RE: Introducing Myself

[Nick Arnett]

That would be me. Don't know why I didn't see any notices about the held mail until the other day. Odd.
Nick
"Ellen S."  wrote:AT LAST my messages from like 6 months ago when I joined the 
mailing list have materialized. Though I do wonder what took 
so long. I see references to messages that I know I have not 
gotten, so I think there's also something preventing my 
address from receiving some messages from this list. Who is
the list manager?


> Hello. There are plenty of real names and plenty of ‘nyms
> here, so don’t be shy either way. “ES” or “zoon33” both
> seem reasonable enough - as long as you’re consistent or
> let the rest of us know your wishes who are we to argue?

Hello!
I hope my real name isn't showing! I cannot find any controls 
to make the email service stop doing that.

I will go with E.S. for now.


> It’s been quiet recently but every now and again this place
> sputters into life… I doubt it’ll ever reach the volumes of
> The Old Days again (unless DB WRITES MORE UPLIFT BOOKS…) but
> there’s always room for discussion. 

Wouldn't that be nice! Heaven's Reach ended on gigantic 
cliffhangers, such as WILL HUMANITY GO EXTICT!? :p
 


> At one point, there was "Between a Grok and a Hard Pace" on the net.
> My fanfic set 100 years before Brightness Reef. A Qheuen challenges
> a G'Kek to a downhill race--and wins. Then for the sake of continued
> peace, it's all hushed up.
>
> Only worth being a fanfic when written.
>
> Vilyehm

I think I read that once... the qheuen attached itself to a section
of boo and used it as a giant wheel, right?


~E.S. 		 	   		  
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Re: Uplift questions

[Nick Arnett]

Bluehost is el cheapo, yet reasonably reliable, web hosting.

Nick


On Mon, Mar 3, 2014 at 10:07 AM, William Taylor  wrote:

>
>   Well, since I have joined this mailing list I can ask
> some questions that I've wondered about. I haven't
> read Heaven's Reach in a while, but I don't remember
> the book answering these questions. Maybe some list
> members might know.
>
>
>
> Spoiler warning to anyone who hasn't read Heaven's
> Reach!!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 1. When Gillian traded things with Uriel, did she take
>  any rewqs? They'd be very valuable both for Earthclan
>  and for that colony Alvin and Huck moved to.
>
>
>
> You ask a` question that would most likely be answered
>
> by our good Dr. Brin with, "Of course they did--just
>
> as soon as I write in the need for them in a later story."
>
>
>
> It ain't always completely thought out beforehand.
>
> Authors do get surprised by their own future plot twists.
>
>
>
> And that's
>
> Alvin, Mudfoot, and Huck on Harathrurptra.
>
>  (Correct spelling anyone?)
>
> Mudfoot can become VERY important if Harathrumta (Sp?)
>
> has Rousit.
>
> Does anybody remember the Rousit?
>
> Contacting Aliens didn't.
>
> (The above is subject, of course, to Dr. Brin actually
>
> making the Rousit clients of the Hoon. It wasn't that
>
> clear in Heaven's Reach.)
>
>
>
> 2. Did we ever find out why Gillian wanted a herd of
> Glavers?
>
> They speak to hydrogen breathers, IIRC.
>
>
>
> I doubt they're legally available for uplift
> yet, (RE-Uplift, as they're on the downward slope.)
>
> but Contacting Aliens does say they haven't been
> spotted (in the other Galaxy 2) in 2000 years. Did she
>  figure they might be the last of their kind, and want
>  to prevent the Jophur from killing them all? (It
> would also have made it possible for Dwer to take a
> few back to Jijo, but I doubt David Brin would make
> things so narratively "easy" for Jijo.)
>
> 3. When Streaker and Polkjhy exchanged people and
> chunks of hull, did Lark and Ling give any of the red
> rings to Gillian? Those things are a potent biological
> weapon against Jophur, even if used only as a
> defensive measure.
>
> And Alvin could use the bio-life preservers in
>
> his sailing business.
>
>
> 4. Lark saw an Urs on Polkjhy, stuck in an air bubble.
> Why would any Urs accept such a watery/confined fate?
>
> Better than having some er pop the bubble?
>
>
> She'll be stuck in that little bubble for the rest of
> her life. Why didn't she go onto the Streaker while
> all those Dolphins were going onto Polkjhy?
>
>
>
> ~A new person without a screen-name   
> ___http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
>
>
>
> Bluehost?
>
> OK, any name but Smurfette.
>
>
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>
>
>
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Re: Multi-talented

[Nick Arnett]

It's Sergey, actually.

Nick
(from the Googleplex-almost)


On Thu, Aug 29, 2013 at 4:29 PM, Dan Minette  wrote:

>
>
> >>I never knew the good doctor founded google until I read it in Yahoo news
> as
> >>part of a scandel.
>
> >Maybe, but he would have had to change his name from David to Sergei.
>
> Didn't you know, David translated into Russian is Sergei,  I knew a Sergei
> from Russia. He used Sergei when founding Google to have a cosmopolitan
> flair. :-)
>
> Dan M.
>
>
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>
>
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Re: Troll on the list needs to learn manners...

[Nick Arnett]

On Sun, Nov 25, 2012 at 7:26 PM, Jon Louis Mann wrote:
>
> ...
> My goals include getting the SMO airport closed, getting free WiFi with a
> link to a Virtual Town Hall on the city website, etc. I have made
> substantial progress in that direction.  Sometimes the best way to win is
> to lose.  That is what Japan did...


Close SMO?!  We don't need any more small airports closing - we've lost
thousands already and no new ones are opening.  What's up with that?

I've flown in and out of SMO many times...

Nick
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Re: Politeness

[Nick Arnett]

I read this as a personal attack, which is not permitted in this group.

Nick

On Sun, Nov 25, 2012 at 1:57 PM, John Williams wrote:

> On Sun, Nov 25, 2012 at 11:21 AM, Warren Adams-Ockrassa
>  wrote:
> > Having been watching from the sidelines, it's amazing how easy it is for
> me
> > to decide whose voice is respectable and mature, and whose is childish
> and
> > petulant, in this discussion.
>
> If only it were also easy for you to post something of value, instead
> of your opinion which is worthless.
>
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>
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Re: Where to now?

[Nick Arnett]

On Sat, Nov 24, 2012 at 8:34 AM, Dan Minette  wrote:

> > A few will engage with you for the same unfortunate reason (to try to
> "correct" you), but then it
> >just becomes a matter of who can be a bigger bully.
>
> I'm not sure about that.  Kevin, for example never struck me as a bully.
> And, I've never seen a counter-argument with facts and logic as bullying.


Me neither. You took a bit of a logical leap there, to the idea that I
meant that responding at all takes it that direction.  The only
generalization I'd make is that most people get sick of it eventually.

Nick
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Re: Where to now?

[Nick Arnett]

On Tue, Nov 20, 2012 at 1:42 PM, John Williams wrote:

> On Tue, Nov 20, 2012 at 1:27 PM, Kevin O'Brien 
> wrote:
>
> > OK, I'm not at all clear on how you got "top-down" management out of
> what I
> > said.
>
> I'm getting tired of correcting all this nonsense,


I strongly believe that the attitude that fragment reflects - that what
another person says is nonsense and you are correcting them - drives people
away from any community in the long run if it persists and dominates. A few
will engage with you for the same unfortunate reason (to try to "correct"
you), but then it just becomes a matter of who can be a bigger bully.

Do whatever you want with my opinion, but I, for one, will be quite
grateful if you choose to present your words as though they were just your
thoughts and opinions and to treat others with much greater respect.

Nick
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Re: Obama II

[Nick Arnett]

I didn't realize how unclear it is whether Reagan and other top officials
regarded it as a bluff or not, until I poked around a bit just now.  Easy
to see how they might have started off serious, then decided to re-write
history and say it was all a bluff.  I have some up-close and personal
experience with the Reagan White House rewriting history - their version
persists in most peoples' minds still; when I tell my version, most people
are still surprised.  Shows the power of the bully pulpit, sure was
interesting to see it first-hand.

