Author: smartpeopleiknow

On March, 31 Anonymous is going to try and take out the ‘Net . Some thoughts on why, how and what’s next

I think this is more about them than a genuine protest. All it will do if it does work is show their might: I can’t see how it will effect meaningful change of any kind.

Will it work? It depends on how many recruits they get (real or virtual). I suspect they will disrupt some of the root servers, but I think the root server clusters will be able to handle it overall.

Other than the lulz, I don’t see this working out well for Anonymous. The perception of them may shift from We-Take-On-The-Big-Bad-Organizations to We-Are-Reckless-Vandals. They already took a hit when they backed off from taking on Mexican crime lords. This may result in them taking a further hit. But I am hedging here, obviously….we shall see the result soon enough.

For some details on this, see Pastebin.com

Paul McCartney, or everything old is new again

I used to wonder why Paul McCartney still made music. He doesn’t need to money or the fame. His new music is no longer influential. So why?

From watching him at this year’s Grammys, I concluded he simply does it because he loves to make music. He seemed to be having a great time here:

A love of music would explain his new album, Kisses on the Bottom. You really need to read this article by Will Friedwald in the WSJ.com, to see why I think that. (The article is excellent.) It’s easy to be cynical about such an album, and think that it might be a waste of time, but Friedwald convinced me to think otherwise. As he says:

From bottom to top, “Kisses on the Bottom” is a much more classy and heartfelt effort than all the other rockers-go-standards projects (a genre partially launched, coincidentally, by fellow Beatle Ringo Starr’s 1970 “Sentimental Journey”); it will probably be the only one that, in future years, I’ll listen to anywhere near as often as the classic recordings of Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett or Frank Sinatra.

On not leaving your day job: the story of T.S. Eliot and his work at the bank

Lisa Levy has a good review of it here: A Peaceful, But Very Interesting Pursuit – The Rumpus.net.

It seems like something that Eliot liked, not only for what it provided him, but for what he was doing. And while Ezra Pound and others worried about how it affected his writing, I believe Eliot did well with this job: it may have even helped him instead of harmed him when it came to writing.

(Found via Andrew Sullivan.)

The Great Die Off: how the world will change in the 21st century (hint: look to the 14th century)

Populations are aging. As Doug Saunders writes: The world’s losing its workers. How will we compete? – The Globe and Mail. Doug’s column is a good one, and the notion of Peak People is a smart one. Like all his columns, it’s well worth a read.

To see how this might affect the world, it’s worthwhile to look back to the 14th century and how it was changed by the Black Death (Wikipedia). Vast amounts of the world population was lost in this century, with estimates up to half the population perishing from the disease. This had a profound affect on the world, as touched on in this column: How the Black Death Changed the World | LiveScience. I expect the same thing is going to happen in the 21st century (something already visible).

I also expect other changes, like a decline in global warming, more democracy and economic equality, an even greater focus on geriatrics, and a greater appreciation and support for children and families. A population that is declining and aging will drive all this.

The top five regrets of the dying: what you need to change in your life now

This article has been going around recently (Top five regrets of the dying | Life and style | guardian.co.uk) for good reason. It is well written and insightful. I highly recommend it. But what I recommend even more is that you flip around the top five regrets and make them something you resolve to start doing now.

If those are the top give regrets, you should resolve to:

1. Have the courage to live a life true to ourselves, not the life others expected of us.
2. Stop working so hard.
3. Have the courage to express our feelings.
4. Stay in touch with our friends.
5. Let ourselves be happier.

(Via swissmiss).

The top five regrets of the dying: what you need to change in your life now

This article has been going around recently (Top five regrets of the dying | Life and style | guardian.co.uk) for good reason. It is well written and insightful. I highly recommend it. But what I recommend even more is that you flip around the top five regrets and make them something you resolve to start doing now.

If those are the top give regrets, you should resolve to:

1. Have the courage to live a life true to ourselves, not the life others expected of us.
2. Stop working so hard.
3. Have the courage to express our feelings.
4. Stay in touch with our friends.
5. Let ourselves be happier.

(Via swissmiss).

It’s not so much that we age as that we atrophy

Here’s some visual evidence:

It’s not that being 74 causing the muscles to decline: the 74 year old triathelete has the same body composition of the 40 year old triathelete. Furthermore, if the the 40 year old triathelete was to be incapacitated for a long period of time, they would start to resemble the 74 year old non-athlete.

