The Illusion of Control

From Townhall.com.

Do programmers find it hard to be Christians?

When I was growing up, I loved science - biology, geology, physics, meteorology all fascinated me. But my teachers told me the same thing again and again, "It is impossible to be a scientist and a Christian. So, if you choose to become a scientist, be ready to throw away your faith forever." As a middle schooler, that scared me and made me reconsider my future career. But as I grew in knowledge of science and of my faith, I quickly learned the battle between science and religion was largely a myth. Most scientists have a faith, and most of the faithful respect and study science.

So, I was unhappy to see this same old idea recast in a new light, which claims programmers and Christians are incompatible. Most of you know I work in the Information Technology field, and have been a programmer at various points in my life/career. I have never found my faith to conflict with my job/hobby... and neither have almost any of the programmers I work with. And my particular company hires from all over, so I know programmers who are Catholic, Protestant, Coptic, Muslim, Jain, Hindu, Buddhist, and Orthodox.

This persistent idea that Christianity and logic are somehow in fundamental disagreement needs to be taken down. Some of the greatest thinkers of history (Thomas Aquinas, C.S. Lewis, Isaac Newton, etc.) were Christians, and none could be said to be enemies of logic or science, and none would be enemies of programming if they lived today.

Happy Birthday Bow Hunter!!!

Why is the United States so quiet on the Jasmine Revolutions?

Well, the so-called Jasmine Revolutions are still rolling through the Middle East, and are lapping at the shores of Asia. Tunisia and Egypt have thrown off their decades-long dictators, and countries like Bahrain and Libya are struggling to do the same. Even Iran and Yemen are seeing mass demonstrations against tyranny. And yet, the United States has remained relatively silent. We have engaged the conflicts only after the victors are clear or the attacks on demonstrators are so monstrous that they can not be ignored. How is it that the country that regards Freedom and Liberty more highly than any other, has so little to say?

My best guess is that or leaders - primarily President Obama - is thinking one of these thoughts:
1. We're hated in the Middle East, so our support may hurt more than it helps.
2. We've supported too many Middle East Tyrants to credibly support democracy.
3. We can't afford to send money or troops, so we won't support with words.
4. These revolutions have nothing to do with America.

Unfortunately, all of these thoughts are incredibly cynical. Especially when we're lead by a man who campaigned on "Hope" and "Change". Hope and Change are coming to the Middle East. I'd rather we go down in history as standing with them, than standing on the sidelines.

Google collecting kid's SSNs

The short version: under the guise of a drawing contest, Google is asking parents to give up their children's social security numbers, place, and date of birth. If you missed it your bank and insurance company are no longer allowed to gather this kind of info, because of fears of identity theft and/or misuse of personal information. But somehow Google thinks they're different.

What could be wrong with filling out a few entry forms?

A national, commercial database of names and addresses of American children, especially one that includes their dates of birth and SSNs, would be worth many millions to marketing firms and retailers.

Of course, data collection is not the reason Google gives for doing this competition. Their FAQ says it's because "We love to encourage and celebrate the creativity of young people..." etc. If that's so, then why on earth would the contest's original Parent Consent Form ask for the child's city of birth, date of birth and last four digits of the child's SSN? Along with complete contact info of the parents.

You see what Google knows and many parents don't know is that a person's city of birth and year of birth can be used to make a statistical guess about the first five digits of his/her social security number. Then, if you can somehow obtain those last four SSN digits explicitly -- voila, you've unlocked countless troves of personal information from someone who didn't even understand that such a disclosure was happening.

This kind of data can be linked with other databases to target advertising. It's worth many times more than what Google will spend on prizes (each State Finalist gets a T-shirt!).

Amazon Prime = Netflix-Style Streaming

It has been rumored for some time, but apparently it is no longer a rumor. Amazon.Com is now offering unlimited video streaming to all existing (paid) Amazon Prime customers. I was already a customer for the discounted shipping (mostly for Christmas buying) so this is a NICE perk for me. It is likely to keep me a Prime Customer for the next billing cycle, anyway.

I am sure this intended to compete with NetFlix, but I doubt I'll be dropping one to keep the other. I guess we'll see.

UPDATE 7:00 PM: Experiments have proven that only the MAIN Amazon Prime account. Guest accounts are not eligible without upgrade.

Harsh! But not untrue...

"The Cloud" is convenient, but dangerous

The "Next Big Thing" in technology is "The Cloud". The idea is to keep your data on the internet - rather than on your PC, cell phone, etc. - so that you can access any information anywhere with a connected device. You're probably already in "the cloud" - NetFlix streaming, Hulu, Flickr photo sharing, even GMail are examples of "Cloud Technologies" - and if the major media companies have their way, you'll be spending more and more of your life there. After all, who wouldn't want access to every book, song, movie or TV show ever made, whenever they want it?

