tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45119341369065635872012-05-10T08:05:13.881-05:00Thoughts on tech, science, spirituality, politics, and whatever else wanders through my forebrain.KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.comBlogger475125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-87365603457753122602012-05-10T08:05:00.000-05:002012-05-10T08:05:13.889-05:002012-05-10T08:05:13.889-05:00

It was announced too late to make a difference in North Carolina. In a way that risked no votes. And while this is his personal view, there is no policy followup, no action behind it, merely a statement of his personal views. Nothing suggesting any official response. And though I'm sure he's saddened by how often people's basic rights are put to to a vote, to make sure that equal treatment under

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2012/05/obamas-evolution.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-64823680663654400282012-04-22T21:33:00.000-05:002012-04-22T21:33:44.983-05:002012-04-22T21:33:44.983-05:00

This was going to be a quick post that Salon.com's new look could be used as a classroom example of how to make a site uglier, less useful, harder to navigate, and more self-important. Then I logged in to Blogger to make the post, and saw what Google has wrought upon the control panels. They win. FAR uglier and less useful. Whatever their target demographic is, I'm apparently not in it.

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2012/04/ugly-website-update.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-41058703466034139002012-04-16T09:13:00.000-05:002012-04-16T09:13:10.407-05:002012-04-16T09:13:10.407-05:00

I don't know if it's an issue with the website or with my browser, but I've noticed something about Andrew Sullivan's site. The right side of the page has links to various articles at the Daily Beast. Sometimes the linked story changes, but the image attached to the link doesn't. This can  result in things like this: No, you don't care to know where my mind went with that combination.... 

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2012/04/mismatched-caption-dept.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-21377747834887018682012-04-08T15:46:00.000-05:002012-04-08T15:46:09.555-05:002012-04-08T15:46:09.555-05:00

After some discussions with a friend, I've got some ideas bouncing around in my head, none of them original... in fact, I can't escape the feeling that I'm at least paraphrasing someone else. So, with that disclaimer: There are 2 basic types of atheists depicted in movies. The first is the person who used to have faith but lost it due to some personal tragedy; the death of a child seems a

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-movie-atheists.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-24660733855021287192011-12-15T22:57:00.002-06:002011-12-15T23:04:57.227-06:002011-12-15T23:04:57.227-06:00

We've lost a thinker, one not afraid to say the truth as he saw it. Literate, reasoned, passionate about his causes, never one to shirk from a fight or to back down when principle was at stake. Restless, curious, erudite. His knowledge sometimes seemed encyclopedic, and some of his articles were on topics I knew nothing about--but his writing made it clear, and why it mattered. I suspect he would

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com2http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/12/christopher-hitchens.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-9126565526900229132011-12-14T16:24:00.002-06:002011-12-14T16:24:58.260-06:002011-12-14T16:24:58.260-06:00

She is on a roll...! Seriously. Go read it. This should be required reading.

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/12/mcardle-on-poverty-ii.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-67091035601691615742011-12-14T09:26:00.005-06:002011-12-14T09:38:13.657-06:002011-12-14T09:38:13.657-06:00

I couldn't let Andrew's latest hilarity pass without mentioning it... Here's the setup: I left the conversation hanging a while back, after my post about God being the most powerful force in the universe, rather than the anthropocentric notion of an old man with a gray beard in the sky. I left it because it felt like an impasse, with my view hovering in mid-air next to that of many readers, who

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/12/incidentally.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-24252094403236151672011-12-14T08:34:00.004-06:002011-12-14T08:50:45.545-06:002011-12-14T08:50:45.545-06:00

Following up on yesterday's post... One of the most pernicious aspects of poverty is touched on by a post over at Sullivan, relating to what the deterrent effect (if any) of the death penalty (news flash: There doesn't seem to be one). The issue relates to what's called locus of control: Basically, do you see what happens to you as the result of choices you make that are under your control, or

