Why I Read to the Right.

When I started this weblog, it was with the intent to say something about myself. Right now, I'm just getting into blogging and while I have more important things to talk about than "Stargate", I want to wait under I'm sure I can do justice to the issues. In service to this goal, I started a series of essays on topics I've like to cover eventually. Well, one of those essays is going in the trash today. Because I came across someone who said the exact same thing about a million times better than I ever could.

What am I talking about? See full post for explanation.


Via The Smallest Minority, I read "How I Cured MySelf of Leftism". You see, it's been bugging me for years why I enjoyed conservative political discourse more than liberal discourse. Personally, I'm more libertarian than anything but I'm not really hard-core about it either. Most of the politically-oriented weblogs I read are center to right. I've in the past tried to read both left & right blogs. But, the left ones always grated even when I would agree with their positions. But Dr. Bob Godwin explains it all:

At the same time, for the person who is not under the hypnotic psycho-spiritual spell of contemporary liberalism, it is strikingly devoid of actual religious wisdom or real ideas. As such, it is driven by vague, spiritually infused ideals and feelings, such as "sticking up for the little guy," or "war is not the answer." On the other hand, conservatism is not so much based on ideas, but on simply observing what works, and then generalizing from there. It is actually refreshingly free of dogma, and full of dynamic tension. For example, at the heart of conservatism is an ongoing, unresolvable dialectic between freedom and virtue.

Jackpot! This is what I had been trying (and failing) to say in my essay. And reading Godwin's words highlights the consistency (for me) between my politics and my work. As an engineer, what I'd like and what makes me look good has to be secondary (or further) to WHAT WORKS. Because if the seatbelt doesn't work, is it worth some stranger's life if I "feel good" about the design?

Which leads to another thing that always annoys me about modern liberalism. The "Clap If You Believe In The Cause! The Cause Will Die If You Don't BELIEVE" component. Bill Whittle called it Magic a while back. The belief that people and history can be fundamentally changed by edict. That once the right laws are in place and everybody can only think double-plus good thoughts, humanity will automatically mold itself into your image of what it should be. I always found the belief in such "magic" repellent. Because I believe humanity is and should be larger than any single idea or philosophy. Because when ever human societies try to get too "pure", it all goes horribly wrong.

Or to conclude with more wit than I alone possess:
"...the dwarfs found out how to turn lead into gold by doing it the hard way. The difference between that and the easy way is that the hard way works."

William: "I'm sure we can pull together, sir."
Vetinari: "Oh, I do hope not, I really do hope not. Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny. Free men pull in all kinds of directions. It's the only way to make progress."

Both courtesy of Terry Pratchett via the Electric Escape.

Link to full post.

Krav Maga 4th & 5th Class

4th Class: I skipped the write-up last week. Last Saturday ended up being chocked-full of errands and by the time I got home, I forgot to post. We covered choking again, this time without a wall. Also, we had a different instructor. She was TINY but fast. They also did a little bit of a work-out including jumping rope. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a jump rope short enough for me. The only way I could use the rope I had was to hold onto the rope portion below the handles. But then I had trouble keeping up when we switched back and forth between jump ropes and push-ups.

5th Class: Just got back. Today was punching combinations. I'm really glad they make us wear gloves because I could feel the difference after the last class (previously my knuckles were sore ). The punches are pretty straightforward BUT when they start adding in the occasional elbow, I started to mess up. Also, holding the focus mitts is just as hard as punching when you have to move them around to be in the place for the attacker's punch. I am getting better though. Compared to the first class I took, it is getting easier for me to spot what I doing wrong OR when the instructor explains how to improve, I can correct quicker and remember better.

Also, I’m considering taking another course at this same fitness center after the class wraps up next week. They offer several strength-building and cardio classes that build on the self-defense they teach. My punches especially could use some OOMPH. I’m a bit torn between KM Cardio and Kettle Bell.

Link to full post.

Fun At Work

At my lovely office, various co-workers rotate birthday cake baking duties. For instance, a couple months ago my friend baked checkerboard cake:

Occasionally, someone boring (like me) just requests “Funfetti” cake for their birthday. But every so often my co-workers are given free reign and they really think outside the cake-mix box. Today was one of those days. I present:
Kitty Litter Cake

It looks disgusting but was surprisingly good.

