Some of Nothing

A Bicycle Built for Two

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:59:00 +0000

A year ago (has it been a whole year?!?), I wrote about my bicycle supremacist tendencies in spite of my issues with cycling technology and subculture:

It will never happen, but it would be kind of cool to see the bicycle become a primary mode of transportation in the US. The air would be cleaner, roads would be cheaper to maintain and there would be fewer of them, and our energy problems would be minimal. Plus, fewer people would own cars, so we wouldn't need all that space for garages and giant parking lots. And on rare occasions, for fun and adventure, people would borrow or rent a car just to "go driving". At that point, I think I'd start to enjoy riding the bicycle again. Because it would be just a thing people did to get around--not having to compete so much with cars or eXtreme bicycle heroes. Helmet and spandex-free.

And on that occasion, I pointed to Amsterdam as the commonly perceived model of a bike-friendly town. Well, it turns out that, for the first time, bike usage has surpassed car usage in Amsterdam:

"The bicycle is the means of transport used most often in Amsterdam," reports Bike Europe. "Between 2005 and 2007 people in the city used their bikes on average 0.87 times a day, compared to 0.84 for their cars. This is the first time that bicycle use exceeds car use."

If you check out the video at that link, you'll see Amsterdamians (or whatever they call themselves) of all shapes and sizes just going about their daily business en velo. As the second comment in the thread alludes to, there's nothing at all special going on there other than they've observed that bicycle technology serves a useful function, and they've successfully, unselfconsciously integrated it into their culture and transportation infrastructure. Just as we, throughout the majority of the US, did (and continue to do) with the car. Nonetheless, I'm still fairly envious. I want to import Amsterdam's transit sensibilities.

Almost unconsciously, MFP and I do seem to have inched toward the Amsterdam transportation mindset in our own small way. We purchased a new used tandem. After having rented one for a day a couple of months ago, we were surprised at how well we liked riding together. So, when we happened upon a consignment tandem (which just happened to fit us quite nicely) in a local bike shop, MFP decided it was coming home with us. It will come as no surprise to anyone who read my post a year ago that I was more than a little skeptical: Was I ready to become someone who "goes biking"? How naive I was.

Turns out, the bicycle is our new car (kind of). At the time we got it, I was mostly concerned that the bicycle would replace our urban hikes, which I love more than anything. But what I didn't expect is that, in reality, it has replaced much of our discretionary driving. We've ridden to grocery stores, to baseball games, to shopping malls--all of which were farther than we could walk to within our available timeframe. When we wanted to go on a quick getaway for the weekend, we rode--not drove--to our destination about 40 miles away. And while MFP still drives the car to work most days (we're working on it!), the tandem has become the equivalent of our own little minivan.

The benefits of the tandem over our solo bikes when we're going out together are numerous. It feels safer on the road to have two of us watching for cars. We don't have to do as much route planning ahead of time (the corollary of this is that we can be more spontaneous along the way). Pedaling uphill is easier when we work together (for the most part). And we can chat it up along the way without having to negotiate trying to ride side-by-side. A simple comparison would be the difference between going in two cars vs. one. All in all, the tandem makes for much more enjoyable trips.

The challenges of the tandem, on the other hand, are fairly unusual. From a logistical perspective, it's not as easy to get on the bike rack when we need to take it to the shop. And the dynamic between driving and "stoking" (as the rear pedlar does) is interesting in that the perspective is a bit different for each position. For instance, by virtue of being in the front, the driver (MFP, in this case) sees a hill and thinks "I need to get up that hill", while the stoker (me, in this case) thinks "I need to help him get up that hill." Before I understood this dynamic it was easy for me to be blissfully unaware that MFP was doing most of the heavy pedaling. And after I understood this dynamic and started compensating for it, MFP would mention, "You're getting ahead of me on the pedals", which helped me to figure out where the fine line between cooperation and competition was in this endeavor. Also, it would appear that I have a tendency to literally "drive from the back", which sounds impossible but, I have no doubt, isn't. Still working on that one. Nonetheless, once we worked out some minor communication issues surrounding gear shifting and starting and stopping, we were pretty much good to go.

Which brings me back to Amsterdam. For us, the tandem was a new technology that has, in a small way, moved us more toward bicycle-oriented lifestyle. We've spent more time in bike shops than we had in the past; we've talked about where our next cycling getaway will be; we've paid much more attention to our city bike route map (yay infrastructure!) and have reassessed our neighborhood streets in terms of hill grade. One thing we haven't done, however, is gone out and bought any spandex. Because, while spandex is, I'm sure, a useful technology, it's not part of our bicycle-oriented lifestyle. Too self-conscious.

The Tao of Work?

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:15:00 +0000

The Sunday before last, MFP and I skipped out on Church of Pugilism to play baseball. The Sunday before that we spent biking about 40 miles up to a weekend getaway spot. Both activities could reasonably be considered exercise. In fact, I was more sore after playing baseball than I had been after going to church in quite some time. But, for some reason, neither activity seemed like work to me. Rather, they felt more like play. I was trying to understand why while I was laboring away at church this most recent Sunday. That is, I was working on my punches while considering the distinctions between work and play.

Conventional wisdom (an oxymoron?) says that work is something you have to do while play is something you want to do. Well, I wanted to go to church on Sunday, but it still felt like work to me. And one sure way for me to determine I was working rather than playing is by noticing the muscle groups that are sore from it even now. My calves are still painful from all the jumping and my neck and arms continue to hurt from the pushups and punching. Over the years, I've come to see these specific muscle groups as the "where the rubber meets the road" muscles. That is, I use them the most when I'm focused on intellectually controlling my behaviors during an exercise, whereas I use the core muscles (abs and thighs) more when I'm just having fun with it. I can't really explain it in more detail other than to say that the neck, arm, and calf muscles are closest to where the majority of the activity is happening, so they're easier to direct into delivering the best outcome for the effort. And, for me, being focused on an outcome instead of just appreciating the process is probably the most straightforward way to distinguish work from play. In this case, I guess it's like the difference between "delivering a punch" and "hitting things"--delivering a punch=work; hitting things=play.