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/12/more-on-poverty.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-52864226819296861012011-12-13T16:31:00.004-06:002011-12-13T16:42:04.435-06:002011-12-13T16:42:04.435-06:00

A few weeks back I mentioned in passing that the Atlantic's Megan McArdle has an occasional habit of falling back into glibertarian hand-waving. Fairness demands I point out that when she avoids it--as this post on the intractability of poverty certainly does--she's first rate. She points out that there are environmental constraints, but also bad choices, and (what too many writers on this

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/12/mcardle-on-poverty.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-25670057994597630322011-12-12T11:05:00.002-06:002011-12-12T11:07:27.143-06:002011-12-12T11:07:27.143-06:00

Our school requires PhD faculty to teach 2 courses per semester. Many top research schools require 1 course per semester, or less, from their top researchers. Therefore we should reduce our teaching load. Hmmmm, how many hidden assumptions can you find in that statement?

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/12/logic-that-you-only-hear-in-faculty.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-42462098683560141762011-11-12T23:04:00.002-06:002011-11-12T23:07:34.686-06:002011-11-12T23:07:34.686-06:00

Viewing someone's public Facebook profile without their written permission is a violation of their privacy. (At least if it's a University doing the looking.) Posting something on Facebook (such as bragging about breaking a University's rules) is the same as confessing in a courtroom and is absolutely dispositive. Corporations have good reasons for gathering information on their customers, it's

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/11/things-ive-learned-from-grading.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-78811629798366010202011-11-10T21:08:00.004-06:002011-11-10T21:40:48.742-06:002011-11-10T21:40:48.742-06:00

The news coming out of Penn State is, of course, shocking, outrageous, and all the rest. Plenty of pundits are trying to come up with reasons why it happened, or how it could have gone on so long, or how varied the reactions are now (the students are rioting because the coach was fired for covering up child rape? and they're seeing the coach as the victim?). Megan McArdle over at the Atlantic is

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/11/penn-state-and-lacking-explanations.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-10690346202165172702011-10-16T10:45:00.002-05:002011-10-16T10:48:32.308-05:002011-10-16T10:48:32.308-05:00

Sparked by a quote posted by Sullivan:"Some of you … God hates you. Some of you, God is sick of you. God is frustrated with you. God is wearied by you. God has suffered long enough with you. He doesn’t think you’re cute. He doesn’t think it’s funny. He doesn’t think your excuse is 'meritous.' He doesn’t care if you compare yourself to someone worse than you, He hates them too. God hates, right

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/10/today.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-42568866528115825952011-09-29T21:55:00.001-05:002011-09-29T21:56:57.449-05:002011-09-29T21:56:57.449-05:00

Salon.com rolls out its own makeover.... and immediately becomes a leading contender for Slowest Loading Site On The Whole Damn Internet. Further bulletins as events develop.

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/09/meanwhile.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-92232113966357064502011-09-29T06:59:00.003-05:002011-09-29T07:05:17.041-05:002011-09-29T07:05:17.041-05:00

Slate.com continues its push to drive away readers and push itself [farther] into irrelevancy with a hideous makeover of the homepage. Butt-ugly, badly organized, loaded with twitterish fluff and "here's what your neighbors are reading" pap, it's becoming an example of everything that's wrong with online culture. No, I'm not a fan. I understand they're struggling, and have to keep changing and

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-know-what-i-said-yesterday-but.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-87759554161808296952011-09-28T06:48:00.003-05:002011-09-28T06:51:21.592-05:002011-09-28T06:51:21.592-05:00

Let's make it official... We're working on an initiative for one of the classes I teach to try to reduce the rate of D/F/Withdrawal grades in the course. I might write some things about it here sometime--we're certainly seeing some interesting things, and it's been fun watching our associate dean learn all about the joys of teaching freshmen--but I'm too busy working the 10 and 12 hour days to

