Sabbath

As the Economist said, blogging is no longer what it was, because it has entered the mainstream. This does not explain the dearth of contributions to my online oeuvre. I wonder if I have run out of vitriol. Have I become a safely dull professional with insipid opinions? I surely have not run out of curiosity. I have become a consumer – not a creator, not even a repeater. I am a gravitational singularity. What happened to posting a picture here and an article there? What happened to highlighting and synthesizing? What happened to descriptive observation?

More than neck roles

Did someone poop their pants?

Yup, over here, that was me.

The Art of Management

Staying at the top
Mao and the art of management
Dec 19th 2007
From The Economist print edition

... The disparity between Mao's performance and his reputation is instructive, for behind it are four key ingredients which all bad managers could profitably employ.

1. A powerful, mendacious slogan

2. Ruthless media manipulation

3. Sacrifice of friends and colleagues

4. Activity substituting for achievement

Sound Policy Criteria

It is a universal if dispiriting fact that most people vote with their guts, forming their views on policy on the basis of character judgments rather than vice versa.

The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating

1. Beets
2. Cabbage
3. Swiss Chard
4. Cinnamon
5. Pomegranate Juice
6. Dried Plums (Prunes)
7. Pumpkin Seeds
8. Sardines
9. Turmeric
10. Frozen Blueberries
11. Canned Pumpkin

Way to Go Matt!

USA Olympic Trials
5k Finals

1 Bernard Lagat Nike 13:27.47
2 Matt Tegenkamp Nike 13:29.68
3 Ian Dobson adidas 13:29.76
4 Bolota Asmerom Oregon TC Elite 13:31.24
5 Chris Solinsky Nike 13:32.17
6 Robert Curtis Reebok 13:35.00
7 Stephen Pifer Colorado 13:37.46
8 Matthew Gabrielson Reebok 13:38.06
9 Brent Vaughn Nike 13:39.15
10 Thomas Morgan ZAP Fitness 13:47.76
11 Kyle King ZAP Fitness 13:51.03
12 Ryan Vail Oklahoma State 13:54.77
13 Jonathon Riley Nike 13:57.58
-- Adam Goucher Nike DNF
-- Galen Rupp unattached DNS
-- Josh Rohatinsky Nike DNS

Seven Dirty Words

"Shit, Piss, Cunt, Fuck, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits. "
— George Carlin

What's Obscene? Google Could Have an Answer

Judges and jurors who must decide whether sexually explicit material is obscene are asked to use a local yardstick: does the material violate community standards?

That is often a tricky question because there is no simple, concrete way to gauge a community’s tastes and values.

The Internet may be changing that. In a novel approach, the defense in an obscenity trial in Florida plans to use publicly accessible Google search data to try to persuade jurors that their neighbors have broader interests than they might have thought.

In the trial of a pornographic Web site operator, the defense plans to show that residents of Pensacola are more likely to use Google to search for terms like “orgy” than for “apple pie” or “watermelon.” The publicly accessible data is vague in that it does not specify how many people are searching for the terms, just their relative popularity over time. But the defense lawyer, Lawrence Walters, is arguing that the evidence is sufficient to demonstrate that interest in the sexual subjects exceeds that of more mainstream topics — and that by extension, the sexual material distributed by his client is not outside the norm.

Carbon Neutral Beer

East Green – the UK's first carbon neutral beer

High yielding barley, grown and malted in East Anglia
English Boadicea Hops are naturally aphid-resistant, reducing need for pesticides
Adnams energy efficient brewhouse
Adnams lightweight beer bottle
Tiny amount of remaining CO2 will be offset

Fair

"Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal rather than religion-specific values," Obama said. "It requires their proposals be subject to argument and amenable to reason."

Delicate Sensibilities

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (a UN treaty that came into force in 1976) states that “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law. Is that justification for curtailing freedom of speech?

How, if at all, can freedom of speech be reconciled with the Muslim demand for a ban on public statements or cultural products that offend Islamic sensibilities.

Comparative Statements

I can never accept that freedom of speech is morally right when it offends my faith.

I can never accept that freedom of speech is morally right when it offends my atheism.

* * *

We need some formal, internationally agreed restriction on the defamation of religion.

We need some formal, internationally agreed restriction on the defamation of atheism.