Also, the birthday boy’s nameplate had been changed as well.

Our office has a history of nameplate creativity. Once, we pulled a prank on my team leader when he had a “This Space For Rent” nameplate up. While he was out-of-town, we cleaned out his desk and put a “SOLD” sticker over the nameplate. I’ve also been “modified”. A couple of years ago, during the immigration protests I caught a terrible stomach virus. When I returned to work, my last name had been changed to its Hispanic version and someone had tucked a little Mexican flag behind the plate. These nameplate changes are common enough that before important visits, in addition to a request to tidy our work spaces, we are reminded that “name plates should reflect actual employee names instead of aliases”.

Cakes & Nameplate Fun: Just a couple reasons why my co-workers RULE.

Link to full post.

First Lady in UAE

This photo says just about everything I need to know about the place of women in Western versus Arabic societies. Via JammieWearingFool.

Link to full post.

Stargate: Atlantis Fifth Season?

Four episodes into season 4, the Sci-Fi channel has decided to renew Stargate: Atlantis for a fifth season! I would definitely agree...The four episodes aired have been among the strongest SGA ever.

Link to full post.

Tuesday Randomness

This miscellaneous ended up quite photo-oriented. No idea how...

1) From the Planetary Society weblog, check out this photo:


That smudge that comes and goes is the Dawn Spacecraft!




2) Browsing the Ubuntu Help forums today, I came across Lightening. It’s a Calendar add-on for Thunderbird! I’ve already installed it and started tweaking. Evolution? What’s that?

3) Everyone on-line is making fun of the CIA's new counter-terrorism logo:











My opinion: MOCKING JUSTIFIED.
Terrorism isn't like smoking people. If ninja terrorists with AK-47s attack, do we just point at the logo? And the ninja terrorists will be all "Oh, this is a non-terrorism zone? Ooops, our bad." and leave?

4) From Germany, room-specific wallpaper.
While cool, I'm sure my eyes would start twitching in their sockets if I stare too long.










5) COME ON DEC 1st! Thanks to a ticket giveaway at work I get to see "The Ten Tenors" with a friend. Everyone in office was taking the "STOMP" tickets but I got curious and looked them up on Wikipedia. After work, I checked out some performances on YouTube. (2 videos below the cut)

Largo Al Factotum

AND Great Balls of Fire

Eclectic and fun. COME ON DEC 1st!

Link to full post.

Culinary Discovery, Korea

Several months ago, one of my co-workers tried an unusual appetizer while in Korea. He didn’t know what these things were, only that his Japanese guide in Korea wouldn’t eat them. He tried them and thought they were OK. He took a picture of the plate to show us:


So, this weekend, I’m browsing BoingBoing and they link an article on the most disgusting canned foods. Lo & behold, the mystery appetizer is on the list. It turns out he ate....(answer below cut)

Silkworm pupae!

Now, I’m a moderately adventurous eater. For example: I’ve eaten raw squid and bbq chicken’s feet. However, pupae of any kind is well outside my comfort zone (shudder).

Link to full post.

E-Mail Clients, Add-ons & Themes, Oh My!

This weekend I dedicated myself to resolving the one major bug remaining after my permanent install of Ubuntu: Evolution will receive mail but not send it.

Below the cut: My solution and discovering add-ons/themes from Mozilla.

After perusing the Ubuntu help forums, I find this is not a unique problem. Apparently, several major e-mail services recently switched authentication procedures for SMTP email servers. Unfortunately, most of them didn’t really give warning to their customers beforehand so a lot of people were left flat-footed.

Double unfortunately, that’s not the only problem with my Evolution install. I fixed the authentication error and got another error involving sending email. I couldn’t find any reference to this particular error in the Ubuntu forums. Frustrated, I decided to try Thunderbird instead. Several people had commented it was a good replacement for Evolution especially if they focus mainly on e-mail like me and not calendars, memos, etc.

Thunderbird had the exact same authentication problem but it was a LOT easier to fix thanks to this super-helpful thread in the Mozilla forums. My change consisted of expanding my email user-name to the full email address under the Edit-->Account Settings-->Outgoing Server (SMTP). That’s it. After some transferring of contacts & saving of e-mails, Thunderbird is now my e-mail client. I also installed a lovely To-Do List application. It’s simple and easy-to-use.

