Skooch

Gluten Free

2009-12-08T14:31:00.002-05:00

It seems like "gluten free" is the new "hip" way to eat. I have people bring stuff to my house and announce all proud that it's "gluten free!" Yeah, thanks for that.

Unless you have celiac disease gluten is perfectly fine and natural. Gluten is a NATURAL part of wheat, so removing it from wheat requires additional processing. Therefore no food that has had gluten removed from it is going to be a natural, unprocessed food (unless it had no gluten to begin with.)

Gluten is the part of wheat that contains protein. One of my favorite vegetarian meat substitutes is seitan, which is pure wheat gluten. You wash the starch out of the wheat and you are left with pure protein aka gluten.

I hear people say that removing gluten from their diet makes them feel so much better, bla, bla, bla. Maybe it does. But unless you have celiac disease or some other disorder removing gluten from your diet probably does you no benefit at all.

I think the whole "gluten free" craze is probably created by the food industry as another way to get people to buy more expensive foods.

Getting Email Working on My Droid

2009-11-19T13:35:00.002-05:00

Anyone who I have talked to in the last two weeks has heard me complain about the wonkiness of the non-Gmail app on my Droid. It was terrible - sometimes it would update and download email properly, sometimes it would not. Sometimes I had to power the phone off and back on to get it to start downloading the email properly.

I talked to a friend last night who is a long-time Android user and he said that he had always set up his email as IMAP. So I tried that and it worked! Hallelujah!

However sending email properly was not quite as easy. My work server apparently won't relay email from outside the network without a complex series of security settings which my phone doesn't have the sophistication to mimic.

So I tried to send my work email through my personal mail server. The server is smart enough to see that the "from" email address doesn't match the domain so it rejects it, or more specifically doesn't relay it at all.

So then I try to send through my Gmail account, which has worked well for other accounts in the past. The mail goes through, but Gmail changes the from, so instead of saying from "me@myjob.com," it says "from me@gmail.com."

I spent an hour wrestling with this last night, and I got one email through properly. Backtracking from that email I worked out a relatively simple hack. I have at least a half dozen Gmail accounts, and tried sending through all of them. The one that works has my "from" address at work set up as an identity. Thus Gmail does not change the address!

After two weeks I almost have my email working, with the exception that I dislike IMAP. But at least I can now reliably check my email. Not as easily as I would like but it works!

To recap, if you are having difficulty relaying your email through an SMTP server from an Android phone:

Set it to use your Gmail account as an SMTP (smtp.gmail.com, TLS security)
Make sure that the Gmail account you are using as login credentials has the email you want to send from set up as an identity.

One Week with the Droid

2009-11-14T14:09:00.002-05:00

I've had the Droid for just about a week now and I think I've learned most of it's kinks and such. Here are my current thoughts:

This is a beautiful device. It is great at what it does. As a smartphone it is pretty much everything I could ask for. As a business device it is lacking however. My main complaints are with the keyboard, which as everyone has noted is completely atrocious. The touch screen is nice, I've learned to operate it with one hand somewhat.

My other complaint is with the native non-Gmail e-mail program. While the web browsing and Facebook apps and Twitter apps and navigation are beyond compare, the simple e-mail is severely lacking. This was my main use for my old phone - I used it to check email. It wasn't fancy, it didn't render the emails as nicely as the Droid does, but it was simple and effective.

In the morning I downloaded all my email from over the previous night, scrolled through it quickly, replied to anything important, deleted spam or unwanted email and that was it. Bing, bang, boom. Done. With the Droid and the native email program it is far more complex than that. I have to check each account individually, sometimes deleting an email doesn't delete it from the server like it should. Sometimes emails I mark as read come back later as unread. As a business tool the Droid's native email program is severely lacking.

The keyboard makes it very difficult to easily and quickly reply to emails and I find myself putting things off until I am in front of a real computer. The touch screen is kind of wonky - sometimes it's not sensitive enough and sometimes its too sensitive. About half of my emails end up getting sent before I am done with them because I accidentally brushed the screen the wrong way.

The Droid's integration with Google, and the way it integrates contacts, calendar, Twitter, Facebook, email, maps, navigation is incredible. I have no complaints with that whatsoever. I never had that on my old phone, it's nice, but I'd trade it all for a simple, working, basic email app.

I will start to look through the app store and see if I find anything. If I had a good email program this phone would be just about perfect.

Initial Thoughts on the Droid

2009-11-10T15:36:00.004-05:00

I've had my Droid for about 12 hours now. Before that I was using some model of the Palm Treo for at least five years. I thought I'd post my initial impressions of the Droid.

Cons:

I HATE the keyboard. It is terrible. The keys are flat which makes it difficult to type without looking at the keyboard. On my Treo I could easily type by feel alone. Also the keyboard is a bit too wide to type with thumbs alone.
The calendar integrates with Google which is what I had been doing with my Treo. My one complaint is that there is no way to categorize events. I have my Treo integrating with Google integrating with Thunderbird which worked great for keeping everything synched. That still works, but the Droid doesn't allow me to classify events. I usually classify events as "Personal," "Medical," "Business," etc. Being able to see that color-coded on the screen was very useful. This calendar is usable, but not nearly as nice as the Palm's was.
Backup - I know everything is supposed to back up to Google but everything does not. I am going to have to find a way to back all of my data up to somewhere, either the SD card or my workstation or somewhere online. I don't trust a phone enough to leave all my data on it with no backup. I have found several backup apps but apparently a lot of them won't restore the settings and config to a fresh phone, which kind of defeats the point.
Intuitiveness - the Palm was not very intuitive, and neither is the Droid. I am the kind of person who is willing to click (or touch) around to find out how and where to do things and I have had to do this quite a bit to find various settings on the Droid.
Touch screen - I am not a big fan of the touch screen. I almost never used it on my Palm. I prefered to use the navigation button which is only possibly on the Droid when the keyboard is open. Even then you need the screen to do some things. The touch screen has great resolution but it's a bit clunky. Sometimes I need to try several times to get the right level of pressure of whatever to make it work properly.
Google - I am most definitely not a Google fanboy, and while I like the Google integration for me Gmail is not my primary email account and I wish I could get the phone around to my way of thinking.

