My Name Up In, er, Pictures!

OK, this is kinda cool:





Spell with Flickr

Another strong argument for the Long Tail

This excellent article, recommended by BoingBoing is a strong argument for the Long Tail, even though it doesn't specifically mention it. Making Light: The life expectancies of books

Think of all those books, in print for the blink of an eye, unavailable, lost, buried. Why? Greed and stupidity. The concept of the Long Tail tells us that every book ever written would be read by someone, if they easily available and inexpensive.

But publishers are greedy and they want things to never expire from copyright. They might be able to squeeze another nickel out of it. And here comes the stupidity part: if copyright periods were reasonable, they could make untold billions. That's right, billions.

Imagine a system where you could go to a site, say Amazon, and order any book, not just those currently in print. For a small fee, say $.99, just like buying a song from iTunes, you could download ANY book ever printed.

How many books have been printed in human history? Now, multiply that times $.99. Over what period? Probably everything ever printed would be purchased every year. I'm betting the turns would be more often than that. Billions and billions.

What's fair for copyright? As an author, I would be happy for my lifetime plus 25 years. That means I would profit from anything I created, and my heirs would too, and the world would profit forever after.

What about corporations? Here's my radical statement for the day: corporations are not people. They are legal shelters and agreements. Fuck 'em.

long tail, copyright, publishing

Just a little problem with my secret lair

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Nasa team sees explosion on Moon

Nope, just a little problem with security on my secret lair.

Damn you, Mr. Bond!

The Holiday Letter - '06 Version

A happy holiday season to you and yours!

The Narrative Instinct

Sometimes you see something, in an unexpected place, some little, passing idea, that makes one more piece of the cosmic puzzle fall into place. Perhaps it will mean nothing to you, but for me, it is a critical piece of understanding both the universe and my own nature.

The New Yorker: FAR FROM NARNIA: "The day we sat down at the Eagle and Child, Pullman told me about a speech he had delivered in May, 2004, at a colloquium on science, literature, and human nature. In the speech, he speculated on the possible origins of this "very clear and strong" sense he has that there is, inherently, "a right shape and a wrong shape" for any given story. Where do these shapes come from, and how can he recognize them with such certainty? Not surprisingly, Pullman rejects the notion that he's receiving direction from some "higher power" when he apprehends that the story he's working on is either whole or broken. His certainty might be a sophisticated form of cultural conditioning, he supposes, or simply the gift of experience. Because Pullman is an admirer of "The Language Instinct," the book by the evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker, I suggested that, if linguistic grammar is hardwired, perhaps a grammar of narrative is, too. "I don't think that's implausible, but we just don't know," he said."

If you don't know Pinker, get yourself directly over to your local library, better yet to amazon.com and load up, starting with "How The Mind Works" and yes, "The Language Instinct." Oh, and don't forget, "The Blank Slate," where Pinker postulates that we may also have built in modules for ethics as well, centered on the key concept of fairness.

Do we sense the shape of a tale? Do we know a bad story from a good? Damn straight we do! And I don't believe it's just a matter of conditioning. Humans are story tellers and hunger equally for a good tale. And we know when a story is rightly told. Mr. Pullman does indeed know this, the part of telling a good story, that is. We'll have to leave it to Mr. Pinker to ferret out the actual hardware for making it all work.

Thanks to Hedwig for pointing out this excellent article.

his dark materials, new yorker, steven pinker

Will VideoBlogging Become Mainstream?

Recently I discovered that my TiVO (relegated to the living room TV since it doesn't do High Definition) now offers several web options, including the daily video blog, RocketBoom.

It's completely low end TV, but I'll give you this: Amanda Congdon is the Giada Delaurentis of video blogging.

A little cleavage never hurt an otherwise boring presentation.

video blog, rocketboom, food network, amanda congdon, giada de laurentis

Snoopgate: It's now official - George Bush is a felon.

I'm not shocked, but I'm saddened at the revelation the the President has authorized the illegal spying on US citizens. Such arrogance. All he had to do was get a warrant - they were easily available. But Bush and his crew have decided that as President, he can do anything he pleases.

This is not the case. It is now the duty of Congress to investigate and impeach. The President has by his own admission, broken the law over 30 times. Is this not more serious than lying about sex?

I, personally, am fed up with this administration. It's no longer just about politics and culture. This is about the rule of law, our constitution, and the true separation of powers.

snoopgate, Politics

Something else you don't expect to see on the news

"'Now we're going to get snow penises popping up all over town,' he said."