* * *

There is a Muslim demand for a ban on public statements or cultural products that offend Islamic sensibilities.

There is a atheist demand for a ban on public statements or cultural products that offend atheism's sensibilities.

* * *

Imagine that. The example of atheism is a little extreme, but instructive. Or imagine the italics substituted with Christians, Hindus, Chinese Universalists, Buddhists, ethnoreligionists, neoreligionists, Sikhs, Jews, Spiritists, Baha'is, Confucianists, Jains, Shintoists, Taoists, or Zoroastrians.

Picture

Surly Open

Marye and I played in the 2nd Annual Surly Open at Hyland Park in Bloomington on the summer solstice. To begin the day we signed in and selected a Discraft Surly Open disc of our choice. I chose a red putter/approach disc. Then we played 18 baskets over a long course with significant elevation changes. Surly was on tap for $1. Mmmm. At the end of the round we ate lunch and stayed for the raffle. I won a gift certificate to the Muddy Pig and Marye was deemed the only participant worthy of receiving the Surly onesie. I look forward to next year.

Dyson Airblade

Has anyone used this to dry your hands?
Best. Dryer. Ever.

Gravlax Recipe

Ingredients

1 (3- to 4-pound) salmon, weighed after cleaning and beheading, skin on
3 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper
1 good-size bunch dill, roughly chopped, stems and all
1 tbsp spirits: brandy, aquavit, lemon vodka, etc.

Preparation

Fillet the salmon or have the fishmonger fillet it for you; the fish need not be scaled.

Lay both halves, skin side down, on a plate.

Sprinkle with the salt, sugar and pepper, spread the dill over them, and splash on the spirits. Sandwich the fillets together, tail to tail, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Cover the sandwich with another plate and something that weighs about a pound -- an unopened can of coffee or beans, for example. Refrigerate.

Open the package every 12 to 24 hours and baste, inside and out, with the accumulated juices. On the second or third day, when the flesh has lost its translucense, slice thinly as you would smoked salmon -- on the bias and without the skin -- and serve with rye bread or pumpernickel, and lemon wedges.

Yield: 12 or more appetizer servings

Legal Empowerment

Report of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor
Making the Law Work for Everyone

A new report launched today found that four billion people – the majority of the world’s people – are excluded from the rule of law. The report, by the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, a group co-chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto, called on governments, international institutions and civil society to make legal empowerment a top agenda item in the fight against global poverty. As the global food crisis wreaks havoc on nations across the globe, the new report proposes solutions that focus on the core of the problem...

Hymenoplasty

RARELY has a judicial verdict in a civil court set off so much argument. But the annulment of the marriage of two French Muslims in Lille, granted because the bride falsely claimed to be a virgin, has prompted an outcry, culminating in a riotous parliamentary debate on June 3rd. The verdict touched a raw nerve in France, mixing complex questions of sexual equality, secularism and Islam.

* * *

In Europe, Debate Over Islam and Virginity

The operation in the private clinic off the Champs-Élysées involved one semicircular cut, 10 dissolving stitches and a discounted fee of $2,900.

But for the patient, a 23-year-old French student of Moroccan descent from Montpellier, the 30-minute procedure represented the key to a new life: the illusion of virginity.

Like an increasing number of Muslim women in Europe, she had a hymenoplasty, a restoration of her hymen, the vaginal membrane that normally breaks in the first act of intercourse.

Sexy Beast

El Padre

From the right: Simon, Ziyad, Kofi, and man
wearing thawb, shumagh, and igal.

Saturday Stimulus

On Saturday afternoon Paul arrived via bicycle at our house bearing the following items: salad (garnish), radishes, strawberries, chips, bread, and ribs & BBQ sauce. We sat in the backyard for a while and then we decided to play frisbee golf at Hansen Park in New Brighton. Good times. After chucking the disc, we stopped at the nearby Barley John's Brew Pub, where I bought two growlers, Wild Brunette & Belgian Witbier, for $38.85. Then we progressed to Cafe Latte and I picked up a party-size German chocolate cake and one slice of cheesecake for $22.95. The next stop was Whole Foods. Time for a list...