Nick


On Sun, Nov 11, 2012 at 3:00 PM, Dan Minette  wrote:

> On Star Wars, it worked as a bluff, but I don't think Reagan was bluffing.
> I think he believed.  I know as a fact that the Defense Department said
> they
> would require that all programming for applications they used would have to
> be done in Ada (I think within 5 years) because Ada was a compiler that
> automatically eliminated bugs. Anyone who wrote any software at Dresser
> Industries had to write a program in Ada, even scientists like me.  But,
> that was back in the day when the head of computer departments for major
> corporations had no idea how computers worked.
>
>  > Back to the facts. The Romney team said the software was running 20-30
> minutes behind.
>
> Well, I also read that parts of it simply failedreporting 0 votes from
> a
> long list on election day.  The part that targeted voting lists to cull
> those who haven't voted for attention can be made modular.
>
> >But in that situation, you have to really over- design for scalability.
>
> Or modular.  Let the software run on 10,000 computers in every regional
> office, with just the sums sent to the main headquarters.  Obama's software
> workedand I think its because it was field tested for monthsit was
> intended to track voters for months, not just on election day.
>
> Dan M.
>
>
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Re: Obama II

[Nick Arnett]

Star Wars had a critical difference. It didn't need to work because it was
all a giant bluff. Romney had little or nothing to gain by bluffing.

Back to the facts. The Romney team said the software was running 20-30
minutes behind. And pointed out that, as you suggest, there was no real way
to test it in advance. But in that situation, you have to really over-
design for scalability.

Nick

On Sunday, November 11, 2012, Dan Minette wrote:

> Nick wrote
>
> >Sounded like a classic scalability problem.
>
> I would guess otherwise.  This would be an interesting geekish debate to
> have.  My guess is that its akin to the problem with Star Wars software,
> which was assumed to work first time untested.  From what I read, their
> software did not lend itself to real live testing before election day.  So,
> it glitched badly, as one would expect the first time in the field.
>
> My software work has often been with firmare that runs 20,000 feet below
> the
> surface, with no chance to fix anything once it goes downhole.  Field
> testing in real wells is essential, even for software that has run
> perfectly
> without intervention in the lab.  It's easy to field test and fix software
> that helps field operatives identify and talk with prospective voters
> before
> the election.  If there's a major problem found in Cleveland in July, it
> can
> be fixed and the fix sent out nationwide in a few days.  But, with the
> Republicans, if I understand correctly, their software was for election day
> onlycounting voters off a list and then providing lists of pro-Romney
> voters who haven't voted yet.  If it glitches on election day, the best
> programmers in the world couldn't get the patch out in time.
>
> That's my guess, anyways.  Does anyone else want to play detective. :-)
>
> Dan M.
>
>
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Re: Obama II

[Nick Arnett]

Sounded like a classic scalability problem.

I'm looking forward to our company telling our election software story. Had
been super secret.

Nick

On Sunday, November 11, 2012, David Hobby wrote:

> On a related note, I've been reading about problems with the Romney
> campaign's software to organize election day get-out-the-vote efforts.  My
> first reaction was "Sabotage?", but now I'm betting that incompetence is
> the more likely explanation. See:
> http://www.boston.com/news/**politics/2012/president/**
> candidates/romney/2012/11/10/**orca-mitt-romney-high-tech-**
> get-out-the-vote-program-**crashed-election-day/**
> gflS8VkzDcJcXCrHoV0nsI/story.**html
>
> What do you think?
>
> ---David
>
>
>
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>
>
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Re: VentureBeat article

[Nick Arnett]

Just stop staring at my column.  I'm a married man.

Nick


On Thu, Nov 8, 2012 at 3:55 PM, Warren Adams-Ockrassa  wrote:

> Just jumping in to puckishly point out all the quasi-homoerotic awe at so
> many impressive columns.
>
> • Warren • off console • w azkrmc.com • h nightwares.com •
>
> On Nov 8, 2012, at 15:13, "Dan Minette"  wrote:
>
> >
> >> Thanks, Dan. I saw Friedman's column when it came out - very impressive.
> > We'll be hearing a lot
> >> from Gautam's work, I expect.
> >
> > I hope so.  Your column was also impressive.
> >
> > Dan M.
> >
> >
> > ___
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> >
>
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Re: VentureBeat article

[Nick Arnett]

Thanks, Dan. I saw Friedman's column when it came out - very impressive.
 We'll be hearing a lot from Gautam's work, I expect.


On Thu, Nov 8, 2012 at 2:03 PM, Dan Minette  wrote:

> I forwarded this to Gautam.  Tom Friedman reviewed Gautam's book in his
> Wednesday after the election column, when he had to meet his first
> deadline.
> But Gautam was personally unfortunate that he, I was right about how
> quickly
> Obama's victory was sealed, and by how much (I had him winning only Ohio,
> Nevada, and Iowa among the true swing states), so Tom was asked to write a
> column about the victory for later editons.  The origional column is at:
>
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/07/opinion/friedman-filtered-or-unfiltered.ht
> ml?_r=0
>
> While it would have been better to have been in all the editons, it's still
> pretty good to have your book reviewed by a major columnist who won the
> Pulitzer Prize.  His book got some nice reviews from others too:
>
>
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1422186709/ref=cm_cr_dpvoterdr
>
>
> Dan M.
>
>
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Re: New job vacancy - see details

[Nick Arnett]

I'm going to have to put the list on moderation!

On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 10:50 AM, Matt Grimaldi  wrote:

> Nick!  You changed your name from Carl to Sara?  After moving to the UK?
> :)
>
>
>   --
> *From:* "narn...@mccmedia.com" 
> *To:* narn...@mccmedia.com; brin-l@mccmedia.com
> *Sent:* Monday, October 1, 2012 5:00 AM
> *Subject:* New job vacancy - see details
>
> I would like to take this time to welcome you to our hiring process
> and give you a brief synopsis of the position's benefits and requirements.
>
> If you are taking a career break, are on a maternity leave,
> recently retired or simply looking for some part-time job, this position
> is for you.
>
> Occupation: Flexible schedule 2 to 8 hours per day. We can guarantee a
> minimum 20 hrs/week occupation
> Salary: Starting salary is 2000 GBP per month plus commission, paid every
> month.
> Business hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, MON-FRI, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM SAT or
> part time (UK time).
>
> Region: United Kingdom.
>
> Please note that there are no startup fees or deposits to start working
> for us.
>
> To request an application form, schedule your interview and receive more
> information about this position
> please reply to s...@bestjobscouk.com with your personal identification
> number for this position IDNO: 4371
>
>
>
> ___
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>
>
>
>
> ___
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>
>
>
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Re: phished

[Nick Arnett]

The scary thing is that it got distributed to the whole list.  That
shouldn't happen.  The list is supposed to be protected against this kind
of spoofing.

Nick

On Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 4:13 PM, Jon Louis Mann wrote:

>
> >1. Re: Job opportunity  - hurry to
> > apply!  (Matt Grimaldi)
> >2. RE: Job opportunity  - hurry to
> > apply!  (Horn, John)
> >3. Re: Job opportunity - hurry to apply!
> > (Nick Arnett)
> >4. Job opportunity? (Jon Louis Mann)
>
> > Nick,
> > Is this really you?
>
> > Highly unlikely.
>
> > From: Jon Louis Mann 
> > Huh???
>
> It's not Nick; somehow, someone in his address may have been phished.
> Recently I've been getting job opportunity links, ostensibly from friends,
> but with phony e-mail addresses.
>
> The first time it happened to me I received a link from someone I knew on
> Twitter.  I was sent very disturbing porn link that went out to all my
> twitter followers (fortunately I rare go on Twitter). I got a nasty reply
> from a young girl saying, "Jon, I used to think you were a standup guy, but
> now I know you are a dirty old man"..  I changed my password right away,
> but it was too late.  Most social networks have a security page.
>
> Now, I know better than to reply to e-mails asking for my password,
> ESPECIALLY if my user I.D. is my e-mail address, or it is from a bank.  Nor
> do I respond to e-mails that threaten to close my account unless I provide
> personal information. I rarely download software unless it is from a
> confirmed web site.
>
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>
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Re: Job opportunity - hurry to apply!

[Nick Arnett]

My mother got the same Yahoo message and called me to ask if it was
legitimate.  I was fairly certain not.

