Accept no substitutes

Category: Amusements (Page 24 of 31)

Things that are amusing

American Life in Poetry

Andie Miller writes from South Africa to tell us about American Poet Laureate Ted Kooser’s American Life in Poetry site.

The site is meant to be fodder for newspapers seeking free content and to thus get poetry out into the hands of more folks — more folks who read newspapers.

Locally, the News and Observer has been doing a good and fairly regular job — they sometimes print prose — in their Sunday Journal section, were my own poems have appeared over the past couple of years. I appreciate the readers and the publication and especially the copyediting there by Marcy Rice.

Vanished News Found – Berkeley Laptop and Dr. Rine

Miles at tinyapps.org has found and put together a few sources for the missing ABC News story on ranting laptop theft victim and Berkeley prof Jasper Rine. Miles also notices that the original video has been edited at Berkeley to remove Rine’s rant — so much of archives as history. But luckily there are copies around the Net [torrent of QT format] in case you are wondering what we’ve been talking about.


Page 1 on the story in Google cache.
Thanks to Miles.
Page 2 of the story in Google cache. Thanks to Miles and Julian Robichaux.

Earlier stories here about Rine and the laptop theft and here about the vanishing story on ABC News.

Alert commenter, Julian Robichaux also points us to Jasper Rine’s teaching statement in which he tells us all “Facts just aren’t that important.” To be fair to Rine, he’s getting our attention in order to make a point. That is teaching the emerging discoveries in biology that the process of discovery and research is more important to learn than a series of facts of the moment.

CalStuff blogger, Allen Lew let’s us know that the Berkeley student blog is on the case as well with pointers to articles on Rine and laptop there.

To our knowledge, the laptop remains unfound.

Vanishing News Story – ABC version

Not long after the story broke on the net of the angry rant by stolen laptop victim Jasper Rine, a story pointing out the very obvious problems with the claims made by Rine appeared on the ABC News site. The story by Hari Sreenivasan did a great and lively job of describing why Rine’s claims were wrong while sympathizing with him over the theft a bit.
Not long after I linked to it, the story vanished. Luckily I grabbed at least one good paragraph for my post. As it turns out no one else grabbed any of the story that I nor others can find.
Miles at tinyapps.org managed to get a screen shot of Google News to prove the story existed once.
Now not only is the ABC News story gone, but the site that broke the story originally seems to have vanished as well (at least for me for Miles of tinyapps).
Here’s the challenge: Can you find the story anywhere? In a cache? Other places on the Net?

Laptop sagas (stolen and found)

All the ibiblio office is abuzz over the video performance of Berkeley Professor Jasper Rine as he visits a class in which the pharmacological effects of coffee and of viagra are explained to put fear in the heart of the person who stole his (Rine’s) laptop during the another class. Boingboing has good coverage and links to many versions of the tape. And there is even a cartoon version. ABC News’ Hari Sreenivasan discloses the most unbelievable part of Rine’s over the top tirade:

At the beginning of the monologue, Rine outlines how he reinstalled the laptop’s version of Windows on a second machine and how folks at Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters responded within 15 minutes to the anomaly. (The idea that Microsoft would respond in 15 minutes to anything ought have been the first indication that there were some liberties with the truth.)

It turns out that it’s not such a good year for laptops with sensitive information at Berkeley.

And it’s not such a good year in Hampshire, England where one of the many laptops missing from the Ministry of Defense was found still full of data.

Pimp My Ride – Library edition

This just in from the North Carolina Library Association:

Senate Bill 971 – North Carolina Libraries Special Plate – The bill authorizes the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue a North Carolina Libraries special registration plate. The additional fees for the special plate will go to the North Carolina Library Association, Inc. for the Association’s public programs.

Notes: The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. Each year several bills are introduced to add special plates for the benefit of various groups. This type of bill is generally held until late in the legislative session for consideration. If the bill passes, plates will not be issued until there are at least 300 requests and there is no estimate given on the amount of income the plates could generate.

Ross A. Holt
Head of Reference
Randolph County Public Library

Note: the primary sponsor is our State Senator, Eleanor Kinnaird.

Tryest Ye “Fortify_Source”?

Tryest Ye?
So it’s a beautiful day and we’re working outside at the Grind. John R suddenly starts laughing outloud. Why? He was amused by this image from the Red Hat Magazine site.
I was amused because I read “Tryest” without the “E” It’s that kind of day. So beautiful that the smallest things bring joy and diversion. The only part that dampens things down is that I’m working while I’m out here.

Sally in NYC

Sally is off in NYC taking in all the culture including a late preview of the musical, “Light in the Piazza” based on our friend Elizabeth Spencer’s novel, The Saint Lawrence String Quartet at Carnegie Hall (featuring her cousin, Geoff Nuttall), a visit to the new MOMA, a revival of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and more.
Tucker and I went instead to Apple Chill and ate bad food on a stick, then his North Carolina Boys Choir did a concert at the Cedars, plus more delightful local diversions. The weather is beautiful so who could possibly complain about anything?

