dannyman.toldme.com

Save Tesla: Get Art!

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/05/07/save-tesla-get-art/

Public Domain from teslasience.org

Are you a fan of Nikola Tesla? His last remaining laboratory, Wardenclyffe, on Long Island, where he had ambitions of developing a worldwide network of free electrical power, is threatened with sale and demolition. The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, a would-be museum, wishes to purchase, preserve, and museum-ify the land. They’ll accept donations via personal check. This random lady on Livejournal will accept donations on their behalfonline casino via PayPal, write a check, and for donations in excess of $20, she will draw you a picture of Nikola Tesla, “to your PG-rated specifications” and mail it to you.

(Thanks, beatonna!)

Update: Andrew suggested this crucial documentary on Nikola Tesla.

3 Comments

Technology Companies: 2008 Profit-per-Employee

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/05/04/2008-tech-ppe/

I enjoyed Pingdom’s recent posts about the size of technology companies, as well as the money they are making, and I asked myself how that equates to the average profit made per employee.

So, I borrowed Pingdom’s numbers, which Pingdom borrowed from Google Finance, and then I quickly larned myself on the Perl GD::Graph module and I generated my own graph:

Or, if you prefer:

What is Baidu? Think of it as Chinese Google and you’ll know as much as I do. I’d reckon that profit-per-employee would be very roughly predictive of job security. My feeling about Google is that they are perpetually understaffed due to their traumatic recruiting process.

If you want to play, feel free to grab my ugly hack of a Perl script, the input data file, or unsorted output.

Update: Pingdom took my suggestion to heart and published their own summary.

2 Comments

How to Find the Hottest Slave Leias?

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/05/02/hottest-slave-leia/

In browsing the Internet I was tempted to click a link labeled The 101 Hottest Princess Leia Slave Photos. Alas, I was horrified at the horrible scaling and otherwise atrocious user interface.

Then I asked myself if I could solve this problem. Well, not me personally, but the crowdsourcing tool called Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=slave+leia

Flickr can even find a CC-licensed sense of humor:

“You can’t un-see this.” (CC: Official Star Wars Blog)

See also: The force is strong with this one « Flickr Blog

Feedback Welcome

Party Cat!

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/05/01/party-cat/

He is just too cute:

Party Cat Episode One
Party Cat Episode Two
Party Cat Episode Three
Party Cat Episode Four
Party Cat Episode Five
Party Cat Episode Six

Feedback Welcome

Apple Fail

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/04/28/apple-fail/

In order to make a Mac nearly half as useful as a typical Unix distribution, you have to sign up with Apple to download special “developer” stuff like a compiler. That means that years after you have given up on using a Mac, you’ll get funny spam like this one:

So, they are soliciting me for a design contest, and the “fine print” to unsubscribe is not merely the usual small, gray text, but small, gray text on a gray background. Layers of delicious failure.

The last spam I received from Apple was for a recruiting event, with no unsubscribe option whatever.

3 Comments

“Tweet”

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/04/15/tweet/

Feedback Welcome

Humanity: Developmental Retards

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/04/14/systematic-developmental-retardation/

I am presently enjoying an old thick history book. A footnote in the first chapter says:

“Biologically considered, the distinguishing mark of humanity was systematic developmental retardation, making the human child infantile in comparison to the normal protohuman. Some adult human traits are also infantile when compared to those of an ape: e.g., the overdevelopment of brain size in relation to the rest of the body, underdevelopment of teeth and brow-ridges. But developmental retardation of course meant prolonged plasticity, so that learning could be lengthened. Thereby the range of cultural as against mere biological evolution widened enormously; and humanity launched itself upon a biologically as well as historically extraordinary career.”

W H McNeill
“The Rise of the West”

I was thinking that domesticated animals are similarly developmentally retarded relations of their wild kin. Dogs mature to a wolfishly adolescent level. By remaining in a younger, more affably co-dependent state, they more easily get along with humans. From what I have seen, a lot of adult humans could be described as childish, and while the usual concern is that they are less effective for their childishness, they also subordinate themselves more readily to more ambitious leaders, and this facilitates collaboration.

Or, I guess, domesticated humans and animals fall more naturally into packs, for better and for worse.

Feedback Welcome

Dream: “Scramble Time at a Methadone Clinic”

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/04/10/dream-scramble-time-at-a-methadone-clinic/

I was at some sort of lecture for really smart people, and a precocious young woman asked a technical question of the speaker, who answered back with some Math, and the questioner apologetically asked for a moment to run the Math through her head before she could follow-up. The speaker replied that she should take her time, because after all, “this is an open forum, not scramble time at a methadone clinic.”

And I was like where the heck did that line come from?!

Later in the dream I was looking for my car in a parking garage and found it not where I thought I had parked it but a little ways away where I had actually parked it earlier in the dream. I was like “this dream has a great continuity” and then I had to pee so I was looking for a toilet in the parking garage. That is when I got up to pee, and realized that I had slept really soundly this night. I was glad the sun was managing to peek through the clouds.