Pros:

The app store is great so far. I've been able to find the missing functionality with apps that were fairly easily located.
The email is nice. I had some problems setting up my POP accounts, but I was able to work around those (note: not solve them, work around them.)
The GPS and map - I haven't used these yet but this promises to be a huge plus.

All around it is a very nice phone. After five+ years of using Treos I think it will take a little getting used to the new interface. I kind of wish I had waited for the Pre, because I tried a Pre and I liked it (especially the keyboard!) I figure that the Pre may be more similar in user experience to the Treo than the Droid is. But so far I like the Droid.

Update: Some additional complaints:

When using the (non-Gmail) email in keyboard landscape mode there is no easy way to navigate between messages, at least none I have found.
The screen locks too quickly.
I also miss have quick keys to get to the functions I use most. I had these custom assigned on my Treo so I could get to email, SMS, phone, calendar, etc. with one key press. With the Droid getting to these involves several key presses, touch gestures, swipes, etc.

Some very useful apps I have installed:

Astrid - to do list, much better than Google Calendar tasks
Note pad - the free androidware version, not the commercial version
Twitdroid - A decent Twitter client.

Note that just about every app that does anything will want to notify you of anything new happening with the phone beeping, vibrating and in the notice bar. Not only will this drain the battery but it is rather annoying to have the phone beeping every 30 seconds when someone I follow posts a new Tweet. I had to disable a lot of these notifications. I usually prefer a silent phone anyway.

Apple

2009-10-19T16:36:00.003-04:00

Although I have to admit that some of their products are pretty good I still dislike Apple as a company. I have an older 30 GB iPod, I guess they are calling it an "iPod Classic" now. The battery has always been problematic, I mostly use it in the car where it is plugged in to my outlet and the battery can usually last for the hour or two I am at the gym, though just barely.

It takes, on average, one and a half hours for the battery to go from full to half-empty and when the indicator says half-empty the iPod shuts itself down.

I have replaced iPod batteries myself before, and it is a relatively easy process, but I can't afford to buy a new one right now so prefer to not take any chances.

I know that Apple has a program where they replace the batteries. I call the local Apple store and they tell me that they do NOT replace batteries but I can "recycle" the iPod and get 10% off of a new one.

So then I call the Apple Tech Support. They tell me that they can in fact replace the battery, he tells me it will cost $59 + $7 shipping for a total cost of about $70. The guy then suggests that it would be better for me to just buy a new iPod than to repair the perfectly good one I have. He says that this iPod is old and may break soon. He suggests I trade in my fully functional 30 GB iPod for a refurbished 8 GB iPod Nano, which would only cost me $20 more than replacing the battery. And that I buy an extended warranty on the new iPod Nano.

Really Apple tech support guy? I should pay an extra $20 to get a new, tiny iPod Nano that barely has enough space to store my audio books? I have 80 GB of live concerts on my computer, I have to constantly swap them in and out of my iPod. That seems like a terrible idea to me.

I think after all of this I may just get a replacement battery and do it myself again. I could send it to Apple and have them do it but after hearing two separate people tell me that I should just spend a couple hundred dollars on a new iPod I don't really want to give Apple any of my money.

Improve Everywhere

2009-09-23T12:34:00.000-04:00

Potential jumper:

All the Single Babies

2009-09-23T11:42:00.001-04:00

Today's viral video, here if you miss it everywhere else it is going to be:

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

GG Allin

2009-09-22T11:42:00.001-04:00

Jane Whitney interview with the incomparable GG Allin:

Only in NYC

2009-09-21T14:49:00.001-04:00

Wandering around the streets of NYC at 4:30am on Friday morning with some friends after a birthday party we stumble across... Spiderman with a rickshaw? He asks us to get in, and one of us does:

The lighting wasn't great but if you want to see what he does with more light:

I need to find this video again. Woops!

And a short documentary:

Shaun is awesome! People like him are the reason I love NYC!

Regrets: Dave Matthews Band

2009-09-17T14:49:00.000-04:00

Verizon Phones

2009-08-25T13:44:00.003-04:00

Just got off the phone with Verizon Wireless and I asked about new phones they might be getting. The woman said that there is "speculation" about Verizon carrying the Pre but nothing concrete and I shouldn't count on it.

She flat out said that as far as she knows Verizon will NOT carry the iPhone. She said that was all rumors and it was probably not going to happen.

I asked about Android phones and she said she had not heard about that, but in terms of possibilities it was somewhere between the Pre (a matter of time) and the iPhone (not likely.)

She recommended the Blackberry Tour. I'm not a big Blackberry fan. We'll wait and see I guess.

The Fune

2009-08-20T21:56:00.000-04:00

Google Opt Out

2009-08-12T21:08:00.000-04:00

Want to opt out of having all of your information scoured and stored by Google. Google now offers a way to let you:

Google Opt Out Feature Lets Users Protect Privacy By Moving To Remote Village

It's Been a Long Day

2009-07-16T09:55:00.001-04:00

Official State Meal of Oklahoma

2009-07-15T16:26:00.001-04:00

The official state meal of Oklahoma:

MEAL: fried okra, squash, cornbread, barbecue pork, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries, chicken fried steak, pecan pie, and black-eyed peas.

Ummm... Gross?

Housing Market Crash

2009-07-15T16:16:00.002-04:00

Here is an article about Bob Shiller, a guy who "predicted the demise of the housing bubble."

I predicted the bust too... Why aren't they writing articles about me? I started this blog in 2007... I found a post from September talking about the housing bust.

I distinctly remember telling people to get their money out of real estate and into stocks in early 2005, right in the middle of the bubble. I also remember thinking that the bubble was going to pop as early as 2004, which was a couple of years off.

So why are they not writing articles about me? First off I am not an economist. Secondly I did not make millions of dollars off of the housing bubble and bust. If I had thought to short CDOs and MBSs I certainly would have done so, and likely made a pretty penny.

My complaint isn't really about why they aren't writing articles about me. I just don't see what's so special about predicting the housing bust. When you have people taking out huge adjustable rate mortgages it seems pretty common sense that when rates adjust people are going to start to default. That is exactly the argument I was making in 2005.