To complicate the issue further, this distinction between work and play has been particularly relevant to some problems I've been having with my 12-year-old disciple since summer began. Now that she's graduated from 6th grade, she seems to think it should all be fun in the sun until autumn. And part of me wants to not harsh her groove. But another part of me knows that, if she doesn't keep learning over the break, she'll be just another achievement gap statistic. So, I've been trying to make it playful--discussing with her the books that she's chosen to read (as part of her positive reinforcement reward) and working with her on a summertime community service activity of her choice. The key words here having to do with "choice". All based on conventional wisdom that says helping her with things she wants to do should make it seem more like play rather than work. Three weeks in--outlook not good.

Not only has my disciple not read a single page of her book, she's lied to me on multiple occasions about having read the book (how she thought I wouldn't easily figure her out makes me wonder who she's used to dealing with). And as for the community service project she wanted to do? Well, once we started getting to the parts that she wasn't that interested in (the planning, the research, the thinking), suddenly the whole project seemed like work to her. So, after a failed attempt at interjecting some learning into week three by discussing centripetal/centrifugal force with her while spinning her on the carousel at a neighborhood park, I realized that both of us had been simply going in circles since the summer began. Achievement gap, here we come!

But then, after thinking back over some of the improvements we've made in the last six or so months, I'm not so sure we're ready to embrace the achievement gap just yet. First, she got moved up from the second easiest math group in her class to the absolute hardest. A move up of four math groups is not necessarily insignificant. And the last paper we worked on together was deemed "best in the class" by her teacher. Those five revision sessions we did paid off (I got away with making her do this by telling her that the New Yorker article I had her read aloud probably required at least eleven revisions and that's just the way it's done). Nonetheless, in all this, I had the structure of her school work to support the entire process as well as her implicit understanding that she needed to improve her grades. Which, of course, means that the last six months was outcome-focused and that we worked only on her "where the rubber meets the road" scholastic problems and not the core issue of her lack of appreciation for the learning process itself. In other words, she spent the last six months delivering punches instead of hitting things (I bet her neck and calves are tired). Working instead of playing. Which is fairly unsustainable and undesirable for a kid starting to find her singular path in life.

So, how do we move away from focusing on achieving the best outcome to just appreciating the process? How do we turn work into play? I have never been great at this particular undertaking--even on things I want to do, let alone have to do. And if I'm still not good at this after so many years, maybe my disciple needs a better tutor. Someone who already succeeds at appreciating the process and knows that the outcomes will follow. Or maybe we should work on learning to play together? But then, should play become an outcome in and of itself? Should it be something we have to "work" on? Aaargh! Just thinking about this damn problem makes me want to hit things. Or maybe deliver punches. What the hell do I know?

PS: These people may know something about turning work into play. Looks like good times.

PPS: For more context on the larger work-play issue (esp as it pertains to education), I'm reposting this Alan Watts video:

Ceci N'est Pas Une Mouse

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Kid (coming up behind me while I'm working at the computer): "Do you like mice?"

Me (quickly glancing back at her): "Uh....I don't know...It depends on the mouse, I guess."

Kid (holding up the picture she drew): "Do you want one?"

Me: "That's a very nice drawing. Thank you."

(Kid disappears as swiftly as she appeared, and I turn back to rushing to complete my website updates.)

Surreal.

Adventures in Tutoring Cont'd: Diva Disciple Gets Schooled

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:30:00 +0000

My 12-year-old disciple and I have had our ups and downs lately. In the service of education, here's the gist:

My disciple and I are continuing our positive reinforcement strategy to ensure all assignments are turned in on time, but we've made a slight modification. Rather than getting little toys, stickers, and such at the start of our meetings, my disciple is getting a word puzzle. At first, this alteration in our plan was (unsurprisingly) unwelcome news to her. But now that we're a couple of letters into the puzzle, I think she's enjoying it.

I picked up some letter stickers at a drug store, and each time we meet after she has turned all of her assignments in on time, she gets the next letter of a roughly 20-letter phrase that I made up. And the beauty for her is, if she guesses the phrase early, she gets her big reward early. So, now, instead of spending the first few minutes of each meeting playing with little things, she spends it trying to guess the phrase that I made up. I'm pleased with this alteration for two reasons: 1. I like to maximize use of resources and don't like buying silly little things of minimal value just so I have something to positively reinforce her behavior with; 2. Her endeavor to prematurely solve the puzzle inches her away from the external reward system toward the self-satisfaction she gets from the problem-solving process itself.

We're working on her reading comprehension and ability to concentrate by having her read out loud to me this New Yorker article about the importance of self-control. Luckily, it seems that the New Yorker is written at about a 6th grade level (take that, elitists!) and, except for a few times when we stopped to discuss word definitions, she's able to read it aloud and summarize the vignettes and concepts detailed in the article quite nicely.

We also recently watched A Class Divided, a Frontline documentary about an experiment a teacher performed on her class in order to illustrate some of the problems associated with discrimination. What I liked about the documentary is that it was multi-layered. Rather than just polemicizing about how discrimination is wrong, it depicts it as a self-reinforcing cycle that not only diminishes a person's sense of self but also her academic performance. The experiment aspect of the lesson also gave us a chance to discuss scientific practices, such as defining variables and methods. One thing my disciple and I didn't do that I think we should is compare social science methodology (as was used in the documentary) to natural science methodology (as she used in her recent science project).

Finally, my disciple and I have not been without our differences. Truth be told, I have an infinite amount patience for trying to find new ways to explain challenging concepts, but I have an infinitesimal amount of patience for trying to find new ways to say, "Sit up and shut up for a second while I try to explain this challenging concept". Spending half my time reminding my disciple that she's not stupid and the other half reminding her that she doesn't know everything has, at times, made me cranky. So much so that, recently, her mother and I had a lengthy conversation about whether or not this arrangement was worth the effort for all parties involved. The main reason that I was there, it seems, was that her mother was having similar problems in trying to help her focus on her homework, and luckily, mom was firmly on my side of the issues. Without this familial support, I would probably consider the endeavor wholly pointless, a realization which makes me sympathize with real teachers everywhere (poor saps!).