Nick

On Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 4:38 PM, Ronn! Blankenship <
ronn_blankens...@bellsouth.net> wrote:

>  Figured it must be spam.  Found it interesting that nowhere in the
> message did it ever actually state what "the position" is . . . ;)
>
> (Speaking of spam, first thing I did when I sat down at the machine this
> afternoon was spend upwards of 45 minutes trying to find a place to report
> a somewhat suspicious-sounding message allegedly from Yahoo!.  They — not
> just them, but they are really bad about it — make it ridiculously hard to
> contact cusstomer¹ service.  Unfortunately, when AT&T started
> re-assimilating all the Baby Bells created by the breakup back in the 70s
> they decided to get Yahoo! to handle all their e-mail accounts, so when a
> message arrives allegedly from Yahoo! claiming that some ‘up’date action is
> necessary or all accounts will be closed it can't just be ignored and
> trashed as spam . . . :()
>
> _
> ¹ Not a typo.
>
>
>
>
> At 01:53 PM Wednesday 8/29/2012, Nick Arnett wrote:
>
> Crap - no.  I didn't realize they managed to spam the whole list.  I'm
> used to getting spam as an admin, but I think this is the first time
> somebody managed to hit the whole list.
>
> Nick
>
> On Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 11:44 AM, Matt Grimaldi 
> wrote:
>  Nick,
>
> Is this really you?
>
>
>
> From: "narn...@mccmedia.com " 
> To: narn...@mccmedia.com; brin-l@mccmedia.com
> Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2012 2:50 AM
> Subject: Job opportunity - hurry to apply!
>
> I would like to take this time to welcome you to our hiring process
> and give you a brief synopsis of the position's benefits and requirements.
>
> If you are taking a career break, are on a maternity leave,
> recently retired or simply looking for some part-time job, this position
> is for you.
>
> Occupation: Flexible schedule 2 to 8 hours per day. We can guarantee a
> minimum 20 hrs/week occupation
> Salary: Starting salary is 2000 GBP per month plus commission, paid every
> month.
> Business hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, MON-FRI, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM SAT or
> part time (UK time).
>
> Region: United Kingdom.
>
> Please note that there are no startup fees or deposits to start working
> for us.
>
> To request an application form, schedule your interview and receive more
> information about this position
> please reply to b...@xpatjobsuk.com,with your personal identification
> number for this position IDNO: 0915
>
>
>
> [snip feeter for brevity]
>
> **
>
> ** . . . ronn!  :)
>
>
> ___
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>
>
>
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Re: Job opportunity - hurry to apply!

[Nick Arnett]

Crap - no.  I didn't realize they managed to spam the whole list.  I'm used
to getting spam as an admin, but I think this is the first time somebody
managed to hit the whole list.

Nick

On Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 11:44 AM, Matt Grimaldi  wrote:

> Nick,
>
> Is this really you?
>
>
>   --
> *From:* "narn...@mccmedia.com" 
> *To:* narn...@mccmedia.com; brin-l@mccmedia.com
> *Sent:* Wednesday, August 29, 2012 2:50 AM
> *Subject:* Job opportunity - hurry to apply!
>
> I would like to take this time to welcome you to our hiring process
> and give you a brief synopsis of the position's benefits and requirements.
>
> If you are taking a career break, are on a maternity leave,
> recently retired or simply looking for some part-time job, this position
> is for you.
>
> Occupation: Flexible schedule 2 to 8 hours per day. We can guarantee a
> minimum 20 hrs/week occupation
> Salary: Starting salary is 2000 GBP per month plus commission, paid every
> month.
> Business hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, MON-FRI, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM SAT or
> part time (UK time).
>
> Region: United Kingdom.
>
> Please note that there are no startup fees or deposits to start working
> for us.
>
> To request an application form, schedule your interview and receive more
> information about this position
> please reply to b...@xpatjobsuk.com,with your personal identification
> number for this position IDNO: 0915
>
>
>
> ___
> http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
>
>
>
>
> ___
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>
>
>
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Re: Brin: Existence has arrived...

[Nick Arnett]

I made up for John by buying the hardcover and the Kobo e-book.

Had pre-ordered the hardcover on Amazon, then ended up traveling without
and was overcome by the desire to read on, so I bought and downloaded the
latter (and finished it on my trip).

Nick

On Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 12:15 PM, John Garcia  wrote:

> i borrowed the hardcover from the NYPL (sorry Dr. B, but the budget is
> tight this year and i was not willing to wait for the paperback, although i
> will buy that when it is available) and that cover is pretty cool. the
> trailer was great.
> i will have to read it again but i have to digest it a bit. all in all, a
> great many ideas to ponder upon. good work!
>
> On Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 1:33 PM, David Brin  wrote:
>
>> Heh! Both covers are great though the lensatic one is so cool.
>>
>> I assume you've all seen the even-cooler preview trailer
>> tinyurl.com/exist-trailer
>>
>> Thrive all
>>
>> --
>> *From:* "kananda...@aol.com" 
>> *To:* brin-l@mccmedia.com
>> *Sent:* Wed, August 22, 2012 7:41:08 AM
>> *Subject:* Re: Brin: Existence has arrived...
>>
>>
>>
>> On 8/22/2012 10:08 AM, Charlie Bell wrote:
>>  It's a shiny "3D hologram" trade paperback. Very excited!
>> Um. That's all.
>>
>> David wrote:
>> It's interesting how books get published differently in different
>> countries.
>> I got the hardcover, which has a shiny dust jacket.
>> I liked the book, although I do have some questions...
>>
>>  
>>
>> This seems to cry out for a comment like "I think the
>> electrons making my ebook cover *may be shiny*".
>> Good thing I am not young enough to have
>> "accessory" envy.
>>
>> Dee :-)
>>
>>
>>
>> ___
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>>
>>
>>
>
> ___
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>
>
>
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Re: Brin events

[Nick Arnett]

Sure wish I could participate, but I'm headed to the Big Boulder
conference, in Boulder, Colorado, that weekend... disappointed!

Nick

On Fri, Jun 15, 2012 at 11:04 AM, Dave Land  wrote:

> On Jun 14, 2012, at 11:21 PM, David Brin wrote:
>
> Sorry for the salesmanship, but I'm working hard!  And it has been 8 years
> since a "big brin book" so I hope you don't mind!
>
>
> I think you can be forgiven, particularly if there's any chance that your
> Bay Area friends can buy you a drink while you're here. If you have any
> time in the evening, I'd like to see you, and one or two others maybe, too?
>
> Dave
>
>
>
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>
>
>
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Fwd: News Alert: Ray Bradbury, Master of Science Fiction, Dies at 91, A.P. Says

[Nick Arnett]

Wah.

Just read an essay he wrote for the science fiction issue of The New Yorker.

Nick

-- Forwarded message --
From: NYTimes.com News Alert 
Date: Wed, Jun 6, 2012 at 8:05 AM
Subject: News Alert: Ray Bradbury, Master of Science Fiction, Dies at 91,
A.P. Says
To: nick.arn...@gmail.com


Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Wednesday, June 6, 2012 -- 10:45 AM EDT
-

Ray Bradbury, Master of Science Fiction, Dies at 91, A.P. Says

Ray Bradbury, a master of science fiction whose lyrical evocations of the
future reflected both the optimism and the anxieties of his own postwar
America, died on Tuesday in Southern California. He was 91.

By many estimations Mr. Bradbury was the writer most responsible for
bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream. His name
would appear near the top of any list of major science-fiction writers of
the 20th century, beside those of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A.
Heinlein and the Polish author Stanislaw Lem.

In Mr. Bradbury’s lifetime more than eight million copies of his books were
sold in 36 languages. They included the short-story collections “The
Martian Chronicles,” “The Illustrated Man” and “The Golden Apples of the
Sun,” and the novels “Fahrenheit 451” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes.”

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/**06/07/books/ray-bradbury-**
popularizer-of-science-**fiction-dies-at-91.html?emc=na

To unsubscribe, go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/gst/**unsub.html?email=nick.arnett@**
gmail.com&id=59266526&segment=**34542&group=nl&product=NA

About This E-Mail
You received this message because you are signed up to receive breaking
news alerts from NYTimes.com.