She Blinked First

Margaret (aka Peggy) Rabb has been editting Blink: a little little magazine of little poems for some time now. The January 2005 issues in vol. 4 no. 3. Her Blink is one 8.5 x 11 page folder twice so that you have a cover, 2 pages of very very short poems — I’ve not noticed one over 8 lines and most or 5 or less — and a back. I have several issues scattered around the house and am always delighted to read the poem anew as I rediscover the issue and the poems. I’m particularly enjoying Mike White’s “O” just now.
Peggy had her Blink before Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell subtitles his Blink “the power of thinking without thinking.” Peggy, whose selections are thoughtful, might call her Blink “the power of thinking and thinking again.”

Some useful Blink info:

Blink is published bimonthly. A single issue costs $1; a year’s subscription is $6. Make checks payable to Margaret Rabb, Editor, CB#3520, Greenlaw Hall, UNC, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3520.
Submit original, previously unpublished poems only; include SASE. First publication rights reserved; all rights revert to author upon publication. ISSN: 1536-1624.

Apocalypse 2075: Robot Rebellion Chances High

The word “robot” was first widely used in the play RUR or Rossum’s Universal Robots [in Czech] by Karel Capek (but some give credit to Karel’s brother Josef for coining the word). The play you may remember is about a robot rebellion — a justified one at that.
The Guardian asks scientists and other experts to evaluate 10 end-of-the-world scenarios as to their likelihood of occuring in the next 70 years. Robot Rebellion was right up on top with a HIGH likelihood and a HIGH impact.

Here’s a very brief summary:

1: Climate Change.
Chance of temperatures rising more than 2C (the level considered to be dangerous by the European Union) in the next 70 years: High
Danger score: 6

2: Telomere erosion.
Chances of a human population crash due to telomere erosion during the next 70 years: Low
Danger score: 8

3.Viral Pandemic
Chance of a viral pandemic in the next 70 years: Very high
Danger score: 3

4. Terroristic Attack.
Chances of a major terrorist attack in the next 70 years: Very high
Danger score: 2

5. Nuclear War
Chance of a global nuclear war in the next 70 years: Low
Danger score: 8

6. Metor or Asteriod Impact
Chance of the Earth being hit by a large asteroid in the next 70 years: Medium
Danger score: 5

7. Robot Rebellion
Chance of super-intelligent robots in the next 70 years: High
Danger score: 8

8. Cosmic ray blast from exploding star
Chance of encountering a supernova in the next 70 years: Low
Danger score: 4

9. Super-volcanos
Chance of a super-volcano in the next 70 years: Very high
Danger score: 7

10. Earth swallowed by a black hole
Chance of Earth being gobbled up by a black hole in the next 70 years: Exceedingly low
Danger score: 10

Testing MP4 streams – Folkstreams

Angel that stands by me
I need your help. We’ve encoded a lot of films in MP4 for streaming — usually your QuickTime player will play the streams whilst embedded in your browser. If you could try streaming the documentary about Wilmington visionary artist Minnie Evans called “The Angel That Stands By Me” or “Give My Poor Heart Ease: Mississippi Delta Bluesmen” featuring BB King then let me know if you get a good smooth stream, the size of the picture, and any quality issues, I’d appreciate it.
If you have difficulties, could you also try streaming “Self Preservation In An Atomic Attack” from the Prelinger Archives at Archive.org and let me know if that movie is handled differently.
Much thanks and enjoy the movies.

Franken Show – updated during the show

Al enters and begins a monologue about UNC as national champs, panders (self-admitted) to us by bashing Duke (his daughter went there for one year), a bit about UNC grad Paul Wellstone. How is he different from Rush? (much laughter). Where does Rush get his facts (hint: most of us sit on this source)?
quotes, etc:
Rot at the top can be mulch for the grassroots
To appear Barry Saunders, Joel Schwartz, Larry Grossberg, Mike Nelson, Mark Kleinschmidt and …
Coach K dissed as a Republican and for his tacky American Express adverts
A bit about the origin of the term Tar Heel (sorry not get that part entirely)
Bashing Bolton. How he tried to give a talk to Heritage about bio-weapons in Cuba. He was stopped by Westerman who said no there aren’t. Bolton tried to then get Westerman fired by Asst Secretary for Intelligence and Research Ford (at State Department) who refused. Play Ford’s testimony about how Bolton abused authority regularly. Now plays a tape of Bolton speaking about how the US should run the UN or do nothing with them.
“Kiss up and kick down.” quotes from Ford on Bolton.
Britney Spears/Bolton jokes ensue.
2 year moratorium on death penalty proposed in NC. Talk on that.

