Stayed at the recently renovated Hilton Hartford this weekend with the girlfriend. Overall we were very pleased; the renovations are stylish and the room was comfortable. Our only real complaint was the (audible from the 12th floor) jackhammering in the parking garage at 8am Sunday morning, but the hotel was nice enough to refund us $20 for the annoyance.
The highlight was breakfast at Morty and Ming's. I had a grilled sandwich of straberry jam, grilled ham, and about a half-inch thick spread of cream cheese. Sinfully good, though it probably doesn't sound that way! She had blueberry pancakes with vanilla butter, also delightful. The hashbrowns on the side—shredded potato, the only way to do it right, crisped to golden perfection with onions and scalions—were the best I can recall.
Just enough energy to survive a trip through the New Haven Ikea...
8.22.2005
winterspeak.com
I've read half a dozen posts on winterspeak.com, found via link from Asymmetrical Information, and I'm hooked...
A representative sample (on the causes of the U.S. trade deficit):
A representative sample (on the causes of the U.S. trade deficit):
The key dynamic here seems to be that China, following mercantilist trade policy, is taking money from Chinese consumers and importers and giving it to Chinese exporters, who are in turn tying dollar bills to their exports. The rational thing to do in this circumstance would be to take the money and buy the Chinese exports -- anything else would be foolish! Thus the trade deficit. When the Chinese decide to stop taking from their local peasants and giving to American flat-screen TV buyers, then the trade deficit will go away, but until then American consumers should take the money and run.Great stuff.
8.16.2005
Reading List
Although almost no one actually reads this blog, I'm going to start taking note here of what I've been reading. At least it will give me a chance to take stock of my reading time, of which I never have enough. My reading could best be grouped into two categories: technical papers, articles and books running the gamut of computer science topics, and everything else. The former I typically read during my lunch hour, an old anti-social habit that I don't think I'll ever break, while the latter I try to find time for when I can, typically at night, but also during marathon sessions on vacation at Cape Cod during the summer.
One summer selection was V.S. Naipaul's A Bend in the River. As a (purely hypothetical) regular reader of the blog might deduce, I'm exceedingly fond of Joseph Conrad. If the brooding prose of this book is any indication, Naipaul is the modern equivalent. The story is semi-autobiographical, and has a specific historical context, but like Heart of Darkness, there is just enough of a mist around the edges to allow both tales to dissolve the bonds that tie them to a particular time and place: The name "Africa" appears once in Conrad's story, and only in a list of continents. The name "Congo" appears not at all. Similarly, Naipaul never names the nation whose fate drives the story, nor its nominal leader, the "Big Man".
The resulting meditations on the nature of man thus take on a universality that I find quite appealing. The prose is brooding, as I said before, in the best possible sense: heavy and thoughtful, but only because the subject demands it.
Highly recommended.
On the CS end, I was thrilled to discover the collected notes of Edsger W. Dijkstra. The breadth of his interest in "Computing Science" is matched only by the strength of his opinions, resulting in forceful insights on a broad range of topics. From what I've read so far, I can particularly commend:
"My recollections of operating system design"
and
"Computing Science: Achievements and Challenges"
One summer selection was V.S. Naipaul's A Bend in the River. As a (purely hypothetical) regular reader of the blog might deduce, I'm exceedingly fond of Joseph Conrad. If the brooding prose of this book is any indication, Naipaul is the modern equivalent. The story is semi-autobiographical, and has a specific historical context, but like Heart of Darkness, there is just enough of a mist around the edges to allow both tales to dissolve the bonds that tie them to a particular time and place: The name "Africa" appears once in Conrad's story, and only in a list of continents. The name "Congo" appears not at all. Similarly, Naipaul never names the nation whose fate drives the story, nor its nominal leader, the "Big Man".
The resulting meditations on the nature of man thus take on a universality that I find quite appealing. The prose is brooding, as I said before, in the best possible sense: heavy and thoughtful, but only because the subject demands it.
Highly recommended.
On the CS end, I was thrilled to discover the collected notes of Edsger W. Dijkstra. The breadth of his interest in "Computing Science" is matched only by the strength of his opinions, resulting in forceful insights on a broad range of topics. From what I've read so far, I can particularly commend:
"My recollections of operating system design"
and
"Computing Science: Achievements and Challenges"
Battlestar Galactica
I came in a little late, knowing nothing about the original except that it had a reputation of being cheesy, but the new
Battlestar Galactica is easily the best SF show on TV in a long time. That's in no small part due to show-runner Ron Moore, who provided much of the creative energy that made the middle seasons of DS9 so much fun. BSG is a much darker show (figuratively and literally - I never understood why Trek always had to be filmed under kleig lights), and it's the better for it.
