Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Paradise pockets...
But it's done now :)
Tomorrow I shall start on the stake sides. Woo hoo!
A reader asks...
A reader asks ... what I think about Obama's trip to Cuba. From the wording of the question, it's obvious the reader thinks I will be appalled.
I am not appalled by the idea of normalizing relations with Cuba, dropping the embargo (which Obama can't do on his own; he needs the Congress for that) , and encouraging business to invest there (assuming the Cuban government changes their policies to allow it). In fact I support these ideas, as it's been clear for 30 years or so that the 50+ years of Cuban embargo and isolation have been a complete failure in terms of their original goals (bringing the Cuban government to its knees). It seems at least worth trying a different approach, especially when that different approach will bring at least a little more prosperity to the Cuban people. It's also possible that it will bring changes in the authoritarian government.
But...
I am appalled by the way that Obama has gone about it. The optics of that portrait of him saluting in front of the Che Guevara mural are just horrible. He's apparently obtained very little in the way of concessions or commitments from the Cubans. He's allowed himself to be used by Raul Castro in a way that makes the U.S. seem like the supplicant. He's managed to take an opportunity for America to shine and turn it into a moment of American shame.
But nevertheless I'm glad to see some movement on this front.
Now if we could just get the U.N. out of the refugee business, we'd really be making some progress!
I am not appalled by the idea of normalizing relations with Cuba, dropping the embargo (which Obama can't do on his own; he needs the Congress for that) , and encouraging business to invest there (assuming the Cuban government changes their policies to allow it). In fact I support these ideas, as it's been clear for 30 years or so that the 50+ years of Cuban embargo and isolation have been a complete failure in terms of their original goals (bringing the Cuban government to its knees). It seems at least worth trying a different approach, especially when that different approach will bring at least a little more prosperity to the Cuban people. It's also possible that it will bring changes in the authoritarian government.
But...
I am appalled by the way that Obama has gone about it. The optics of that portrait of him saluting in front of the Che Guevara mural are just horrible. He's apparently obtained very little in the way of concessions or commitments from the Cubans. He's allowed himself to be used by Raul Castro in a way that makes the U.S. seem like the supplicant. He's managed to take an opportunity for America to shine and turn it into a moment of American shame.
But nevertheless I'm glad to see some movement on this front.
Now if we could just get the U.N. out of the refugee business, we'd really be making some progress!
Trailers in Paradise...
Trailers in Paradise... So I restarted working on a project I stopped last fall: building a four-wheeled stake-bed trailer. Yesterday I installed six “pockets” for the stakes, and today I'm hoping to install the rest of them.
Aside from some tricksy measuring (involving division of fractions!), there's nothing particularly challenging about installing these pocket brackets. I'd cleaned and painted them last fall. All I had to do yesterday was mark the holes, drill them, and then fasten them with bolts. The nuts I used have nylon elements built in to hold them in place (the same thing that lock washers do, but neater). These take quite a bit of torque to screw on – more than the square end of a carriage bolt can resist, in most cases. So there was a bit of tricky use of pliers to keep the ends of the carriage bolts from twisting.
One nice little touch was enabled by the oscillating saw that I bought last year (in the second photo), after watching some of our remodeling craftsmen using one. I was able to cut the bolts off to the exact correct length. It took six seconds for each bolt with that saw. Lovely thing, it is!
Aside from some tricksy measuring (involving division of fractions!), there's nothing particularly challenging about installing these pocket brackets. I'd cleaned and painted them last fall. All I had to do yesterday was mark the holes, drill them, and then fasten them with bolts. The nuts I used have nylon elements built in to hold them in place (the same thing that lock washers do, but neater). These take quite a bit of torque to screw on – more than the square end of a carriage bolt can resist, in most cases. So there was a bit of tricky use of pliers to keep the ends of the carriage bolts from twisting.
