couple with two teenage children, Joni and Laser, who were conceived with the help of an anonymous sperm donor. They live a comfortably middle-class life somewhere in California. Their marriage isn't perfect; Nic is a driven physician who sometimes enjoys her wine a little too much and Jules bounces from one business idea to the next, but they're committed to each other. Meanwhile, Laser has become curious about their biological father and persuades Joni (who just turned 18) to contact the sperm bank to get contact information for the donor. They eventually connect with Paul (Mark Ruffalo), an aging and somewhat self-absorbed hipster who just happens to live nearby. Paul soon meets the whole family and complications soon ensue.
The movie goes to some fairly dark places, but the writers don't let the story get mired in tragedy. That's not to say the movie is without flaws. The event precipitating the conflict (I'm trying to avoid spoilers) is forced and pushes the boundaries of willing suspension of disbelief. But the otherwise clever script and compelling performances (especially Benning's) are enough for me to add Kids to my "recommended" list.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:25 PM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2010
Holdouts
A recent Pew poll finds that 20% of Americans don't use the Internet and many of them don't have much interest in getting on-line. Even though I use the Internet heavily and would probably go into convulsions if I ever had to give up my broadband connection, I can imagine other people getting along perfectly well with only the dimmest awareness of the digital realm. A telephone and a TV are enough to give someone a basic level of connectivity and entertainment. The Internet is incredibly useful and the best combination productivity tool/time waster ever invented, but the devices used to access it are still too complicated. Intuitive user interfaces like that found on the iPad might do enough hand-holding to get more people on-line, although the hardware will have to become drastically cheaper. I have little doubt that broadband access will someday be ubiquitous even in the loneliest corners of the nation, but we'll need to come up with something better than Facebook or Youtube to sell the refusniks on the idea that they might be missing out on something.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:21 PM | Comments (1)
August 12, 2010
Lights Out
This Times story about the drastic budget cuts state and local governments are enacting has been on my mind since I read it last week. In better times, most people could comfortably advocate for spending cuts because they had little reason to worry that those cuts would personally affect them. But now that school weeks are being shortened, street lights are being turned off, and buses are no longer running, the consequences of budget shortfalls are more noticeable to people who never previously considered the role of government in their lives. Most people aren't going to be happy to pay more taxes to balance those budgets, but they also aren't going to be happy to live in the midst of crumbling infrastructure (which in turn chases away the employers with the good-paying jobs).
Minnesota has weathered the recession better than many states, but we could be forced to take equally drastic measures if we can't come up with a responsible solution for our fiscal woes. I like to think that we value our quality of life too much to allow our state to descend into go-it-alone individualism, but then I remember that one of our major political parties nominated a person with just such a philosophy to run for governor. And I start to wonder if I should enjoy my publicly funded one-on-one nursing care while I can.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:31 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2010
Educational Aid
Even though the Kindle is my portable reader of choice, one can't deny that the iPad is capable of doing some cool fusions of video and text like this children's book that includes sign language narration. I can imagine parents and teachers using e-books like this to help kids make the connection between signed vocabulary and its written equivalent. Reading comprehension can be a difficult skill for kids with hearing impairments to master and perhaps tablet devices like the iPad can improve those skills.
On a somewhat related note, Star Trek: The Next Generation imagined devices very much like the iPad way back in the Reagan era. I'm still waiting for someone to work out the kinks in developing a working warp drive so I can take a vacation on Risa.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:39 PM | Comments (1)
August 10, 2010
I'm A Good Citizen And I Have The Sticker To Prove It
Count me among the estimated 10% of eligible voters who voted in today's primary. Holding a primary in August is a strange way to engage potential voters as politics is the furthest thing from most people's minds at the moment. Kelliher earned my vote because she's enough of a wonk to grasp the complexities inherent to issues like health care and taxation. And I'm not entirely comfortable with Dayton's newfound populist evangelism, although it may be enough to put him over the top today. The structural nature of our deficit demands a more comprehensive solution than simply targeting the wealthy and Dayton seems unwilling to take a more nuanced approach. Then again, voters don't generally reward nuance.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:04 PM | Comments (1)
August 09, 2010
Customer Service
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, probably has a whole floor of people whose sole job is to read and selectively respond to the gigabytes of e-mail that he receives each day. And one of them decided to respond to my e-mail to Bezos extolling the virtues of my Kindle but pointing out that the accessibility could be improved. Here's the text of the e-mail:
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I'm Allissa Bratager of Amazon.com's Executive Customer Relations team. Jeff Bezos received your e-mail and asked me to respond on his behalf.
I'm happy to hear you’re currently enjoying your Kindle! We're excited to offer these to our customers!