Instead of celebrating people who have common sense maybe we should be ridiculing people who got caught up in the frenzy and spent their live savings on investment properties to flip? People can be really stupid. Myself included. I did the same thing in the dot com bubble. But I learned my lesson.

Web Site Story

2009-07-13T22:44:00.000-04:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

The Sentimentalist

2009-07-13T16:10:00.001-04:00

The Sentimentalist - watch more funny videos

Cute Farm Animals

2009-07-06T16:46:00.000-04:00

The Murder of Hot Dog Jerry

2009-07-05T19:53:00.000-04:00

Transformers 2

2009-06-24T15:51:00.002-04:00

Some quotes gathered by CNN in an article:

• Eric Childress, eFilmCritic.com: "The single worst film to be released thus far in the summer of 2009."

• Peter Bradshaw, The (UK) Guardian: "Like watching paint dry while getting hit over the head with a frying pan."

• Manohla Dargis, The New York Times: "Cretinous."

• Steven Whitty, The Newark (New Jersey) Star-Ledger: "Can you thwart a migraine for two-and-a-half hours?"

I like the second one the most.

As for me I have not seen the movie and have no plans to see it. Transformers 1 was OK but I took a child to see it. He got upset every time a Transformer got hurt and started to cry when he thought they would die. I had to reassure him that they were robots and would be fine. I didn't even bother to mention that it was only a movie.

Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson Put to Sleep

2009-06-22T12:22:00.001-04:00

Reblogged via PETA Files.

Esquivel

2009-06-19T09:45:00.004-04:00

Back in the 90s I was driving to or from college with a friend of mine. We got tired of listening to my techno DJ mixes and she pulled out this tape a friend of hers had forgotten in her room. It was labeled "ESQUIVEL - Space Age Bachelor Pad Music" and it BLEW MY MIND!

In the 1960s Juan Esquivel a Mexican composer and arranger did these arrangements of music which I find still ahead of the times today. It is 60s lounge music done in a totally psychedelic way. It is like if Frank Sinatra, Tom Waits and The Orb had a bastard child.

I don't think this YouTube video has stereo sound which is a key component of his sound. If you are interested "Space Age Bachelor Pad Music" is a great place to start.

The Clash - Career Opportunities

2009-06-18T13:57:00.000-04:00

Breakdancing in Slo Mo

2009-06-17T10:46:00.000-04:00

Marcio's in the air
Uploaded by s2o-Prod. - Watch original web videos.

30 Rock is a rip-off of the Muppet Show

2009-06-15T13:22:00.002-04:00

I have only seen about 15 minutes of 30 Rock in my life, it wasn't the worst 15 minutes of TV I've watched. I have, however, watched the Muppet Show in its entirety multiple times both as an adult and as a child. This person makes a pretty good case that 30 Rock is a rip-off of the Muppet Show.

Case in point:

Read the post for a more comprehensive analysis.

Seal Slaughter

2009-06-09T10:43:00.007-04:00

I can understand why people don't care about killing cows... People don't make the connection that the burgers you buy at McDonald's actually came from a cow. And they come with toys. But who can support killing poor baby seals?

Vancouver Olympic Shame: Learn more.

I think our culture is pretty messed up as far as our awareness of food. I've met kids who think that carrots are little bullet-shaped things that come in plastic bags. They didn't know what a real, whole carrot was when I showed it to them. They also think that meat comes wrapped up in paper from McDonalds. They don't understand that it came from a cow that was killed, much less the conditions under which these animals live and die.

PETA has a site about the Seal Slaughter. I'm going to ignore the other issues for now.

Wearable Towel?

2009-06-08T16:10:00.002-04:00

I posted the video for someone selling a Snuggie without arm holes called a "Blanket." At first I thought this was a similar send-up, but it has a website and a phone number so maybe it is real? The website sure looks real. Seriously? A robe is too hot and uncomfortable? And you just can't tie the towel around yourself? Really?

Brazilian Job Site

2009-06-05T09:32:00.000-04:00

This is an awesome ad for a Brazilian job site. It is done by Borghierh/Lowe. Whoever these people are I would be surprised if they don't start picking up some major US accounts. This is just brilliant.

Literal Video - Total Eclipse of the Heart

2009-06-04T16:16:00.000-04:00

A literal video of Total Eclipse of the Heart. Not actually an official Literal Video but still good.

Blanket

2009-06-03T16:15:00.002-04:00

I've never actually seen a commercial for the snuggie thing. I guess its a benefit of watching everything on DVR so I don't have to watch commercials.

Blanket! (Snuggie parody) - watch more funny videos

Social Network Usage

2009-06-02T16:37:00.003-04:00

CNN reports that users spend more time on Facebook than on other social networks. I could have told you that. Obviously MySpace is in 2nd place even though I don't know anyone who even uses MySpace anymore. I start to not be able to follow the article when they start listing the other social networks.

The others referenced are LinkedIn, Twitter and Blogger. LinkedIn is definitely a social network... But Twitter and Blogger? Am I confused or is the person that wrote this article or whoever did this study not really understanding what these sites do?

Hitler Flipping Out

2009-06-01T16:02:00.000-04:00

I'm sure everyone has seen at least one of these videos, these two are my favorites so far...

Ten Digusting Fast Food Items

2009-06-01T10:39:00.001-04:00

A list of ten disgusting fast food items that people actually eat. I feel gross just looking at the pictures of this fatty food.

This is why I am vegetarian and try to eat raw!

Kentucky Fried Cruelty

2009-05-29T16:52:00.002-04:00

From the Onion... KFC no longer allowed to use the word "eat" in their advertisements.

WASHINGTON—Issuing a condemnation of Kentucky Fried Chicken's recent Boneless Variety Bucket commercials, the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday fined the fast food giant $600,000 and ordered it to discontinue all broadcasts containing "false and misleading suggestions" that its heated chicken products are intended for consumption.

In keeping with the false advertising subchapter of the FTC Act of 1914, the fast food chain is prohibited from setting its commercials in a kitchen, dining room, or any space generally associated with the act of eating. It is also not permitted to show people chewing, rubbing their stomachs contentedly, or exiting a bathroom stall with a look of relief that suggests they have digested the product. Utensils of any kind are also expressly forbidden, even when held by an animated character.