One nice little touch was enabled by the oscillating saw that I bought last year (in the second photo), after watching some of our remodeling craftsmen using one. I was able to cut the bolts off to the exact correct length. It took six seconds for each bolt with that saw. Lovely thing, it is!
This guy thinks...
This guy thinks ... we should all be legally required to vote. Under our current system, I think that's completely absurd, for reasons given right in his article: for many of us, voting is a completely meaningless act. Why? Because we know our vote wouldn't count for a darned thing.
For instance, here in Utah casting a vote for a Democratic candidate for president is just such a meaningless act. The state is completely in the tank for Republicans, and there is precisely zero chance that a Democratic candidate could prevail. So what would be the point of forcing someone to cast that vote? It will have no effect on the outcome at all.
Utter uselessness aside, I also object on a different basis. Refusing to vote is just as much an electoral choice as casting a vote is. The absence of my vote for, say, Trump is contributing to the outcome exactly as much as a vote for Clinton – but without endorsing Clinton.
Then there's this. Consider that the likelihood (at the moment, anyway) is that the November election will be a choice between Trump and Clinton. The idea of forcing someone to choose between those two is morally repugnant. It would be like forcing someone about to be executed to push the button that injected them with fatal drugs...
For instance, here in Utah casting a vote for a Democratic candidate for president is just such a meaningless act. The state is completely in the tank for Republicans, and there is precisely zero chance that a Democratic candidate could prevail. So what would be the point of forcing someone to cast that vote? It will have no effect on the outcome at all.
Utter uselessness aside, I also object on a different basis. Refusing to vote is just as much an electoral choice as casting a vote is. The absence of my vote for, say, Trump is contributing to the outcome exactly as much as a vote for Clinton – but without endorsing Clinton.
Then there's this. Consider that the likelihood (at the moment, anyway) is that the November election will be a choice between Trump and Clinton. The idea of forcing someone to choose between those two is morally repugnant. It would be like forcing someone about to be executed to push the button that injected them with fatal drugs...
I finally found...
I finally found ... the quote from John Ehrlichman that first started me thinking about the abject failure of the war on drugs. Here it is:
I found it in an article that I almost didn't read, because I know I have major disagreements with the author, Dan Baum. He's an advocate for legalizing drugs (and ending the war on drugs), as am I. However, he strongly advocates for making drug production and distribution a state monopoly, a notion I find abhorrent. We have a state monopoly on alcohol distribution where we live in Utah, and the only things that accomplishes here are increased prices and inconvenience. But the rest of the article is a good backgrounder for anyone who isn't already aware of the scam that's been pulled on them concerning drugs...
“You want to know what this was really all about?” he asked with the bluntness of a man who, after public disgrace and a stretch in federal prison, had little left to protect. “The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”This is an admission by an insider to the initiation of the so-called war on drugs that the motivation was political, not out of any concern for the people using drugs or the rest of the population. It was all about winning elections.
I found it in an article that I almost didn't read, because I know I have major disagreements with the author, Dan Baum. He's an advocate for legalizing drugs (and ending the war on drugs), as am I. However, he strongly advocates for making drug production and distribution a state monopoly, a notion I find abhorrent. We have a state monopoly on alcohol distribution where we live in Utah, and the only things that accomplishes here are increased prices and inconvenience. But the rest of the article is a good backgrounder for anyone who isn't already aware of the scam that's been pulled on them concerning drugs...
Quote of the day...
Quote of the day... This time from Scott Adams, who has been correct about Trump more often than anyone who makes their living as a “pundit”. He's also been far more interesting. Here's the quote:
If Scott Adams is right about how the (human) world works, then we're all a bunch of damn fools. And there are bits and pieces that feel very right to me...
“Those who think the past predicts the future are condemned to pick the wrong stocks.”...and here's the (interesting!) post it comes from.
If Scott Adams is right about how the (human) world works, then we're all a bunch of damn fools. And there are bits and pieces that feel very right to me...
I wrote about...
