Hmmm, that's politics ... and here is mine - I forgot how much fun journalism is. I'm two hours late for filing, oh well.
brucee On Sun, Nov 9, 2008 at 12:59 AM, Roman Shaposhnik <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Nov 8, 2008, at 2:19 PM, Bruce Ellis wrote: >> >> I wrote a functional 9P S3 client but it just seemed silly in the end. >> Buy a few T of disk and fossil+venti and it's over. Even aging kenfs >> will do. > > > The most ironic thing of all is that one would expect a company which > stood behind a technology like ZFS to easily appreciate that. Especially > since we've always had a userland ZFS. And especially now, that > we are trying to figure out a cloud storage market story. But no. > > Now, not to date myself as a green youngling, but how are PHBs > to be convinced? They hear about 9P for the first time in their > life (unlike bullshit lotto items: WebDAV, XML, SOAP and REST) and > when they ask about *existing* client-side support there's not much I can > tell them. > > Network effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect) at its worst? > > Thanks, > Roman. > >
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail - 2008
"We have a new spring in our walk, and our shoulders are straighter." - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 2008/11/05.
The world is a buzz with the unmentionable. America has elected a Skinny Black Guy president.
I was in Seattle during the caucuses in February and March, and it was all a buzz with change. Washington State is a Democratic stronghold, even more so on Vashon Island where I was staying. There was only one Republican on the island, but he had been hunted down like the scurrilous dog deserved, and had shifted to somewhere down south for tax reasons and because all of the dead goats on his lawn. There was dancing in the streets - naked hippies freely enriching the gene pool. But the question remained. Was Poo Face, as Clive Robertson would have called him, a match for the Clinton machine? And if so could he do the unmentionable. Put McCain back into cryogenic stasis?
I had no doubt about where the loyalties were in the household where I was a guest. Pat would shout at the TV with much greater fervour than a close baseball game inspired. She would almost bring down the walls when Clinton was being smug, and well, being Hillary. The dog was restless and the cat was up a tree. I started to really dislike the Hillary smile which seemed bigger than the TV. Could she fool America into another term of self-exile? And what was her real agenda?
I began to really enjoy the calmness and firm assertiveness of Obama, and even the relentless cheap shots from Clinton and McCain. They could both smirk all they liked - their aides had clearly not read the sign on the wall - Please make sure foot is fully engaged before putting in mouth. So Dire, So Straight, how could America resist? How much did I want to kick W. in the nuts just for the hell of it (though Im sure there was something on the Visa form that I had signed saying I wouldnt - would that be an attempt to overthrow the US Government?).
As the weeks went by I took solace in taking Target, the fine hound, for long walks along the beach - chasing seals and ducks and finding challenging new sticks; and trying to forget about Iraq, the economy, and every other stupid mess that W. had plunged the country and world into, and to boldly split infinitives.
When Obama wiped the smug makeup off the cuckolded ex-First Lady I went for a spin into town with Skip and Target. The hound entertained the crowd at Café Luna and we had a soothing adult beverage and a snack at Butlers Bar and Grill. The place was eerily quiet, as if nothing was happening in the rest of the world. There was no TV. The food tasted good, and the beer was delicious. Could Obama really do the unmentionable? Despite the obstacles could he defeat McCain, a bigger dick than perhaps even Cheney?
Only time would tell.
That was then. And know life seems so tranquil, as I stare across the Aegean at Pelion, wondering if I can rent a quad-runner with only my AOPA card as a license, sipping quietly on a Mythos and watching Arsenal and Manchester United, as were most of the population of Skiathos. The only care in the world was for Tiger, my puppy, and how he is coping with his holiday with my brothers family. (Youre fluffy and wiggly at the same time, as my house guest Matt would say to him). Arsenal scored again and was kind of embarrassed to be taking up an entire table at Mezzo. But as I was the only one over the age of 10 on the island wearing shorts (and a flanno, a baseball cap - Pavco Flight Centre, and a goofy grin) - though the locals seem very tolerant of me. But thats not important right now, as HST would say.
So what happened? How did someone erudite and qualified become the President of the United States for perhaps only the second time since I was born?
The only thing that McCain really had going for him was that he was a Republican. The credibility stopped there - in fact gladly it didnt even start there for concerned citizens like you and I - and now hes stuck to the back of the freezer like his namesake frozen vegetables (check your fridge). He punted on an inexperienced surprise running mistress with foot-in-mouth disease (and maybe Bovine Encephalitis, but that is pure speculation). Is Africa a country? Australia - thats where Mozart played the piano. And the only pigs in DC to make up are now in hiding, secretly renting U-Hauls. She gave it her best, bought some nice clothes, but can you really trust a VP that can be totally crushed by Couric in a few sentences?
But thats not important now. As I watched the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday - always on election day - and the impressive win by a Bart Cummings equine (the man with the magic twirling eyebrows) I felt sure that Obama would win. Both are well respected by the populace methinks. Spyros, a barman at the Volos Park - my home base for the last week - gave me confidence (as well as beer), in his passionate tirade against the US government - selling F-16s to Turkey and then Greece and now F-18s. The world needs peace and sensibility, and McCain would probably end up bombing the first one who cant pay their bills. Byzantine Bless him. Hellenica spends more on defence than education and health combined. Imagine. It might have actually happened soon.
The only other news of note is that Russia and Georgia are playing blame games - truly sad and retarded, and that the entire genome of a donor who died of cancer has been sequenced. Ten mutations were found and eight of them are new discoveries. That cost a $1 million, just a fart from an F-18. What a week this has been.
And Arsenal goes on to win 2-1.
The fear is not over, and we cant dwell over the loathing of the past. But as I look at the sunset I see hope. As my faithful colleague Adrian said - I never thought the result of a US election would bring a tear to my eye. And the last ferry for the mainland has just departed. As my Albanian friend in Skiathos, Stallios Montana, just said to me - dont worry be happy. Im not worried, Im happy. Beer was spilt and I didnt have any golf shoes. Life is too short for petty scuffles, a major McCain campaign mistake - to our advantage. You and me, and everyone who vaguely looks like us. But its all good. Is this tomorrow or just the end of time?
Its not about our wants and needs, its about the future. Hopefully better times. Imagine.
"As we start fresh with a constitutional law professor and senator from the Land of Lincoln, the Lincoln Memorial might be getting its gleam back. I may have to celebrate by going over there and climbing on Abes lap. Its a $50 fine. But it would be worth it. - Maureen Dowd (IHT).
Your faithful foreign correspondent,
Βρυκεε
, Skiathos - Greece 2008/11/08With thanks to the International Herald Tribune, 2008//11/07.