See PETA's campaign against KFC.

Breaking News

2009-05-28T10:15:00.000-04:00

From CNN.com:

GM, racing against a restructuring deadline, says major bondholders have accepted a revised deal to swap debt for equity.

Looks like they finally came to their senses. Or maybe it was the threat of owing me personally for my losses.

GM Bondholders and Bankruptcy

2009-05-27T14:18:00.003-04:00

I am a GM bond holder. And I am pissed. I bought my GM bonds a few years ago when it looked like the company was going to turn itself around. I didn't buy for steady interest payments or stability. I bought because of the 9% yield and the low price so I take responsibility for my losses. It was risky and I bet on the wrong side.

Apparerently not enough bondholders approved GM's debt for equity offer to keep the company out of bankruptcy. The idiots who turned down this offer are the ones I am pissed at.

Let's look at our options:

Take the offer, accept 225 shares of stock, currently worth $268, but worth over $450 as of Friday.
Turn down the offer and get whatever bankruptcy court decides to give, most likely under $100.

I can understand that people aren't happy with GMs offer, you want more, that isn't a fair offer. The government gets 70% of the company and the bondholders would get 10%. The time for negotation is gone. Thanks to your being offended at the low offer all of us bondholders will now get maybe 10% of our investment, the company goes bankrupt and everyone loses.

So I am going to hold all of the greedy people who turned down the tender offer responsible for my losses, as well as for anyone fallout from the bankruptcy. You can send me a check for the money.

How to Rave

2009-05-27T10:32:00.001-04:00

Real Food

2009-05-26T11:09:00.002-04:00

This is a topic which has been very much on my mind lately... Even what is sold as health food these days is more often than not just a giant corporation trying to sell you some chemical crap by marketing it as "healthy."

Nine-year-old Olivia is a cancer survivor and she is on a mission to find out, What is Real Food? She takes us to the Farmer's Market and to her school. The video has been entered in a "Real Food is" video contest for the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. It's all about getting fresh, locally-grown food into schools.

How the Internet Changed Music

2009-05-21T14:43:00.003-04:00

A Time magazine article on whether the internet has saved or killed the music industry. The conclusion seems to be that some people are taking advantage of the internet to download music instead of buying it, while for others they hear something on the internet and their interest is piqued and they go out and buy it.

I haven't bought any music in a long time. Probably close to 10 years. I do buy records, but I buy used vinyl records so I'm sure the recording industry doesn't really care about that. The music I download is either stuff I already have on record and want for my iPod, or music that I had before and lost the CDs.

I haven't bought a CD in even longer. Definitely over a decade. So, if the record labels want to say that I am killing their profits go ahead. I say make some decent music and maybe I'll consider buying it.

What will save rock 'n' roll?

2009-05-20T15:04:00.003-04:00

In an article on CNN.com Little Steven talks about the sorry state of music these days and how to fix it.

"[Rock 'n' roll] is a craft that has to be learned," he tells CNN. "There are things you learn by listening to great records, copying heroes." He believes that he said some things that people were thinking, but haven't said out loud.

Within that rock 'n' roll world, he worries. Today's bands, he says, look down on performing covers, and as a result many have gotten lost in a musical wilderness. "The result is an extraordinary amount of mediocrity," he says. "There are no standards to live up to."

This brings to mind one of my pet peeves. Not only do people look down on cover songs, they look down on musicians that don't write their own music. That really bugs me.

Division of labor improves productivity. This is one of the drivers of the industrial revolution and one of the pillars of our current economy. The basic concept is that some people are better at some things and if they focus on those things society as a whole will be more productive.

Take me for example - I am good with computers. Someone else is good at farming. If the farmer starts trying to write computer programs and I try to start growing my own food we will both be wasting our time and decreasing overall productivity.

Similarly some people are good at playing instruments, some people are good at singing, and some people are good at writing music. To get the best possible music we have everyone do the thing that they are the best at. Sinatra didn't write his songs. Ella Fitzgerald didn't write her own music.

The whole singer-songwriter thing really just started in the 60s. Up until then the performers didn't write their own music. Since then it has become a requirement to be taken seriously as a performer that you write your own music. This is ridiculous. The people who can sing should sing, the people who can play saxophone should play saxophone, the people who can play piano should play piano. I'm sure Charlie Parker could play the piano but who would want him to when he can play the sax like he did?

Division of labor becomes a bit muddy in the arts because in order to write music you need to understand music and this probably involves playing an instrument. I guess the people who are technically good at playing their instruments start to think they should be writing songs and the people who write the really good songs want to perform them. That's fine with me... It just bugs me when people look down at musicians for not writing their own music. If we want the best music possible let people do what they do best.

Hipster Owls

2009-05-18T16:26:00.000-04:00

Let those hipster owls know what's what.

Apple iTunes and Windows

2009-05-16T21:13:00.004-04:00

I hate Apple. Why can't they make products that work for me instead of making me work for them? Why do I have to switch my wireless carrier to use their phone? Why can't I just use iTunes to give them my money without having to upgrade my OS or use their hardware?

My specific complaint is with iTunes on Windows XP x64, a stable, usable platform that has been stable for years. The only 64 bit Windows OS Apple supports is Vista, which is an unstable mess of a failure. Microsoft has all but disinherited Vista.

Not only that but in order to try to buy a single stupid song I had to uninstall a hacked, but working version of iTunes to try to upgrade, which I did on the incorrect premise that Apple had maybe finally written a 64 bit version of their installer, spend hours trying to rehack the 8.1 iTunes installer before giving up in frustration.

Now I have no iTunes on my machine, Apple didn't get my $1.99 or whatever for the song. Luckily Winamp has written an application which actually works which allows me to manage my iPod without iTunes, as I was never able to get iTunes to recognize my iPod with my hacked installer.

RC Glow

2009-05-13T10:20:00.001-04:00

This is real marketing:

Google Elmer Fudd

2009-05-06T09:35:00.001-04:00

Google in Elmer Fudd language:

They also have Klingon and Pig Latin.