To change your e-mail address or to sign up for daily headlines or other
newsletters, go to:
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Re: Brin: Infinite Stupidity

[Nick Arnett]

On Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 10:34 AM, David Brin  wrote:

> Alas, Pagel spins a just-so story that is conveniently and charmingly free
> of reference to historical facts. For example, he ignores the fact that
> innovation sped up, intensely and supra-liearly, as the number of
> individuals in a society increased. Agrarian clans and then kingdoms
> allocated surplus food to specialists, rewarding them for talent and
> expertise, sometimes in accurate correlation to their effectiveness at
> innovation.
>

I had the same reaction - absolutely true.  What changed 500 years ago when
the printing press had the kind of effect we're seeing today was that
innovation was stimulated by access to new, diverse points of view.  The
more sources you have, the more points of view become available, even
though the vast majority of people will "copy," as he says, others. Even if
the vast majority of people never pay attention to more than one POV (e.g.,
only believe Faux News), if only a small percentage are stimulated by
access to a variety, that has always stimulated creativity and development.
 Innovation is driven by curiosity, which in turn is fueled by cheap
distribution of diverse viewpoints and ideas.  It doesn't matter if the
vast majority isn't curious or innovative, it only takes a few.

Nick
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Re: ADMIN: Re: Delivery Status Notification (Failure), was Re: Night Owls Demand Equal Rights!

[Nick Arnett]

On Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 12:13 AM, Ticia  wrote:

>
>
>
> Nick I'm not getting all Brin-L messages?! I never got the thread below
> (Re: Night Owls Demand Equal Rights!),  checkend my spambox but they're not
> there!
>
> That's just weird.  Could you check the archive page now and then and let
me know if there seems to be any pattern to what's not arriving?

Nick
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Re: ADMIN: Re: Delivery Status Notification (Failure), was Re: Night Owls Demand Equal Rights!

[Nick Arnett]

Okay, I removed the problem address... shouldn't happen any more.

Nick
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Re: Status Notification

[Nick Arnett]

On Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 9:00 PM, Jo Anne  wrote:

> Nick -- I don't get it, and I'm on the digest...
>

Ah, it probably only goes to those who post... did you get one after you
wrote this message?

Nick
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Re: ADMIN: Re: Delivery Status Notification (Failure), was Re: Night Owls Demand Equal Rights!

[Nick Arnett]

Ugh - I didn't realize everybody was getting this.  Shouldn't happen.  I'll
figure it out and stop it.

Nick

On Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 2:48 PM, Ronn! Blankenship <
ronn_blankens...@bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Is there anyone who knows why I and others (I presume the whole list?)
> receive this in response to EVERY message we sent to the list, and can do
> something about it?
>
> TIA!
>
>
>
> (Quoting it in its entirety with full headers in case that info is of help
> to anyone . . . )
>
>
> At 01:50 PM Sunday 9/18/2011, postmas...@cenit.de wrote:
>
>> X-Apparently-To: ronn_blankens...@bellsouth.net via 67.195.15.74; Sun, 18
>> Sep 2011 11:50:22 -0700
>> Received-SPF: none (domain of fgateway09.isp.att.net does not designate
>> permitted sender hosts)
>> X-YMailISG: RzwF44oWLDu8LZBgzXsfOTA5LUtnda**FOMzyYUK3vJhsZ3THi
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>>  bX9j8PKcUlzUiZCa_**YPoAZeWZu3To9B6T23_oJJs.9j0.**56BfJILojsBKBI2
>>  pH2Q1wkGnmuVkhtZFg_as_**f7QUTIsUsnmQQCHzxFrH5ARd_nZ._**FJVDo85xK
>>  5AWKZ4DlOTvNR9uz94k1EgjZFrcLYN**4796s1UKBoujqt6XNI.gRth_CNVtFw
>>  s7SdPMkYq_**8lBRJwbSZ1LZrn7DNPVvZxcojIipWu**th5zsJaP1ipt2LnSRUN3
>>  EgsjmyMeEd6HmKXWvNuuZXxlMHzSZ2**F5FjO2JytKGw72QSVGPdQ1F.CjfDOt
>>  AV793n5CvHDlk6qmzeNthNTBbzkwbo**iE23GOlRt2O8KpZ6cFQHEtvZuJuBtt
>>  FjCcAvWYzONx1MWxtPEKwricOz7Qwg**hdC2a2qAAkAAV5.g--
>> X-Originating-IP: [193.188.158.4]
>> Authentication-Results: mta1030.sbc.mail.mud.yahoo.com  from=cenit.de;
>> domainkeys=neutral (no sig);  from=cenit.de; dkim=neutral (no sig)
>> Received: from 207.115.11.39  (EHLO fgateway09.isp.att.net)
>> (207.115.11.39)
>>  by mta1030.sbc.mail.mud.yahoo.com with SMTP; Sun, 18 Sep 2011 11:50:20
>> -0700
>> Received: from cenit.de (ns2.cenit.de[193.188.158.4])
>>  by isp.att.net (frfwmxc09) with ESMTP
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>> X-Originating-IP: [193.188.158.4]
>> Received: from 
>> mailgateway02.de.cenit-group.**com([10.0.2.156])
>>by ns2.cenit.de (cenit.de [192.168.232.3])
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>>with ESMTP id md50003484517.msg
>>for 
>> >;
>> Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:45:55 +0200
>> Received: (from smtpd@127.0.0.1) by 
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>> Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:50:09 +0200
>> From: postmas...@cenit.de
>> To: ronn_blankens...@bellsouth.net
>> Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:50:09 +0200
>> MIME-Version: 1.0
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>> Message-ID: 
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>> Subject: Delivery Status Notification (Failure)
>> Content-Type: multipart/report; report-type=delivery-status;
>>boundary="9B095B5ADSN=_**01CC68D12B729BBE1B70exf?**
>> de02.de.ceni"
>> VBR-Info: md=cenit.de; mc=all; mv=vbr.emailcertification.org;
>> X-Spam-Processed: cenit.de, Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:45:55 +0200
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>> X-MDRemoteIP: 10.0.2.156
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>> X-MDaemon-Deliver-To: ronn_blankens...@bellsouth.net
>> X-MDAV-Processed: cenit.de, Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:45:57 +0200
>>
>> This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification.
>>
>> Delivery to the following recipients failed.
>>
>>   a.freib...@cenit.de
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Reporting-MTA: 
>> dns;exf-de02.de.cenit-group.**com
>> Received-From-MTA: 
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>>Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:50:09 +0200
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>> Authentication-Results: cenit.de
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>> smtp.mail=brin-l-bounces@**mccmedia.com
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>>x-spf-client=MDaemon.PRO.v

Still here (Re: Br¡n: On Fracking and Earthquakes)

[Nick Arnett]

I'm still here, of course.  Recently joined NetBase as director of product
management, so I'm busy getting up to speed.

One of the data points NetBase has developed is that despite Twitter,
Facebook, etc., the real conversation still happens, and is increasing, in
forums, list servers, etc.  Discussion tends to start in the new social
media, but if it has any depth, it goes into venues where some depth is
supported.

I suppose if we really want to revive Brin-L, we need to have links to it
appearing periodically in social media.

Nick
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Re: Galileo was wrong!

[Nick Arnett]

The whole point of religion... depends a great deal on the person!  I
would complete the sentence in part by saying that religion helps me
live with what I know cannot be explained, fixed or understood. It
does seem that we are going through a time when an increasing number
of people are turning that around, using religion as a reason to deny
what is understood. A convenient "truth," to them!

This past weekend, I was contemplating the idea that religion, at its
best, nurtures elders who have the ability to hold opposing views
simultaneously, rather than being deeply defined by what they are
against. Both-and thinking instead of dualism, to put it another way.

Nick

On 8/29/11, John Garcia  wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 28, 2011 at 6:01 PM, Dan Minette  wrote:
>
>> >A few Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong - latimes.com
>>
>> It was a ROTFLMAO piece for me. It was really fun to see how both Notre
>> Dame
>> and the Vatican Observatory were in the "are these guy real?" mode. I gave
>> my first paper at a high energy physics symposium at Notre Dame, and saw
>> the
>> head of the Vatican Observatory and Steven Weinberg give a presentation on
>> Science and Faith together.
>>
>> It's funny, when you think about it.  A Protestant can rail against every
>> other church and found his own church.  But if you're an ultraconservative
>> Catholic, how in the world do you argue that the Pope is dead wrong on the
>> important issues?  Liberal Catholics can be anti-traditional, but how can
>> you be an ubertraditonalist that says tradition is horribly wrong. :-)
>>
>> Dan M.
>>
>>
>>
> Simple, you argue that he is not the real Pope, but an Anti-Pope ;-)
>
> john
> who had 12 years of Catholic education and always thought that Galileo had a
> raw deal
>

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Re: Happy Birthday, Ray Bradbury!