Pork Tenderloin Caprese
(pork tenderloin, fire roasted tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, pesto sauce, basil, and bacon)
Herbed chicken with parmesan
2 bags of chips
raspberry spritzer 6-pack
3 avocados
4 kiwis
applesauce
$38.42

As if we didn't have enough already, Paul suggested a stop at Thomas Liquors. He bought a 12-pack summer sampler of Summit. Alliteration at it's finest.

Then Paul's high school friend Pat showed up with a watermelon, chips, and veggie burgers & buns. A feast to be remembered.

McCain at the National Small Business Summit

McCain also gave a speech about the economy.

Problems

* tax increases
* secret ballot for union votes
* minimum wage
* corporate tax loopholes
* special interest
* corporate welfare

Causes

* big-spending Republicans and Democrats

Solutions

* low taxes for families and employers
* tax reform for wage-earners and job creators
* reduce the corporate tax rate to aid international competition
* break down foreign trade barriers
* free trade
* aid for displaced workers
* permit first-year expensing of new equipment and technology
* keep the low rate on capital gains
* double the size of the child tax exemption
* phase out the Alternative Minimum Tax
* keep the estate tax low and predictable
* create a simplified alternative tax system
* keep low dividend and capital gains taxes
* low income tax to protect sole proprietorships filing individual income tax
* keep Social Security earnings cap to limit tax on employers
* allow personal, portable health insurance
* provide tax credits to buy health care
* hold big business to the same standards as small business
* prevent and punish corporate abuse
* extravagant salaries and severance deals of CEOs
* veto every bill with earmarks
* thorough review of federal budget
* one-year pause in discretionary spending increases

Quote

My goal, however, is not to denigrate government but to make it better, not to deride it but to restore its good name. Government should be on your side, not in your way. It will be hard work, but it is a cause worthy of our best efforts. And if we do it well, in the right spirit, it will be because we have again put our country's interests before the interests of parties, bureaucracies and self-interest. And then we will finally reclaim the confidence of the people we serve.

Obama Delivers Speech on Economy

On June 8, 2008 Obama gave a speech in Raleigh, N.C. that focused on the economy. Let's divide the speech into three parts: problems, causes, and solutions.

Problems

* Iraq
* climate change
* unemployment rate
* house foreclosures
* price of oil
* cost of health care
* cost of college
* cost of food
* wage stagnation

Causes

* George Bush
* tax breaks for big corporations and wealthy CEOs
* lobbyists
* special interest favors
* corporate loopholes

Solutions

* expand affordable health care coverage
* subsidize education (community or national service for tuition)
* invest in renewable energy
* invest in infrastructure
* invest in science and technology, research and innovation
* another round of fiscal stimulus (tax cuts)
* expand unemployment benefits
* create a foreclosure prevention fund
* create a home score system to increase mortgage transparency
* reform the tax code
* create a credit card bill of rights
* reform personal bankruptcy laws in consideration of medical bills

I am a stimulator

Good news. The economic stimulus package arrived in the mail yesterday. We didn't receive any money for our baby, who was conceived in fiscal year 2007, had a heart beat, had fingerprints, knew Jesus, etc., etc. Isn't Bush pro-life? Doesn't anyone from Congress read billboards?

Anyway, I'm excited to stimulate the American economy. Paul, Tim, and I have tentatively planned a 'Blow Your Stimulus' party for this coming Saturday, which is conveniently Flag Day. USA! USA! I will begin by stimulating a fine local brewery by purchasing a growler. I will visit the butcher at Whole Foods and buy some excellent meats. I will also indulge in a chocolate cake from Cafe Latte. At the end of the day, I will have a life-sized bald eagle tattooed on my back. And that's only the beginning.

I plan on documenting this stimulation and eventually writing to the President and my representatives in Congress, thanking them, and showing them how I volunteered in service to America.

Stuff White People Like

A blog devoted to stuff white people like.

Jimmy Kimmel

From time to time I look at the Dutch newspaper called de Volkskrant. In March there was an article about the success of YouTube, particularly the success of a few Jimmy Kimmel skits.

Matt Damon on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Sarah Silverman's surprise to Jimmy Kimmel

I'm Fucking Ben Affleck

Try clicking refresh a couple of times if it doesn't load at first; it's worth it.