1 Comment

Iowa Likely to Keep Gay Marriage

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/04/08/iowa/

Eileen linked me to this YouTube video. It rocks. It is Iowa’s Senate Majority leader Mike Gronstal making it clear, in no uncertain terms, that he will not cooperate with the Republicans to amend Iowa’s constitution to ban gay marriage. He quotes his daughter, Kate, after listening for several minutes to her older colleagues complain about the subject:

“You guys don’t understand. You’ve already lost. My generation doesn’t care.”

Well, I, for one, care. And Mike Gronstal is clearly compassionate and thoughtful on the subject:

I think I learned something from my daughter that day, when she said that. And I’ve talked with other people about it and that’s what I see, Senator McKinley. I see a bunch of people that merely want to profess their love for each other, and want state law to recognize that.

Is that so wrong? I don’t think thats so wrong. As a matter of fact, last Friday night, I hugged my wife. You know Ive been married for 37 years. I hugged my wife. I felt like our love was just a little more meaningful last Friday night because thousands of other Iowa citizens could hug each other and have the state recognize their love for each other.

No, Senator McKinley, I will not co-sponsor a leadership bill with you.

And Vermont passed gay marriage, this time through the legislature, and overriding a governor’s veto! Sure, gay marriage can be had in only four states today, but I’m getting this hopeful feeling that the cooler heads prevailing in Iowa are the real tipping point. The Right thought California would lead the nation, and they fought hard to win Prop 8, and they won that battle. But while they were fixated on the West Coast, they have been outflanked by the reasonable Midwesterners making reasonable decisions in the middle of the country. Hoorah!

Also good, thank you Tom, is the Supreme Court Summary for Varnum v Brien, which lays out in simple language over six pages the case for why gay marriage ought to be legal. Basically, unless there’s a compelling reason to ban it, equal protection means you should allow it, and there’s no compelling argument for why a state ought to ban it, so, now, Iowa has it!

Like, duh!

Feedback Welcome

Iowa!

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/04/03/iowa-gay-marriage/

We used to visit Newton, IA every year or two for McConeghey family reunions. Iowa’s a nice place, though admittedly somewhat dull. But today, America has a big patch of purple right at its heart because the Iowa Supreme Court has declared the state’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Joe Eskenazi explains beautifully in “Will Gay Mecca Relocate From San Francisco To Des Moines?”

Disdain of San Franciscans’ disdain of all things Midwestern has become nearly as clichéd as the original sin. And, yet, there’s always a touch of schadenfreude anticipating city residents’ chagrin whenever legitimately good news emanates from the Midwest indicating its denizens have out-progressived our self-anointed capital of progressivism.

The Iowa Supreme Court this morning did what many observers feel its San Francisco-based California colleagues will not — rule that a ban on same-sex marriage violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples. This morning’s decision adds Iowa to the very short list of states in which same-sex marriage is legal — Connecticut, Massachusetts, and, now, The Tall Corn State. Perhaps it’s only fitting for a state with the motto “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.”

From what I have read, if conservatives want to defeat this, it will require the legislature to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. This could be done by 2011, and even then Iowa residents may not support it. Personally, I’m just really proud to see progress being made on this issue, from of all places, the “fly over country” where I grew up. (Well, I’m from Illinois, but I can still root for the hawkeyes on this one.)

Feedback Welcome

Better Slacking Through Science!

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/04/02/better-slacking-through-science/

Look what I found on the Internet, via a Facebook friend: Facebook, YouTube make better employees: study

The University of Melbourne study showed that people who use the Internet for personal reasons at work are about 9 percent more productive that those who do not.

[ . . . ]

“Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days’ work, and as a result, increased productivity,” [Study author Brent Coker] said.

Nine percent, biatch! The article points out they’re talking Internet browsing < 20% of the time, and that Internet addicts lose productivity. I think this is consistent with “work-life balance” . . . take a break to clear your mind, then get back to work refreshed.

Taking a walk in the sunshine is also a nice alternative to the Intarnetz.

I also think drinking lots of water and coffee is a good habit: you keep getting out of your chair to adjust your fluid balance, if ya know what I mean. Also, eating-at-your-desk is an awful awful sin which should be committed only when you don’t have much choice. Like, on Tuesday I had an all-day deployment, otherwise I take my food down to a sunny spot in the cafeteria and enjoy with a book or magazine.

Feedback Welcome

太重了！

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/04/01/too-heavy/

Girl: 我的包太重了！
wo3 de bao1 tai4 zhong4le
My bag is too heavy!

Boy: 我拿吧！
wo3 na1 ba
I’ll carry it!

Girl: 好，给！
hao3, gei3
Good, here!

Boy: 呃，真的很重！
e4, zhen1 de hen3 zhong1
Hey, it really is very heavy!