Not unless you show us some snow boobies, first.

Registration Required - bastards. Try anybody for both ID and password.

See on The Obscure Store

Make friends with a librarian

There are many things and people that many of us don't think much about or value for that matter. Very few know and value the importance of librarians in general and research librarians, more specifically.

Joe Kissel reminded me of this today. Interesting Thing of the Day: Membership Libraries: "And there's something else: reference librarians who are positively itching to help you find information. I always have to avert my eyes when I walk by the reference desk. If I make eye contact, I invariably get this guilt-inducing "why-aren't-you-asking-me-where-to-find-old-periodicals" look, and I just can't bear it."

Even more so in this age of electronic data. Yes, there's lots of information at my fingertips. But is it the right information? Is it authoritative? What am I missing that's not online?

Who knows these things? And even better, who can find out? A librarian

Something to add to my Xmas list.

This is exactly the type of thing I have always wanted.
Celestron SkyScout

How cool is that? Of course, I live in Columbus, Ohio, which has to be one of the cloudiest places on the planet, making the Skyscout next to useless here, but it would be a joy when sitting on the beach at Hatteras on a warm July night.

Just imagine a more universal device. I point it at something and ask, "what is that?"

"The object is a Curta mechanical calculator, circa 1950 and appears to be in near mint condition. The current ebay price for a similar object is $635."

Or "That is an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. You are within striking distance and I strongly recommend that you step back an additional 3 meters."

Damn useful thing to have.

In a word: Yes

IS GEORGE BUSH THE WORST PRESIDENT -- EVER?

And you've got to admit, that's a difficult thing to do. Especially when you have really tough competitors for the job like Nixon, Andrew Jackson, and yes, Ronald Reagan.

You and Me and P. B. Shelley

Just the other day Hedwig mentioned Ogden Nash and her delight in reading him. I keep his "Verses from 1929 On" on a table in the guest restroom, along with "I Saw Esaw" and a volume of Frances Bacon. She's right. Nash is a delight.

I had lunch with Hedwig yesterday and lent her this volume. And today she's had a burst of creative energy. My Pash for O. Nash. Great fun.

And here's the old man himself, reading one of my favorites. You and Me and P. B. Shelley

A clear statement on the war

Here is a remarkably clear statement on what needs to be done about the Iraq war:

The Forward Newspaper Online: Costly Withdrawal Is the Price To Be Paid for a Foolish War: "For misleading the American people, and launching the most foolish war since Emperor Augustus in 9 B.C sent his legions into Germany and lost them, Bush deserves to be impeached and, once he has been removed from office, put on trial along with the rest of the president's men. If convicted, they'll have plenty of time to mull over their sins."

I highly recommend the entire short article for your reading.

Would it be alright if we spied on you just a little?

You've got to admit, this is some hutzpah.


I got this email today from Progressive (auto insurance).

"Get $50 for participating in a research study.
As a valued Progressive Direct customer, we're inviting you to participate in an innovative research study. The purpose of this study is to help us reduce the cost of car insurance. And you’ll earn $50 just for participating.

How it works:
Let us know you'll participate by visiting us online.
We’ll send you a TripSensor –- a matchbook-sized device that easily plugs in near your vehicle’s steering column. Just plug it in, drive as you normally do, and forget about it. In six months, we’ll ask you to unplug the TripSensor and send it back to us, and we'll send you $50. It's that easy.
The data you provide are for research purposes only, and will not,
under any circumstances, have an effect on your current or future
car insurance rate.
Participate today and earn $50. Just visit us online today."

No, they'd never just this information to effect my current rate. I'm sure they're just interested in my gas milage. Or how fast I'm driving. Or how much. Or how hard I step on the breaks. Or if my seat-belt is fastened (it always is, by-the-way - that one they can have for free).

No thanks. I don't need fifty bucks that bad.

More Proud Papa

Although I knew this was coming, I had forgotten it was today, and when I turned the page in my morning Columbus Dispatch, I was pleased to see a photo of my daughter, Kathleen, and this glowing article.

High-school student using her bass as ticket to travel

There are fewer pure pleasures as seeing your children succeed. She's chosen, for now, the path of the artist. It's a noble and difficult calling, but I couldn't be happier at her choice.

An Office Cargo Cult?

Something strange is happening at my office building.