I’d also like to thank you for thoughts on creating a different page-turning feature. I'll make sure your feedback and suggestions are passed on to the Kindle development team for consideration as we continue to plan new features and improvements.
Thanks for your interest in Amazon Kindle.
Regards,
Allissa Bratager
Executive Customer Relations
Amazon.com
It's not exactly a pinky swear to build a more accessible Kindle, but at least Bezos' minions decided that the issue warranted a vague nod of agreement. If a few hundred thousand people send similar e-mails to Bezos, Amazon might actually take the request seriously. Or else I'll just have to set up a bunch of fake Gmail addresses.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:52 PM | Comments (2)
August 06, 2010
Wall Of Sound
Fresh from the playlist:
"In Ruins" by Fol Chen--This L.A. band is relatively new on the scene, but this song shows that they're already masters of the pop hook. "In Ruins" is pop with a lot of drama, but it's not overwrought or pretentious. The female lead doesn't let her jaded view of love dim her hopes that someone will just take her dancing. Which brings us to our next song...
"Dancing on My Own" by Robyn--For my money, Swedish artist Robyn is one of the best electropop artists of the past decade. Her music is the most delicious ear candy, but it possesses a hint of tartness that separates her stuff from forgettable Top 40 pap. "Dancing on My Own" is a continuation of the crying-on-the-dancefloor vibe that Robyn explored in the gorgeous 2008 single "With Every Heartbeat." The beat on this one is more upbeat and playful, throwing some mirrorball glitter on the singer's broken heart.
"Rill Rill" by Sleigh Bells--Sleigh Bells is the buzz band of the moment, turning heads with songs that are densely constructed layers of distortion that stand in stark contrast to the honeyed vocals of singer Alexis Krauss. "Rill Rill" is one the band's more accessible tracks; a mellow guitar sample melded with Krauss' dreamy girl-group delivery of lyrics that sound like they might have their origins in a schoolyard chant. There's a lot going on in this song, but the total effect is blissful summertime pop.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:06 PM | Comments (0)
August 05, 2010
Market Failure
A quick look at my health insurance claims revealed that the combined cost of my brief ER/ICU visit was almost $12,000. I have no idea whether this is competitively priced in comparison to other hospitals, but it doesn't really matter. I wasn't in any condition to shop around for the best deal. But I've had cost containment on the brain after attending a health reform conference for the last couple days and listening to a very smart MIT economist talk about the the issue. As illustrated in my own case, free market principles don't work very well when it comes to health care. I didn't have the luxury of time to compare prices for an ICU stay and even if I did, I would have no idea what a fair price would be. More importantly, I'm shielded from price considerations because every hospital has already struck a side deal with my insurer.
The Affordable Care Act contains several provisions to encourage bundling of services and paying for effective treatments, but it's going to take a lot more work to arrive at a day when health care services are reasonably and transparently priced.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:06 PM | Comments (1)
August 04, 2010
Dungeon Crawl
One of my favorite games from last year, Torchlight, is getting a sequel. Torchlight is a hack-and-slash RPG similar to the classic Diablo. It can be played almost entirely with the mouse, which is why it has earned my seal of approval. The game also boasts gorgeous graphics rendered in a vibrant palette. The sequel should be out next year, which is probably when I'll finally finish the original.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:25 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2010
Facial Hair
I'm thinking of copying Jon Stewart and growing a goatee. Well, not really, but I kind of wonder how it would look on me. When one is rockin' the goatee, the result is either badass (à la Ming the Merciless) or creepy (à la Data in that one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation). I suspect mine would be the latter and several dull shades of gray to boot. I'd probably resemble that guy who's always loitering outside outside the adult video store and smells like cheese. You know, that guy.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:10 PM | Comments (1)
August 02, 2010
Trending Positive
A new poll shows that all three potential DFL candidates for governor are leading the Republican candidate, Tom Emmer. It's still months before the election and anything can happen, but GOP activists can't be happy with Emmer's inability to gain traction against any of his Democratic candidates. Perhaps they're having second thoughts about ceding the nomination process to Tea Party zealots who couldn't be bothered to find a candidate that possessed even a thin veneer of moderation.
It's also worth noting that Pawlenty's name has been frequently mentioned in DFL campaign ads; almost as much as Emmer's name. It's something of a repeat of the 2008 national election in that Dems are trying to portray Pawlenty as mini-Bush, the guy who let everything go to hell and is now leaving us in a big mess. Pawlenty was never that unpopular, but Minnesotans seem to have a diminished appetite for another Republican in the governor's mansion. If the eventual Democratic candidate can avoid having any paranoid outbursts (cf. Mike Hatch in 2006), he or she might actually win this thing.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)