Some Thoughts on Idol Gives Back
By Brian | April 27, 2007
OK, I’ll admit it – my wife and I are American Idol fans. For what it’s worth, we’re not Fanjaya fans; we’re the kind that actually looks for some high quality music from the contestants. So there’s that…
Anyway, last night’s show, Idol Gives Back, was clearly something special. It’s great to see a pop culture behemoth finally do something with it’s marketing potential other than just selling soap. And of course, when the show was over, they got some help from my family as well.
The show was obviously designed to make us think, but the thing it made me think about most rather surprised me.
We’ve all seen many (too many? not enough?) pictures of the African poor – the young mothers dying of AIDS, the children living in mosquito-ravaged conditions, dying of malaria, malnutrition, or just basic neglect. We’ve also seen many pictures of the American poor – particularly since Hurricane Katrina created so many more of them on a single day.
This is the first time in my memory, though, that these two sets of images were set side by side in this way. Watching it, I couldn’t help but notice how much better off the American poor were than the African poor.
The African children were dressed in rags. The American children were wearing clean clothes. The African children had crooked or missing teeth. One of the American children was wearing braces on his teeth, and several were wearing eyeglasses. The African food distribution center was a large room, empty except for a large table in the middle, where dozens of kids were each given what appeared to be a clear broth with some kind of meat in it (hard to tell exactly what it was). The American food distribution center was a modern warehouse with food stacked on palettes, literally reaching up to the ceiling. The facility was staffed by dozens of volunteers, who distributed nutritionally balanced grocery bags to hundreds of families at extremely low costs (e.g., $1/bag). The African school was a group of children in a relatively empty room with a few adults, sharing materials. The American school was well-lit, fully furnished with desks, bookshelves, educational materials on the walls, books, pencils, etc.
This is my third draft of this post, because I’m desperately trying to avoid minimizing the plight of the American poor. I realize that they’re struggling, and acknowledge that they need help to achieve the very basics of life (and, indeed, they received some of my help last evening). What I’m discussing here is the contrast between the two. When discussing the American poor, the goal is usually to elicit sympathy in some form or another, and so there’s never a mention of how much better off they are than those in other places. But the fact remains, each of the African kids in those film clips would trade places with any of the Americans in an instant, and consider themselves blessed to be living with so many riches.
One of the great things about America, I believe, is our insistence on raising the bar. We don’t compare our quality of life to other countries and then rest on our laurels because we’re so far ahead. We set high expectations of ourselves based on what the average American has achieved, and then strive to bring those below that average up to par. It’s an attitude that leads to constant improvement and constant growth.
Bashing America has become a bit of a sport lately. Despite this malaise, and despite that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach as I logged on to make my pledge, I must admit that I felt a bit of pride seeping in. Our poor have it rough, but not that rough. And yet still, we rally together to make their lives better. That’s an American ideal that seems to have thrived when many of the others have been so severely tested…
Categories: Money Talk, Primetime TV | 6 Comments »
Some New Steven Wright Jokes
By Brian | April 24, 2007
I happened to catch him on Letterman’s show tonight. I’ve heard his old stuff so frequently, that it never occurred to me that he’s still writing jokes. Anyway, here are the ones that stuck in my memory. Same old Steven Wright. Absolutely classic:
In school they told me “Practice makes perfect,” and then they told me “Nobody’s perfect,” so I stopped practicing.
Imagine if you could see an itch?
Imagine how weird a phone would look if your mouth were nowhere near your ears?
A friend of mine has a trophy wife, but apparently it wasn’t first place.
Categories: Primetime TV | 1 Comment »
ISBS Tech Guide: The ISBS Review of Windows Vista
By Brian | April 22, 2007
By now, you’ve probably read several dozen reviews of Windows Vista. When I first started using it, I was tempted to join in as well, but I decided I should spend some time with it first and then offer my opinion. So here you go – a review of Windows Vista that’s based on what it’s like to use the OS on a day-to-day basis, not on the results of some laboratory diagnostic test:
It’s Good.