Have I mentioned that we love living here? :)
I don't know the whole story on this...
I don't know the whole story on this ... but still, it's hard to see how this is in the best interest of the little girl...
Heavy rain in Paradise...
What little snow remained on the ground last night should be melted by the time this is over :)
Monday, March 21, 2016
Good eats in Paradise...
Good eats in Paradise... First thing this morning, my lovely bride made bacon and eggs, with pan-fried potatoes and onions to accompany it. World-class eats, those were: fresh eggs from Macey's (our local grocery chain) just four days out of the chicken, Dailey's applewood-smoked bacon, and Idaho potatoes from just up the road. Yum!
But then wait, there's more! We stopped to pick up sandwiches at Logan's Heroes, and they were terrific as always. Fresh torpedo rolls, top-notch meats, friendly service, and all the right condiments and veggies. Dang those sandwiches are good! And of course I washed it down with a big glass of Rosehill Dairy milk.
Now I'm practically comatose, but I'm going to go back out to my shed to do some more work. I'm trying to finish up the four-wheeled trailer project I started last fall...
But then wait, there's more! We stopped to pick up sandwiches at Logan's Heroes, and they were terrific as always. Fresh torpedo rolls, top-notch meats, friendly service, and all the right condiments and veggies. Dang those sandwiches are good! And of course I washed it down with a big glass of Rosehill Dairy milk.
Now I'm practically comatose, but I'm going to go back out to my shed to do some more work. I'm trying to finish up the four-wheeled trailer project I started last fall...
“My passion was my weak spot.”
“My passion was my weak spot.” That's the title of this interesting piece by Jacques Mattheij. There's much in here that I agree with, and that I might offer as advice to an aspiring technologist myself. There's one part, though, that I strongly disagree with. That's Jacques' advice to never work for free in return for the promise of a future (paying) job.
My reason for disagreeing is quite straightforward: agreeing to work for free in exchange for future paid work was the key to my entrance into the technology workforce. Back in the early '80s, on the tail end of a couple of less-than-successful businesses, I needed a job. I very badly wanted to work with microprocessors (whether that meant hardware or software I didn't much care). I knew that I could do the work, as I had been doing it for six or seven years at that point – as a hobby, as a consultant (where credentials matter less), and in my own businesses.
The biggest challenge for me at that time was that I completely lacked the credentials to be employed as an engineer. I had no college degree. There was no open source movement back then, and no Internet, so there was no obvious way to use the peer recognition I had to help get a job. For instance, most potential employers had never heard of Gary Kildall or MP/M, and the code with my name on it was proprietary.
I needed a way to prove myself to a potential employer. I decided to offer my free services to such a company (Xscribe) for a limited time, with the understanding that after 90 days they'd either boot me out or hire me. I also made it clear that I'd be looking elsewhere while I worked there for free. I figured that if they weren't convinced of my skills after 90 days, they never would be. As things turned out, they made me a (great!) offer less than a month after I started. I never had trouble getting a job after that, as I then possessed a credential of sorts: a referenceable, verifiable track record.
So I'll disagree with Jacques on that point: sometimes working for free is a good idea...
My reason for disagreeing is quite straightforward: agreeing to work for free in exchange for future paid work was the key to my entrance into the technology workforce. Back in the early '80s, on the tail end of a couple of less-than-successful businesses, I needed a job. I very badly wanted to work with microprocessors (whether that meant hardware or software I didn't much care). I knew that I could do the work, as I had been doing it for six or seven years at that point – as a hobby, as a consultant (where credentials matter less), and in my own businesses.
The biggest challenge for me at that time was that I completely lacked the credentials to be employed as an engineer. I had no college degree. There was no open source movement back then, and no Internet, so there was no obvious way to use the peer recognition I had to help get a job. For instance, most potential employers had never heard of Gary Kildall or MP/M, and the code with my name on it was proprietary.