Nonetheless, in spite of all of our ups and downs and my frustrations, a free Mexican dinner in return for just 4-5 hours of my time twice a week (not including prep time) keeps me coming back; I'm a sucker for a good tostada. *

*=Not entirely true.

Of Dogs and Disciples: trials and tribulations in resolving a 12-year-old's academic achievement problems

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:12:00 +0000

I am not an educator by trade. So when, in early March, I was trying to find a solution for my 12-year-old disciple's missing assignments problem, I resorted to the obvious step of consulting some of the many people I know who are educators by trade. My first choice: a friend of mine who is...a dog trainer (and an academic, but that's actually a secondary attribute in this context).

My friend practices a type of dog training that employs only positive reinforcement (treats!) for promoting good behavior and distractions--rather than punishments--for correcting bad behavior. (And since the Obamas are using this very type of training approach on their dog Bo, I can only assume that it's all the rage right now). When our conversation began, I told my friend about the plan to have my 12-year-old disciple sign a contract agreeing to turn all of her assignments in on time. But then I confessed to her that I was seriously lacking leverage for when my disciple inevitably failed to meet the contractual terms. And while I was benefitting from the fact that my disciple was a basically decent kid who had a reasonable amount of respect for others, I knew that if I offered any false threats (No tutoring for a week!) in this area, I would only be hurting my own credibility with her in the long run. So, what to do?

My dog-training friend's suggestion: Very small rewards consistently doled out for each time my disciple turned her assignments in on time leading to a more substantial reward for when she turned in a certain number of assignments in a row. In retrospect, this seems like a simple and obvious strategy, but at the time, I was skeptical. I expressed my concern about the need for discipline and my desire to avoid conditioning my disciple to expect an external reward for every little thing she did right. My friend quickly dispatched these concerns by reminding me that my disciple was, in fact, only 12 years old and that the behaviors for which she was initially earning this external reward may eventually become their own reward, thereby obviating the need for an external reward system for this behavior in the future. Another persuasive point my friend made was that, given the choice between positive and negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement was less likely than negative reinforcement to do long-term harm to my disciple's unpredictable 12-year-old psyche. After analyzing the relative costs and benefits of the approach, I went forth with a plan.

My disciple and I signed a contract stating that she would turn in all of her assignments on time and, in return, get a small assignment-completion reward each time she and I met for tutoring and a larger reward (possibly a Twilight book--arrgh!) after 20 consecutive days of turning her assignments in on time. The result: after a month and a half, she finally got her book reward. A week or so into the contract, one assignment turned in a few minutes late (yes, I'm still a hard-ass) compelled us to start over. Obviously, given where we began, I'm fairly pleased with this outcome. Not only has my disciple set up a pattern of turning her assignments in on time, she has begun to take pleasure in the grades she's getting as a result. When she showed me her latest progress report, not only did she rejoice (doing a little dance, even) in the lack of zeroes on the page, she went so far as to gleefully circle all of the A+s she got and then to calculate the percentage of A+s on her report (60%). While, clearly, my disciple is still attached to external rewards systems--now, including grades--I'm hoping that we're inching closer to the point where the learning process becomes its own reward.

To be continued...

Designing My Fair City

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:13:00 +0000

This is a list I've been building in my mind for a very long time. Basically, every time I engage in urban wanderlust, I end up ruminating on all the things I want to see improved on in my city. If I ever got the big idea to hold my city hostage, this would be my list of demands (barring any assumption that my city can defy the laws of physics)*. But it's important to preface my list by explaining that my city is already quite lovely. We have many walkable neighborhoods, a lot of green space, and a considerable amount of public art and character. Still, there's always room for improvement.

I want all of my city's waterways to be fishable and swimmable. Water being necessary to sustain human life, I've always considered this to be a top priority and find it fairly unconscionable that we can't even meet this very low standard.
I want all of my city's green spaces to be connected. I want to be able to wander through our entire park system without ever having to cross a street.
For every foot of roadway, I want to see triple the space devoted to pedestrian paths, bike paths, and urban railway.
Whenever road construction interferes with pedestrian/cyclist paths, I want to see a clear, short, and safe detour for pedestrians and cyclists.
Also, I want more safe ways to cross roads for pedestrians/cyclists, in general.
I want native plant barriers between roadways and pedestrian/cyclist paths.
I want commuting by train/bus to be more convenient than commuting by car for everyone.
I want more public waterfront space. A lot more.
I want smoking to be eliminated from all public (indoor and outdoor) spaces. Air being necessary to sustain human life, this one seems like a gimme.
I want roads to be designed for their speed limits and speed limits to reflect the design of the road.
I want tighter boundaries around my city--an even stronger focus on density as opposed to suburban sprawl.
I want more and better signage directing me to community/cultural spaces.
I want a bus schedule at every stop.
I want an easy-to-find and navigate comprehensive resource enumerating all of the public spaces and events available to me at all times.
I want more community/cultural spaces open at all different times of the day and night. And holidays too. Presidents' Day should offer me more than the ability to buy a cheap mattress. Public space should be available when the public has time to use it, which often includes after-hours.
I'd prefer more public amenities: restrooms, public phones, etc.
And I would love to see wireless publicly available all throughout the city. And actually have it work.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll be adding more later. Sadly, I'm guessing that I represent the very last stakeholder group my city actually considers when planning urban improvements, so this list will likely be around for a while. Developers, large business owners, and even soccer moms probably all take precedence over my childless, youngish, pragmatic, low-consuming demo. Nonetheless, a girl can dream.

*=The Tick reference:

UPDATE: Interesting commentary on how writing things down can simplify them. After writing this list, it became clear that accomplishing a few of the bigger changes I want would directly obviate many of the smaller changes. I guess that's what planning is all about.