It’s not a buggy piece of crapware, and it’s certainly not awesome, spectacular, or life-changing (anyone who describes an OS that way is either trying to sell you something, or is such an irrational fan of Steve Jobs that he/she would use the same words to describe the iBrick). Ironically, Microsoft’s advertising campaign goes about as far as I would take it: “Wow.” And even then, only “Wow” to a couple of things. In every other aspect, Vista basically does it’s job and does it well.
The first “Wow” is the Windows Aero design. The edges of the windows are translucent, so when you drag one on top of the other, you can see a blurry image of the back window around the edges of the front window. To be sure, this is more cool looking than it is useful, but I must admit, it is extremely cool looking. If the WinXP windows looked like index cards scattered across the desktop, then these look like Shrinky Dinks, or, to use an even geekier reference, like Tom Cruise’s Minority Report computers.
The second, and much more useful, “Wow” is the Flip 3D and Live Icon features. Flip 3D is that three-dimensional rolodex interface that you’ve seen in the advertisements. Rather than using Alt-Tab to cycle through the icons of open applications, Vista lets you use Start Key-Tab (that’s the key with the flag on it – situated right near the Alt key on most keyboards) to see a 3D rolodex of the live content on each open window (including animation, video, moving status bars, etc.). When you recognize the one you want, you just release both keys and that window animates to the front.
All of the other icons in Vista are also improved. When you Alt-Tab, Vista shows you thumbnail versions of the live content, rather than those old, static app icons. If you mouse over the minimized applications on the task bar, you also see these live content thumbnails. IE7’s Quick Tabs feature shows you the open web pages in live content thumbnails. And inside the windows themselves, the icons for unopened files reflect the first page of the document, a thumbnail of the picture, or the first frame of the video, depending on the file type.
I know this sounds like pure “Wow,” but I found it a huge productivity boost in two ways. First, it’s much, much easier to recognize a window’s content than it’s icon/title, which is all you had to go on in Windows XP, so choosing/switching applications is simpler and faster. Second, you can check the status of a long running process (e.g., a DVD burn, a backup, a large download) without having to switch applications and interrupt your train of thought. It’s also noteworthy that these features only run on machines with high-powered graphics cards and fast CPU’s. At lower resolution or slower speeds, these “preview” features would look chintzy and add almost no value, and so Vista disables them automatically.
Another very useful (although much less “Wow”) feature is the breadcrumb functionality in each window’s address bar. Rather than the traditional “tree” structure taking up real estate on the left side of the window, Vista shows you each node in the current path, and provides a navigation arrow for each one. So if you’re currently in the Documents/Excel/Finance/2007/Budgets folder and you want to switch to the Documents/Word/Reports/ folder, all you have to do is click the arrow next to Documents in the address bar and select Word, then select Reports in the newly opened view.
Back on the “Wow” side of the spectrum is the Windows Sidebar. Current OS X users will find it a patent violation familiar, while long-time Windows users will enjoy the slick user interface and the wide array of available “Gadgets.” Microsoft’s Windows Live Gallery will let you browse a few thousand of them, and then download them directly into your Gadget inventory, ready for use. I also downloaded an application called Amnesty Generator, which allows me to convert (most) Google gadgets (intended for the Google Desktop) to Vista gadgets. Between these two libraries, you could easily fill up the sidebar on a portrait-shaped 24″ monitor (more on that in a future Tech Guide post!)
I’m leaving out a bunch of things, of course, and I’m sure there are more surprises tucked away for me to eventually find. Two things in particular, Vista’s search capabilities and its new security strategy, fall so squarely into the “Wow” + “useful” category that they warrant their own Tech Guide entries, so you’ll have to come back to hear about those as well.
Bottom line: if you’re in the market for a new PC, buy it with Vista pre-installed. Everything interesting that happens to Windows (and Windows software) in the coming decade will happen to Vista. If you buy something else now, you’ll kick yourself later. If you’re happy with your current PC, though, then wait a while. It’ll be around when you’re ready to upgrade. If you need some “Wow” before then, go rent Minority Report.