During this whole endeavor, I discovered Mozilla themes & add-ons for Thunderbird & Firefox. The add-ons I am a bit hesitant about. I only installed the Snap Shots and BlogRovr add-ons which I like so far.

You can also download themes to change the appearance of both Firefox and Thunderbird. And they have some good ones. I’ve got a purple-themed desktop now, so I’m now using Modern Modoki in Firefox and Outlook 2003 SilverTB in Thunderbird.
Check it out:

I installed several other themes but they don’t really go with my current desktop. I'll play around with them later.

Link to full post.

Ok, Harry Potter Fans Are Cool Too.

So I go on-line to join in the YAY! from tonight's episode of Supernatural...In the process I come across...."The Potter Puppet Pals"



ROTFLMAO doesn't even cover it.

I know I'm always gushing about Stargate fandom, but it appears the Harry Potter fans are holding their own.

Link to full post.

Classmates.Com - Making Keeping In Touch Difficult and Costly

I attended my 10yr reunion this last summer. Classmates.com has been our contact place since we graduated and they organized the reunion (which was great). After the reunion, they sent out an e-mail list for everyone. Unfortunately, this list had many typos and mistakes rendering it pretty much useless. My e-mail was correct BUT several others I knew were not. Also, there were several people missing from the list that attended the reunion.

I've been getting e-mails that several people (more than usual) have visited my profile on Classmates recently. But Classmates doesn't tell you who's visiting unless you fork out the dough for "gold membership". So, I thought "Jessica, why don't you post your email address? That way if they want to contact you, they can."

IT'S NOT ALLOWED...Classmates.com has super-special error messages for just such an occasion. In fact, they referenced their "Terms of Service" which states explicitly that it is a violation of Member Conduct. The key sentence from the Member Conduct section:

"* Don't post telephone numbers, street addresses, last names*, URLs or email addresses in Content that is publicly accessible on the Website."

This doesn't distinguish between people posting others' info without consent and someone choosing to post their own information. Which is Stupid.

There's an easy way around this restriction (at least until they catch me) BUT isn't Classmates.com supposed to be helping us keep in contact? Wouldn't that be easier to achieve if say, people who wanted to share their contact info could do so? Why should people pay for what's freely and legally available elsewhere? My e-mail is posted on my weblog and last.Fm account. It is not secret information nor a violation of my privacy if I choose to share it.

In addition, there is no reason for them to be charging for e-mail addresses. Classmates.com is an ad-rich site with pop-ups, special deals, etc. They have other sources of revenue. Like Blogger, they could provide a simple option in the profile page "share e-mail? Y/N" and still charge for access to their dating service and other more complicated features.

I greatly enjoyed meeting with old friends at the reunion and a number of us had planned to correspond on various topics. Because of Classmates poor execution of the mailing list and their ass-backwards e-mail policy, this won't happen. In a day-and-age of Social networks galore, this is ridiculous.

*Classmates.com slogan from the site is "real people. real names."

Link to full post.

Ubuntu Permanent Install - Finally!

I have finally (after several study sessions, stops & starts) completed the Ubuntu permanent install to make my switchover complete. For the most part, the process was painless. However, I did have two or three minor glitches.

Discussion of previous steps in my "Convert to Ubuntu" process can be found at these locations:
Linux Switch - Sources & Info
My Wubi Install Issues
Installing More RAM
Wubi Installed!
Ubuntu First Impressions
Playing Music Files in Ubuntu
Other Ubuntu Applications
Using GParted on External HD

Below the cut defragmentation/backing up windows, partitioning with Partition Manager and using LVPM.


I. Defragmenting & Backing Up Windows

This was my main hold-up in completely the install. Here’s the list of problems/applications:
1) Windows Default Fragmenter: Doesn’t allow me to exclude the Wubi (Ubuntu temp install) folders. So, not useful at all.

2) JkDefrag: Recommended by the Ubuntu forums, this sucker about gave me a heart attack the first time I tried it. The file linked in the forums is the graphical interface ONLY. I had to download a separate file which is the actual program. Unfortunately, JkDeFrag is automatic. When I opened the program to install the Graphical interface, it started to defragment without letting me exclude the “Wubi” folders. I got out quick and restarted to verify my Ubuntu install wasn’t messed up. So, never mind on that one. However, when all other attempts had failed, I found the linked page through wikipedia and downloaded a zip file which installed everything you need with the GUI right off. It allowed me to exclude the Wubi folders and defragmented no problem. The only downside to the program after I go it to work is there is a poor visualization of your hard drive (color-coded graphic showing you files). I went back to the Windows standard defragmenter & analyzed the disk just get clear feedback. It does allow you to save log-files of your defrag but the files didn't explicitly state which files had been defragmentated.