The Tao of Going Through the Motions

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:25:00 +0000

Yesterday morning's Church of Pugilism started out kind of rough. I was doing pretty well in the first circuit--jumping rope, jumping jacks, etc--but as soon as we moved on to the next circuit, I was losing it fast. My head was floating, my stomach was threatening to relinquish its contents, and (as my pugilism partner kindly put it) I had a less-than-healthy glow. Anyone who's read the Tao of Puke-ilism knows that this feeling is not entirely new for me. It happens periodically and almost always puts a new spin on my workout. Yesterday was no exception.

In the past, I've tended to react to this situation in one of two ways--either sit out for a round or two or punish myself by pushing myself harder. This time, however, I decided to just let it wash. I stayed in the circuit physically, kept it slow and steady, and just sort of mentally checked out. In the second round of the second circuit, my partner and I were sitting back-to-back on the floor, twisting, and passing a medicine ball between us. With each early pass, I wondered how long I'd be able to keep going. "If you puke, you puke;" I kept saying it over and over to myself. But eventually things got a little surreal, and my mind started to let go while my body just kept passing the ball. For what was probably about two minutes, I have no idea what I was thinking (if I was thinking anything at all). Nonetheless, the bell signifying the end of the round told me I had got it done and that it was time to move on.

I was surprised to find that moving on to the next round was actually fairly easy. The struggles I had gone through in the previous rounds were steadily receding, and I was almost feeling kind of spry as I held up a shield for my partner to punch. Those nauseous feelings were becoming less and less frequent and, while still fairly slow, I was starting to recompose myself mentally as well. My confidence in my ability to finish the workout improved drastically over the next few rounds, and by the time the whole thing was over and I had stepped foot back out into the open air, I was no more sluggish than when I went in over an hour earlier. Not exactly Richard Simmons but not exactly this guy either.

On the way home, I tried to think back to my previous bouts of exercise-induced affliction and determine which of my current strategies for dealing gets me back on track the quickest. It's hard to say and seems almost always situational. Whether I take a break depends on whether I think it will bring me a fresh outlook on the situation. And whether I push myself harder depends on whether I think there's a level of diminishing returns. And whether I just stay the course and go through the motions depends on whether I think what I'm doing is right and that I just need to keep on doing it--even when I'm not sure I can. Sadly, it seems that when things aren't going according to plan, I don't have a single best solution to the problem. But maybe that's ok. I guess as long as none of my solutions kill me, I can just keep experimenting with them. Or maybe finding new ones through more and more practice. Could be worse.

I didn't complete this blog post because...

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:33:00 +0000

In the Some of Nothing household, Sunday is a day of rest and pugilism. Sadly for me, however, Sunday at 3am was not very restful (or very pugilistic, for that matter). And as I was lying awake in bed knowing full well that the alarm would sound as soon as I closed my eyes, I started thinking about frustrations I was having outside of my inability to sleep. After wallowing in feelings aimlessness for about an hour or so, I eventually got around to contemplating the issues I'm having with my 12 year-old disciple and her recent progress report.

My disciple and I have been working together twice a week for over 2 months now, and results have been decidedly mixed. It took some time for us to establish solid lines of communication (ie, for me to bend her to my will), and keeping those lines in good working order is an ongoing challenge. But on the positive side of the ledger, she's made some important academic achievements. For example, she's moved from the easiest math group in her class up four levels to the 2nd hardest. She made it into the top tier in her recent class spelling bee and was one of three chosen to participate in a Latinate bee. And for the first time, she's had several examples of her work posted on the board by her teacher. Many of these accomplishments would have been unthinkable a few months ago, so I should probably look on our efforts together as time well-spent. But then there's the progress report.

Finally eschewing the middling grades of Bs and Cs, my young disciple's latest assessment now fluctuates between series of As and Fs--or, more accurately, 100s and zeroes. Missing assignments constitute almost a third of her report. This is unacceptable.

So, at 4:30am on Sunday, I was lying in bed devising strategies to resolve this problem. Earlier in the week, MFP suggested having her, her mom, and me sign a contract detailing everyone's roles and responsibilities in this arrangement. Apparently, one of MFP's kid-having co-workers told him about how this stratagem works in kiddie softball, and Google indicates that the trilateral contract seems to be all the rage for schoolwork too. So, a contract, it is. But given the magnitude of the problem here, I started thinking that a contract is just the beginning. I started thinking that for every assignment my disciple misses, she should be obligated to provide a written detailed explanation of why she missed that assignment. Such as: "I, 12 year-old disciple, failed to complete and turn in my assignment, Triangles: Why They Are a Sign of the Devil, because I chose to play computer games instead. Specifically, I played WoW for one hour, Fallout for 45 minutes, and...".

But then it occurred to me. I should do the same thing for all my own missing assignments. All of the blog posts I started but didn't finish. All of the designs I created but didn't use. All of the ideas I had but didn't follow through on. All of the things that keep me up at 3am.

And the longer I thought about this plan, the more I liked it. And the less I liked it. Because, if I'm honest with my explanations, they would all say something like: "I, slag, failed to complete and post my blog post, The Tao of Overcorrecting, because it sucked. Suckety suck suck sucked". And really, who wants to read that?

Dear President Obama,

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:16:00 +0000

I got your email asking me to "help to spread the word and build support" for the stimulus package, and my sincerest apologies for the delayed response. I'm really trying to help out--I promise!

OK. That's a lie. Truth be told, I'm not doing much to help. Nothing at all, in fact. But that's because I'm ambivalent--it's hard to get truly excited about something that has so many questionable ins, outs, and whathaveyous. And yes, my thinking about this case has been very uptight, but did you really think your op-ed in the WaPo was going to help?:

By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression. Millions of jobs that Americans relied on just a year ago are gone; millions more of the nest eggs families worked so hard to build have vanished. People everywhere are worried about what tomorrow will bring.