Here's the story... Comedian Jimmy Kimmel often says: "Our apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time" near the end of his ABC television show Jimmy Kimmel Live, a gag lampooning instances where shows cannot feature their last guest due to time constraints. On September 12, 2006, after a segment highlighting the running gag and a lengthy introduction by Kimmel, Damon finally appeared on the show, only for Kimmel to apologetically cut his interview and head to credits, as Damon cursed him. Kimmel later confirmed to USA Weekend that the skit was entirely planned and Damon willingly played along. Kimmel's girlfriend, comedian Sarah Silverman, also used this line at the end of the 2007 MTV Movie Awards. This gag was also used again when Guillermo interviewed Damon at the Ocean's Thirteen premiere, with Damon asking "Are you with Kimmel?" Silverman also aired a clip of her singing a song entitled "I'm Fucking Matt Damon" on January 31, 2008 on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Damon appeared in the song with Silverman and at the end when she is apologizing to Jimmy, Damon interrupts her saying, "Jimmy, we're out of time. Sorry." Kimmel himself later responded by showing a music video in which he announced, through song, that he is "Fucking Ben Affleck". The video aired on February 24, 2008 and featured Affleck along with celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, Joan Jett, Macy Gray, Robin Williams, Don Cheadle, Pete Wentz, Perry Farrell, Benji and Joel Madden, Lance Bass, Huey Lewis, Josh Groban, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Christina Applegate, Rebecca Romijn, Dominic Monaghan, Meat Loaf and various others.

Unfortunately, I think Google is purging unofficial videos of the ABC broadcast because of copyright issues. This message appears on many of the YouTube clips: We're sorry, this video is no longer available. If the link above don't work, visit the ABC website.

Consumer Demographics in Business

The Smiling Curve made me think of the Long Tail...

The phrase The Long Tail was first coined by Chris Anderson in an October 2004 Wired magazine article to describe the niche strategy of certain business such as Amazon.com or Netflix. However, the concept of a frequency distribution with a long tail — the concept at the root of Anderson's coinage — has been studied by statisticians since at least 1946. The distribution and inventory costs of these businesses allow them to realize significant profit out of selling small volumes of hard-to-find items to many customers, instead of only selling large volumes of a reduced number of popular items. The group of persons that buy the hard-to-find or "non-hit" items is the customer demographic called the Long Tail.

Smiling Curve

Alf introduced me to the Smiling Curve a few years ago... It is an illustration of value-adding potentials of different components of the value chain in an IT-related manufacturing industry. The concept was first proposed by Stan Shih, the founder of Acer, an IT company headquartered in Taiwan, around 1992. According to Shih’s observation, in the personal computer industry, both ends of the value chain command higher values added to the product than the middle part of the value chain.

The concept of value-added is very important.

Here's a good article from 2004 about China in transition.
For Whom Does the Smiling Curve Smile?

And lastly, check out some of the slides from this PDF about business growth strategies for Asia Pacific, specifically those starting on page 8.

Hole in the bucket?

In economics, the current account is one of the two primary components of the balance of payments, the other being the capital account. It is the sum of the balance of trade (exports minus imports of goods and services), net factor income (such as interest and dividends) and net transfer payments (such as foreign aid).

The current account deficit should not be confused with the budget deficit, which accumulates as the national debt.

I recommend reading this short essay called A Hitchhiker's Guide to the U.S. Current Account Problem by Owen F. Humpage from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. I read it several years ago, but the fundamentals still apply.

Ethanol Fermentation

glucose => pyruvate => acetaldehyde => ethanol

Check out the Renewable Fuels Association for diagrams of the dry milling and wet milling processes. And if you want, peruse the propaganda... Ethanol creates jobs. I can create a job by paying someone to shit in a bucket, but what good is that.

Nuclear-Powered Ships

When I was in San Diego last October, I saw a nuclear-powered Nimitz class aircraft carrier in the bay.

• Nuclear power is particularly suitable for vessels which need to be at sea for long periods without refuelling, or for powerful submarine propulsion.
• Over 150 ships are powered by more than 220 small nuclear reactors and more than 12,000 reactor years of marine operation have been accumulated.
• Most are submarines, but they range from icebreakers to aircraft carriers.
• In future, constraints on fossil fuel use in transport may bring marine nuclear propulsion into more widespread use.
• So far, exaggerated fears about safety have caused political restriction on port access.