Story of the Guy Who Blew Up Wall Street

2009-05-05T16:30:00.002-04:00

This is an interesting story by the guy who wrote the software that made CMOs doable, and indirectly contributed to the financial crisis. Interesting article, although I suspect if he hadn't done it someone else would have.

Suggestions for Facebook

2009-05-05T11:14:00.002-04:00

When I signed up for Facebook a few years ago I thought it was just a passing thing. I sign up for pretty much anything that's new just to keep up with the new technology and ideas. In the last year or so it seems that a lot of people I know have signed up and friended me and it has actually become a semi-useful tool for finding old friends.

I don't use it to keep in touch with people, I find people and then I keep in touch with them myself. The reason for this is privacy. The privacy settings are weak at best.

My main issue is that out of my 200 and some friends, maybe 20 of them are what I call "real friends," people that I actually know and talk to and email and really care about. Another 30 or so are what I call "semi-friends," these are people that I don't actively keep up with but care about keeping in touch with. The rest are "acquaintances," people I either knew in elementary school, or know in passing, but don't really keep up with, or care about keeping up with, other than those 30 seconds after they friend me where I say "how about that! I haven't heard from this person in 20 years!"

This causes several problems... First of all when Facebook suggests people I may know there is a big difference between someone who is friends with 10 of my "real" friends or even my "semi-friends" and someone who is friends with 40 of my "acquaintances." Facebook doesn't differentiate between these and as a result the suggestions of people I may know has become useless.

The other problem is that the privacy settings let me set privacy levels for the following groups of people:

Everyone
Friends
Friends of Friends
My Networks
Combinations of these

It does not differentiate between my custom lists of people (coworkers, high school friends, college friends, real friends) nor does it differentiate between my self-defined groups of "real friends" versus "acquaintances." I may want a real friend to be able to see my phone number but I don't want an acquaintance to even know where I work. The only way I can accomplish this is to be the most restrictive (not give out my information to anyone).

I know that Zuckerberg wants Facebook to mirror real social relationships, the "social graph" as he so often refers to it. My primary benefit from Facebook is reconnecting with people I haven't spoken to or seen or heard from in years. Some of these people I was good friends with and want to stay in touch with. Others are people I bumped into in the hallways of high school, and don't really care about keeping in touch with, but still want to have an idea what is going on with them. I don't want to limit my friends to only the people I would consider "real" friends because that would eliminate the majority of my benefit from using Facebook.

I never update my status. First off I don't care who is eating a taco for lunch and I don't want other people to know what I am eating for lunch. Secondly if there is anything I really do want my friends to know chances are I don't want my acquaintances to know it, or prefer to not share it with them.

So I would suggest that Facebook does the following:

Differentiate between real friends and acquaintances. This would be for purposes of categorizing friends, showing updates in the news feed, and suggesting people you may know. This would also be useful for privacy settings.
Allow privacy settings to be configured for user defined lists of friends. This would give me a level of control to let people know what I want them to know and would give me some more freedom to share information that I right now do not feel comfortable sharing.

Outsourcing

2009-05-02T13:19:00.000-04:00

This is a joke, but seriously, this is the way to go:

"I take the money I would spend on coffee and pay someone in India to do it.

Free Hugs

2009-05-01T15:34:00.000-04:00

Swine Flu

2009-04-30T14:38:00.000-04:00

Stephanie Naumoska

2009-04-29T11:08:00.003-04:00

A Miss Universe contestant in Australia has been criticized by the media and everyone else as being "too thin."

Australia's Miss Universe contest was thrown into controversy yesterday when doctors and dieticians complained a losing finalist was "skin and bones" and dangerously malnourished.

This site asks:

We’re just wondering why Megan gets praised for her size zero figure but other models (like Miss Australia Stephanie Naumoska) who appear to be the same size as Ms. Fox are criticized and scrutinized for their pin-thin form. Doesn’t really seem fair if you ask us!

And this paper comments:

So how do we (that's all of us in a very wide sense) provide the correct role models for people to aspire to? Where does "healthy" lie, mentally as well as physically? And where do newspapers come in? Can we only use pictures of "Goldilocks" women? (not too fat, not too thin). Do we simply aim to use a range of body shapes, excluding the extremes at both ends? Or does using the extremes a) reflect the truth out there (and that is what newspapers are supposed to do) and b) perhaps by their shocking nature act as a deterrent?

And then goes on to say that as a society we are too obsessed with food.

The offending pictures:

As a man who is 5' 11" and about 135 lbs I have some thoughts on this matter. Everyone tells me I am too thin. I eat very healthy, I avoid processed food and eat mostly fruits, vegetables and other whole foods. I wish I could gain some weight but I have to put energy into maintaining my current weight. If I didn't do that I would just lose more weight. People tell me I need to gain weight and I probably could if I wanted to eat all sorts of nasty junk food. However I feel good, I feel healthy and I would rather stay thin and feel good than eat junk food, feel crappy and gain some weight to make other people happy.

I go to the gym a couple times a week and do weight training to try to build some muscle, if I stopped doing that I would probably lose even more weight. I don't do cardio because I don't want to burn any of my barely existent fat. I don't know why I am so thin - part of it is likely due to my metabolism which has kept me thin for most of my life. The rest is likely due to my healthy and natural diet. I must admit that when I was eating a lot of junk and processed food I did weigh more, but I refuse to put that chemical garbage in my body for the sake of putting on weight.

I understand what it is to have everyone telling you that you need to gain weight, that you are too thin. Most people struggle to keep their weight down and don't understand that I have to struggle to keep my weight up. I don't know anything about this Stephanie, I don't know how she eats, how much she exercises, whether she gets proper nutrition. But I am always bothered by people making assumptions about other people and then criticizing them and getting all worked up about it. Honestly I do not find her attractive, she does look emaciated. Most likely she has come to accept herself as she is, just like I have, and not worry about what other people think. I can't imagine she wouldn't want to gain some weight, maybe she has the same difficulty doing that as I do.

People please... Unless you have the knowledge necessary to make decisions and pass judgements don't do it! Unless you know her, know what she's like, know what she eats you have no business condemning her for her appearance.