[Nick Arnett]

On Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 1:45 PM, Ronn! Blankenship <
ronn_blankens...@bellsouth.net> wrote:

> The writer, who has always seemed to be ahead of his time, turns 91 Monday.
> His 30 books and more than 600 short stories have influenced a generation of
> American fiction writers.


And a fine day to be born, too.

Nick

(Today is MY birthday.  I'm not 91, but I'm working on it.)
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Re: New Encyclopedia

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 3:16 PM, Jo Anne  wrote:

> Uh, Trent?  What do I use for an 'Admin address' and is the password the
> one
> for brinl?  I tried my email and my brinl password, and I ***failed***.
>
> Please remember that just about everything I ever learnt about operating a
> computer, I learned on this list or from it's members
>
>
You shouldn't need to log in to contribute - it's a wiki, meaning that
anybody can add, edit, etc.

Nick
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Re: Wikileaks

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 3:29 PM, trent shipley wrote:

> How many secrets does Australia have that are worth leaking.  Does a
> significant fraction of the World's population believe it is The Great
> Satan?
>

Reminds me of the story of the lady who was applying for a visa to enter
Australia.  When the clerk asked her if she had a criminal record, she
replied, "I had no idea one was still required."

Have I used that joke here before?  Well, if so, enjoy it again.

Nick
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Re: Brin: Arguing Doesn't Work: Fact Vs Belief

[Nick Arnett]

On Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Michael Harney  wrote:

> Dawkins addresses this a bit in his book _The God Delusion_.
>  Evolutionarily, it makes sense.  Children cannot afford to disbelieve
> things that are told to them by elders.  Doing so means consuming poisonous
> things or getting too close to lions or other dangerous predators.


That seems tautological to me, since it is only true if what you're being
told is true.  Believing false information of that nature would be selected
against, so one could imagine that humans could have evolved a strong sense
of when to believe those in authority.

 Besides, some of us had parents who taught us to be skeptical of authority.
 I'm fairly sure DB's kids have been taught that!

"Be skeptical of authority, kid."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your father and I said so."

Nick
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Re: Brin-L domains

[Nick Arnett]

Hmmm... been away a few days and wrote to Jeroen when I saw this tonight...
but the mail bounced.  I guess it was a short window of opportunity?

No real money available, anyway, but I wouldn't mind having the list in one
of those domains.

Nick

On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 4:16 AM, Jeroen van Baardwijk wrote:

> Hi all!
>
>
>
> Temporarily resurfacing from lurker depth.
>
>
>
> I’m getting rid of my old life and am working my *ss of starting a brand
> new one. Brin-L is part of my old life, so:
>
>
>
> Would anyone be interested in buying the domain names Brin-L.com and
> Brin-L.net? Make me an off-list offer I can’t refuse!
>
>
>
> 
>
>
>
> With regards,
>
>
>
> Jeroen “Now All I Need Is A New Identity” van Baardwijk
>
> ___
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>
>
>
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Re: Underwater mortgages and the economy

[Nick Arnett]

On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 8:40 AM, Dan Minette  wrote:

>
> >Interesting perspective in the LA Times.
>
>
> >But a bigger problem may turn out to be the millions of Americans who are
> still faithfully paying their mortgages, but on houses
> >worth far less than before the bubble burst. It's not that these
> homeowners
> will stop making their payments. It's just the opposite
> >— that they will keep doing it.
>
> I thought about this, and I think the article misses the real
> problemthat the rise in home values fueled the '00-'08 economy.  There
> is ample reason to argue that folks didn't save, because they saw their net
> worth going up every year, as their home appreciated.  Folks who sold their
> homes for bubble prices spent the money; it's gone.  Some people took out
> second mortgages on their houses and spent the money...with their house
> value rising, they spent the value.
>

No question, either extreme is bad.  But how to manage the volatility is the
billion - or is that trillion? - dollar question.

Nick
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Underwater mortgages and the economy

[Nick Arnett]

Interesting perspective in the LA Times.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-economy-mortgages-20101101,0,7338975.story


 By Don Lee, Los Angeles Times

November 1, 2010
Reporting from Washington —
For almost two years, home foreclosures have swept the nation, spreading
misery among once-buoyant families, spattering lenders with red ink and
undermining efforts to restart the economy.

But a bigger problem may turn out to be the millions of Americans who are
still faithfully paying their mortgages, but on houses worth far less than
before the bubble burst. It's not that these homeowners will stop making
their payments. It's just the opposite — that they will keep doing it.


Nick
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Re: Lots of people are having problems with loan modifications

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 1:04 PM, Julia  wrote:

> Video & transcript at
> http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec10/mortgage_10-25.html
>
> One quote:
>
> SARAH PORTER-BRAUN: There's been countless numbers of time, which he has
> well-documented, where we have been told you're denied because you have not
> provided the documents requested, when in fact we have never received a
> request.
>

I'm getting increasingly annoyed with our lender.  We own the house Cindy
grew up in, up in Springfield, Oregon.  We've had the same tenant for many
years, so the lease agreement was signed years ago.  The stupid lender won't
accept it, saying they need a "current" lease agreement.  That is the
current one, I insist... and the lender accepted it when we qualified for
the modification that they screwed up.  Now we have to force our tenant to
sign a new lease, just to make the lender happy???

Nick
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Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 7:41 PM, Rceeberger  wrote:
>
>
> X is very good. My entire alliance agrees!
>
> >"I agree".
>
> I'm gratified
>
> > "Me too".
>
> Nice!
>
> > "Count me in".
>
> Okie Dokie
>
> >"+1".
>
> One at a time please.


I'm SOL (Snorting Out Loud, one click down from LOL).  Possibly out of luck,
too, now that I think about that acronym.

Nick
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Re: Loan modifications (was Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries)

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 7:41 PM, John Williams wrote:
>
>
> That suggests that you are not going to strategically default. I
> wonder if there are any other clues that the lender was able to glean
> that suggested you would not strategically default.


I'm curious "strategically defaulting" moral in your world-view?  How about
non-strategically defaulting?  What do these terms mean?

Nick
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Re: Loan modifications (was Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries)

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 4:15 PM, Dan Minette  wrote:

> Nick wrote:
>
>
> >I see that as a market failure that should have been prevented via
> >regulation (or, more correctly, enabled via deregulation).
>
> First, I'm sorry you are stuck in a bad situation.  That's sucks.
>

Thanks for saying so.  I do keep the perspective that it is only material
stuff and not as important as many other things.


> But, I'm curious as to how the deregulation caused the real estate bubble.
> Now one could argue that it made it worse, since banks packaged sub-prime
> mortgages, did smoke and mirrors, and sold it as solid investments.  But,
> the problem with the Risk Assessment model was not a regulation problem,
> the
> banks just wouldn't believe that national housing prices could fall more
> than 10% because the odds were, historically, <2%...which the Risk
> Assessment Model rounded to zero.


