March 31, 2011
Appreciation Day
Governor Dayton visited the Department of Human Services today to thank employees for their efforts on expanding Medicaid to ten of thousands of low-income Minnesotans. It's a little sad that such expressions of gratitude to state workers have become a rare thing these days. A lot of my colleagues put in some long hours on this project without any expectation of recognition, so this was a pleasant reward.
And here's me accepting on behalf of my division a certificate of recognition for our efforts. 
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:51 PM | Comments (1)
March 30, 2011
The Next Silicon Valley?
My home broadband connection is on the speedier end of what's available to the average American consumer. It averages about 15-20 Mbps, which is plenty fast for my needs. But this time next year, it's going to look like dial-up compared to the blazing fast speeds that will be available to the good people of Kansas City, Kansas. That's because Google has selected Kansas City as the test location for a 1Gbps fiber network that may be a precursor to similar networks in other cities. If Google can offer these connections to ordinary people at rates that match or beat those of cable and DSL providers, it could be the beginning of a new era of competition and innovation in a market that is now under the grip of a lethargic duopoly.
Google's selection of a mid-sized city in the Plains is also shrewd strategic planning for future networks. Lots of communities are casting about for economic drivers to replace their shrinking manufacturing base. If Kansas City reaps economic rewards attributable to the presence of this network, other cities will take notice and welcome Google and its partners with open arms.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:48 PM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2011
Endorsement
As a devoted Firefox user, I'm ethically obliged to point out that the final version of Firefox 4 is now available for download. I've previously shared my positive impressions of the beta and I'm no less impressed with the final release. It's a sleek, modern browser that is snappy and highly customizable. If you're still using Firefox 3.6 (or *cringe* Internet Explorer), you owe it to yourself to upgrade.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:47 PM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2011
Declining Admissions
Slate continues to cover the bursting of the law school bubble; this time pointing out that law school applications are down 11.5% from this time last year. The job market for new attorneys has improved somewhat in recent months, but not nearly enough to accommodate the glut of law school graduates that enter the workforce every year. Perhaps this decline in applications will portend a shuttering of some of the more marginal law schools, which would only benefit the legal profession as a whole.
Some might might argue that cheering for the closing of lower-tier schools smacks of elitism. Maybe so, but just as not everyone can or should be a physician, not everyone can or should be an attorney. The proliferation of law schools may have thrown open the doors of graduate education to more people, but that wasn't in the service of the public interest or even the students' interest. Times are changing and a legal education is not the guarantor of affluence and stability that it once was; a fact with which law schools are only beginning to grapple. And I say this as someone who recognizes that even veteran attorneys face tenuous career prospects. If state government downsizes, I could find myself competing with the aforementioned glut of new grads.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:39 PM | Comments (0)
March 25, 2011
Warranty
When I finally get my brain-computer interface installed in my melon, I'd like some assurances that they won't have to crack my skull open six months later to replace the batteries. I may not have to worry too much since a recent study shows that these microprocessors have an operational life of at least 1,000 days after implantation. By the time I get mine, it will probably last until the alien invaders upload me into my cyborg body, which is good enough for me.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:09 PM | Comments (0)
March 24, 2011
If Wishes Were Pennies
Minnesota Republicans released their proposed cuts to health and human services this week. There's much to not like in these bills, but one of the most damaging proposals is what my colleagues and I refer to as the "global waiver". Minnesota would be required to seek a federal waiver that would allow the state to administer its Medicaid program as it wishes and without regard to pesky federal regulations. Specifically, lawmakers want to be free to increase cost-sharing, restrict services based on population or geographic region, establish stricter income and asset limits, and require individuals to purchase private health insurance. It would transform Minnesota's Medicaid program into something much more limited in reach and scope.
Republicans attribute significant savings to this waiver, but that's problematic. The waiver proposal is written so vaguely that it's difficult for state officials to determine exactly how it would change the program and thus how much savings it would generate. Furthermore, the federal government is unlikely to approve such a waiver (even if the governor signs off on it, which is also doubtful). It's budget balancing through wishful thinking. But wishful thinking is more palatable than cutting funds to nursing homes or services for people with disabilities, which is what Republicans may have to do if they are truly committed to balancing the budget without raising taxes.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)
March 23, 2011
Stay Tuned
I was going to blog about health care policy shenanigans at the Capitol, but I just spent the last few hours in a meeting and then typing notes from the meeting. The stupid is starting to settle in my mind and make itself a sandwich, so my cogent observations will have to wait until tomorrow.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 10:34 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2011
Continuing Education
I just realized I have a little more than two months to squeeze in the rest of my CLE credits for the year. I always put this off until the last minute and usually have to request an extension. Bad attorney.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:34 PM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2011
Critic At Large: Limitless
Limitless is the kind of serviceable if not terribly inventive thriller that usually hits theaters in the couple months preceding the summer blockbuster season. Bradley Cooper plays a slacker writer who, for reasons that remain inexplicable, has landed a book deal. One small complication: he can't focus enough to actually start writing it. In one of those twists of fate that are the bread and butter of thrillers like this, Eddie just happens to run into his skeevy former brother-in-law, who just happens to be in possession of a pill that dramatically increases the brain power of the user. Dubious yet desperate, Eddie later ingests the pill. Suddenly, everything snaps into focus. Writing is effortless. Math is easy. He gets laid after some clever verbal sparring with his landlord's girlfriend. He gets a haircut.
