Everything seemed normal this morning when I woke up – but then I remembered: The city of Boston has a burst water main. The ten foot diameter pipe that brings ALL of our potable water from the ONE SOURCE that could provide it, apparently crapped itself at 10am yesterday. All those precious civic fluids went bubbling and flowing up through a couple of feet of soil – and then ran down a hill into the Charles River. Apparently this instantly doubled the flow of the Charles – raising it by 8 inches. Or something. Reports were sometimes superficially stupid, but they became vacuous if you read them carefully enough. We’ve been cut over to the “pond water” supply that they have on hand.

They told us to boil our water. Fortunately I had 6 gallons of spring water ready. Unfortunately, I had been planning to make beer with that water. In any event, we’ve got a gallon in the bathroom for tooth brushing and another 5 (minus the piddly amount we used today) in the kitchen. There was some noise on the news about not washing in this foul, foul, replacement water … but I used the STEAM SANITIZE, BITCHES setting on my dishwasher. I assume that whatever well-filtered foulness is in the clean looking, great smelling water coming out of my tap will be defeated by STEAM.

Of course, I also took the precaution of boiling 5 gallons of tap water in my idle main brew pot. That’s sitting on the stove, with a ladle for looks.

Word on the street is that they were working on getting a backup, redundant system running -AKA- the old and perfectly functional one. However, with only seven years since installation on the new system – they just didn’t have time. I totally know how that is.

First one to compare this situation with the privations in Haiti gets one free punch right in the crotch.

So, we’re boiling water for tooth brushing here. Apparently a 10 foot wide water pipe burst just west of town – and now we’ve got pond water (backup supply) coming out the pipes.

Slightly amended: redmed is boiling water for tooth brushing. Me? I brush my teeth in gin. It’s better for the gums.

I love living in Boston. Check out comment number four. To wit: “So thirsty…”. That might have taken – like below the “ObaKKKma is a Mu$$$lim” in other communities. Here? Right up top.

In other news, we went to an awesome restaurant. Sibling Rivalry boasts two chefs who are brothers. The menu is an iron-chef styled two column. They center on an ingredient (asparagus, for example) and take it in whatever direction they want. This restaurant is all about food. I’ve been to notionally higher-end places that seem static and dead. The food here was edgy, alive, and interesting. The service was a little slow – and they were bitchy about the drinking water refills – but the food was amazing. I had mussels in a curry sauce followed by what might best be described as a mexican bouillabaisse. Jen had a salad and salmon. Both were outstanding. I had the cheapest wine by the glass on the menu and it was awesome.

I was looking at the news this evening, and once again I am paralyzed by what I can only describe as “apoplectic depression.” I’m so angry that my hands shake – but all I can think to do is to order another drink and perhaps have a good cry.

For one thing, there is the oil gusher nearly a mile down in the gulf. The rig killed at least 11 people as it exploded and sank. The filthy-tube is spewing crude from several holes as it snakes along the gulf-floor. The oil is slated to start hitting protected marshland and killing endangered species sometime this weekend. The company at fault (BP, in case you were wondering, one of the better ones) is, I believe, doing everything in their power to clean up and contain the spill. At least they’re not playing the denial game. We’ve also mobilized the navy – and asked the other major oil companies for help. If they can’t convince the emergency “cram shit in the oozing sore” mechanism – we’re apparently months away from even an attempt at a plug.

If at any point in your wretched existence you were heard to chant “DRILL BABY DRILL,” I would most cordially ask that you go fuck yourself.

Seriously. I’ll wait.

Also, Arizona has legally codified the longstanding joke about the DWB (Driving while Brown) violation. It appears that a modest and reasonable solution would be to make “papers please,” a standard part of travelling in the U.S. of A. I’m a freakish liberal (NY Times reading, Latte Swilling, Please just bill me for social services, and all the rest) … the idea of “papers please” in order to travel peaceably within our borders rouses me to dig the word “un-american” out of the closet and shake its pale, quivering-ness in your face. This should also be the case with the conservatives. We ought to agree on this – that being detained without charge based solely on the color of your skin is as un-american as, say, a state sponsored religion.