Richard Posner's "A Failure of Capitalism" explains it far better than I
ever could.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Failure_of_Capitalism
"Some of the causes of the depression that Posner cites are the lack of
enforceable usury  laws, which would
discourage risky
loans,[10]
 the FDIC  and central banks taking
risks,[11]securitization
of mortgages 
,[12]
illiquidity
and insolvency of the banking
system,[13]
the
housing 
bubble,[14]
blindness
to warning signs of a
crisis,[15]
and
the preconceptions of
ideology.[
16
]
"

And I must quote this section, which includes comments from Brad:

The *New York Review of
Books
* said that "it is at best a partial success; it gets some things right and
some things wrong, and the items on both sides of the ledger are important."
[8]  In
the *Review*, Nobel-prize-winning economist Robert
Solow praises
the author quite faintly:

I have to say that the prose in this book often reads as if it were written,
or maybe dictated, in a great hurry. There is some unnecessary repetition,
and many paragraphs spend more time than they should on digressions that
seem to have occurred to the author in mid-thought. If not exactly chiseled,
the prose is nevertheless lively, readable, and plainspoken. The haste may
have been justified by the pace of the events he aims to describe and
explain. Posner has an extraordinarily sharp mind, and what I take to be a
lawyerly skill in argument. But I also have to say that, in some respects,
his grasp of economic ideas is precarious.
—Robert M. 
Solow[8]

Solow's review itself was notable to some degree, according to Brad
DeLong,
who critiqued Posner's logic along the way:

Yet while Posner insists on saving the appearance of individual rationality,
he is willing to jettison the Chicago
School's
conclusion that markets are everywhere and always perfect. As Robert Solow
observed: "If I had written that, it would not be news. From Richard Posner,
it is." Abandoning the conclusion of market perfection opens the door to the
idea that government needs to properly check, balance, and regulate markets
in order to help them function as well as possible. But clinging to the
assumption of individual rationality forces Posner’s view of what regulation
is appropriate into a very awkward
straightjacket.[
52
] 

Sounds dead on to me.

Summary from the publisher:
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674035140

And from a review on Amazon.com: "Posner recognizes that competition carries
the seeds of capitalism's destruction - bankers, etc. realize that if they
don't participate in whatever current fad is popular, they risk becoming
unemployed and their f

Re: Loan modifications (was Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries)

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 12:02 PM, John Williams wrote:
>
>
> To me, it sounds like they are incompetent (although in their defense,
> all of the loan securitizations have made the situation complicated).
> But since you want to modify an agreement in your favor, you more or
> less need to jump through their hoops, even if they are ridiculous.


So, you think that violations of TiLA and RESPA are properly described as
"incompetence?"  How about civil liability for negligence instead?

I can see describing their failure to know the value of the CDSs, etc.,
gross incompetence - I see that as a market failure that should have been
prevented via regulation (or, more correctly, enabled via deregulation).
 But not following the cornerstone regulations for real estate transactions?
 That's not just incompetence.

Meanwhile, today, I'm taking a break from running an orbital floor sander
that I'm using to refinish the floor in one of the rooms of this house that
some people say I should walk away from.  We continue to make improvements.

And yes, by the way, we're having a tough time financially right now.  I was
laid off from LiveWorld a couple of years ago and I've been building up
consulting and developing some new analytics tools, but it's hard.  And we
have a daughter who moved back in full-time and four grandkids with us half
time.

Nick
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Loan modifications (was Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries)

[Nick Arnett]

Some clarifications. The problems I had with our lender regarding the loan
modification had nothing to do with whether or not they were willing to make
one.  It was the way they behaved as we qualified for it and then the way
that they screwed it up so that we have to re-qualify all over again.  The
short version is that we did everything to qualify, received a letter
stating so, but due to a very confusing letter, sent them $40 less than they
wanted (out of a $2,000+ payment) and they tossed out the whole thing
without even telling us and demanded that we start the entire process over
again, insisting, among other things, that they interpreted the check that
was $40 short as a statement from us that we did not want the modification
(ridiculous).  They lied to by saying they had no choice because the loan
owner would not allow them to make the modification, admitted that another
division of their own company owns it, then tried to tell us that they could
not disclose who owns it.  And on and on.

There are good, solid reasons for the existence of the Truth in Lending Act
and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.  Like many, many other people
who have renegotiated their loans, I believe that our lender violated some
parts of one or both of those laws.  And I think they violated them in the
process of the loan modification.

There is no question that lenders have violated the law in many ways -- look
at the foreclosure mess right now.  The reason they have panicked and
stopped foreclosures is because they realized that they took illegal
shortcuts.

I don't feel great about seeking a lower interest rate, but indeed I have
threatened to walk away from the house if they continue to screw us around.
 They stand to lose a couple of hundred thousand dollars... which I could
save us right now by walking away.  Believe me, that is tempting.  But I do
think it would be unethical to do that unless they really treat us extremely
unfairly.

Nick
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Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 11:12 AM, Brad DeLong  wrote:

> Could we get this troll--Mr. Williams--out of here please?
>
> Foreclosures are currently running at 3 times their normal rates not
> because there has been an outbreak of cheating and dishonesty on the part of
> America's borrowers, but because the unemployment rate is not its normal 5%
> but is instead 10%, and housing prices are not at the prices that borrowers
> and lenders both expected them to be five years ago but are rather 30%
> lower.
>

We could, but we have a high tolerance for argument other than personal
attacks... though with the list being so quiet lately, I'm tempted to revise
my standards.  Hard to know if the quiet was due to trolling or some
externality.

Nick
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Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 10:45 AM, John Williams wrote:

>
> Only if you consider honesty and keeping your word to be ridiculous. An
> honorable person would not agree to borrow money from anyone, even a
> loan shark, if they thought that there was any possibility that they
> would not be able to honor their agreement and pay back the money that they
> borrowed.


I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

Nick
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Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 9:34 AM, John Williams wrote:
>
>
> But regardless, it is a simple concept. Honor, honesty, integrity,
> whatever you want to call it. If a person agrees to something
> voluntarily, then they should keep their word.
> I'm pretty sure you voluntarily agreed to borrow money and pay it back.


Is that true for people who borrow from loan sharks?  Does the lender's
behavior matter not?

Nick
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Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 8:57 AM, Dan Minette  wrote:
>
>
> In hindsight, the housing bubble is obvious.  Heck, at the time, I knew
> there was a housing bubble, and if you look at Brin-l archives, you will
> see
> that I wrote it.
>

It was clear that values were high.  That was always clear to me.  But HOW
high?  And for how long would they stay high?  Aside from a handful of
people who, by intelligence or luck - and we can't know which - profited
from the mortgage crisis, the experts who made a business of making loans,
failed, badly.  When somebody who underwrites real estate loans for a living
can't value property, how can an ordinary person be expected to do so?  The
industry still doesn't really know the values.  My mistake was to trust the
market and the industry.  If the industry had done nothing wrong, then the
market would not have over-valued real estate.

>
> So, I'm finally at my point, if someone buys a house that is clearly
> overvalued, as houses in the SF area still are, why should someone else pay
> their loss?  Is it any different than putting one's retirement money into a
> NASDAC index fund in 1999?


Yes, it is quite different.  For one thing, housing is not a investment for
most people.  More to the point, retirement isn't borrowed money. When the
stock market has had the equivalent of appraisers (analysts) inflating their
valuations to whatever price the buyer and seller agreed on, they have been
successfully sued in class actions. Yet that sort of thing was rampant in
the mortgage market.  Loans for buying stock are highly regulated so that
when a bubble breaks, it has to be an enormous drop (compared with the drop
in housing values) to leave the borrower under water.  There's nothing like
100 percent financing in the stock market, at least not legally.  If a stock
broker followed the predatory lending practices of mortgage companies,
they'd be drowning in litigation because of the way that industry is
regulated.  And there are huge differences in disclosure regulations... but
the mortgage industry couldn't even possibly meet any disclosure
requirements because the selling of default swaps and such make it
impossible even for them to know the value of the properties on which they
made loans.

Nick
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Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 8:49 AM, John Williams wrote:

> On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 8:28 AM, Nick Arnett 
> wrote:
> > The average taxpayer elected officials who deregulated the financial
> > industry so much that it became impossible for the average taxpayer to be
> > able to know the actual value of a house.  We got the government we
> deserved
> > and the price of it.
>
> So it is someone else's fault that you borrowed money and now do not
> want to pay it all back yourself?


I didn't say it was someone else's fault.  I'm a taxpayer, too.  I am also
responsible for the bad policies.

Please explain why nobody but borrowers should have responsibility for a
market failure, which seems to be what you are implying.

Nick
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Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 7:49 AM, John Williams wrote:

> On Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 7:38 AM, Nick Arnett 
> wrote:
>
> > I could tell the horror story of our efforts at loan modification, but
> I'll
> > just say that it is one of the stories submitted to the Justice
> Department
> > by the House California Caucus.
>
> If by loan modification, you mean getting someone else to pay back
> some of the money that you borrowed, you might want to consider that
> it is likely that it will ultimately be average taxpayers footing the
> bill, and whether it is fair that taxpayers who did not agree to your
> mortgage should have to pay some of it off.