包 = bag
重 = heavy
很 = very
ç»™ = take
呃 = onomatopoeia, “eh”

From ChinesePod: Newbie: Too Heavy! I fall ever further behind. This one I actually drew a couple times and in the end I’m still not super thrilled about the result, but hey that’s all part of the process here. I see my friend 包, as seen in 面包 and the 红包 in “新年好!”. Just as the girl in “新年好!” was invited to 给她红包 the boy here gets to 给包太重了.

Thanks, Joe, for nudging me along.

Feedback Welcome

The Sun is an Excellent Magazine

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/03/28/the-sun-is-an-excellent-magazine/

A couple years back I came upon this magazine somewhere that was all poetry, prose, and black-and-white photographs. And the stuff inside was good. I love reading and I used to mostly keep up with The New Yorker. These days The Sun is one of two magazines I subscribe to. It is more enjoyable and less of a burden than The New Yorker.

Another thing about The Sun that I really appreciate is that there are no ads. Just me and the writer, mediated only by the editorial staff of The Sun and some pleasing typesetting. As the editor, Sy Safransky recently explained in his annual appeal for donations from Friends Of The Sun:

There’s nothing inherently wrong with some advertising, just as there’s nothing inherently wrong with a traveling salesman knocking on your door. But you probably wouldn’t invite the salesman in if you and a friend were having an intimate conversation. In a magazine that strives for emotional candor and a reader’s quiet respect, a sales pitch is an unwelcome distraction. I want to place one simple demand on a reader’s attention: the content. Nothing else.

I sent them some cash last year. This year I figured maybe I can send a couple subscribers? If you’re looking for good stuff to read on a monthly basis, I totally recommend a subscription to The Sun. And if you happen to be kinda poor, drop me a line with your home address because when I renew I have been known to throw in some gift subscriptions and you might could get lucky.

http://www.thesunmagazine.org/

1 Comment

Bribed by Haagen-Dazs

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/03/27/oh-god-yum/

Haagen-Dazs responded to my feedback really darn quick. I’ve been slow in sharing. Too busy eating free ice cream . . .

Dear Mr. Howard,

Thank you for your email regarding the change to the size of our Häagen-Dazs cartons. We understand your concern and appreciate your giving us the opportunity to explain.

As you might imagine, the cost of continuing to offer the country’s finest all-natural superpremium ice cream has increased dramatically over the last several years. On average, we’re paying 25% more for raw ingredients today, and this is true despite what you may be hearing about a drop in some food costs.

By downsizing our cartons rather than increasing the price per carton, we’re balancing our need to cover our increased costs with the realization that our country is in an economic recession. We wanted to avoid a price increase that could put Häagen-Dazs out of reach for consumers.

From our choice of ingredients to the careful and deliberate way we craft our ice cream, we never skimp on quality. Nor will we compromise our commitment to 100% all-natural ingredients. We believe Häagen-Dazs ice cream lovers appreciate and rely on that commitment.

Please watch your mail for two gift certificates to arrive shortly, with our hope that you will continue to enjoy your favorite Häagen-Dazs flavors.

Sincerely,

Katty Pien
Häagen-Dazs Brand Director

It’s like 27 flavors of Awesome!

Feedback Welcome

Xoopit Feedback

Link: https://dannyman.toldme.com/2009/03/27/xoopit-feedback/

Some ways back I followed some advice somewhere and tried the Xoopit plugin for Gmail under the delusion that it would somehow make my life better. It was kind of cute but it also got in the way so I uninstalled the plugin. But I kept getting e-mails from them about all the crap it was indexing in my inbox. So, I finally deleted my account, at which point they sent me a message reminding me that I’ll have to kill the plugin, and also:

I’m not going to stick something in my mouth that is named “choke.” (CC: spychic)

Finally, please take one minute and reply to this email and let us know what you didn’t like about Xoopit. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us!

Now, getting in to delete the account had been frustrating enough, because when you don’t remember your password and click on the password reset link they send you an e-mail that links to a web page where you can reset your password after you correctly enter your password. Yeah, that had me confused too, until I re-read the thing and it said “enter your Gmail password” which worked but then I was reminded that I’d given my Gmail password to something called Xoopit and I felt dirty all over again.

Anyway, here’s some of what I wrote. I think the name thing is important:

Also, and I mean, what’s in a name? I don’t eat artichokes. They may be delicious, but you know what? I’m not going to stick something in my mouth that is named “choke” . . . it just sounds like common sense. Xoopit? Okay? Like Arm pit? Tar pit? Snake pit? Is it pronounced Zoo Pit? Is that like where they dump all the animal feces to compost? Because I mean, they way you guys Hoover up all the multimedia crap in my Gmail it kinda feels that way. “Look! Look! I indexed all the crap you don’t care to look at, and I’m sending you more crap to delete!”

There is too much crap in my inbox. If you can make it better, you could be more useful to me. If you make it worse, I dump you. That’s it!

And, seriously, xoopit? You need to work on that name. Yes, Google is the best search engine, but it wouldn’t have caught on if it were named Dogpile.

Feedback Welcome