I needed a way to prove myself to a potential employer. I decided to offer my free services to such a company (Xscribe) for a limited time, with the understanding that after 90 days they'd either boot me out or hire me. I also made it clear that I'd be looking elsewhere while I worked there for free. I figured that if they weren't convinced of my skills after 90 days, they never would be. As things turned out, they made me a (great!) offer less than a month after I started. I never had trouble getting a job after that, as I then possessed a credential of sorts: a referenceable, verifiable track record.
So I'll disagree with Jacques on that point: sometimes working for free is a good idea...
My, what interesting rocks...
More rain and snow for Paradise...
More rain and snow for Paradise... That's what's in our forecast for tonight through Wednesday. It's hard to believe at the moment, as we have wall-to-wall blue sky and there's no snow on the ground. Our soil is saturated, though – mud season is in full swing here. You can easily tell that by the grit on our kitchen floor – the inevitable result of letting dogs with hairy feet (field spaniels) go outside :)
We're planning to make a few modifications to our house this year. Those include a “mud room” outside the current front door, and a rear patio that opens onto the enclosed yard our dogs normally play in. We're planning a dog washing station on that patio: a place with a hose and a sprayer, where we can easily wash the dirt and mud off their feet in mud season. The gluey substance known as “Paradise mud” is almost impossible to remove without the assistance of high-pressure water. The dogs won't appreciate this, but we will!
We're planning to make a few modifications to our house this year. Those include a “mud room” outside the current front door, and a rear patio that opens onto the enclosed yard our dogs normally play in. We're planning a dog washing station on that patio: a place with a hose and a sprayer, where we can easily wash the dirt and mud off their feet in mud season. The gluey substance known as “Paradise mud” is almost impossible to remove without the assistance of high-pressure water. The dogs won't appreciate this, but we will!
Will English “destroy” all other languages?
Will English “destroy” all other languages? The trend is certainly in that direction, and there is much hand-wringing and anguish in certain parts of academia (and other places, too). The language generally employed to describe this phenomenon is that other languages are being driven to extinction by the spread of English, and that predisposes people to think it's bad. “Extinction” is bad, isn't it? Always?
I'm not so sure, whether we're discussing critters, plants, or languages. I'd have no problem with the extinction of mosquitoes (and my wife would be ecstatic!). Similarly, if burdock were to disappear forever, I'd shed no tears. Should I be anxious about the impending extinction of Naukan Yupik?
I'm not ready to out-and-out endorse the notion of making English the universal language of mankind. I'm well aware that as a native English speaker, such an outcome would be oh-so-convenient for me. As a veteran world traveler, though, I'm also very well aware of just how much friction the absence of a universal language for mankind introduces into any interaction between people who don't share a common language. From locating a bathroom to ordering a meal to conducting some business, everything is harder if you and the person you're dealing with don't speak the same language. Fluently. Easily. Natively.
I should note that I have a family reason for opposing the obliteration of non-English languages. My sister has a business that's predicated on the idea of teaching English to people for whom it would be a second language. The universal adoption of English would obliterate her business. I've not talked with her about this, but somehow I doubt she'd be in favor of this outcome :)
I haven't made up my mind about this. It's certainly true that language differences are an important part of the cultural differences that add a lot of interest to our world. There are tradeoffs. Most people talking about this topic tend toward overblown rhetoric mourning the disappearance of languages. But is the disappearance of language X intrinsically “tragic”? That's where I depart from the conventional line of thought, because I don't think so. I'd like to hear what the adoption of English means for the welfare of the people in the affected population. For example, if a young woman growing up in (say) eastern Siberia spoke English (natively) instead of the traditional local language spoken by 200 people – how much easier will it be for her to become a doctor? A welder? A programmer? I know the answer – it will be enormously easier, for the simple reason that she can read and understand the texts that are widely available, not to mention what's on the Internet. That's the tradeoff I'm interested in exploring: if the price of losing a language forever is X, what's the benefit? And is it worth it? I'd like to see a more sober weighing of the costs and benefits. I'm no expert in this area, but in terms of what's visible to me, the benefits of a universal language outweigh the costs, and not by a small margin.