The average taxpayer elected officials who deregulated the financial
industry so much that it became impossible for the average taxpayer to be
able to know the actual value of a house.  We got the government we deserved
and the price of it.

None of which really has anything to do directly with the lender's behavior
today.

Nick
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Re: Starting Engineer's Salaries

[Nick Arnett]

On Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 6:36 PM, John Williams wrote:

> On Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 3:29 PM, Dan Minette  wrote:
>
> > they give the average starting salary for an EE in the US as 59,646, but
> in
> > the SF area it is about 74,700.  So, that is about a 25% premium.  At
> > simplyhired.com they state that the average EE salary in the SF area is
> > $87k/year.  That's not bad money, but you can't buy a million dollar
> house
> > with it.
> >
> > Housing prices are about 6x higher in the Bay area than in the Austin
> area.
> > Salaries for engineers are 25% higher.
>
> It sounds like the SF Bay area is more likely to appeal to single
> engineers willing to live in a small apartment and spend all their
> time at work. As compared to Austin, which sounds like it may appeal
> more to a young married couple just starting a family. I wonder if the
> SF tech firms are counting on that.


I'm not sure how common those jobs really are around here.  I suspect that
the vast majority of engineering jobs around here (Silicon Valley),
especially these days, are for experienced engineers, with salaries from
$90K to $150 or so.  In other words, I don't think average starting salary
is a good proxy for average salary.

Glassdoor.com tells me that salaries for EEs in Santa Clara range from $81K
to $130K, so the median would be around $110K.

But we have more software engineers around here, I think.  Glassdoor
actually reports the median - $99K.  But most of what is shown is over $90K
and many over $100K.

The media for software engineers in Austin is $75K.  They don't seem to have
much data on EEs.

So, this data suggests that for software engineers, the premium is about 33
percent.

For somebody with a family, it is not easy to get by around here on less
than $100K, which is surely one reason there are many, many families where
both spouses work.  And the reason is simple - housing costs, as Dan pointed
out.  That has eased for people buying now, but some of us are stuck with
fat mortgages for houses that are under water, which is very, very
frustrating.

I could tell the horror story of our efforts at loan modification, but I'll
just say that it is one of the stories submitted to the Justice Department
by the House California Caucus.

Nick
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Re: Down with the government!

[Nick Arnett]

On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 1:30 PM, Jon Louis Mann wrote:

>
>
> Electronic forums are the ideal venue for brainstorming solutions for
> social issues, as you can take time to edit your comments.  It also affords
> more people an opportunity to be less passive and have a voice.  Moderated
> sites work best to stay on topic and maintain civilized discourse.
>

That's a tempting idea, but this article got me thinking it is just not
true.

Small ChangeWhy the revolution will not be tweeted.by Malcolm
Gladwell
Read more
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell#ixzz12BH0HcYw

Gladwell's observation is that social media is a great place for people who
don't want to put much energy into their "activism."

Nick


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Re: Brin: Obama closes curtain on Transparency

[Nick Arnett]

On Fri, Aug 13, 2010 at 8:15 AM, KZK  wrote:

> More brilliance from a one-term president:
>
>
> http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Obama-closes-curtain-on-transparency-468557-100595914.html
>
> President Obama has abolished the position in his White House dedicated to
> transparency and shunted those duties into the portfolio of a partisan
> ex-lobbyist who is openly antagonistic to the notion of disclosure by
> government and politicians.
> ...
> Bauer's own words -- gathered by the diligent folks at the Sunlight
> Foundation -- show disdain for openness and far greater belief in the good
> intentions of those in power than of those trying to check the powerful.


Did you read the article?  I can't find one fact in there that shows
opposition to transparency on the part of  the "partisan ex-lobbyist," who
clearly has much more meaningful credentials than that.

And what is really, really awful about this column is that it leaves the
impression that the Sunlight Foundation was criticizing Obama's decision.
Hardly.

What the author (who took one journalism class and started calling himself a
reporter) did was dig up a two-year-old Sunlight Foundation press release
and twisted into a criticism of current events. Sleazy.  Unethical.

http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2008/06/10/reflections-on-election-laws/

The item's concluding paragraph:

"As Bauer cautions, we should take great care in what we regulate. And many
of the issues are complex, requiring difficult and careful decisions.
Legitimate citizen organizing and association should not be discouraged. But
made clear by the convention loophole, there are still some easy decisions
left unaddressed."

The Sunlight Foundation was praising Bauer (two years ago) for his insights
into regulation and politics, not criticizing Obama for giving Bauer
responsibility for transparency.   To really get at the facts here, go to
the comments Bauer made, which prompted the Sunlight Foundation item.

http://www.moresoftmoneyhardlaw.com/news.html?AID=1277

Obama chose a man who defended the FEC's decision to leave Internet media
such a blogging, unregulated.  Terrible blow to transparency, was that?

"I am all for deliberative democracy.  The opposite has little to commend
it.  Progressive political action depends, too, on finding and building
strengths in numbers, in raising any one voice by amplifying it with the
voices of others. Alliances must be fashioned and coalitions built.  This is
work done on the streets or the phones or the on web, wherever support can
be recruited and energies toward a common goal can be mobilized.   This
comes about not only through the protection of "free speech," important as
it is:  the right of association, broadly construed and vigorously defended,
captures an aspect of this political work that has been seriously
neglected."

Of course, the first clue that the column might be deliberately biased was
that it appeared in the Washington Examiner.  But there is no excuse for
twisting the Sunlight Foundation's report this way.

Nick
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Re: First Pluto is not a planet, and now . . . .

[Nick Arnett]

On Tue, Aug 3, 2010 at 8:29 AM, William T Goodall wrote:

>
> ...
> "When presented with the statement “human beings, as we know them today,
> developed from earlier species of animals,” just 45 percent of respondents
> indicated “true.” Compare this figure with the affirmative percentages in
> Japan (78), Europe (70), China (69) and South Korea (64). "
>

Americans apparently are increasingly afraid of lightning.

It is bad luck to be superstitious!

Nick
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Re: First Pluto is not a planet, and now . . . .

[Nick Arnett]

On Tue, Aug 3, 2010 at 5:35 AM, Alberto Monteiro wrote:

>
> There can't be too many different species, Noah's Ark wasn't
> big enough to carry them all!


What, evolution stopped with the Ark?

As long as we're on that subject, it dawned on me a while ago that the
trouble I have with creationists is that they believe in a God who is too
stupid to have created evolution.

Nick
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Re: Tea Party Racism

[Nick Arnett]

On Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 4:45 AM, Alberto Monteiro
wrote:

>
> Bottom line: you don't think it's Intelligent Design, you think
> it's Natural Selection.


Too funny!  Because it's true, I think.

Politics red in tooth and claw.  Or truth and clues.  Or something.

Nick
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Re: Tea Party Racism

[Nick Arnett]

On Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 9:58 AM, zwil...@zwilnik.com wrote:

>
> Don't overlook what is called "dog whistle" political statements. This
> names comes from the well-known phenomenon that a highly-pitched whistle
> will be heard by dogs, but not by people. And in polictics there is a
> similar phenomenon whereby you can say something that cannot explicitly be
> criticized when you you say it, but the people who are supposed to hear it
> will understand what you really mean.
>

In other words, passive aggressive.

Nick
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Brin: Article: Are Jedi Knights Libertarian or Socialist?

[Nick Arnett]

Article from the Atlantic -
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/features/view/feature/Are-Jedi-Knights-Libertarian-or-Socialist-1668

This
came up when the Canadian government announced that the upcoming census
would be optional, noting that 21,000 respondents identified their
occupation as "Jedi Knight."  Further research revealed that there are even
greater numbers of Jedis in England/Wales and Australia.  The highest
percentage was in New Zealand.

Nick
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Re: Variation by Country?

[Nick Arnett]

On Sun, Jul 11, 2010 at 2:02 PM, Dan Minette  wrote:

>
> >Probably because the words "or abandoned" disappeared somewhere between my
> >brain and my fingers. Point being, single parents aren't always because
> >they had a one-night stand or divorced, sometimes it's because one parent
> >disappears from the picture.
>
> I agree that single parents raising children by themselves are usually due
> to the other parent shirking their responsibilities.


Grandparents raising kids happens for the same kind of reasons also.  We
find ourselves in that position every weekend these days.