The levity in my day came from my employers du jour – NASA – one of whom espoused what must be a longstanding party line on global climate change: “We sell to both sides.” What he meant was that all his team does is to provide accurate date. Both sides in the climate change argument appear to be basing their beliefs on the data held in the system I’m working with. That gives me hope – because if that’s really case then the truth ought to win. It really, really ought to win.

However, I’m not holding my breath.

Gah. To bed. To sleep. Perhaps to dream.

Of fighting and fire and war … and a strange and huge house with multiple swimming pools and unwanted guests.

Like every night.

Last Friday I checked out of this very room in this very hotel. I usually consider it bad luck to stay twice in the same room in a hotel – but I can rationalize this as the “same” trip. At least, that’s helping to keep the twitching to a minimum.

I have a very specific desire to write something here, but I have nothing to say. This was the case four hours ago, when I ate dinner at a different sushi restaurant than last week. Then I went to see Kick Ass. Not completely sated, I just ate a bag of potato chips. Mmmmm. Salty potato chips.

Yeah, that’s about it. I have nothing to say about Kick Ass. It was entertaining for about 115 minutes, but it’s done now. I laughed out loud once, and I sorta felt something between an emotion and heartburn once. It was totally worth the $4.50 at the cheap theatre. The beer made it better. They serve beer at this theatre. I ain’t talkin’ ’bout no paper cup neither. Like a -glass- of beer.

Well, hey ho. That’s about it. Off to bed, because, you know – work in the morning.

Courtesy of cariaso:

I have a suspicion that this volcano is not mere chance. The Icelanders are a hardy, proud, and slightly crazy bunch. They’ve been left holding MUCH MORE than their fair share of the recent global credit crisis. When it all fell apart, they were surprised how little support they were given by the rest of Europe. Buying power is relative, and perhaps inflicting some pain on europe really does lessen the Icelandic debt burden. I suspect in exchange for €50,000 per Icelandic resident they can call off the volcano by tomorrow.

And, naturally of jwz:

It’s weird to keep reading blog entries from bands cancelling their shows because they are stranded on the wrong side of volcano. It seems so scifi. If this volcano really does keep erupting, maybe we’ll get a sneak peek at the post-oil-crash world where plane travel is impossible and we have to go back to boats for crossing oceans. Or, you know, blimp it.

Me? Still working. 16 hours today. Gotta love storage.

If anyone was wondering why I’ve been missing from LJ (hello? LJ?) it’s because I’m down in VA again – absolutely flat out for one one my favorite customers. Thats “flat out,” like the awesome hillbilly racing game that technolope showed me. We’re standing up a shiny new 220TB disk array that can push 5GB/sec aggregate bandwidth – and simultaneously debugging a 2PB system that is supposed to mightily exceed that – but instead falls down a lot.

On the other hand, the mere – simple – effort of working hard at something I know how to do – this feels pretty good.

Sending a letter to my representatives about the “gaming” bill going through MA.

April 15, 2010

To Whom It May Concern

I am writing to oppose the “gaming” bill being considered by the Massachusetts legislature. As I understand it, the proposal is to license a number of large “destination” casinos which will offer gambling, as well as other entertainment including restaurants, and lodging. The principal argument in favor of the proposal seems to be that it will create jobs in Massachusetts – on the model of the Foxwoods casino in Connecticut.

So far as I can tell, two sorts of jobs would be created by this proposal. There will be a surge of construction work at the beginning, followed by a steady supply of low paid service industry positions. These will be mostly housekeeping staff, croupiers, restaurant servers, and so on.

My concern, structurally, is that the jobs created by this effort are not (for the most part) viable long term careers. I do not know the usual career paths of cocktail waitstaff, craps dealers, and bouncers – but I assume that they do not follow an entrepreneurial model, move into management, earn equity in the casino, and assume leadership roles in the local business community. As to the artists, a casino brings in national and international touring companies. If we want to support local entertainers and artists, we would be better served with investment at the community level. The acts headlining these destination resorts will not be Massachusetts talent, for the most part, and their fees will leave the state as soon as they move to the next stage.

This leads to my second objection – that the majority of the profits from these efforts will almost certainly not accrue to Massachusetts businesses. My understanding is that the major Las Vegas corporations (Harrah’s, for example) will open what amount to branch offices here. The local entrepreneurs who were previously earning the Massachusetts entertainment dollar will find themselves competing with (and losing to) remote businesses who will take their profits home with them. The businesses in the communities surrounding these destinations will be competing at the low end, since the “destination” will obviously provide the luxury accommodations for their high rollers.