Categories: ISBS Reviews, Tech Talk | Comments Off on ISBS Tech Guide: The ISBS Review of Windows Vista
All the Wrong Things
By Brian | April 18, 2007
Like everyone else, I’ve been listening to and reading about the horrible events that took place at Virginia Tech yesterday.
While this was the most deadly, it was not, unfortunately, the first of it’s kind. This time around, though, the discussion of what happened and how it could have been prevented/mitigated seems to be focused on a strange mix of topics.
One discussion thread is the two-hour delay between the first shooting and the e-mail notifying students about it. There seems to be an implication here that the University’s primary role in this situation is communication, not security – as if the students would have been perfectly capable of defending themselves, had they only known sooner that there was a shooter on the loose. Personally, I’d have been happy if they had secured the campus and not informed anybody, as opposed to the other way around.
Another discussion I’ve seen floating around is about VT’s “open campus,” and whether the ability to walk freely into and out of buildings without metal detectors, ID cards, etc. is worth enduring the occasional tragedy:
It is very difficult, because we are an open society and an open campus. We have 26,000 people here. The best thing that we can do is to have people report anything that they saw that was suspicious. We obviously cannot have an armed guard in front of every classroom every day of the year. What we try to determine is are they kept out of harm’s way by staying in the dorms or staying in the academic buildings. We send out communications by e-mail, we have an emergency alert system to get the word to our students as quickly as we can.
Virginia Tech University President
Categories: News and/or Media | Comments Off on All the Wrong Things
ISBS Tech Guide – Introduction
By Brian | April 15, 2007
As I mentioned earlier, I recently moved my old PC into my older son’s room, and bought myself two new computers to replace it – a desktop for the home office, and a laptop to take full advantage of the wireless network I was now able to setup in the house. It’s been more than four years since I bought a new PC, and as you might imagine, quite a bit has changed in that time. Most notable, of course, was the introduction of Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system, which came pre-installed on both new machines.
The new machines, the new operating system, and a healthy dose of new software has made the last couple of months a constant learning experience. I’ve discovered what “just works,” what requires configuring/tweaking, and what requires a proficiency with Google, the patience to read through user help forums and, occasionally, the right tech support phone number.
Given my crash course in all things new to harware and software, I’ve decided to start a weekly feature here at I Should Be Sleeping – the ISBS Tech Guide. Each weekend, I’ll post an entry on a different technology topic that I’ve dealt with recently, and let you in on all the features, pitfalls, tricks, tips, etc. that I’ve come across in my travels.
I know from my site analytics that posts about technology attract a disproportionately high number of visitors, mainly due to the heavy search engine activity. Google has become Level 1 Tech Support for just about any technical problem, and anything I can do to contribute to the quantity of good information out there seems like a worthwile exercise. Also, I’d like to write down a lot of what I’ve learned in the last couple of months, and this blog seems like a good place to do it. So here’s your guarantee: since I’ll be referencing this guide as often as anyone else as time goes on, I have all the right incentives to make it accurate, complete, and easy to read. Also, it’s free and you get what you pay for. So there you go…
Finally, the ISBS Tech Guide gives me the opportunity to use Blogger’s new Category feature. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a big fan of Blog categories, since so many blogs have them and I’ve never really felt the need to use them. In this case, though, I’m hoping the category view provides a true “How To Guide” feel that can serve as a reference for someone who is interested in such things, but doesn’t have a specific question.
So look for the ISBS Tech Guide each Monday morning, whydontcha? We’ll pick up next weekend with our first technology topic: The Windows Vista Review.