What do you think?
I'm not so sure, whether we're discussing critters, plants, or languages. I'd have no problem with the extinction of mosquitoes (and my wife would be ecstatic!). Similarly, if burdock were to disappear forever, I'd shed no tears. Should I be anxious about the impending extinction of Naukan Yupik?
I'm not ready to out-and-out endorse the notion of making English the universal language of mankind. I'm well aware that as a native English speaker, such an outcome would be oh-so-convenient for me. As a veteran world traveler, though, I'm also very well aware of just how much friction the absence of a universal language for mankind introduces into any interaction between people who don't share a common language. From locating a bathroom to ordering a meal to conducting some business, everything is harder if you and the person you're dealing with don't speak the same language. Fluently. Easily. Natively.
I should note that I have a family reason for opposing the obliteration of non-English languages. My sister has a business that's predicated on the idea of teaching English to people for whom it would be a second language. The universal adoption of English would obliterate her business. I've not talked with her about this, but somehow I doubt she'd be in favor of this outcome :)
I haven't made up my mind about this. It's certainly true that language differences are an important part of the cultural differences that add a lot of interest to our world. There are tradeoffs. Most people talking about this topic tend toward overblown rhetoric mourning the disappearance of languages. But is the disappearance of language X intrinsically “tragic”? That's where I depart from the conventional line of thought, because I don't think so. I'd like to hear what the adoption of English means for the welfare of the people in the affected population. For example, if a young woman growing up in (say) eastern Siberia spoke English (natively) instead of the traditional local language spoken by 200 people – how much easier will it be for her to become a doctor? A welder? A programmer? I know the answer – it will be enormously easier, for the simple reason that she can read and understand the texts that are widely available, not to mention what's on the Internet. That's the tradeoff I'm interested in exploring: if the price of losing a language forever is X, what's the benefit? And is it worth it? I'd like to see a more sober weighing of the costs and benefits. I'm no expert in this area, but in terms of what's visible to me, the benefits of a universal language outweigh the costs, and not by a small margin.
What do you think?
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Oh, it's so nice...
We're leaving soon to go join my brother Scott for a Sunday “lupper” at Angie's. Today is chicken soup day, so we'll be having that for sure. I'm feeling like some fish and chips, unless their special is mighty appealing...
If you don't already have ad blockers on your web browsers...
If you don't already have ad blockers on your web browsers ... here's a great discussion of why you should...
Saturday, March 19, 2016
A project finished...
Well, this afternoon I spread the kit, its manual, my 'scope, multimeter, and soldering iron out on the kitchen table and went to work. An hour later, I had it all working, after fixing two more issues. First issue was a broken circuit board trace (for a total of three in the kit). The second (and last!) issue was all my own fault: a cold solder joint. But now it's all running!
Next step on this project: a nice wooden case of some kind. I'll have to ponder exactly what I want that to look like...
Fire in Paradise!
Fire in Paradise! But it's fire we actually wanted :) This year the Hyrum Irrigation Canal folks are sending two separate cleanup crews down the length of the canal. The first crew started today; they're burning weeds and roses along the sides of the canal. They're also burning some ancient brush piles that were left by canal cleanup crews in prior years. The second crew will be along in a couple weeks; they'll be clearing brush and downed trees that are in the canal. We have a little over a quarter mile of that canal that runs through the eastern edge of our property. We did a lot of cleanup ourselves last year, plus had a horde of local Mormons come by on a service project that got even more. Between the canal company's work and what we plan to do ourselves this year, we should have a much better-looking property!
The crew today used a large propane torch powered from a 250 propane tank trailer they hauled behind a pickup. Here's what it looked like while they were working:
The crew today used a large propane torch powered from a 250 propane tank trailer they hauled behind a pickup. Here's what it looked like while they were working:
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