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/09/on-hold.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-79380096331071249572011-07-11T16:42:00.003-05:002011-07-11T17:00:01.223-05:002011-07-11T17:00:01.223-05:00

Dear Snowflake: As part of our course on programming, I assign various programming projects for you to do. I understand that my students are still learning, and this is an introductory class. Part of what you are learning is how to solve problems and how to track down problems in your programs. Because you are still learning how to do this, I am available to provide assistance if you get stuck on

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/07/dear-snowflake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-85245277869873083752011-06-20T13:41:00.002-05:002011-06-20T13:56:31.141-05:002011-06-20T13:56:31.141-05:00

Over at Andrew Sullivan's blog, there's a discussion about psilocybin and the mental states it can induce, including the degree to which such states mimic the 'spiritual awakening' states of deep meditation. Andrew concedes that such states might be purely a matter of brain function, but then follows it with: But the ultimate source of that feeling of universal beneficence that seems calculated

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/06/moving-goalposts-again.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-81835538381544747172011-05-27T08:46:00.001-05:002011-05-27T08:47:48.138-05:002011-05-27T08:47:48.138-05:00

Mark Kleiman asks:Aren’t there any grown-ups left in the GOP?No.Next, please....

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/05/in-answer-to-your-question.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-39325822410035384462011-05-26T15:07:00.002-05:002011-05-26T15:09:59.209-05:002011-05-26T15:09:59.209-05:00

From the inimitable PZ Myers....When you say you favor increasing individual freedom, you actually mean increasing the individual freedom of healthy white male heterosexuals who have skills that corporate interests find profitable, which, I'm sorry to say, is an extremely narrow slice of our culture, and not necessarily the best element of our society.And this is what's always left out of the

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/05/quote-of-day.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-89519949459474989152011-05-26T08:02:00.003-05:002011-05-26T08:05:00.238-05:002011-05-26T08:05:00.238-05:00

[h/t: They Might Be Hipsters]

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/05/wish-id-thought-of-that-dept.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-45465657680513889502011-05-20T20:56:00.003-05:002011-05-20T20:59:48.793-05:002011-05-20T20:59:48.793-05:00

Dear Sears PartsDirect:Thank you very much for the email informing me that the water filter I ordered online has shipped.IT ARRIVED HERE 2 DAYS AGO. TWO DAYS BEFORE YOUR EMAIL WAS SENT.Such a degree of inefficiency requires a great deal of effort, and I'm sure you have many bureaucrats dedicated to the job.

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/05/corporate-efficiency.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-46416519205284957252011-05-06T10:53:00.003-05:002011-05-06T10:56:41.651-05:002011-05-06T10:56:41.651-05:00

Sullivan piles on the self-pity:My backing of marriage equality was also the pretext for outing my sex life by leftists who regarded anyone supporting marriage rights having sex when single as some sort of hypocrisy!No, Andrew. Your sneering condescension toward the immaturity and irresponsibility of the casual-sex crowd, WHILE YOU WERE A PART OF THAT CROWD, was some sort of hypocrisy.To quote

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/05/andrews-at-it-again.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-53229435555366125152011-04-19T17:37:00.002-05:002011-04-19T17:47:05.665-05:002011-04-19T17:47:05.665-05:00

Laura Miller has a rather disturbing article over at Salon arguing that people criticizing Greg Mortenson for, um, allegedly making up large portions of a so-called memoir are missing the point:Comparisons to fabricating memoirists like James Frey are misguided. An artful account of the memoirist's own experiences is all that the memoir has to offer its readers; if it doesn't approximate the

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2011/04/yes-laura-it-matters.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4511934136906563587.post-14339778539260374992010-12-21T06:49:00.001-06:002010-12-21T06:52:10.884-06:002010-12-21T06:52:10.884-06:00

Two steps forward.... One step back.

KCProgramrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02629904132331025556noreply@blogger.com0http://kcprogramr.blogspot.com/2010/12/interesting-week.html