A co-worker sent me this

2009-04-27T14:09:00.001-04:00

It probably won't be funny to anyone other than the people I work with, but if you work with me this is incredibly hysterical!

The Hail Satan Network

2009-04-24T15:56:00.000-04:00

Another from Mr. Show:

East Coast vs. West Coast Ventriloquism

2009-04-23T15:51:00.001-04:00

From Mr. Show:

I Turned $3,000 Into $210,000

2009-04-21T15:40:00.004-04:00

No, I actually didn't at all. But I read this article about someone who did, and it bears a striking resemblance to my own story.

Over the next several years, the stock went up and down, sometimes significantly -- but I held on. It mostly went up, and it split and split. I remember checking my portfolio regularly -- several times a day! -- to see how rich I was becoming. Near the stock's peak, I had a 70-bagger! My $3,000 investment had turned into $210,000. If it doubled in value only twice more, I'd be (almost) a millionaire! All from a measly $3,000 investment.

Did I sell shares along the ride up? No. (Some of us don't know when to cut our losses.) Did I sell at least some near the top, when my mom told me to? Nope. (That strange thudding sound you hear is me banging my head on my desk. The silence is my mom, biting her tongue.) I held on.

I started investing in 1998 as the dot-com bubble was nearing a peak. I was putting as much of my paycheck into the market as I could afford and the numbers just kept going up and up. I got into an IPO (for Allaire, if anyone remembers that) at $20 a share and the stock split and was trading at $120 a share. I don't remember how much my portfolio was worth but it was probably close to $150,000 from an initial investment of $40,000 or $50,000.

I had no experience investing and I was young and stupid and naive. When the bubble started to pop I held on, only selling as required to meet margin calls. I remember in September of 2000 my portfolio was worth about $100,000 and I was thinking I would sell if I could get back up to $120,000 or something.

As we all know the market continued to plummet, and I lost my shirt. I had to take out some money for living expenses. Right now that same account that once was worth 6digits is worth maybe $5,000 net. Granted I made some spectacularly bad decisions since then, and what could have been worth millions ended up losing me money, but most of the damage was done when the bubble popped.

Now I think I am too cautious of an investor. Whenever I take a risk it blows up in my face. A few years back, when Google went public I made 100% profit on some GOOG call options. I bought some more and lost not only the profit, but also the initial investment and then some. So I don't take too many risks anymore. The biggest risk I've taken in years is buying C when it was close to its bottom (I already had a position and wanted to average the cost down). Oh, and I bought some GM bonds for their high yield back when it looked like they would turn the business around a couple of years ago.

One of my coworkers was telling me yesterday that DRYS was trading at $120 a few months ago and now it is down at $5. He said if it made back even some of its losses it would be a big winner. I remember thinking the exact same thing about JDSU when it was down from $120 to $15. Now it's down around $5.

What kills me is that I could have still kept most of my profits from that first bubble if I'd only known about something as simple as stop loss orders. Of course then I try putting stop loss orders on my positions and they end up being sold after the price dips for one trade and then goes back to the normal trading range. And then after the stop is triggered the price shoots up. So then I stop putting stop losses and wish I hadn't.

So I no longer try to "play" the market. I don't listen to advice or recommendations from anyone. I didn't make much money in any of the bull markets since 2000. Lately I've been buying stocks with solid dividend yields, basically investing like a retiree. But I can sleep at night, even when my portfolio is down 50% (which was oh, about a month ago).

I'm a pretty smart guy, but it seems like every investment I make ends up losing me money, I guess I'm smart enough to not make them anymore.

Disturbing Strokes

2009-04-21T14:31:00.001-04:00

The opening to Different Strokes with different music and some video editing.

Fou Do Fa Fa

2009-04-19T21:20:00.001-04:00

Slightly amusing as I speak French, but my friend things it's the greatest thing ever (he's Swiss German, so they have weird senses of humor, I guess):

And of the course the song that kind of sums up their humor, personas, and the whole attitude of the show into one song: "You're So Beautiful"

If You're Into It

2009-04-19T21:14:00.002-04:00

This is the first thing I heard of the Flight of the Conchords. I saw the video on YouTube, watched it three times, then started watching the show. I was sick so I watched the entire first season to date in that one day.

Meat and the Environment

2009-04-17T09:33:00.000-04:00

Is Your Diet Causing Climate Change?
Watch PETA's Video on the Diet-Environment Connection.

Flight of the Conchords

2009-04-15T13:27:00.003-04:00

Saw them last night at Radio City. The opened with "Too Many Dicks (On the Dancefloor):"

Closed the second encore with "The Humans Are Dead:"

And with "Business Time." I can't remember which was last:

Great show, even my friend who was not a rabid fan was "thoroughly entertained." Rabid fans like myself and some of my other friends were incredibly happy. I got my "Humans are Dead," I did not get "Rock the Party". My friend didn't get his "Foux Da Fa Fa." They played more of their new stuff, not much older stuff from Season 1. I will definitely be going back next time they are in town.

Republican Plan to Economic Recovery

2009-04-10T15:44:00.000-04:00

In analyzing the alternative budget proposals of the Republican Congress
members, I found this map to illustrate the Republican's alternative road to
national recovery.

Obama Depressed, Distant Since 'Battlestar Galactica' Series Finale

2009-04-09T15:14:00.001-04:00

From The Onion, Obama has been depressed since Battlestar Galactica ended.

Since the end of the series, Obama has reportedly brushed off key budgetary decisions, ignored his wife and children, and neglected his daily workouts, claiming that he no longer cares if he lets himself go "just like Lee did before the rescue on New Caprica."

In addition, sources confirmed that instead of meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Monday, the depressed president sat alone in the Oval Office, scouring Internet message boards for posts by other fans about the series conclusion.

Dancing in the Train Station

2009-04-08T15:46:00.001-04:00

If this wasn't an advertisement for whatever it is it would be incredibly awesome. I can only imagine how cool it would be to see something like this at Grand Central during the morning commute. It would totally make my day, or maybe even my month.

Cadie

2009-04-01T13:46:00.003-04:00

Cadie is Google's new AI. It loves Pandas as it states on its blog.