Check out these links on Wikipedia:
Nuclear Navy
Nuclear Reactor

Puerto Vallarta

Marye and I recently spent five nights at the Vallarta Palace in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. We were there to honor and celebrate el matrimonio entre Kofi and Kate. It was great to see so many old friends. Pictures and experiences will be posted in the upcoming weeks. For now, I can't help but turn my focus to a few of the poolside conversations. Me traigo mas tequila? Si, por supuesto.

Rebuilding the Brave Arrow

I took my bicycle into the Hub back in February.
The overhaul was costly, but easy to justify: it's my vehicle.
Check out the new components:

• one tube & tire
• two wheels
• chain
• chainrings
• cassette
• spacer kit for shifting purposes

Out

I had three of my wisdom teeth removed by an oral surgeon today. I also had a lingual frenectomy. I have nothing to compare it to, but I feel pretty good. Hopefully the quick recovery continues so that I can get back to good eating.

What It Is

Nice.

Cruising While We Can

Last Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day that we started by eating Breadsmith treats while lounging outside of Dunn Brothers. Though many may scoff at the intensity of the early April sun, I do not underestimate the yellow dwarf star once the vernal equinox has passed. Such is the life of the pale force. I can stick my head outside to check the weather and be burned.

With bellies full of carbohydrates, we cycled down the Greenway superhighway, to the Lakes, and back along Minnehaha Creek. It was a leisurely 17-mile ride. Back in the yard, I dragged the table & plastic chairs out of the shed. I set up the rain barrels and checked on the grill.

Marye made a delicious lasagna, which was followed by vanilla icecream and mango. We played two games of Settlers of Catan with Jose, Tim, and Paul.

Employable

Hairs Cut

Shake your head back and forth with brain-jarring speed.
Then take a picture.

Amish Brother

It Began in November

And culminated with this...

Lessons from TV

"If there were no rules, we'd all be living in trees flinging crap at each other. "

Red Forman
That '70s Show

Papa Murphy's

I ate half of a family size pizza last night.

We're going to win Twins...

Monday March 31 was the Twins home-opener against the Angels. The game was held in the Metrodome, but opening day in 2010 will be held in the new outdoor stadium, which is next to the building where I work. The sky dropped 4-6 inches of wet, sloppy snow on Monday. The new stadium will not have a retractable roof, but May through September will be a baseball fan's delight.

This picture is taken from the floor where I work. No zoom is necessary. The stadium is starting to rise from the ground.















This picture was taken from 5th street as I was walking to work in the morning. The large, tan-colored structure on the right-hand side is HERC, the Hennepin Energy Recovery Corporation. HERC burns garbage to generate electricity and reduce landfilled waste. It smells good.

Product Stewardship

Product stewardship is a principle that directs all participants involved in the life cycle of a product to take shared responsibility for the impacts to human health and the natural environment that result from the production, use, and end-of-life management of the product. The greater the ability of a party to influence the life cycle impacts of a product, the greater the degree of that party’s responsibility. The stakeholders typically include manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and government officials.

Minnesota Electronics Recycling Law

What should I do with my old, dusty, analog TV sitting in the garage? And what should I do with my obsolete computer?

Hennepin County operates two permanent drop-off facilities where residents may dispose of their electronics, among other things. After the electronics are collected, they are transported to a recycler under contract with the State. A cooperative purchasing venture allows Hennepin County to use the State contract. The entire cost of the program is borne by the County.

During last year's session, the Minnesota legislature passed the Electronics Recycling Law, which attempts to codify product stewardship of household TVs & computer monitors (video display devices). To meet their obligations under the law, electronics manufacturers will be required to make arrangements for the collection, transportation, and recycling of an amount equal to 80% of the video display devices they sell.

The advent of the new statutes adds value to the collection, transportation, and recycling of video display devices. Now Hennepin County will expect to be offered at least free recycling in exchange for the collection and transportation of electronics.

Netherlands 2008

The renovated chicken shed.














Bicycles at an Amsterdam train station.















De Mug Biercafe

What it was...

New Year

Pimpin' Ain't Easy

We were on our way to Nebraska for Christmas when saw the magic blue bus. I couldn't identify the driver but there is a chance he was a bearded Soren wearing a NASCAR cap. No one ever said it would be easy.