Last Thursday I noticed an odd little collection of items in the parking lot. There, in that white-striped corner, next to the handicap parking, I saw a black Swingline stapler, a large binder clip, and a paper clip, all arranged carefully in line. A single thumb tack was placed near them, but not in line.

Nearby, I saw scattered on the other side of the walk, an offering of rubber bands and a black, dry erase marker.

I told Sean about it Friday and we went back down to the parking lot to look at it. As far as I can figure, either a tribe of feral office workers hiding in our building was trying to attract cargo from the office supply gods, or we were witnessing the evolution of paper binding tools. I am thinking seriously of changing my title to "Office Anthropologist."

On Monday, as I pulled into the parking lot, there it was. A large truck from Continental Office Supply, its rear door open, the engine running, but no one in sight. Apparently, the display had attracted the cargo.

But yesterday, the stapler was missing. I suspect the gods will be displeased. If I can find a stapler to "borrow" from someone's desk, I'll try an appease them. I'm also thinking of starting another display to attract different types of cargo. Maybe a collection of MatchBox cars. Or perhaps I can put out some calculators and old Palm Pilots and my first generation iPod.

cargo cult, religion, humor

Penn Jillette is a Smart and Brave Man

I saw this today over on Metafilter

NPR : There is No God

Excellent. Much better than Kathy Dahlen where she claims that "Gazing at that mass of gray nerve tissue, I was unable to reconcile the evidences I had known of self-sacrifice and forgiveness, or even this suicide, with the notion that a human life consists only of one's biology."

I heard Dahlen's essay a few weeks back and it struck me instantly as incredible mushy thinking, but typical of religious thinkers and believers.

It's a tough pill for some to swallow, but as Jillette points out "So, anyone with a love for truth outside of herself has to start with no belief in God and then look for evidence of God. "

Good man, that Jillette.

religion, NPR

Big surpise: Dvorak Doesn't get it

John Dvorak's Second Opinion: Backlash against Sony shows a bigger problem for media - Computer Hardware - Computer Software - Software - Opinion "Writers like myself and my editors make 1/10 the money people can make in the movie or music business for doing about the same amount of work (content generation). Our value is lessened by the fact that we cannot protect the written word from rampant copying. It started with the printing press, bootleg publishing, plagiarism, Xerox machines, email, online pilfering, cut-and-paste, etc., etc. We simply got used to it and live with it.
Sony and all the other big media companies are simply going to have to live with what writers and editors have lived with for some time: a big cut in pay."

It's simply amazing to me that "content producers" can't get over the idea that they'll be losing money. What they're really afraid of is is missing out on potentially making more money. They have the idea that someone, somewhere might not be paying them. What the can't see is that everyone, everywhere, would pay them for access to content (movies, music, radio shows, books) long unavailable. It's the long tail.

I'm sorry, Mr. Dvorak, that you don't make as much money as you think you should, but I hardly think you're only making a 10th of what your worth. From my perspective, what you produce isn't worth paying for as is.

But what about "wanted" pornography?

Leading Catholic cardinal warns parents about buying iPods for Christmas due to porn: "''The technology itself is not dangerous, in fact technology in itself is good,' Keeler said. 'The danger lies in the fact that there are not safeguards or regulations in place to protect children or teens from being exposed to unwanted pornography.' "

Talk about jumping on the bandwagon. The iPod is simply a listening or viewing device. You have to put what you want to see or listen to on their yourself. It ain't gonna just pop up, unasked for (although if you put porn on your iPod, it might show up in embarrassing times.

If iPod pornography is outlawed, then only pornographers will have iPods. Or teenagers. Or guys. Pretty much everyone, just like now.

I drink my coffee black

It's required, being a Murray. The rule is "you can start drinking coffee at any age, as long as it's black." My grandmother, may she rest in peace, would return from the grave and lecture me sternly if I started putting milk in my morning coffee.

I do, however, enjoy "coffee drinks", which I consider treats, not really coffee. And I've learned to ask, without embarrassment for a "grande soy chai latte, no water, extra hot." I just imagine myself Captain Picard ordering a drink from a replicator, "Tea. Earl Gray. Hot."

But alas, some never get over the fear and embarrassment.Lexington Herald-Leader | 11/10/2005 | I drink the coffee but don't speak the language: "We all will drink vending-machine coffee before I speak Starbuck again."

starbucks, Star Trek