You can probably figure out where the story goes from there. Despite the fame and fortune that follow, Eddie is soon reminded that drugs are bad, m'kay? But not before he entangles himself with a crazy Russian mobster and a shrewd billionaire investor (Robert De Niro in an uncharacteristically restrained performance). One of these entanglements will be resolved in one of the film's few gross-out moments, a sure sign that a movie is just trying too hard. Still, it's entertaining and briskly plotted. You could do worse at the multiplex.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:54 PM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2011
Cost/Benefit Analysis
The NY Times unveiled its paywall scheme yesterday and it's priced a little higher than I'd like. The cheapest subscription is $15 every 4 weeks for web and smartphone access. I don't do much reading on my iPhone, so I don't appreciate having to pay for a combo package. But I do get most of my news from the Times and I generally like the writing and add-on features like the blogs. Perhaps I'm just feeling subscription fatigue since I already subscribe to several magazines and digital services. $15 isn't a big deal for me, but it will probably be out of reach for people on tight budgets, which only reinforces the Times' reputation as the urban yuppie paper of record.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:44 PM | Comments (1)
March 17, 2011
Health Care Reform In Action
MPR examines how Minnesota's recent expansion of Medical Assistance is helping low-income people in rural areas get better access to health care. The previous state health care program for the poor required people to get medical care at one of a few locations in the Twin Cities. Since most people living in poverty don't have access to transportation, the rural poor were effectively denied access to health care unless they went to an emergency room (thanks, Governor Pawlenty!). And even then, they would often be saddled with medical bills they simply couldn't pay. Now, they can access clinics and other health care providers close to home. As I've said countless times before, elections matter.
It's also worth noting that a lot of public workers have worked long hours to ensure that our fellow Minnesotans get the health care they need.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2011
What Health Class Didn't Teach Me
A friend sent me a link to an article on about disability and sexuality aimed at teens. The author states in plain terms that people with disabilities are sexual beings and dwell alongside their able-bodied peers on the continuum of human sexuality. Articles like this actually make me a little envious of the Millennial generation of teen and young adults with disabilities who are coming of age in this digital world of ours. The 16-year-old version of me would have found adolescence a little less excruciating if resources like this had been available to him. It might not have helped him get a partner, but it would have at least assured him that he wasn't so different from everybody else. If he had had access to the Internet, he might have even gotten himself a date to the prom.
Or he might have just consumed ridiculous amounts of porn. Probably the latter.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:04 PM | Comments (0)
March 15, 2011
The Needs Of The Many
The Times is running a somber but fascinating piece on the skeleton crew of anonymous technicians who are struggling to prevent a complete meltdown at the quake-stricken Fukushima nuclear facility in japan. Many of these technicians are risking radiation poisoning or death by remaining on the job. That kind of professional dedication might be the only thing standing between the people of Japan and catastrophe. Let's hope their efforts to contain the meltdown are successful and that they live long enough to recount these dark days to their grandchildren.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2011
3.14
Happy Pi Day, math nerds! Hope you enjoyed your traditional piece of pie. And for those of us who are mathematically impaired, here's a handy infographic explaining the concept of pi in visual terms. Now I need to find an opportunity to insert the term "Feynman Point" in polite conversation without sounding like a show-off.
Thanks to 19th Floor reader Lauren for the tip.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 05:01 PM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2011
Still Standing
This video of swaying skyscrapers in downtown Tokyo during today's earthquake is both terrifying and amazing. If not for the ingenuity of Japanese engineers, tens of thousands of people would likely have died. They could teach us a thing or two about investing in infrastructure.
Let's just hope that same ingenuity can prevent the northern half of Japan from becoming a fallout zone.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:30 PM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2011
Second Sight
A few days ago, I wrote a post critical of the iPad's--and, by extension, the iPhone's--continued inaccessibility. That's not to say that these devices don't have any applications for people with disabilities. Here's a video of an iPhone app that can help people with visual disabilities identify different denominations of paper currency. In this age of debit cards and electronic payments, I'm not sure how useful this app really is, but the concept could be applied to any number of other uses, like reading street signs or restaurant menus.