What Americans expect from Washington is action that matches the urgency they feel in their daily lives -- action that's swift, bold and wise enough for us to climb out of this crisis....

I understand what you're getting at here, and to some extent, I agree with you. But going for the hard sell on "swift, bold" action in order to prevent a looming "crisis"? Isn't that a little pre-Iraq War retro for you? Will Colin Powell soon be showing up at the UN sporting a vial of Federal Reserve ashes?

OK. That's not entirely fair. Your op-ed wasn't that bad. Still. Don't make me count the number of "urgent"s in there, because it won't be pretty.

Granted, we do have major economic problems. And depending on a person's current economic situation, it probably is a personal crisis already or soon will be. However, you really aren't helping me help you by relying on this obtuse rhetoric. Remember the scalpel instead of the hatchet? I want my scalpel back. Don't just argue against neanderthals like Rush Limbaugh, but argue with people like Paul Krugman who know a little something. Don't just tell me; show me. Specifically.

Look, I suspect this op-ed wasn't even really directed at me since I'm already wishy-washy enough on the stimulus package to give my reluctant approval should Gallup or Rasmussen see fit to ask. Nonetheless, I want to help. I really, really do. But if supporters like me can't force themselves to push this issue, I don't see much hope in you bringing the dittoheads around instead. I'm already almost nearly practically on your side. I just need a little tug--not a cudgel to the noggin. And at this point, cudgels are much more likely to knock me backward.

To quote CJ Cregg of The West Wing:

You get my support the same way I get yours: when I agree with what you're saying or when I don't care about what you're saying. This time I disagree.

Kind of. So make me agree. Please! Or at least don't make it harder for me to agree by treating me like an idiot.

Like you, I respond to hope. Not fear. I rally behind the notion of a gleaming tomorrow and not just a less-tarnished present. But mostly, I'm a fact-lover, not a push-over. In God we trust--all others bring data (and I don't even trust God). Sorry.

Otherwise, I hope you're digging your new digs and sorry they had to come with such a crappy job! But you'll learn quickly and do great at it, I'm confident.

Yours truly,
slag

PS I'm really pissed at you right now for making me mildly empathetic with a point made by Michelle Malkin. But I'll get over it.

PPS Great prayer breakfast speech. I never thought I would like one of those things, but you soon banished my predetermined disdain. Well done!

PPPS Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! I'm duly humbled.

Inertia

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:15:00 +0000

The Church of Pugilism was thoroughly uninspiring this Sunday. I showed up, sure, but honestly, my heart wasn't in it. And I was moving sloooooooowly. The languid pace of my punches strikingly discordant with the rapid thump thump of the music around me. "Dragging ass", I believe, is the technical term for my behavior. Nonetheless, I went through the motions all the way to the end, at which point, I ruminated on the limits of my capacity for discipline. Sadly, while I can force myself to do something I'm not inspired to do, I can't yet force myself to get inspired by doing it. If that makes any sense at all.

...Or whatever...

Here's some meaningful trivia for the road:

If that makes any sense at all.

...Or whatever...

A Meta Post: Blog Amnesty, Twitter Evangelizing, and 6 More Weeks of Blogging about Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:24:00 +0000

First an announcement: Blog Amnesty Day is coming! Blog Amnesty Day is coming!

That's right, no matter what Punxsutawney Phil does, he cannot stop the inevitable. The day in which bloggers link, and link, and link some more in an effort to make the internets singular is tomorrow, and there will be much rejoicing. In fact, the rejoicing has already started over at Jon Swift's. Not to mention at Skippy's. And BlueGal rocks the intertubes with this swank video:

As always, if you want to be included in our Some of Something blogroll (and you're not a spammer or a creep), please leave a link to your blog in the comments section here, and we'll put you up/on/in...

In the meantime, here are some blogs that have captured my interest lately:

Ned Resnikoff recently posted a LOL that actually made me LOL. A rarity!
And if you're interested in the biblio-political, I strongly recommend Library Juice.
For plumbing the depths of the social and psychological, The Situationist is where it's at. Whenever I need a stereotype debunked, I go there first.
Duncan's Brain enjoys politics and bicycles (not necessarily in that order).
Meaningful Distraction anyone?
And in case you didn't know, the future is Green.

Some of these blogs probably get quite a bit of traffic already but not nearly as much as they deserve.

Second, a concern: It seems that Twitter has become lousy with neocons. Now, I'm all for freedom of speech and of assembly, so I would never begrudge neocons their right to infest any medium that will have them. But since I've seen, first-hand, the devastating effects of their ownership of talk radio and cable news, I'm wary of yielding them further ground in which they can sow the seeds of misinformation. So, if you aren't on Twitter, please consider using it as a means of catapulting the propaganda. And if you are on it already, please search #topprog to find liberals/progressives to follow. If you want to follow Some of Nothing twits, you can do so here.

Disclaimer: Although neocons don't seem to comprehend the limits of the platform, as Matt Yglesias notes, Twitter is not a place for in-depth political discussion. Nonetheless, it is a place to find new resources for information. That's why it's important. Read Write Web has more. And Robert Scoble has Twitter rules.

Finally, a public service announcement: While Some of Nothing blogging has been sporadic of late, it's not going away. It's still an integral (though non-remunerative) part of the Some of Nothing empire. So, carry on.

Mixed Feelings

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:15:00 +0000

So, a couple of weeks ago my 12-year old Twilight-loving disciple gave me the flu. A flu that endured through inauguration week, hampering my righteous pursuits of karmic justice and filling me with all manner of ennui. A flu that had me cursing my weak immune system and seeing everyone around me as a potential source for disease and misery and seeing myself as same. A flu that reinforced my natural inclinations toward self-containment and lack of patience with my own frailty and dependence. Melancholy, deflated, fatigued. But that was then.

