Date:	2009-07-01 01:03
Subject:	Recently Read Books
Security:	Public
Mood:	thoughtful

10,000 Year Explosion
Some folks have the idea that human evolution ended with civilization. With no predators or starvation we don't have the selection pressure weeding out the weak genes so our genome will be static. That would be true if we bred randomly. Given that people tend to be very selective there's a lot of opportunity for new genes to propagate through the population in a few generations. This book tackles the evidence of recent changes in the human genome and tells their stories.


The Box
Anyone who reads a book about the history of shipping containers must be a compete geek, right? Well, I wasn't keeping it a secret. But there's a lot more to this book than boxes. Shipping your freight in a container that doesn't have to be opened from factory to customer can by a great savings in time and money. IF, and here's the big if, the whole system is set up to handle 40 foot boxes on ships, trucks, and trains. Without that it's just a box so heavy the longshoremen refuse to handle it.

So we have a history of how companies, vehicles, communities, and government agencies had to change for containers to be effective. Except they didn't change. Almost every company doing ocean shipping before containers went under or was forced to merge. Old ships were converted, then replaced by purpose-built containerships. Ports were abandoned, their traffic taken over by new ones built up from the marshland. Felixstowe became Britian's largest port starting from a minor facility so small the union hadn't bothered to organize it. Unions went from dominating their communities to a handful of crane operators. New York City's longshoremen once could tip a mayoral election. Now the piers hold restaurants and the ships go to New Jersey. Whole systems of government regulations and industry cartels collapsed. The Interstate Commerce Commission wound up being abolished. How often does that happen to a government agency? So there's a heck of a lot of drama in there for a story about boxes. I'd strongly recommend it for anyone interested in how technological changes are resisted by social, commercial, and government forces.


Space Doctor
Harry Stein writing near-term science fiction in 1981. This sort of thing usually ages very badly as technology overtakes it. Well, this one holds up well. Stein wrote a description of building a solar power satellite system from the view point of the doctor treating construction accidents and other aliments of the work crews. There's a few dated moments ("Behold, the marvelous invention of CAD software! And new medical databases you can access over the net!") but all the parts in space hold up just fine. That's because we've made effectively zero progress toward actually building large-scale structures in space since Stein wrote the book. Entertaining reading (as long as you weren't expecting much detailed characterization) but got me brooding a bit on the implications.

Date:	2009-06-26 15:34
Subject:	Is There a Better Explanation?
Security:	Public
Mood:	mischievous

Date:	2009-06-18 20:29
Subject:	Parenting Poll
Security:	Public
Mood:	mischievous

Watching Disney's Robin Hood got 7-year-old Maggie onto the subject of honeymoons and where to go on them. I figure that's a decision to make together with the spouse-to-be. So next time this comes up I'm tempted to say "You should decide that with your husband. So when you meet someone, ask him where he'd want to go on a honeymoon so you can get to know him better."
Poll #1417869
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Is that:

Date:	2009-06-09 17:38
Subject:	Questions Meme
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful

Latest questionnaire, via soldiergrrrl.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My father's friends Karl and Otto. My mom wanted Kevin but gave in to the argument about the three friends vowing to name their first-borns after each other. As I understand it there aren't a Karl Frank and Frank Otto out there so the other two didn't hold to it as forcefully.
( Next 46 cut )

Date:	2009-06-05 12:21
Subject:	A Few Comments on the Star Trek Reboot
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful

I finally got to see Star Trek last weekend. Overall a fun movie. Tossing the existing continuity overboard leaves things open for them to tell whatever stories they want. I'd like to see more good SF movies. But I still have complaints.
( Just in case anyone's still worried about spoilers. )

Date:	2009-06-04 10:47
Subject:	Quote From A Voicemail
Security:	Public
Mood:	calm

"The boat is sinking and you are the only one who can help me out. By the time you get this message I may have drowned but please try to call me anyway."

You'd think I could go to one meeting without someone panicking.

Date:	2009-06-01 16:10
Subject:	Girl Genius Trivia Test
Security:	Public
Mood:	calm

Your result for Transylvania Polygnostic University entrance exam...

Hugo Glassvitch

Take Transylvania Polygnostic University entrance exam at HelloQuizzy

Date:	2009-05-27 17:42
Subject:	Memorial Day
Security:	Public
Mood:	calm

We had our traditional Memorial Day observance on Monday. I read the Gettysburg Address to the kids, preceding it with watching the movie Gettysburg. Well, most of it. It's a bit longer than a six-year-old's attention span. So we ended it with Chamberlain's defense of Little Round Top. Pickett's Charge can wait until they're older and can handle moral ambiguity a bit better. Next year it'll be a WWII movie. Maggie is understanding the issues a bit better but I want to find something clear-cut. Gettysburg is still a good choice for the day. The movie does a lovely job of bringing out the issues people were fighting about with a minimum of lecturing.

Date:	2009-05-21 16:57
Subject:	Pillow Fights
Security:	Public
Mood:	happy

Last night Jamie came up to me in the living room and challenged me to a duel. He was offering a drumstick and a cooking spoon as weapons, which I wasn't thrilled with, so I offered a pillow fight instead. We quickly armed ourselves with cushions from the couch and comfy chair and started swinging away. Maggie promptly got a pillow and joined in. I made sure they weren't going to whack Alanna, who was toddling around enjoying the show. Then the little one picked up a pillow of her own and walked into the middle of us. Just wanted to join the fun. So I tapped her pillow with mine, just hard enough for her to feel it, and went back to whacking the big two as they kept swinging at me. Alanna laughed! She was so happy to be part of the game. So I gave her some more taps until we were all tired of the pillow fight.