But it is time for us all to take note of Egypt and Libya, and to realize that putting our lives in the cloud really means putting our lives in the control of others. In these cases, hostile governments were able to eliminate "The Cloud" by flicking a switch. In other cases, companies have been able to suppress or eliminate speech by pulling media from "The Cloud". Perhaps the best example of a "Cloud Nightmare" was the T-Mobile Sidekick - a phone that stored everything "in the cloud" - whose users were horrified when a simple server migration error destroyed every photo, every e-mail, every text message, every address book in one horrible moment. It took weeks of work to bring some of that data back. And if the Sidekick had been owned a company with pockets less deep than Microsoft, who knows if it would ever have been done.

It is time to reevaluate our "cloudy" future, and consider making it a policy to return to hard copies for our most important data. Local backups are key to preserving our history, and ensuring we do not reach a point where one bad actor can deny us access to the things we need.

Admit it, you've had this same thought

Are extreme tax hikes during a recovery brave or foolish?

CT Governor Dannel Malloy has released his budget and it is a doozy. In an attempt to close the budget gap, he is proposing huge tax increases on nearly everyone and everything.

In one of the largest and most wide-ranging tax increases in Connecticut history, taxes on income, cigarettes, alcohol, gasoline, and estates would all increase under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's budget proposal to be unveiled Wednesday.

The current 6 percent sales tax would also rise for the first time since the state income tax was created in 1991 - to 6.25 percent...Malloy is also seeking to eliminate the sales-tax free week, which is popular among families as it is held in August for back-to-school shopping. Overall, Malloy is proposing more than 50 different tax changes in a package that would increase taxes by $1.5 billion in the first year and $1.34 billion in the second year.

The taxes are so wide-ranging that they would touch anyone who earns a salary, drives a car, gets a haircut, buys clothing, sleeps in a hotel, takes yoga lessons, pays for a manicure, smokes cigarettes, drinks alcohol or takes a poodle to get a haircut.

I am not sure what to think of the governor at this point. On the one hand, this is a courageous move in the era of the Tea Party. While CT is about as blue as they come, there are plenty of anti-tax protesters ready to come out in force. On the other hand, this seems sure to stifle any nascent economic recovery in the cradle and drive businesses out of the state altogether.

Then again, "brave" and "foolhardy" are not always mutually-exclusive terms. Here's hoping the CT Congress can moderate these terms into something the state can live with. Otherwise, it may be time to think about checking out job opportunities elsewhere.

What job would you have in the Star Wars universe?

Originally posted here. I wound up as a Death Star Laser Operator. Hmmm... Not quite the super jedi hero I'd hoped for, but hopefully I'd have a better health plan

Truly the Internet Revolution

From Townhall.Com.

Cost-of-Living can sink Employment

State legislators tend to think employers are privileged to be able to do business in their state. But the fact is that the decision of location is like any other for a company - cost vs benefit. And recently the CEO of Aetna (based in the state of Connecticut) had some hard words for CT Governor Dannel Malloy.

In short, the Hartford-based health insurer could add workers anywhere around the globe as it grows its health-technology business. Forty percent of Aetna employees today work from home full-time.

"We've done the analysis, and, quite frankly, Connecticut falls very, very low on the list as an environment to locate employees . . . in large part because of the tax structure, the cost of living, which is now approaching, all in, the cost of locating an employee in New York City," he said.

As states consider how to resolve their budget deficits, they need to keep in mind that it is not a problem solved in isolation. Businesses can and will relocate. And it is the best solutions that will keep and gain business tax revenue.

Watch your back!

Bad Writing

As a writer, I found this post very astute. I haven't had the chance to watch the movie he references yet, but I definitely think it looks worthwhile.

Do you need to change your toothbrush after a cold?

I've been suffering thru a bout of the flu this last week, and I have to admit one of the things on my mind is whether or not I need to change my toothbrush when I get better. After all, isn't that the likeliest source of reinfection? An article on slate suggests, that may not be the case.

Once you've been infected with a particular strain of a virus, you develop antibodies that make the likelihood of re-infection very low. Even if the virus were still hanging out on your toothbrush after you recovered—colds and flus can survive there in an infective state for anywhere from a few hours to three days—those antibodies should keep you from contracting the same illness twice. Your toothbrush is no more dangerous while you're still sick, since the viral load on the bristles is negligible compared with what's already in your system.

I must admit while this makes sense to me, I am still likely to change the brush sooner than later. The idea of brushing with an infected brush is unpleasant, at best.

Yes, this winter HAS been Hoth-like

I can't tell if it is art or commentary. But it makes a whole lotta sense to me!

No, Virginia, Mubarak was NOT the worst dictator the USA supports

International politics is always a combination of high ideals, and tough-minded realism. The tough question is always "When is it worth it to work with Evil, in order to server a greater Good?" Hosni Mubarak - the dictator of Egypt - has been one example of America's "tough-minded realism", but there are many worse men who are our friends. The best line from the linked article - that illustrates how much we compromise out values - has got to be this one.

The thing that makes Karimov so special is his penchant for boiling his political opponents to death.