Yesterday, I strode once again through the child-laden halls of the 826 tutoring center, this time with an unapologetic lingering chest cough and an uncompromising irritability toward anyone under the height of 5 feet. My afternoon headache from a morning of coughing was just starting to come on, and I was feeling even less charitable toward the beastly little contaminants than usual. It's days like these when I remember that I often don't like kids. Which is why I prefer to volunteer in the back room with the databases and website rather than in the front with the sticky hands and bad manners. Still, I know that children are our future and that it's my responsibility--and in my interest--to help them out. But yesterday, I couldn't keep myself from wishing something besides needy, gooey kids could be our future. Maybe plants. Or hardwood floors.

Of course, to counter this curmudgeonly attitude, I forced myself to remember that there are times when the kids and I have fun. Like at 826, when they come bounding back to get some supplies and end up engaging me in lengthy conversations about dessert toppings or Nazi propaganda techniques (hey-it happens). Or like when my 12-year old disciple excitedly shouts, "See! I'm focusing!", when we're working on her homework. And those things are good and should be remembered because being mindful of the good things helps motivate me toward the larger goal. Even when I'm not feeling it. Even when they give me the flu, making me feeble and useless. I guess.

Little bastards.

Not "If." But "How?": Dispensing Karmic Justice in the Age of Obama

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Glenn Greenwald has a persuasive post up about why criticizing Obama is important:

Politicians, by definition, respond to political pressure. Those who decide that it's best to keep quiet and simply trust in the goodness and just nature of their leader are certain to have their political goals ignored. It's always better -- far better -- for a politician to know that he's being scrutinized closely and will be praised and supported only when his actions warrant that, and will be criticized and opposed when they don't.

If those who want fundamental reform in these areas adopt the view that they will not criticize Barack Obama because to do so is to "help Republicans," or because he deserves more time, or because criticisms are unnecessary because we can trust in him to do the right thing, or because criticizing him is to "tear him down" or "create a circular firing squad" or "be a Naderite purist" or any of those other empty platitudes, then they are ceding the field to the very powerful factions who are going to fight vehemently against any changes. Do you think that those who want the CIA to retain "robust" interrogation and who want the federal surveillance state maintained, or want a hard-line towards Iran and a continuation of our Middle East policies, or who want to maintain corporate-lobbyist-domination of Washington, are sitting back saying: "it's not right to pressure Obama too much right now; give him some time"?

Makes sense, but the question that's been on my mind for quite some time hasn't been if we should criticize Obama, but rather, how we should go about it. Whether or not I necessarily buy Glenn's cause-effect relationship between Obama's performance on This Week and his team's subsequent statements on the necessity of closing Guantanamo, like any good liberal, I see citizen participation as the cornerstone of democracy and, consequently, am naturally inclined to raise objections to anything I find objectionable. Nonetheless, I can't help but appreciate the harsh reality that simply yakkity yakking on my little piece of the blogosphere (as enjoyable as it is) or even participating in a rally or two just ain't going to get the job done. I could dress myself in funny costumes and scream obscenities during congressional hearings, but since I do that just for fun anyway, who's going to notice?

This question of how we should criticize Obama is one that Glenn glances at later in his post--yet doesn't really address--when he mentions the one-sidedness of the latest Israel problem:

That happens for one clear reason: because one side of the debate (the AIPAC faction) is strong and aggressive in its criticisms and pressure tactics and the other side (the faction wanting an even-handed U.S. approach) is not.

Now, I remember Glenn Greenwald, Jane Hamsher, Ezra Klein, Matthew Yglesias, Juan Cole, Rachel Maddow, and even Jon Stewart (to name but a few) expressing their dismay at the lopsidedness of both Israel's response to Palestine and Congress' response to the Israel-Palestine issue. But in response to their critics, Congress, Bush, and Obama issued forth little more than a healthy yawn. Now, I'm no expert on the art of exerting political pressure, but from my line of sight, that wasn't an example of failure to criticize, that was an example of criticism FAIL. Which brings us back to the issue here--how do we strategically go about the process of driving change?

To begin addressing that question, I look for recent examples of progressives having a directly observable impact on the national discourse (show me the money!). For example, when a reporter with nice hair stood up in an Obama press conference and raised Democratic concerns (from the left!) about Obama's economic plan, I realized a little something about this thing called hope:

Now, the fact that Obama's first inclination was to dismiss the question with the whole "Igetcriticismfrombothsidesblahblahblah" shtick was more than a little dismaying. But the reporter pushed a little (I could kiss that dude with nice hair!), and Obama folded like a house of cards to the point where he was even inviting suggestions from Paul Krugman on his economic stimulus plan. And as such, this gave Krugman a real opportunity to step up and offer some left-ish suggestions in the New York Times. Huzzah! Let's keep this party going!

Of course, there are several non-hopey ways to view this Obama-Krugman debate. For starters, one might wonder why progressive economists, such as Paul Krugman, are nowhere to be found in Obama's inner economic circle (hint: Obama is not an economic progressive nor does he want to have to disagree with them face-to-face). Second, we can't all be Paul Krugman, and therefore, the likelihood that a reporter with nice hair will stand up and ask questions on behalf of the rest of us is more remote (for proof, see the best comment ever). Nonetheless, after eight long years of screaming into the wind against pointless wars, complete disregard for civil liberties, and ever-increasing economic injustice, I can't help but see this exchange as one worth trying to replicate.

And the replication has begun. After progressive bloggers worked together to push a question about investigating torture and other war crimes to the top of the list on change.gov, Keith Olbermann and George Stephanopoulos (both having nice hair, might I add?) raised the issue on their shows. And while we may not be happy with Obama's current answer to the question, I see no reason why we should stop clamoring for a better one. And the same is true for getting a more progressive economic package. Heck! We may even be able to wheedle a more rational response about Israel-Palestine from Obama if we utilize our resources effectively.

And what are our resources? Well, so far, we have Paul Krugman, progressive bloggers working together, questions on change.gov, and reporters with nice hair. Beyond that, we have a new President who not only spent his entire campaign claiming that he actually wants us to be involved but has even provided some tools for us to do so (Have I mentioned change.gov? What about usaservice.org?). Whether or not those tools were initially intended to serve simply palliative purposes doesn't matter, because we have already used them to influence our national discourse, at least. And after the last eight years, that's already change I can believe in.