This is not to say that our bodies don’t suffer wear and tear as we get older. But we have more control over the aging process than we may think. So get out there and exercise, regardless of how old you are. Just do it. 🙂

Via Jay Parkinson + MD + MPH = a doctor in NYC (What really happens to our muscles as we age if we…) and swissmiss.com

What people talk about before they die

This article, My Faith: What people talk about before they die – CNN Belief Blog – CNN.com Blogs, is worthwhile reading to the end, regardless of what you believe. It is simple and profound at the same time, but like much that is profound, it is right in front of you and overlooked.

As an aside, it is easy to deride CNN these days, but kudos to them for hosting such good writing.

(Found via AndrewSullivan.com)

Here’s a simple but effective tool for copying CDs, DVDs and Blu Ray disks: ISO Recorder

I wanted to make backup copies of some family photo DVDs and I found this tool, ISO Recorder v3, very effective. As it says here, “ISO Recorder for Windows Vista/Windows 7 supports CD, DVD and Blu Ray operations. Blu Ray on Windows Vista requires SP2”. You just right click on the diskand select an option. I made an ISO file first because I wanted to make multiple copies and that was the easiest. Then I right clicked on the ISO file and copied it to a blank disk. Worked like a charm.

There may be more feature rich tools out there, but for simple copying, I like this.

In considering Kodak’s demise, it’s important to remember that Fuji is still going strong

And if you read this excellent article, Technological change: The last Kodak moment? | The Economist, you can see how each company dealt with the coming tidal wave of digital cameras. Through a combination of smarts and hard work and some luck, Fuji has managed to do well for itself. Sadly that is not the case for Kodak.

Facebook and Grades – an really good infographic on the topic from OnlineEducation.net

The truth about Facebook is that lots of young people use it as their default media for communication. It’s not simply a waste of time (though it can be that too), but if you think that is all it is and that it has a major drag on the grades of students, you might want to relax.To see what I mean, check out this infographic from OnlineEducation.net (bigger version here: Facebook and Grades)

Rick Santorum, Stephen Harper, and the corruption of the sweater vest

I am a big fan of the sweater vest. It provides warmth and let’s you bridge the gap between formal and casual well. Sadly it turns out that political consultants have latched onto this and are using it to humanize right wing politicians that are seen as something other than that. Sound overly dramatic? Well, here’s Rick Santorum rocking the sweater vest and here is Stephen Harper

My take is that if they wore these vests all the time, then there is nothing wrong with it. But everything tells me that they are doing it based on image consultants. Ironically they make change the association one has of sweater vest to a cynical one, and people will see them as a mask. That would be a shame.

For more on this, see Santorum’s Tressel Gambit — Daily Intel and Wearing sweater vests. – Things Stephen Harper Does To Seem Human

Baked eggs are perfect: simple, nutritious, delicious, and elegant


As Mark Bittman demonstrates, baked eggs are The Simplest Egg, Yet the Most Elegant.
You just need an egg and practically anything else for a superb dish. For example, here’s his recipe: Recipe: Baked Egg With Prosciutto and Tomato – New York Times. Here’s another one with bacon: Stacey Snacks: Baked Eggs in Bacon Baskets. This morning I lined muffin tins with cold cuts (turkey slices) and then followed Stacey’s examples.

If you want eggs sunnyside up for dipping in, you can substitute baked eggs and cook them for around 10 minutes and you will get a perfectly running york with cooked whites that look much nicer than those in the pan. Plus there is the added treat of whatever you lined the pan with.

You can also saute anything you like and then serve it topped with such an egg and you have a wonderful dish.

Best of all, it’s so easy: even people who hate to cook can bake an egg. I did mine in a toaster oven and it comes out well.

You may want to experiment first before you make this for others. 375 is a good temperature to cook the eggs in, and with my toaster oven, 10 minutes yielded a very runny egg. Next time I will aim for 12 minutes. Eggs require attention for best results, but the results are worth it.

My new year’s resolution in 2012 is to suck at things (and also excel)

This is an odd resolution in a number of ways. First of all, you might say, isn’t the point of resolutions to be better at life, not suck at it? And how can you suck and excel at the same time?

As I get older, I find I am less inclined to do new things and tend to stick with what I do well. When I try new things, I suck at them, and I give up on doing them. I find it uncomfortable sucking at things at my age. Unlike my kids, I am self conscious and uncomfortable about doing poorly at things in public. I try them, I hope they will go well, and when they don’t, I put them away. When I was younger, I would rationalize this by thinking: I have work/kids/&c to contend with….I will get to that later. That rationalization is not working so well anymore. Futhermore, there are things that I would like/love to do, but I don’t.