The toughest part for the writers and producers, I think, will be exploring the mythos. This is where, say, Babylon 5 fell down for me. The early seasons offered some real mystery, both about the characters and the universe they inhabited. But the "revelations," spread out over 4 years (season 5 doesn't really count), brought to mind the quote from Conrad about sailor's tales fitting within the shell of a nut. Ultimately there wasn't that much to the backstory that couldn't be summarized in a few sentences: Shadows = chaos, Vorlons = order, Sinclair = Valen. The characters were interesting for the most part, but because the story arc was so threadbare, almost every event of consequence had to revolve around them. This might work well for a medical drama, but you're sacrificing what makes good space operas: the sense of scale, of a huge universe you can only meagerly comprehend.
On the other hand, you can go too far the other way, and treat the mythos as an inexahaustible supply of new weirdness. X-Files fell victim to this. I don't think anyone can tell a plausible story that fits everything that was thrown onto the screen.
BSG will hopefully manage to walk the line here. I hope it'll be clear by the end of this season whether, for example, there's anything more than mysticism to the Cylon's God-talk and the President's prophecy talk.
Luckily, even if the mythos sucks, if the production quality shown so far continues, it'll at least be worth watching.
Battlestar Galactica is easily the best SF show on TV in a long time. That's in no small part due to show-runner Ron Moore, who provided much of the creative energy that made the middle seasons of DS9 so much fun. BSG is a much darker show (figuratively and literally - I never understood why Trek always had to be filmed under kleig lights), and it's the better for it.
The toughest part for the writers and producers, I think, will be exploring the mythos. This is where, say, Babylon 5 fell down for me. The early seasons offered some real mystery, both about the characters and the universe they inhabited. But the "revelations," spread out over 4 years (season 5 doesn't really count), brought to mind the quote from Conrad about sailor's tales fitting within the shell of a nut. Ultimately there wasn't that much to the backstory that couldn't be summarized in a few sentences: Shadows = chaos, Vorlons = order, Sinclair = Valen. The characters were interesting for the most part, but because the story arc was so threadbare, almost every event of consequence had to revolve around them. This might work well for a medical drama, but you're sacrificing what makes good space operas: the sense of scale, of a huge universe you can only meagerly comprehend.
On the other hand, you can go too far the other way, and treat the mythos as an inexahaustible supply of new weirdness. X-Files fell victim to this. I don't think anyone can tell a plausible story that fits everything that was thrown onto the screen.
BSG will hopefully manage to walk the line here. I hope it'll be clear by the end of this season whether, for example, there's anything more than mysticism to the Cylon's God-talk and the President's prophecy talk.
Luckily, even if the mythos sucks, if the production quality shown so far continues, it'll at least be worth watching.
Bring back the Grilled Stuft Chicken Enchilada Burrito
Sign the petition to bring back
the greatest Taco Bell burrito ever.
Why does Taco Bell insist upon rotating in these great new products, and then getting rid of them, never to be seen again?
They are the biggest tease in the fast food industry.
While they're at it, they should bring back the Chicken Stuft Caesar Wrap, which was likewise excellent.
the greatest Taco Bell burrito ever.
Why does Taco Bell insist upon rotating in these great new products, and then getting rid of them, never to be seen again?
They are the biggest tease in the fast food industry.
While they're at it, they should bring back the Chicken Stuft Caesar Wrap, which was likewise excellent.
8.01.2005
The new guru
George Lakoff is a clown:
After all the whining those on the left do about George Bush "dividing America", they make this guy's book a bestseller. He certainly seems interested in civil debate, doesn't he?
Oh well. I hope they keep listening to him instead of finding leaders who call this kind of talk absurd. Then they'll keep losing elections, and I'll keep getting cheaper goods through free trade, a growing economy through lower tax rates and less regulation, and a foreign policy driven by American ideals.
"'They found that choice wasn't playing very well,' says Lakoff, who's become an unofficial guru to beleaguered Democrats. He told the groups it was no wonder: 'choice' came from a 'consumerist' vocabulary, while 'life' came from a moral one. In one of his more controversial suggestions, he advised the activists to reclaim the 'life' issue by blaming Republicans for high U.S. infant-mortality rates and mercury pollution that can cause birth defects. 'Basically what I'm saying is that conservatives are killing babies,' he says."
After all the whining those on the left do about George Bush "dividing America", they make this guy's book a bestseller. He certainly seems interested in civil debate, doesn't he?
Oh well. I hope they keep listening to him instead of finding leaders who call this kind of talk absurd. Then they'll keep losing elections, and I'll keep getting cheaper goods through free trade, a growing economy through lower tax rates and less regulation, and a foreign policy driven by American ideals.
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