3) UltraDefrag: Through Wikipedia’s page on defragmentation, I found this program. However, while it works no problem, it has an automatic exclusion of System Volume files. These files happen to be my worst fragmented files. There’s supposedly an option to defrag system files during reboot but it doesn’t work for me. You get the program flag, an explanation that it’s defragging and a “Press Any Key To Exit” warning. After about ten seconds, it automatically exits and none of the files have been defragged. I am still glad I installed this: it helped during the partitioning phase (see Section II).

So, defragmenting was a bit more complicated than I expected. This is the one step in the process I had actually done before. But somehow, it was the most frustrating & time consuming out of all the steps. Honestly, would it have killed Microsoft to give you the option to exclude folders?!

Backing up my files involved opening the Maxtor software that came with my external hard drive and clicking "Back Up Now". It took 30 minutes (to copy everything). Very straightforward and no problems.


II. Partitioning with PartitionMagic

In the case of your internal drive, you cannot partition the hard drive using GParted. The drive has to be mounted in order to run the operating system. It has to be unmounted to allow partitioning. However, the guys who made Wubi provided a link to a really awesome tool called Partition Manager.

This application lets you access partitioning during boot-up and it basically runs a stripped down Ubuntu desktop. Included are GParted, screenshots, various system utilities and a file manager. It also lets you save you log-files from partitioning. This way even if there's a problem, you can save the files and post them to the help forums. I was really impressed with this tool.

My sole problem involved re-sizing the Windows partition. For some reason, it would only accept re-sizing down to a certain point and if I went beyond that, the operation failed. I even tried re-sizing in two steps (8-9 gigs the first time, another 5-6 the second). The first was OK, the second got the same error as before. I have no idea what's caused this. But, I made sure to make my ext3 partition next to my ntfs partition so that later I can re-size them easily.

Also, something else happened I don't understand completely. When I first re-booted after partitioning, I attempted to go into the Ubuntu install. That did not work. I began to panic. Next re-boot, I tried the Windows install. And the UltraDefrag program earned its keep. While I couldn't figure out how to defrag during boot, it told me my "volume was dirty" and ran some kind of "Check Disk" program. It ran a sequence verifying files, indexes and security descriptors. Next time I tried to boot into Ubuntu it worked fine.

All in all, partitioning was more straightforward than I expected. And the Partition Manager tool is fantastic. I highly recommend it. And UltraDefrag while oddly not useful to me for defragmenting, did clean things up after partitioning so I'm glad I had installed that.

III. Using LVPM

Loop-mounted Virtual Partition Manager was incredibly easy. Probably the easiest major step in my Ubuntu transition process. The whole process from download to re-boot took me less than two hours. The program followed the screenshots and process outlined in the instructions with no deviations or problems what so ever. Honestly, this was the best part about the whole process.

IV. Conclusion

I'm so glad to get this finished. As I've used Ubuntu the last couple of months, I've developed a list of "Things I'll Try After I Finish The Install". Now I can jump into that.

All in all, I'm really very satisfied with the transfer process to Ubuntu using Wubi/LVPM. It did have its problems but they were all understandable and surmountable with a Ubuntu book and study of the help forums. This process has been a real education for me. I've been hyping Ubuntu to all my friends and I intend to continue doing so.

Link to full post.

Krav Maga, 2nd/3rd Classes

2nd Class - Missed (overslept....for an 11AM class) *is embarrassed*

3rd Class - Just got back. Thankfully, I wasn't too far behind. Each session is kind of independent. The instructor mixed it up a bit by holding the class in the parking garage below the fitness center. He had a good reason. Parking garages are common settings for attacks so he thought we should get used to the setting. At first, everybody was a bit uncertain about it.