Of course, now that we've succeeded in getting some of our change.gov questions out into the world, the Obama team has decided that, if we can't play nice, we shouldn't be allowed to play at all and has taken our question-asking tool away (which, to me, indicates that it was intended to be palliative). This disappointment reinforces the need for progressives to build and maintain progressive infrastructures outside of the Obamasphere to press our issues. Sites like Get FISA Right and Get Afghanistan Right (boosted by Rachel Maddow) are great places to start. Maybe we need to add "Get Israel Right" and "Get the Economy Right" just to round out the bunch? There are also great progressive aggregator sites, such as Change.org and (of course) DailyKos, and Firedoglake is always providing us with new ways to get our action on. And the list goes on...

But in spite of all this hopey-changey goodness in the progressosphere and beyond, I can't help but wonder...is there a killer app? Is there a more effective way to harness our resources, exert pressure on the softest spots, and maximize our Change ability? To figure that out, I look toward the places where progressives seem to have less impact. For instance, while Brave New Films and Crooks and Liars are televising the affronts to decency and democracy that comprise much of our Congress and national press corps, I can't help but wonder if progressives are truly making the most of the YouTubes. How many of us actively hook in to (or even know about) GritTv or Current as a means of "catapulting the propaganda"? And what about images? We may remember the inspired iRaq torture image or Shepard Fairey's ubiquitous Obama HOPE poster well, but what more? Are so many progressives just words?

Beyond all that, there's the vague sense I get that the progressosphere is no place for the novice. I talk to many people who have progressive leanings but aren't necessarily so familiar with the world of electrons, and it can be a little daunting. News sites like Huffington Post, and TPM are great starting points, and blogrolls help immensely (Jon Swift probably does it best), but one always gets the sense that there's a whole progressive world out there just beyond the finger tips. Maybe down on page 24 of your "awesome progressives" Google search is a site that might just hold the key that unlocks the secrets of the 'verse, and you'll never know because you failed to get past page 23. I don't know; I'm no expert. It's possible that the killer apps are talked about at places like Netroots Nation, BlogHer, Blogging While Brown, or even at Drinking Liberally, but I'm too lazy/cheap/misanthropic to go and learn about them. Nonetheless, I know for certain that the progressive army is strong in numbers and in resources. Whether or not we're aware of all of them may be another question.

Late Update: It looks like JedReport Jed is starting up Daily Kos TV! Good news.

Hey Marseilles...

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:04:00 +0000

one of the few bands I would stuff myself into a hot room packed with tight pants and very straight hair to go see:

If you're going to be at South by Southwest in March, you should definitely check them out.

Full Disclosure: Matt is a friend of mine and a quality human being. But if he weren't also a quality musician, singer, and songwriter, I'd be asleep in bed right now instead of just coming back from a concert.

Unexpected Consequences

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:04:00 +0000

One of the most fulfilling aspects of the minimalist holiday was taking the time to focus--to coin a cliche--on the important things. But one unexpected consequence of doing that for an entire week is that one becomes less tolerant of the unimportant things afterward. Case in point would be my blogging. Every post I try to write these days seems frivolous and strained--an indulgence in unadulterated hackery, if you will. And every single post I've written before now looks pretty much the same to me. So, since the blog isn't currently a remunerative element of the Some of Nothing empire, and since the cause of karmic justice is hardly served through gibberish, updates to the SoN blog will be sporadic for a while.

Carry on.

Bush's Brain on Books

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:43:00 +0000

Karl Rove embarrassed himself yesterday by publishing an Op-Ed claiming that George W Bush reads about 95 books a year:

There is a myth perpetuated by Bush critics that he would rather burn a book than read one. Like so many caricatures of the past eight years, this one is not only wrong, but also the opposite of the truth and evidence that bitterness can devour a small-minded critic. Mr. Bush loves books, learns from them, and is intellectually engaged by them.

Many people have noted the mathematical improbability of Rove's claim, while Richard Cohen keeps his journalistic reputation unspoiled by believing every single word of it. For me, however, it's not the claim's mathematical unlikelihood or the fact that Bush can't seem to remember anything he's read that inspires incredulity here. I don't think I'm misunderestimating our President when I say that it's simply impossible for him to both be a serious reader and have such a foul understanding of the English language. What?...is he reading his books in their original French and Latin? Even so, he would have a better grasp of simple sentence structure than he has now. Categorically. Impossible.

But what really interests me about Rove's Op-Ed is that it confirms a feeling I've had about Rove for some time now: he, himself, desperately needs to feel intellectually superior. Just the fact that it's so important for him to try to resurrect this White House's intellectual image rouses suspicion but that he chooses to show off his own (probably exaggerated) literary habits in order to juxtapose them with his boss' really makes the case. Every time I see Karl Rove, he immediately calls to mind a particular PG Wodehouse character named Jeeves, the butler. The two are quite similar: each getting a gleeful look in his eye whenever he has the opportunity to use his intellectual abilities in the service of his master, all the while making sure to retain a certain amount of superiority and control. Their bosses both maintaining a cartoonish level of ivy league ignorance while sporadically displaying rare, impracticable glimpses of hazy insight. And in that respect, Karl Rove's tragedy is Jeeves' tragedy. To both of them, appearances matter a great deal, but sadly, their fortunes are always inextricably linked to their bosses' inevitable buffoonery. Furthermore, it's painfully obvious to the even the most casual of observers that neither Rove nor Jeeves would ever seem so smart if the people he worked for didn't always seem so...less smart.