See also Sally’s blog for her better typing and more coherent sentences.
Oy! Oy! Oy! Show. Many Jewish jokes and appearance of Jerry Meek head of the NC Democratic Party. Grassroots vs Demo machine tale told. Jerry agrees with ideology of both but wants door to door conversations by the Democrats. Becoming oil-free in 10 years. How could we not go for renewable resources after 9/11?
Now about making the Demo Party responsive to the people instead of the good-ole-boys. Dean-like.
Dissing on Newt Gingrich. And on to Tom Delay.
AlFrankenShow.com: Call your Republican congressman twice. Once to say get rid of Delay. Once to keep him.

Franken’s own blog entries and comments.

Barry Saunders up next. Hat talk. Barry is a fedora wearer. Fred Phelps of Kansas who hates gays and is coming to Durham to picket the School of the Arts High School where the Laramie Project is being produced. Phelps is the GodHatesGays guy. His hate cult will visit Duke, local churches and the high school. Phelps folks are celebrating the Pope’s second week in hell (in case hating gays are not enough).
Phelps was at the Shepherd funeral with GodHatesFags signs. Phelps is a character in the play. Barry has interviewed Phelps. Franken has been picketed by the Phelps cult.
Carrying condoms does not get you sex. Barry carried a condum for six years and never got any. This in context of Wake County School Board’s fear of any sex ed. Especially of condums.
Barry’s column on American Idol asking Reuben to lose weight got him tons of hate mail calling him names he’d never been called before — like whitey, like red-neck, like N–hater. One letter told him that he must have it in for big, black men. Seeing Barry makes this much funnier. His book: Do Unto Others Then Run. Barry looks much slimmer on the cover than on the radio.

Next up Mark Kleinschmidt. and Mike Nelson, Mayor of Carrboro. Mike from the phone. Carrboro has a lesbian police chief and a gay mayor. Mark is the second gay council person in Chapel Hill. Now a bit about the repeal of the defense of marriage act. Now the tale of the Called2Action packing of the Council with an anti-gay crowd. Mark describes how all kinds of people actually from Chapel Hill defended Mark’s position. The Council voted unanimously to support Mark’s proposal.

Mark on the Death penalty. Mark is a death penalty lawyer. Mark has strong hopes and belief that the death penalty moratorium will pass in NC.

Talk of Mary Matlin’s Simon and Schuster imprint Threshold. A bit about Mary Cheney as described by Matlin. Matlin says that she hasn’t read Al’s books, but that Al’s books are useless. Al wonders how both statements could be true or if she is lying!

Larry Grossberg up next.

Larry’s book: Caught in the Crossfire: Kids, Politics and America’s Future

Larry says that the Right demonizes kids saying that the kids are worst than ever. Even Rolling Stone. But the statistics don’t say so. Kids are less criminal. Use less illegal drugs. Are getting pregnant less often. And in general are better than say in the 80s.

Kids are safer in school than anywhere else in Amercia. You have a greater chance of being hit by lightning than suffering violence in a public school.

Discussion of child-poverty rate. which is very high in the US compared to Europe say. A bit about drugging kids with prescription drugs.

Why are we treating kids so badly? (see larry’s book)

We are in the midst of a fundamental struggle about the kind of America we want our children to live in. Under attack: public schools, juvenile courts, children’s place as our relationship to the future.

Next more Larry?

[found WillR blogging live on OrangePolitics.org] and doing a great job.

Yes more Larry. He was just warming up. Dissing on Revelation about a nun and a cop. Apocalyptic visions seen as a end of the future. Larry discusses Virgina Postrel’s Future and its enemies. Two kinds of people: Those who think the present can act to form the future. Those who would just let things happen in the present since you cannot plan a future. She says she belongs to the last. Larry (and the Unibomber according to Postrel) belong to the first.

Larry is just getting wound up when he’s called for time. We need 50 minute academic talk radio!

No matter Larry is explaining things art length and with many hand motions to WCHL owner Jim Heffner.

Talking basketball next. What else? Start with NCAA theme from CBS. Had to get an expert from Cambridge, Thad Williamson (but he is a native Chapel Hellian). Author of More than a Game: Why North Carolina Basketball Means So Much to So Many.

Book written before Matt Dougherty’s seasons. Now a lot about Williams and his history with UNC. Now a bit about Dean Smith. Especially about how Dean treated everyone and how he has been living his life. Now about players leaving school early. Including Michael Jordan.

Franken says he did air work with MJ and it worked out fine. (air joke). Al gave the Espies Award. He tells joke on himself. About how his joke which was ironic wasn’t taken so well.

Now McCants announced that he will go pro early — like this year. Hoots for Sean May.

Next up Joel Schwartz about Paul Wellstone.

Wellstone was Schwartz’s first graduate student. Telling a story about Paul and himself at Berkeley where they shared a two bedroom appartment (a total of 8 people in both families). His last call to Wellstone was PW saying that he would vote against the resolution to give the President war powers that belong to Congress

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