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February 27, 2008
It's All About Me
Andrew Sullivan writes "We are the ones we have been waiting for". This is a big part of the message that I responded to in the Dean campaign - and similarly, in the Obama campaign. It's not about who's in the White House, although that does make a difference.
It's about me - about what I'm willing to stand for in my family, with my friends and my community. That's where the difference is. If I stand for justice and tolerance - If I refuse to respond to the wing-nut fringe of the conservative or liberal cause - I make a difference.
Of course if an ego-centric leader insists on sending an unprepared army into a no-win conflict, I can't stop that, and it can and will have a dramatic impact on my life. But (and here's the really important part) - that doesn't matter so much. I still need to be tolerant and considerate. It's still all about me...
So go ahead - pick your favorite presidential candidate, and vote in the fall. It's doesn't matter that much - it's all about me.
Posted by pgutwin at 9:32 PM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2008
Everything's A-OK
I'm sure many people have been wondering. It's been a busy couple of weeks, with not a lot of interest going on. Honestly, at the end of the day I'm thinking more about a nice glass of wine and bed - that my have something to do with it.
I drove My Dearest down to Julie's baby shower yesterday (first children at age 45 - twines no less - the mind boggles). Don called saying there was an DN regatta in Mallets Bay that I missed, but there was no wind so it didn't really happen. I'm starting to know the staff at United in Burlington on a first-name basis (aside from making new friends, that's a bad thing), and I'm we're off to NYC next week for My Dearest' Gala Celebration of Life. Beyond that there's more exciting things on tap like sitting on airplanes and in front of my computer (sigh).
The Dem nomination race is getting "interesting". At this point I think most have made up their minds and we should just pull the trigger. It's gonna be close 'tho (you heard it hear first). I'm more interested in the election dialog. Mr. McCain is going to put up an interesting contrast to either of the two Dem candidates.
In general I recommend keeping your fingers crossed - anything can happen, including a lot of good things. Who knows - I could finally find those two DVD's I lost when we moved.
Posted by pgutwin at 9:37 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2008
Whippin' Good Time
I flew over Fermilab today on my way from Austin to Burlington - of course it was all covered in snow, it being winter and all. It's the first time I've seen it from the air, and it's really impressive. With an accelerator that's four miles in diameter, it's pretty easy to spot from the air on a clear day.
I wasn't really familiar with the facility, but a quick virtual tour shows how really cool it is. Kind of makes you want to be an experimental physicist...maybe that's something to consider for my next career if the whole engineering gig doesn't work out.
Posted by pgutwin at 9:26 PM | Comments (0)
February 11, 2008
Bumped
The woman across from me in the Red Carpet club in Washington announced to the person on her phone: "I was on standby for my flight, and they were going to let me on in like two minutes and Rusty Dewees ran up and took the last seat."
Frankly, I'd be kind of proud to get bumped by Rusty, but I'm that kind of guy.
Posted by pgutwin at 7:32 PM | Comments (0)
Not On My Flight Your Not
This guy has, without any question, the highest likelihood of being tore apart by his fellow passengers. Be very careful if you try this kind of thing yourself - watch the other passengers eyes...
The ultimate eyebrow raiser is on the South African Airways flight back from Johannesburg to the United States. ... My solution is to go into the restroom halfway through the flight and change into workout clothes. I then do a full hour of calisthenics, crunches, push-ups and lunges in the aisle of the plane. I’ll ask the stewards for a lot of those steamy washcloths, and then retreat to the restroom for a sponge bath. I’ll sleep like a baby for the rest of the flight.
Posted by pgutwin at 7:26 PM | Comments (0)
February 9, 2008
Der Alptraum der Demokraten
It's very interesting that the Swiss Magazine "20 Minutes" has picked up on the Democratic Nightmare. The article points out that with such a close race, the "Super-delegates" will choose the next president.
I think that's a pretty nuanced understanding of American politics. I simply can't imagine a piece in a US publication that would have any comparable level of understanding of European Politics.
Posted by pgutwin at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
February 8, 2008
Amen
I am conflicted, really conflicted. I'm so conflicted that I can't even bare to analyze my own feelings about Barack Obama. Joel Stein recently captured a lot of this in his opinion piece:
"He's a politician so soft and safe, Oprah likes him. The dude is Urkel with a better tailor.
All of this is clear to me, and yet I have fallen victim...I can't help but feel incredibly embarrassed about my feelings."
Amen and amen.
Posted by pgutwin at 2:02 PM | Comments (0)
February 7, 2008
That Squeel In My Auction
It appears that eBay has a problem with their system. And as any good System's Engineer knows, the first place to look for problems with your control system is in the feedback loop. Well, eBay has made an interesting discovery - no feedback is better than bad feedback.
While open-loop systems can work, they only work well when you can effectively model the input - output behavior of the system. I wonder how eBay's experiment will turn out...
Posted by pgutwin at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)
Off by Four
Thomas Watson famously said that the world would only need five computers. It appears he was optimistic. Personally, I'd be more than happy to not have to deal with the details of choosing, installing and maintaining all the computers in the house.
Once we finally give up and send all our money to IBM, we can concentrate on the next big thing - a reliable connection to the internet.
Posted by pgutwin at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)
February 6, 2008
I Prefer Pi
Someone, someplace has a lot of time on their hands: What is the longest palindrome ever?
Posted by pgutwin at 4:56 PM | Comments (0)
February 5, 2008
Reporting From Vermont...
Honestly...it isn't that super a Tuesday for me today. My initial projection was that it was going to be a regular day, and sure enough, it was. I took a poll of the office staff (me, myself and I), and it was pretty much a tie (I abstained) on what to have for lunch. Finally I decided to have a roast beef sandwich. It was easier than arguing with myself.
There's been a pretty dramatic shift in support here at the house lately for getting up early. Back in the early 2000's, there was what I would call radical support for staying up to all hours and sleeping in "late" which means still being abed after the cows should be milked. But the recent concern with the economy and housing values has caused a dramatic shift in voter preferences, and we now rise without fail before the deer make their morning rounds.
Finally, just because it's not a super Tuesday doesn't mean it wasn't a good one. Super doesn't cook eggs for you in the morning - I'm happy with 'regler.
Posted by pgutwin at 8:59 PM | Comments (0)