Stay tuned…
Categories: Tech Talk | Comments Off on ISBS Tech Guide – Introduction
No Man is an Island…
By Brian | April 15, 2007
…unlike some homes in the Northeast today. Some examples from Chez Greenberg:
Categories: Random Acts of Blogging | 2 Comments »
Chain Link Blog
By Brian | April 14, 2007
Jeff Porten linked to a blog post from another site, and now I’m linking to his. Why? Because this is f*%^#ing hilarious:
Ask Google for driving directions between the White House and 10 Downing Street in London. Click the link for the full effect, but here’s the good part:
That could be the funniest thing I’ve seen on the web in ages…
Categories: Random Acts of Blogging | Comments Off on Chain Link Blog
Don Imus – the Mourning Show
By Brian | April 13, 2007
As the 2007 NCAA tournament wound to a close, I bet the Rutgers Women’s Basketball Team figured they’d remember this basketball season for the rest of their lives. Other than losing to Tennessee in the finals, it was a dream season. They accomplished (almost) everything they set out to do, and had achieved national recognition for their efforts. They would all graduate from a fine school and move on to successful professional careers, some in the basketball realm, others not. No matter – they would always be remembered as the 2007 Rutgers team – the one that made it to the finals against the mighty Tennessee Lady Vols.
Well, all of that is gone now.
As it turns out, they’ll always be remembered as the women that a popular morning radio DJ made a stupid, racist comment about. The news articles coming out about them now don’t even mention the basketball season, and we’re not even a month past it yet.
So here’s my question: who did this to these poor women? Who ruined their legacies? I would submit that it was not Don Imus. He said a stupid thing that was only heard by his ever-shrinking audience, and most of them probably ignored it or deemed it a lousy attempt at humor. The small minority of folks who took him literally probably brought their own racist and/or sexist attitude to the table to begin with. All the same, he attacked these women without provocation, and he got his punishment – both from the court of public opinion and the unemployment line.
But it was the so-called “civil rights leaders” that affixed the “victim” label on these women for the rest of time. As racism continues its slow decline in our society, folks like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson run the risk of losing relevance. To combat this trend, they need to elevate public displays of racism to “national scandal” status. To do any less would suggest that this instance is somehow less awful than the last one. And so we see a steady stream of condemnations: Trent Lott, Mel Gibson, Michael Richards, Don Imus.
This Sunday marks the 60th anniversary of the start of Jackie Robinson’s major league baseball career. Baseball is acknowledging the day with a league-wide celebration, in which every player on every team 200 players throughout baseball (and of every skin color) will wear Jackie’s number 42 for the day. Yet, there are some who believe that Robinson’s legacy is in danger, because only 8.4% of current major leaguers are African American (more than 40% are minorities – primarily Latinos, as well as a growing number of Asians).
Like Revs. Sharpton and Jackson, I believe these folks completely miss the point. And that point is this: skin color is no longer relevant in becoming a major league ballplayer. Black, brown, yellow and white have all succeeded. Kids of all colors cheer players of all colors, and there is very little talk of who’s in who’s group. What matters is what you can do on the field. That’s why all the so many players are wearing #42, not just 8.4% of them. That’s what Jackie Robinson helped bring about. That is his legacy.
The Rutgers women should be remembered for what they did on the court, not what they said in some press conference or on the Oprah Winfrey show. They’ve earned that legacy. To the extent that it’s been stolen from them, I think it’s a shame.
UPDATE: Apparently, some players felt that having everyone wear the number lessened the impact of it, and preferred to have one or two representatives wear it for their team. Four teams, including the Dodgers (Robinson’s former team), had all the players wear it. All in all, it came out to about 200 people, with at least one on every team.
Categories: News and/or Media, Sports Talk | 2 Comments »
Ladies and Gentlemen, White Trash…
By Brian | April 12, 2007
“My baby’s mother just died and now my daughter and I are an international media circus! Woo Hoo!”
To paraphrase Jon Stewart: We all owe Kato Kaelin an apology…
Categories: The World Wide Weird | Comments Off on Ladies and Gentlemen, White Trash…
I’m Sure Someone Else Is Curing Cancer…
By Brian | April 9, 2007
Ladies & Gentlemen, an update on what Germany’s scientists are doing these days:
The molecules responsible for the characteristic leathery, plastic aroma that suffuses new cars are known as volatile organic compounds. These are regularly emitted from plastics, synthetic fabrics, upholstery, carpets, adhesives, paints, cleaning materials and other sources. Only a fraction of these volatile organic compounds are obvious
Categories: The World Wide Weird | Comments Off on I’m Sure Someone Else Is Curing Cancer…