The devices themselves are still grossly inaccessible, but perhaps the growing popularity of apps like this will persuade Apple to make improvements.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:14 PM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2011
Dairyland Shenanigans
Wisconsin Republicans just upped the ante in their fight to strip collective bargaining rights from public unions. In a devious bit of parliamentary maneuvering, Republicans stripped the anti-union provisions out of the "budget repair" bill and placed them in a standalone bill. Since the standalone bill has no budget implications, it can be passed in the absence of the Wisconsin state senators who decamped to Illinois to deny the Republicans a quorum.
This latest move undermines the Republicans' talking point that the collective bargaining provisions are needed to balance the budget. The real goal has always been to destroy unions as a political force in the state. Governor Walker and his allies may finally get their way, but this very public battle has revealed their true intentions. They are determined to transform Wisconsin into a state where the interests of corporations reign supreme while workers in both the public and private sectors are slapped around by the unforgiving invisible hand of the free market.
It's important to remember that this is what Wisconsin voters chose. Walker and his ilk made no secret of their contempt for organized labor and a host of other Democratic constituencies, including the poor and people with disabilities. If they don't like watching their state being transformed into a Randian utopia, they should have considered that possibility on Election Day. Perhaps the lesson to be learned from all this is that every election matters, not just the ones where we choose a president.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 07:27 PM | Comments (4)
March 08, 2011
Awkward Youth
I've wasted far too much time mocking an old high school yearbook photo of me that someone posted on Facebook earlier tonight. Curse you, Facebook! Some relics of the past should left shrouded in the mists of time.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:23 PM | Comments (0)
March 07, 2011
New, But Not Improved
Nope, I still don't want an iPad. The iPad 2 does nothing to address the glaring accessibility flaws of the first iPad. In fact, most tablet manufacturers seem to be devoting little time to improving the accessibility of their devices. And that's disappointing. People with disabilities can choose from a rich ecosystem of alternative input devices for standard computers, but tablets simply don't allow for much in the way of modification. Perhaps that will change in time, but I'm not sure how you make a touch-based interface accessible without changing the user experience for everyone else. I'm beginning to wonder if those of us with significant disabilities may have to sit out the tablet phase of computing and wait for the next big leap in interface technology, whether that's speech or thought or something else entirely.
In the meantime, I'd like to remind content producers that there are plenty of us who would still like to be able to consume your product on devices other than iPads. I'm looking at you, BBC.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:19 PM | Comments (0)
March 04, 2011
The Story Continues
2011 is shaping up to be a banner year for fans of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series. First, we get HBO's adaptation of Game of Thrones beginning on April 17th. And then Dance of Dragons, the long-awaited fifth book in the series, will finally be released on July 12th. Martin has already revealed that this latest volume will be a tome of gargantuan proportions, so I might need to start planning my summer vacation now.
I will now start sending daily e-mails to Martin hectoring him to finish the sixth book.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 08:30 PM | Comments (0)
March 03, 2011
Will The Unicorn Make A Cameo?
Like most geeks, I've watched Blade Runner more times than I care to count. And not once in the course of those innumerable viewings did I ever think "What this movie really needs is a sequel. Or maybe a prequel." But that's the difference between me and the Hollywood producers who are planning on turning Blade Runner into a franchise. I have no interest in watching Blade Runner: The Early Years. I have no interest in watching Blade Runner II: The Wrath of Deckard, in which our grizzled protagonist takes on a whole fleet of attack ships off the shoulder of Orion. Actually, that might be a fun movie, but it wouldn't be Blade Runner.
I don't have anything against franchises. I'll gladly pay money for the next Star Trek sequel. But Blade Runner works well as a self-contained story. It doesn't need a continuation or a prelude.
Now, Galaxy Quest, on the other hand...
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 06:44 PM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2011
Job Opportunity
If you know a registered nurse in the Minneapolis area who might be interested in some part-time hours, I'm hiring. Of course, you might want to refer potential applicants to this blog first. I know I'd have second thoughts about working with me after reading some of these posts. Yeesh.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)
March 01, 2011
Blink To Click
There's another competitor in the race to develop a sophisticated hands-free computer interface. While there are already eye-controlled computer interfaces on the market, an eye-controlled laptop is on display at a technology show that's aimed at the general consumer market. According to the article, the eye interface is designed to complement existing controls. I'm not sure how useful it would be to someone with a severe physical disability, but I'd be interested in knowing more. Perhaps the manufacturer would consider flying me to Germany so I can check it out.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at 09:02 PM | Comments (0)