I have a real problem with over-thinking my moves; I kept stopping whenever I messed up (which would be disastrous in a real attack). AND apologizing when I accidentally hit my "attacker". By the end of the class, I quit doing it. But it does say something doesn't it? You get so used to not using violence that even when it's OK, you are still reacting like you are in a normal non-violent situation. In a real life attack, I won't have thirty minutes to paradigm shift.

Link to full post.

Atlas Shrugged: 50 Years In Print

Fifty years ago today, Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" hit the bookshelves for the first time. I cannot express fully how much reading Rand and "Atlas Shrugged" in particular changed my life.

While I had read and enjoyed her other well-known works ("Anthem" & "The Fountainhead"), it was "Atlas" with it's female protagonist, excellent mystery and absolutely frustrating description of Objectivism that entralled me. I never claimed to be an "Objectivist" per se (indeed I found their occasional dogmatism quite ironic). And a great bit of my intellectual enjoyment of the book derived from the fact I completely disagreed with what she was saying. The Gold Standard? Seriously? That #^@$*%* Radio Speech? Hell, the entire John Galt character?

Agree or disagree, the book engaged me on all mental levels simultaneously. I was emotionally invested in the characters. I still tear up thinking about what happened to Eddie Willers. I was intellectually engaged in the ideas presented, forcing myself to think about WHY I thought the things I did, what was my basis for my opinions about the world, freedom and capitalism. And I felt connected to this author, through the character of Dagny and through Ayn Rand's distinct if sometimes biting voice. As a teenager, I couldn't get over the fact that someone that rational had even been alive in 1957, much less thinking along the same lines as me.

So much of who I am, I first confronted while reading "Atlas Shrugged": The beauty of invention, love of creating something, solving a puzzle. These were implicit, unnamed things always present in me. But reading this book gave me the courage to name, treasure and acknowledge them. I clearly remember the first running of the John Galt Line and the invention of Rearden Metal as moments that made me feel so much, I had to pause. Even now, I still am in little bit in love with the act of invention, the (long-drawn out) process by which you make something. As an engineer I consider myself quite fortunate to have some insight into the mental gymnastics required to produce something and send it out into the world. And the first time I remember loving that process AND knowing that admiration for what it was, came from reading "Atlas Shrugged".

It's a very schizophrenic read for me, more so today than originally. I literally go from one sentence to the next: "That is the most profound & beautiful defense of individualism ever." (reads next line) "What a horrible idea! Wait until I get my hands on this Ayn chick." Also, everyone talks about Francisco D'Anconia's money speech but I greatly prefer his speech on sex. Then & now, I find it quite erotic. It also cemented my life-long crush on the dear wayward copper baron.

Whether it's providing intellectual development, making a teenager feel a bit less alone or infuriating someone enough to go out & prove her wrong, I do love Ayn Rand's masterpiece.

Thank you Ayn Rand for a life-changing, mind-bending and opinion-testing work of literature.

Link to full post.

AWESOME!

Which Female Action Hero Are You?
	You are The Bride. When you get an idea in your head, you simply won't let it go! You constantly search for normalcy, love, and sometimes revenge--and your vicious stubbornness inspires you to fight to the death to get what you want.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Does it say something about me that this test result both makes complete sense and makes me insanely happy?

Link to full post.

Monday Links-Of-Wonder!

Disclaimer: This post was generated while listening to The Cult's “High Octane Cult”. I have no idea what it's done to me.

1) Lost Archimedes Works Found In Re-Used Pages of Medieval Prayer Book. AND these recovered works hint that Archimedes was laying the early groundwork for calculus. And by early, I mean, 2000 years early! There's a book out Nov 1st called “The Archimedes Codex” which describes both the effort to recover the texts and the mathematical importance of what was found. I'm definitely adding it to my “To-Read” list. Fascinating.

2) Using LOL Cat Posters to reveal Deep Secrets. I don't know what to think of this. The Internet does some strange things to social interaction doesn't it? Few of these are funny. Most are quite sad. I guess it's good these people have some way to vent.

3) Underwater Robots “Buzzed” By Sperm Whales. Part One. Part Two. Apparently Sperm whales have been getting a bit curious about all these mechanical interlopers.

4) The 9 Manliest Names in the World. What makes it comedy gold is that they placed a founder of Quantum Physics and a NASA scientist on a list that includes Magnus ver Magnusson. Also, there's someone in the US Navy named COMMANDER FLEX PLEXICO! I love my country.

Link to full post.