The things I think I suck at but would love to do and do better at are filmmaking, drawing, painting, photography, programming and running (and fitness generally). All of those things I love and I would love to be able to do well, but I know if they take them up again, I will do them poorly. My resolution is to try to keep working on them all year, even when the outcome is terrible. If at the end of the year, I still suck, then I will reconsider if I am going to keep doing them. What I resolve not to do is give up right away.

I was planning only to focus on the things I suck at for my New Year’s Resolution, but there are alot of things that I do that I don’t suck at, but I would like to improve at doing or even excel in doing. Those things include being a dad, a cook (or bottlewasher!) or an IT architect/consultant.  I don’t want to just focus on the things that I suck at: I still want to improve on those areas, because they are most important to me.

I wrote it in the hope of (a) proding me to stick to this resolution and (b) inspire others to make unusual resolutions that would inspire others.

Thanks for reading this.

 

 

 

 

 

A very important Christmas consideration: white lights or colored lights? The NYtimes has the scoop

 

It may seem silly, but it is a debate I have been in a number of times myself, and based on this article, I am not alone: Colored vs. White Is a Christmas Light Debate – NYTimes.com. Personally I lean towards colored lights on the Christmas tree and white or monochrome outside, though not the blinking kind (they drive me crazy). However I have been overruled in my house and we have gone with white lights in and out. That’s fine by me, because in winter, any additional light is welcome. Even more so when it is festive and comforting.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Who disagrees with Christopher Hitchens on capital punishment? Christopher Hitchens

Here he is in 2011, Staking a Life – Lapham’s Quarterly, on capital punishment. And here is is in Slate in 2006, Don’t hang Saddam. – By Christopher Hitchens – Slate Magazine.

I am not sure if he changed his opinion or not, but I found it interesting how he refers to Saddam with regards to capital punishment and whether or not he deserved it.

The right way to wear a bowtie

I love bowties, but I avoid them because of how closely associated they are with looking like a dweeb. That’s a shame, because they are a great accessory. I could never figure out how to avoid that look, but I think this photo has given me a hint. Aaron Young (pictured here) knows how to wear a bow tie. His suit, shirt and boots are cool and subdued — nothing dweebish there — and his hat is striking. So much so that the bowtie doesn’t get all the attention. I think this is the best way to wear a bowtie: always have one other item of clothing that diminishes it, while keeping the rest of your look cool. Smart.

Found here:the selby

Beautiful photography: Black Americana – Vogue.it

While I am hesitant to make any claims for or against the subject matter in this photo spread, Black Americana – Vogue.it, I do think that the photos by themselves are great. I love this one in particular:

As fashion photographs, they are wonderful. In the context of social statements, their value is debatable. (I use that word in a neutral way, for I think there is room for a good debate over whenever or not these photos that attempt to portray the life of black Americans in the 1960s is a good thing or not.)

Take a look and decide for yourself, here Black Americana – Vogue.it

Why you need to change your snacks at work if you want to be more productive

Because according to this, Why Sugar Makes Us Sleepy (And Protein Wakes Us Up) | Wired Science | Wired.com, if you are eating pastries and cookies and other sweet things, you are likely feeling tired afterwards as a result. You then compensate by drinking too much coffee and hence get on a vicious circle. If you are going to be snacking on anything, make it proteins like nuts or low fat yogurt or a bean salad.

Snack smart. See the wired.com article for more of the details.

Really late night music: Prince – Uptown, Live, 1981, Paris

Prince is still selling out big concerts, and he has become refined in many ways. So what I love about this video is that it reminds me of how raw and exciting he was back in the early 80s. Here he is doing “Uptown”, the great track from his breakout LP, “Dirty Mind”

As it says in wikipedia,

“Uptown” is the album’s (Dirty Mind) high point, with Prince singing about a utopian paradise where everyone is free to express themselves regardless of age, gender and skin color. This album was to set the scene emphatically for Prince’s chart domination later in the 1980s. It fused black and white musical styles in a seamless fashion and showed that Prince was not afraid to push boundaries. Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described the music from the album as “confident and highly danceable blend of post-disco funk and tasty, hard-line rock”.[19]

We take Prince and his music almost for granted now, but he and he music was anything but at the time. It was fresh and original and raunchy and set to accomplish something unique in the world of the popular music.

Signup for the Toronto Sporting Life 10K now, help kids with cancer, and make ten bucks!

Yes, if you signup before January 15th for this year’s Sporting Life 10K that will be held in May, it will cost you $40. But you will get a $50 gift card for Sporting Life. You will also get a great race T shirt. Much more importantly, you will help Camp Oochigeas, a summer camp for kids with cancer.

Hey, if you are going to be making New Year’s Resolutions to get fit, save money, and help others, this offer helps you hit the sweet spot.