At the very least, we should tax these profits heavily, but I think that we could do better still by investing locally.

There is a thicket of moral arguments surrounding legalized gambling. I do not suppose that the supporters of this bill are proceeding from that perspective, but it is worth mentioning anyway. If we were to discuss a broader legalization of gambling – there are more intelligent ways to do it. This legislation seems tuned to the advantage of large corporations. Instead, we might encourage (say) neighborhood poker and betting lounges that would keep the profits in the state.

My objection to this bill is that it will take money from those who can least afford it, cater to addictive, unproductive behaviors, send the profits out of state, and create dead end jobs along the way. I have heard are that we hope that Massachusetts residents (and those of neighboring states) will either spend more money on entertainment, or at least spend their current entertainment dollars here. The belief, I suppose, is that this money is currently either remaining in our pockets or is leaving the state. I would suggest that a strategy of “spend more on entertainment,” is a poor way out of a recession created by excessive consumption. I think that the way out of the current economic troubles is to invest in productivity, not gambling. We should be encouraging growth throughout the state – not in a few dubiously lucky locations. We should be investing in local business – not inviting the Las Vegas jackals here.

The reality of expanding gambling is that it takes money from those in the community who can least afford it. I have traveled extensively, including to India and Haiti. Every country, state, and town has its share of desperately poor people who spend their last dollars on lotto tickets and alcohol rather than on food and education for their children. I do not want Massachusetts to follow that model. I oppose this bill in all its forms.

Sincerely,

Me
Boston, MA

Here are the basic rules for reasonable conversation on hot button issues.

* Address the person you are talking to, not the bystanders. If you’re playing to the crowd, you’re doing it wrong.

* Address people by the name that they choose, rather than the mocking one that you made up. Name calling doesn’t convince anyone of anything – other than the fact that you have the emotional maturity of a 2nd grader.

* Don’t use code (loaded terms with lots of extra meaning), and don’t assume that the other person is using code. You probably use different codes and words than people with different opinions – so it’s critical to spell out exactly what you mean.

* Any sufficiently large group of people is going to include jackasses. The fact that a group contains jackasses is neither necessary nor sufficient to condemn that group. Therefore, your discovery of yet another idiot on the opposing team does not count as a point for your side.

* If there are topics on which you will never, under any circumstances, change your mind – it’s probably a waste of time to talk about them with people who disagree with you. At the very least, it’s polite to mention when you hit one of these.

* Argue your own points – leave it to the other person to argue theirs. It saves time and they almost always do a better job with their points than you would.

The health care reform bill brought the bogus demonization of “socialized” programs by conservatives front and center. It bugs me when people whine about how we shouldn’t have “socialized” medicine – and it bugs me more when they claim that every dollar they have is a dollar they earned – and ain’t nobody gonna take it away from them.

Let’s take the myth of self sufficiency first. Buddhists usually start the debunking by pointing out that every human being is born helpless. For the first years of each of our lives – we were fed, clothed, and kept from dying. Even if you had the worst care-giver in the world – the fact that you are alive now is testament to the fact that you received unpaid support, probably from many people, over many years. Christians use a different story to get to the same place: When you can’t really take credit for even the basics of your existence, how can you get all high and mighty about what you deserve and don’t deserve?

Here’s a decent example of the thinking that I’m talking about: The classic 2002 Lucky Duckies editorial from the Wall Street Journal. One of my favorite bits comes shortly after they whine about the fact that “folks with adjusted gross incomes of $128,336 and higher [are] responsible for 56% of the tax take:”

This skewed reality is the result of a growing number of absolutely legal escape hatches. Consider what happens to those in the lowest bracket. Say a person earns $12,000. After subtracting the personal exemption, the standard deduction and assuming no tax credits, then applying the 10% rate of the lowest bracket, the person ends up paying a little less than 4% of income in taxes. It ain’t peanuts, but not enough to get his or her blood boiling with tax rage.

Gotta love a paper that has the audacity to bitch about how people well below the poverty line aren’t pulling their weight. Lucky ducky!

