Posts Tagged: Philosophy & Sophistry
Objects That Come From Nowhere
Posted by on Saturday, January 15, 2005 in - 9 comments
I’ve noticed that there are certain types of items that I never seem to have to purchase. They just appear. No matter how many of these objects I lose, discard, or give away, there will always be more lying around somewhere. • Pens • Mugs • T-Shirts • Mouse Pads • This has to do, I think …
How I Became a Free Software Zealot
Posted by on Saturday, January 1, 2005 in - 15 comments
It started innocently. I started using a free/open-source web browser, then called Phoenix (now Firefox). It seemed to me to be faster, easier, and generally better than Internet Explorer on my Windows XP powered laptop. Soon after, having been unhappy with the performance of Microsoft Outlook …
Cleaning Your Bedroom and Improving the World
Posted by on Wednesday, December 29, 2004 in - 15 comments
When I was growing up, my bedroom was always a mess. Every week or two, my parents would get me to clean my room. I wasn’t interested in cleaning my room, but I had to get it to at least pass a quick visual inspection my mom or dad. • To make sure I passed the informal inspection with minimal …
Lazy Journalism on Buy Nothing Day
Posted by on Friday, November 26, 2004 in - 16 comments
When “news” becomes a product delivered on a regular schedule, press releases and made-for-news events must become pretty attractive to journalists. • Today, most major American news websites are running something along the lines of “Lots of People Go Shopping” as their leading story …
Garment Interlocking Standards
Posted by on Wednesday, November 24, 2004 in - 7 comments
I wrote last year about a simple marvel of real-world standards when a paint-roller handle broke and we were able to screw in a broom handle into the same socket (fantastic!). • I was amused and amazed at lunch the other day by my colleague Peter Rukavina with another simple display of standards …
Weblogs on The West Wing
Posted by on Saturday, November 20, 2004 in - 2 comments
The latest episode of The West Wing features weblogs breaking a news story before the mainstream press. It’s a cute episode in which weblogs pick up a story of a White House staffer test driving a huge SUV right into a brand new Toyota Prius hybrid.
CNN: Election Tied!?!
Posted by on Tuesday, November 2, 2004 in - 6 comments
According to CNN, as of this morning, the election is exactly tied!
PBS Frontline: Rumsfeld’s War
Posted by on Sunday, October 31, 2004 in - 3 comments
Watch the PBS documentary in small streaming format from PBS.org or download the higher-quality bittorrent version • The PBS Frontline special, Rumsfeld’s War, details the internal power struggles that have shaped American foreign policy over the last ten years. The documentary is available, as …
The Descent of the American Empire
Posted by on Wednesday, October 27, 2004 in - 131 comments
Growing up a couple hundred miles from the U.S. border in Canada’s smaller province, I’ve always had a sense that we in Canada have a unique vantage point on the United States of America. From here, we can see that America is a large beast, but we are too close to see the whole thing. Sleeping …
Telling the World About Open Source Software
Posted by on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 in - 10 comments
When I first heard of the idea for the latest community campaign to help promote Firefox, I was a little skeptical. The idea was (is) to ask for donations of $30 from people. With the money, they will buy an ad (hopefully full page) in the New York Times about the 1.0 release of Firefox (coming …