It also has a YouTube video:

Google is really outdoing itself with the April Fools stuff this year.

UPDATE - Cadie was deactivated on the evening of April 1st. Boo hiss!

April Fools

2009-04-01T13:16:00.000-04:00

I remember watching this on TV in Switzerland when I was a kid. It's apparently one of the first April Fools hoaxes by a major media outlet. It's about how the spaghetti crop in Switzerland was below average in 1957. It is a full video and was awesomely funny.

Alpine Legend

2009-04-01T12:23:00.001-04:00

Alpine Legend is doing for Swiss music what Guitar Hero did for rock.

Guardian switches from print to twitter

2009-04-01T11:58:00.001-04:00

Consolidating its position at the cutting edge of new media technology, the Guardian today announces that it will become the first newspaper in the world to be published exclusively via Twitter, the sensationally popular social networking service that has transformed online communication.

"[Celebrated Guardian editor] CP Scott would have warmly endorsed this - his well-known observation 'Comment is free but facts are sacred' is only 36 characters long," a spokesman said in a tweet that was itself only 135 characters long.

A mammoth project is also under way to rewrite the whole of the newspaper's archive, stretching back to 1821, in the form of tweets. Major stories already completed include "1832 Reform Act gives voting rights to one in five adult males yay!!!"; "OMG Hitler invades Poland, allies declare war see tinyurl.com/b5x6e for more"; and "JFK assassin8d @ Dallas, def. heard second gunshot from grassy knoll WTF?"

Google April Fool's

2009-04-01T08:38:00.001-04:00

It was a pretty easy one to spot this year...

GMail Autopilot automatically responds to your emails:

Sheep LED Displays

2009-03-30T11:54:00.001-04:00

Star Wars

2009-03-26T13:56:00.000-04:00

The plot of Star Wars as told by someone who hasn't seen it.

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Downloading Music

2009-03-23T16:09:00.002-04:00

From Modernhumorist.com

Underground Resistance

2009-03-20T16:22:00.001-04:00

Taxing AIG Bonuses

2009-03-20T09:53:00.002-04:00

I am all for the outrage on AIG paying out millions of dollars in bonuses. I will even suspend my usual arguments about free market economies because this is a special case where if the government hadn't stepped in the company would have gone bankrupt and I would be slightly poorer than I am now as I would lose the $500 or so my AIG shares are worth.

If we don't want AIG to spend our money on bonuses that is fine, as shareholders we have a say as to how the company is run. The government could even just mandate that firms that get bailout dollars not pay exorbitant bonuses - I actually thought that had already been done, I guess it was not done retroactively.

Trying to recoup that money via taxes is a terrible idea. Absolutely terrible and stupid. In my opinion this is one of the biggest misuses of legislative power I have ever seen. The tax code is a tax code, not a method for implementing policy, and especially not a method for addressing people being pissed off.

By modifying the tax code Congress is able to implement a retroactive law, which is usually specifically prohibited by the Constitution. I am way more pissed off at Congressional Democrats for pandering to the pissed off people by using a completely ridiculous, unethical and illogical method to get back money than I am at AIG for paying that money in the first place.

For once in my life I hope the Republicans who are opposing this law succeed. This is a gross violating of the Constitution, and I am appalled that people actually support this subversion of the intent of the law.

Will Google's Purity Pay Off?

2009-03-19T11:38:00.003-04:00

Article on how Google is going to make money from Dec. 2007. This was back when Google was a young upstart company, before "Google" was a verb, and when geeks used to tell others about this great new search engine they had found.

How times have changed...

Verizon

2009-03-18T15:46:00.002-04:00

Anyone who has dealt with Verizon might share this guy's frustration. Despite all of that I do think it's the best wireless service I have ever dealt with:

Flames on the side of my face

2009-03-18T09:44:00.002-04:00

A funny line from a great movie I loved as a kid.

ThruYou

2009-03-12T16:18:00.001-04:00

This is a guy mixing various YouTube music clips together to create new tracks, along with videos. A simple concept, with great results.

Mahna Mahna

2009-03-03T21:39:00.002-05:00

The original 1969 Sesame Street version:

The classic 1977 version from the first episode of the Muppet Show:

And the original version from some Swedish film, possibly adult related:

Women Know Your Limits

2009-02-27T11:15:00.000-05:00

Why I Don't Eat Fast Food

2009-02-17T08:38:00.001-05:00

I wouldn't eat fast food anyway, and I don't eat meat, but this is just another reason for people to avoid these places.

McCruelty: I'm Hatin' It--Learn More.

Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman

2009-02-12T14:12:00.001-05:00

This has gone from an uncomfortable joke to a full on Andy Kaufman thing. I personally hope it's real. That would be awesome.

The Economy

2009-02-10T12:06:00.003-05:00

You know the economy is getting really bad when illegal immigrants are going home. While it's a bit amusing, this is seriously pretty bad news.

Bill Hicks on Dave Letterman

2009-02-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

2009-01-12T14:15:00.001-05:00

Obama's First 100 Minutes in Office, as described by Mad Magazine or Comedy Central, or I'm really not sure who.

The Secret

2009-01-09T11:40:00.000-05:00

A review of The Secret from Amazon:

Please allow me to share with you how "The Secret" changed my life and in a very real and substantive way allowed me to overcome a severe crisis in my personal life. It is well known that the premise of "The Secret" is the science of attracting the things in life that you desire and need and in removing from your life those things that you don't want. Before finding this book, I knew nothing of these principles, the process of positive visualization, and had actually engaged in reckless behaviors to the point of endangering my own life and wellbeing.

At age 36, I found myself in a medium security prison serving 3-5 years for destruction of government property and public intoxication. This was stiff punishment for drunkenly defecating in a mailbox but as the judge pointed out, this was my third conviction for the exact same crime. I obviously had an alcohol problem and a deep and intense disrespect for the postal system, but even more importantly I was ignoring the very fabric of our metaphysical reality and inviting destructive influences into my life.
My fourth day in prison was the first day that I was allowed in general population and while in the recreation yard I was approached by a prisoner named Marcus who calmly informed me that as a new prisoner I had been purchased by him for three packs of Winston cigarettes and 8 ounces of Pruno (prison wine). Marcus elaborated further that I could expect to be [...] raped by him on a daily basis and that I had pretty eyes.