Of course, there is nothing new about this. Iraq's Sadaam Hussein was once our ally as well.

The Superbowl without all that pesky football

If you're like me and not a fan of American foot, you probably do enjoy the commercials. Well, if either (1) you just want the commercials or (2) you'll be missing the commercials due to scheduling conflicts or loud partiers, all of the major commercials are up on YouTube and ready for your viewing in HD.

Unfortunately, they do not supply any pigs-in-the-blanket to snack on while watching. For that, talk to CRChair.

Is that a glacier in your driveway or are you just happy to see me?

Happy Birthday Sean

Soccer Cake
Originally uploaded by Kitchen Craft

Happy Birthday to the best college roommate and a great friend. May this year be one of joy and achievement.

Single Men Don't Fear Marriage

There is a common assumption in modern American culture about single men. They're all immature boy-men who flee from commitment like Japanese extras from Godzilla. But a new study appears to put the lie to this sterotype, showing American men want families just as much as their female counterparts.

Single men are, on the whole, as likely to want to get married as single women, the survey found. They are more likely than women to be open to dating people of a different race or religion, more prone to falling in love at first sight, more eager to combine bank accounts sooner and more likely to want children. (That distant choking sound you hear is thousands of women finding this news hard to swallow.)

...Men's greater inclination toward parenthood, however, seems to hold across every age group. While more than half the single men ages 21 to 35 wanted kids, only 46% of the women did. After that, the difference widens further, and not just out of biological reality. Only 16% of childless women in the still fertile years from 35 to 44 wanted kids; 27% of the men did. Plus, more women than men were prepared to say definitively that they were skipping parenthood.

Hat tip to CRChair for this article. It makes this single man feel better that he is not alone.

Rejected Christian Super Bowl Ad

This Christian ad was rejected by Fox for the Super Bowl. It was rejected because it is a religious ad. I don't have a problem with Fox's decision, but thought the ad seemed pretty good so I wanted to post it here.

Egypt's Next Choice

11% of All U.S. Homes Are Vacant

How bad is the housing market? Bad and getting worse. As of now, 11% of all U.S. homes are empty. Can you imagine how desperate builders and real estate agents must be at this point?

So think about it. Eleven percent of the houses in America are empty. This as builders start to get more bullish, and renting apartments becomes ever more popular. Vacancies in the apartment sector have been falling steadily and dramatically, why? Because we're still recovering emotionally from the toll of the housing crash.

Younger Americans have seen what home ownership has done to their friends and families, and many want no part of it. Credit has become very nearly elitist. Home prices, whatever your particular data provider preference might be, are still falling.

This is not a recipe for a recovering economy.

Mubarak says "No Mas!"

After a week of non-stop protests across the country, Hosni Mubarak, president of Egypt, will announce he is not running for another term. A powerful reminder that political change can happen without violent revolt.

President Obama's special envoy delivered a message to embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday about the need to prepare for an "orderly transition" of power in the country, a U.S. official said.

Word of the meeting between retired ambassador Frank Wisner and Mubarak came as Al Arabiya television reported that the longtime autocratic leader would say in a speech that he will step down at the next election but stay in office until then to meet demands of mass protests now rocking the nation.

Tunisia has been transformed. Now, Egypt. We are seeing a transformation of the Middle East. The question is, will it be for the better or for the worse, long-term? I am hopeful. But nervous.

On the "redefining rape" story...

Pro-Life and Pro-Choice blogs are going bonkers over claims that Republicans are trying to "redefine rape" in the name of limiting abortion funding. Pro-Choicers are claiming it an attempt to force victims of rape to prolong their suffering. First, the relevant quote.

"This would rule out federal assistance for abortions in many rape cases, including instances of statutory rape, many of which are non-forcible," Nick Baumann of Mother Jones wrote recently.

He continued, "For example: If a 13-year-old girl is impregnated by a 24-year-old adult, she would no longer qualify to have Medicaid pay for an abortion."

If the bill becomes law, parents of minors would also be banned from paying for pregnancy termination for their daughters with tax-exempt health savings accounts. Also, the cost of the private health insurance that covered the treatment would not be able to be deducted as a medical expense for tax purposes.

Second, a few Mod-Blog middle-of-the-road reality checks. Please note, I am ardently Pro-life, but am also a reasonable person.

1. This bill DOES NOT limit the RIGHT of women to get an abortion. It merely limits the ability of these women to have FEDERALLY-FUNDED abortions.

2. These limits would do LITTLE to stop the VAST majority of abortions, at the expense of the MOST controversial kinds of abortion cases. This is like trying to stem the tide of obesity in America by limiting Happy Meals for teenagers.

This bill is clearly overreaching by a newly-elected zealous House. It is time to put this one back on the shelf and examine ways to reduce the really horrible abortions happening out there - those done for no other reason than birth control by mature adults. And to ensure alternatives are easy and cheap to find - especially adoption.

In honor of today's winter weather repeat