Life is good.

Date:	2009-05-19 08:46
Subject:	Another Meme
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused

Though it's not called a meme when the site is asking . . .

Have you ever met or known someone who has the same name as you (first and last) but is not a relative?

There's a few guys out there with my name. I traded email with one who found me through Google. He was a Celtic pagan / historical re-enactor / aerospace engineer with kids. Fortunately we were on opposite sides of the planet or there'd be no telling us apart.

He said all his friends had declared that he was the evil twin. I wasn't going to argue.

Date:	2009-05-12 11:12
Subject:	Progress
Security:	Public
Mood:	pensive

Moore's Law of Mad Scientists* continues apace.



* "Every 18 months, the IQ required to destroy the world drops by 1 point"

Date:	2009-04-23 16:00
Subject:	Symbolism
Security:	Public
Mood:	cynical

Our current "quality" initiative is being promoted with pretty posters in the major hallways. For emphasis the poster are in cases, big glass-front boxes with 3 or 4 inches of depth for the poster to be displayed in. The current version is praising a particular bottom-rank employee for his attention to detail. The posters were put up with weak glue, so they've all come off the back of the box and are slumped against the glass. It's been like that for a couple of weeks now. They're still readable even with all the wrinkles, it's fairly stiff cardboard. But I wonder what impression this "attention to detail" message makes on the test pilots.

Date:	2009-03-25 18:53
Subject:	Dear Anonymous Blogger
Security:	Public
Mood:	irritated

I understand you're upset when people's words don't match their actions. But "hippocracy" means "government by horses" which is a completely different problem.

Date:	2009-03-25 17:55
Subject:	March Gaming Day Report
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful

Last Saturday Tom and Sarah came over with their three daughters. This was supposed to be a fun gaming day for the adults but I think the kids enjoyed it the most. They were bouncing around constantly all day. Linda, fordprfct's mom, added to the commotion by coming by and giving out a bunch of new toys. The pinwheels were very popular.

All the adults gathered around for a game of Monty Python Fluxx. Turns out Linda had never watched MP so we avoided the singing and accent rules to be fair.

Next we played Tom's Race For the Galaxy. I'd been reading about that on BGG and it sounded interesting. The learning curve is a bit steep at first. I spent a lot of time staring at the icon chart. I eventually worked out a decent strategy but by then it was too late. It's a game where you have to play the cards you're dealt rather than pick a strategy and go get the cards to implement it. I really enjoyed it--the mechanics work well with the theme and it's the kind of building game I enjoy. Hopefully we can do a lot more of it.

Power Grid is another game I'd heard about on BGG. It's one of the classic "Eurogames." Fun, but not going to be one of my favorites. It did give our new kitchen table a good work-out between the board and all the card lay-outs. It ran long enough to overlap dinner, and making room for spaghetti on the table made things really interesting.

After dinner we mostly chattered about plans for future WoW raids until it was past time to put the kids to bed. Lots of fun all around. As was the gaming day we had in January with Tom and the girls. We'll have to have the next one sooner this time.

Date:	2009-03-18 09:46
Subject:	Not your typical commuter
Security:	Public
Mood:	calm

Driving to work this morning I merged on to the freeway behind a dawdling tanker truck. Waiting for my chance to pass it I noticed the hazard sign "1.5 Blasting Agents." Wait--is this guy carrying explosives? The company name and motto was written proudly on the tank:

"Dyno Nobel - groundbreaking performance"

Go ahead and drive slow, buddy. We'll make room.

Date:	2009-03-12 01:09
Subject:	Gaming Day
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful

Y'all are invited over to our place for a gaming day a week from Saturday, 3/21/09. This is in honor of fordprfct's latest successful circuit of the Sun, so there there will be desserty-stuff and probably singing at some point.

Please bring any games you'd like to introduce us to. We'll be kicking off at 11am. There will be food and drinks, so please comment so we know how many people to expect.

Date:	2009-03-11 11:58
Subject:	Apparently I Am a Bad, Bad Man
Security:	Public
Mood:	silly

And also not very good at getting away with it.

Date:	2009-02-19 11:04
Subject:	Singularity Quiz
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused

Your result for "Surviving The Singularity" Test...

Date:	2009-02-11 13:54
Subject:	Question Meme
Security:	Public
Mood:	calm

Feeling tagged by celticdragonfly

THE RULES:
Respond and rework/answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, and add one more question of your own.

( And now the questions )

Date:	2009-02-06 01:21
Subject:	Life, the Universe, and Everything
Security:	Public
Mood:	happy

So what have I been up to since Fencon? Playing WoW. Lots. There was this new expansion, arriving just as I reached the end of the existing content that had been built over the previous four years. It's good, too. Very fun game. But it sucks up lots of time and energy that could go into blog posts.

I turned 42 last month. This didn't come with the Answer, but I'm not asking many big questions these days. I'm happy with my life. Sure, I've got complaints and worries but overall this is where I want to be--married to a wonderful woman with great kids. That's what matters. The rest is minor.

celticdragonfly

maggieallen

fordprfct