Needless to say, I was deeply shocked that my life had sunk to this level. Although I've never been homophobic I was discovering that I was very rape phobic and dismayed by my overall personal street value of roughly $15. I returned to my cell and sat very quietly, searching myself for answers on how I could improve my life and distance myself from harmful outside influences. At that point, in what I consider to be a miraculous moment, my cell mate Jim Norton informed me that he knew about the Marcus situation and that he had something that could solve my problems. He handed me a copy of "The Secret". Normally I wouldn't have turned to a self help book to resolve such a severe and immediate threat but I literally didn't have any other available alternatives. I immediately opened the book and began to read.

The first few chapters deal with the essence of something called the "Law of Attraction" in which a primal universal force is available to us and can be harnessed for the betterment of our lives. The theoretical nature of the first few chapters wasn't exactly putting me at peace. In fact, I had never meditated and had great difficulty with closing out the chaotic noises of the prison and visualizing the positive changes that I so dearly needed. It was when I reached Chapter 6 "The Secret to Relationships" that I realized how this book could help me distance myself from Marcus and his negative intentions. Starting with chapter six there was a cavity carved into the book and in that cavity was a prison shiv. This particular shiv was a toothbrush with a handle that had been repeatedly melted and ground into a razor sharp point.

The next day in the exercise yard I carried "The Secret" with me and when Marcus approached me I opened the book and stabbed him in the neck. The next eight weeks in solitary confinement provided ample time to practice positive visualization and the 16 hours per day of absolute darkness actually made visualization about the only thing that I actually could do. I'm not sure that everybody's life will be changed in such a dramatic way by this book but I'm very thankful to have found it and will continue to recommend it heartily.

Artifact from the Future

2009-01-06T08:33:00.002-05:00

I find Wired's Artifacts from the Future particularly relevant given my interest in Ethical Eating.

George Carlin on Mad TV

2008-12-30T13:48:00.000-05:00

This is funny. I loved George Carlin. Saw him do standup a couple of times.

If the Matrix was on Windows

2008-12-30T11:13:00.000-05:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Befriend a geek

2008-12-24T14:42:00.001-05:00

Truck & SUV Sales Are Back Up

2008-12-22T15:18:00.005-05:00

In a remarkable turn of American stupidity it appears that sales of SUVs and trucks are back up again, based on this article from CNN. I guess people don't learn from the past.

I am starting to think that the conspiracy talk I have heard about how the oil companies and OPEC manipulate gas prices might be true. The theory says that gas prices go up, people start buying and making fuel efficient cars, then OPEC reduces gas prices to drive the fuel efficient cars out of business, and then prices go back up.

This happened in the 70s, with the oil crisis then. After having to wait on line to get their gas rations people started buying smaller, more efficient cars. Then gas prices came down and everyone started buying big SUVs and trucks, and then rinse and repeat.

I find it remarkably stupid that people are going to fall for this again. You must be incredibly short sighted to think that gas prices are going to stay down. I guess Americans are blinded by the "great deals" the automakers are offering. Apparently these incentives are enough to make people forgot about the imminent bankruptcy.

I am reminded of someone I once knew who would buy anything if it seemed she was getting a good deal. She would go to Walmart for a tube of toothpaste and come out with $200 worth of junk, but all of the junk was "on sale," so she thought that by not buying it she would be "losing money." (I say "on sale" because for all I know the stores are just making up "full prices" and putting them next to things to make it seem like the sticker price is a discount.) It's kind of a twisted way to look at things, but it's perfectly in line with being a good little consumer and credit card user, as we are instructed to be by corporate america.

Flight of the Conchords

2008-12-18T23:20:00.000-05:00

My favorite new HBO series is back soon. HBO released the premiere on FunnyOrDie, which I find a bit odd. I can see them streaming it on their site, but on a different site?

Anyway I am very excited. I missed this show when it first came out, but then last winter I was sick and stuck in bed. I watched one episode On Demand and loved it and had watched all of the episodes by the time I was better.

Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos

Credit Crunch Jokes

2008-12-18T10:47:00.001-05:00

List of 20 Hilarious Credit Crunch Jokes, published in October. Some of my favorites:

Q: What’s the difference between an investment banker and a large pizza?
A: A large pizza can feed a family of four.

“This is worse than a divorce. I’ve lost half my net worth and I still have a wife.”

Why have real estate agents stopped looking out of the window in the morning? Because otherwise they’d have nothing to do in the afternoon.

Jon Hamm Interview

2008-12-16T16:30:00.000-05:00

Mad Men is one of my top 3 favorite shows after I watched the season 1 marathon before Season 2 started. I haven't watched Season 2 at all yet but I have it on my DVR. This interview is hilarious:

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis by Between Two Ferns

Internet Dating

2008-12-12T16:57:00.000-05:00

From Fail Blog:

Santa's Baby

2008-12-08T09:20:00.001-05:00

Trippy Christmas Lights

2008-12-04T15:50:00.001-05:00

A great, trippy Christmas lights display. I don't know if this is real or if someone sped up or faked the video or something.

American Airlines now charging non-passengers

2008-12-03T12:24:00.001-05:00

From the Onion.

FORT WORTH, TX—Cash-strapped American Airlines announced a new series of fees this week that will apply to all customers not currently flying, scheduled to fly, or even thinking about flying aboard the commercial carrier.

The fees, the latest introduced by American Airlines in a continuing effort to combat its financial woes, will take effect on Monday. According to company officials, these charges will include a $25 tax on citizens traveling with any other airline, as well as a mandatory $30 surcharge for passengers who decide to just stay home for the holidays instead.

Sarah Palin

2008-12-02T15:56:00.001-05:00

Cave of Crystals

2008-11-25T12:25:00.000-05:00

Not from a movie, this is real...

China's Andy Rooney

2008-11-25T11:31:00.001-05:00

Chinaâ��s Andy Rooney Has Some Funny Opinions About How Great The Chinese Government Is