We have lots of “socialist” programs. We have socialized national defense (it doesn’t run for profit, does it?), socialized banking (do you like that Federal Reserve guarantee on your bank account?), socialized transportation (Do you like driving on roads?), socialized food production (subsidies for corn farmers, anyone?) and so on. As I think about it, most of these social programs seem to disproportionately benefit those with money. Roads are most useful if you have a car. Bank subsidies are most useful if you have money to put in the bank. Wars are most useful if you invest in defense contractors. That last is actually one of the most callous “jobs” programs ever – in my opinion. We can’t have a public works program, but we can ship you overseas to get blown up. That’s how awesome we are.

We need to start to call out greed and hypocrisy where we see it. We need to point and laugh when rich people point their fat fingers at the poor and say that people living on 10-fold less money ought to pony up and pay more taxes. This is the same pointing and laughing that will force lying hypocritical hate-mongers out of the republican party and out of the pulpits. If you start from “holier than thou,” then you better damn well be holy. There is to be no claim of moral superiority and understanding of the “sanctity of marriage,” either from adulterous governors or pedophile priests.

The health care bill that congress passed last month is far from perfect – but at least it’s *something* – and it starts from the right idea. In the richest and most powerful nation in the world – it is a moral failing that we fail to provide the basics of human existence for every human being within our borders. Every human being. The fact that someone was born in another country does not mean that I can ignore them as they starve.

Let’s be clear on the limits of my “socialism:”

* I’m not talking about a standalone single family house for every human being, I’m talking about “shelter.”
* I’m not talking about steak every day, I’m talking about “healthy, clean food.”
* And I’m not talking about unlimited medical care, but yes – “medical care.”

These are not rights of the poor, per se. There is no right to health care. It’s actually much harder than that: These are obligations that I think that we owe our fellow human beings by dint of having enough to spare. Yes, we must be smart about it. Yes, we must be careful that our aid does not create a generation of addicts and derelicts – but the WSJ crowd forgets is that is is our moral obligation to figure out how to do this.

Lucky duckies. Harumph.

I’ve been thinking about privacy lately – as well as why I bother to keep up with Twitter, Facebook, and that other social networking site. I think that I may begin adjusting my usage patterns to better fit my new thinking.

First off: There are people who believe that they can maintain some level of anonymity with a blog. I do not. I assume that anyone with google and half an hour to kill can figure out my name, my employer, where I live, and so on. This is partly a self fulfilling belief – I do not make any serious effort to keep my online persona distinct from my real life self. I do avoid using full names and addresses on livejournal – mostly to prevent my posts from immediately becoming google fodder. However, my conclusion is that were I to want to maintain privacy – the best and only solution would be to write them down in a pen-and-paper journal and keep it on my bedside bookshelf. Half-assed measures like friends-locked posts are just a rube’s game. The walls are too thin and the probing AI’s too powerful.

Besides – I’ve never had much interest in role playing games. I know that some people maintain different LJ accounts in order to have finger-puppet arguments online. That lost interest for me back on the BBS’s that my friends ran in high school.

I have, from time to time, wanted to speak to a larger readership with some of my blog posts. I realize that that case what I need to do is to not post the stuff that is only of interest to my real life friends and family. While I flatter myself to think that a broader audience might be interested in some of my writing on matters technical, philosophical, or political – I know for certain that they do not care that (for example) redmed, technolope, amnesiadust and I had a wonderful afternoon at their place this afternoon. A broader readership would not give two shits about my awesome new couch – though they might wonder why I bother with the profanity.

So anyway – I figure that my job is to think about who might care about my updates, and put them in the right place.

I like the little livejournal community we’ve got here. I like sharing awesome recipes that we cook, and stories of fun weekend trips. I’ve had something like 30 “friends,” for more than a couple of years – and haven’t added any in a very long time. I know that some other folks stop through from time to time.

Facebook is like livejournal-lite for me. More people – shorter updates – no real content. I use it to announce “I’m in Atlanta next week,” and stuff like that. I don’t even count it as blogging.

My work blog is – well – it’s connected to work. I feel an obligation to avoid talking religion or politics there.

I think that I lack a more serious personal blog. One that might be attached to an update to ye olde website, with – like – a list of interests and a resume like I had there in 1996.

Twitter is useless crap, and I can’t figure out why I’m still on it. I know that the direct message thing works – but a text message works well too.