Minimalist Maximus

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:02:00 +0000

Well, the minimalist holiday was a smashing success. MFP and I spent an inordinate amount of time playing board games, reading books, hanging out with friends we hadn't seen in forever, and taking long walks through various inches of snow. But a lot has been going on in the world, so catching up with the news today is no easy task. For instance, while MFP and I were busy practicing our downward-facing dog yoga positions last week, the Middle East was apparently once again melting down. While we were spontaneously scoring deep-tissue massages at a local spa, Joe Biden was discussing ways to revive the anemic middle-class. And while MFP and I were exchanging our gifts of wool socks, the retail industry was totally tanking. Not to mention the fact that I have absolutely no idea what I've been doing while the Arctic sea ice has been melting (probably sitting in front of the fireplace because I love irony).

Micro to macro in one day...not recommended.

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc?

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:24:00 +0000

1. The streets are covered in snow.
2. The word on the street is that Obama yard signs make great sleds.
3. Yards that were sporting Obama signs last week are now bare.

Holidays Unplugged

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:23:00 +0000

MFP took this week off work, so he and I are going to try a new holiday-appreciation tactic: minimal use of computers/dvds/other electronic media, minimal partaking of unhealthy foods and sweets, minimal buying of unneccessary consumer goods. Key word: minimal.

Have a happy holiday and will hopefully see you next week.

Freaky

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:08:00 +0000

Based on the information about him presented in this video from The Rachel Maddow Show (via Pam's House Blend), it sounds to me like Reverend Judgey McJudgeypants is really in no place to be judging anybody:

Rick Warren: I'm naturally inclined to have sex with every beautiful woman I see...

There's one commonality among serious social conservatives that has always struck me as troubling: They seem to lead way more interesting lives than the one I lead. For instance, when Mike Huckabee told Jon Stewart that being gay is a choice, I felt a pang of envy. Unlike Mike, I've never willfully chosen to be not gay (it just sort of turned out that way), so I have no way of knowing what it's like to really have to think about it for a while. Is it like deciding on your favorite flavor of ice cream: "Do I want the Strawberry or the Chunky Monkey?" Or is it more like trying to answer an, "If I were a tree, what kind of tree would I be," kind of question? And for people like Rick Warren who are so bursting with passion that they must struggle to control themselves every minute of the day, I just think: "Damn...if we could harness that untapped energy, we could use him to power an entire city block...he must be some sort of super hero! I wish I were a super hero..." But sadly for me, I don't know what it's like to make these kinds of choices or to be a super hero. Envy...I hear it's one of the seven deadliest sins.

Seeking Karmic Justice Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 06:38:00 +0000

So, instead of celebrating the presidential inauguration in the company of Rick Warren and friends, I'll be looking to dispense some serious karmic justice on that day. Specifically, I want to do something to forward the cause of equality--preferably, equality for LGBT folks since they really got the shaft this year (no inappropriate puns, please). If anyone has any novel suggestions to that end, bring 'em on.

Also, if you want citizen-funded elections, vote asap for ChangeCongress.org here.

Finally, CREW is suing Dick Cheney (again):

"Dick Cheney's lawyers are asserting that the vice president alone has the authority to determine which records, if any, from his tenure will be handed over to the National Archives when he leaves office in January. (...)

"The vice president alone may determine what constitutes vice presidential records or personal records, how his records will be created, maintained, managed and disposed, and are all actions that are committed to his discretion by law," according to a court filing by Cheney's office with the U.S. District Court on Dec. 8.

Cheney is being sued by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group that is trying to ensure that no presidential records are destroyed or handled in a way that makes them unavailable to the public.

They should get a little something extra in their Christmas stocking for that.

People Who Need People...

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:09:00 +0000

sometimes look like orangutans.

This aggression will not stand, man

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 06:45:00 +0000

I know I said I wasn't going to say much about the Rick Warren inauguration, but really, I can't seem to help myself. After thinking about it some more, MFP and I removed our Obama bumper sticker (not to sound all melodramatic since it was just a magnet, but still...). And we will also no longer be attending any local inauguration festivities, which is too bad because we worked hard to make this happen. But so did our gay and lesbian friends, and quite frankly, they deserve better treatment than this. The passage of Proposition 8 on election day was shameful enough, but for Obama to amplify its exclusionary statement by giving one of its proponents a place on his stage is simply too much. So, we figure that one bad symbolic turn deserves another (or two...or three...we're not sure yet).

Weirdly enough, I have no problem with Obama being friends with Rick Warren. In fact, I think it's a good thing to be friendly with people you disagree with and try to do it myself when I have the patience. But this issue isn't about friendship or even about policy. It's about understanding that intentionally refusing a group of people their basic rights doesn't deserve symbolic validation. It deserves symbolic condemnation. Or, at least, symbolic disregard.

I hate to sound all naive and hopey, but truth be told, I actually had quite a bit of respect for Obama's sense of decency and class before this incident. It's amazing how quickly that respect can evaporate. I still think he'll be a pretty good president. But I'm much less impressed with him as a human being. And even as a politician since the tonedeafness of this act hearkens back to the Donnie McClurkin days. Nonetheless, every time I attempt to justify Obama's decision to overtly legitimize Rick Warren at the expense of the gays and lesbians who worked so hard to elect him, I keep coming back to the same childish conclusion: You just don't treat people this way; it's wrong. Can't seem to get around that.

Across this line, you do not

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:13:00 +0000

Barack Obama really knows how to piss off some liberals:

Obama picks homophobe pro-'Prop 8' evangelical preacher to give the invocation at inaugural

There's a lot I could say here, but really, what's the point? The gay community worked to elect Obama. And this is how he's decided to treat them in return. No paeans to Experience or Pragmatism or Bipartisanship can wash this one away. It's just a giant F-you to those who helped bring him.

Hardly leadership I can believe in...

UPDATE: What Greg Sargent said.

UPDATE 2: And while we're on the subject can we get rid of preachers being involved in presidential inaugurations altogether? The practice is divisive and...tacky.

All about the Grades

noreply@blogger.com (slag) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:14:00 +0000

Check out your state's educational effectiveness grade. (via Ezra Klein)

Interestingly, my adopted state gets an A while my home state gets an F. That's what we call a birthplace FAIL.

On an unrelated note, Malcolm Gladwell writes a bit more about the role luck plays in building success.