Nick
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Having kids is social security (was Re: Having kids makes you unhappy)

[Nick Arnett]

Seems to me that it would be good here to step outside of the developed
world and recognize that when people have no safety net, having children is
a form of social security - someone to take care of them when they are old.
It has been surprising to me when Americans in the midst of a place like the
slums of Mexico or in Haiti wonder why people are having so many children
and assume that given birth control supplies, they would stop.  Many won't.

This isn't even entirely self-centered.  When people live in a highly
interdependent community, as virtually every extremely poor community is,
they are expected to contribute to everyone's welfare... and one of the ways
you can contribute is to have children.

In Haiti, we had a teenage girl who was very happy to find out she was
pregnant.  She said her boyfriend would be also - because they wanted to
have at least one child before the next earthquake kills them.  That really
got to many of our team members.

Nick
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Re: Having kids makes you unhappy

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 7:54 PM, David Hobby  wrote:

>
>
> And yet, it's very rewarding.  I guess I'd boil it down
> to one sentence as "Children give one's life meaning".


And very large cell phone bills.

Nick
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Re: replacing fossil fuels

[Nick Arnett]

ÿ

On Sun, Jul 4, 2010 at 8:50 PM, Ronn! Blankenship <
ronn_blankens...@bellsouth.net> wrote:

>
> And it doesn't help when the moderators are in different parts of the world
> in different time zones and for whatever reason need to confer before making
> a decision (sometimes frex spambots can be quite clever, though others can
> be so obvious it's a wonder their creators think anyone would fall for
> them).
>

We don't need to confer about this kind of thing.  The only time we need to
agree is on those very, very rare occasions when we see the need to shut
someone out.

And yes, the spambots attack regularly.

Nick
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Re: replacing fossil fuels

[Nick Arnett]

On Sun, Jul 4, 2010 at 8:58 AM, Julia  wrote:

>
>
>
>
> Short version:  It was in a moderation queue.
>

Weird... I never saw the notice that any messages were awaiting moderation.
I'll have to figure out what happened there.

Good to see you around here, Julia!

Nick
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Re: Archives

[Nick Arnett]

On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 4:56 PM, Doug Pensinger  wrote:

> Nick; are the archives accessed from the list page all that are available?


As a practical matter, probably.  But take a look here, too:

http://www.mail-archive.com/brin-l@mccmedia.com/info.html

There may be other archives out there.  And I have older archives, but no
easy way yet to make them available.

Nick
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Haiti: government and regulation (was Re: Two interesting Articles for Dr. Brin:)

[Nick Arnett]

This thread got me thinking about government, regulation and Haiti.

I haven't been back from Haiti long enough to feel as though I have
particularly coherent thoughts about the significance and opportunity posed
by the earthquake, but a few ideas have begun to take hold.

Like many poor nations in our hemisphere, Haiti has lived under a
combination of highly centralized government with little regulatory
authority or trade barriers.  The theory, or at least the defense, of the
lack of regulation was that free market forces would allow the nation's
people opportunities to bootstrap new businesses, etc.  Yet the reality is
that its wealthy trading partners have tended to reinforce the concentration
of wealth in the hands of a small minority.  Simple example -
U.S.-government subsidized rice has undercut the local farmers' prices, yet
in the name of free markets, no trade barriers or subsidies are in place...
so Haiti imports more than half of its food, even though it was a very
fertile country. There have been no environmental regulations, so the Haiti
half of Hispaniola is almost entirely deforested, the trees having been cut
down to make charcoal for people to cook on.  Deforestation led to run-off
that washed the topsoil into the ocean, greatly reducing that fertility.
And the topsoil killed most of the coral reefs near the island, so fishing
has also become far more difficult.

The lack of regulation regarding building - there were no building codes -
resulted in a huge percentage of the buildings collapsing or undergoing
severe damage.  Wanna see some of what I saw?

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/arnett.nick?v=photos

As I said, my thoughts on Haiti are not especially coherent yet, but it
seems like Haiti's major partners - the U.S., Canada and France -- are in
favor of democracy at home, but not in Haiti.  It seems like we are in favor
of trade barriers and subsidies at home, but not in Haiti.

The earthquake was the worst natural disaster in the western hemishere -
ever - and hit the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.  And it left
Haiti even more vulnerable than it was, with perhaps as many as 2 million
people without permanent shelter and nowhere to go if a hurricane hits.
There is opportunity for real change in this disaster.  Haiti is forced to
start over in many ways and perhaps this time, we, its friends and
neighbors, can help create something better.

Nick
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Re: Clash of Titans

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 4:07 PM,  wrote:

>  AMAZING!
>
> Not the movie---an actual drive-in.
>
> Tucson lost the last one a few months ago.
>
>

I think we just have the one now.  And it's a little odd leaving there at 1
a.m. because dozens of trucks are lined up to drive in to set up for the
flea market that happens on the weekends.

http://www.westwinddriveins.com/

 Nick
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Re: Clash of Titans

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 8:22 AM, Alberto Vieira Ferreira Monteiro <
albm...@centroin.com.br> wrote:

> BTW, those who like movies and/or greek mythology, stay away
> from this crap.


Our grandson wanted to see it for his birthday, so we went to the drive-in
and saw Prince of Persia and Clash of the Titans.  I slept through much of
them.  I don't know why they even used the names of various gods in the
latter movie - the characters had hardly anything to do with the actual
myths.  Well, perhaps I do know why - it makes it seem as though there might
be some educational value in seeing it.  But that would be mistaken.  It is
undoubtedly counter-productive for the most part.

Nick
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Re: Snakes on a Plane

[Nick Arnett]

This reminded me of that awful pun in which the snakes couldn't breed until
they had a rough-hewn surface to use... showing that with the right log
tables, even adders can multiply.

Nick

On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 10:21 PM, Ronn! Blankenship <
ronn_blankens...@bellsouth.net> wrote:

> http://tinyurl.com/2bk99cp
>
>
>
> ___
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>
>
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Re: Off to Haiti

[Nick Arnett]

Thanks. Tried m.facebook.com, but same problem. Got rescued by the UN  
today - our bus wouldn't start at the end of a long day at a tent  
city. Got a ride in UN military pickup, which was mostly fun. Got good  
video, I think.


Feeling a bit tired for the first time. Hardest thing today: triaging  
a baby obviously severely malnourished and thinking about the fact  
that I will be having lunch soon.


Nick

Sent from my iPod

On May 20, 2010, at 1:10 AM, Dave Land  wrote:


Nick,

I'm not sure why Facebook would be blocking you because you're not  
on "your" computer, unless your computer at home is logged in at the  
same time? I have been posted from "other" computers lots of times.


Here are some things to try:

- Go to Facebook Mobile (even if you're not on a mobile device: http://m.facebook.com/ 
), and log in there. You may have better luck (even though the  
interface is decidedly "stripped down" for mobile).


- If you can log on to Facebook at all, go to http://www.facebook.com/mobile/ 
. On that page, you'll find an email address under the heading  
"Upload via Email" of the form "goofy123wo...@m.facebook.com".  
Emails (and photos or videos) sent to that address will appear on  
your Facebook wall.


- Send stuff to someone here who can log on to Facebook on your  
behalf and post for you. I could probably guess your password, but I  
won't try.


Dave

On May 19, 2010, at 8:00 PM, Nick Arnett wrote:

Howdy from Port au Prince. We have run two clinics at an orphanage  
yesterday and today. Saw about 200 people. Going to a tent city  
tomorrow. Team is heading to bed mostly.


Parts of this are really hard, but it is a privilege to be here.

Facebook is being bad. Even though I was using it earlier, now it  
won't let me because I'm not using "my" computer. It is a few  
thousand miles away!!!


If anybody knows another solution, please rely to the list and I  
will probably see it fairly soon. Only online in morning and  
evening... When the generator works... When the Internet works.


FYI, I am in Musseau, near Petionville.

Nick

Sent from my iPod

On May 16, 2010, at 2:15 PM, Jon Louis Mann  
 wrote:



I'm heading to Miami today and then into Port-au-Prince
tomorrow morning...
the list has been so quiet that I suspect it will be fine
without me until I
return from Haiti, a week from tomorrow.
Not sure if I have mentioned this trip here... I'm going
with a medical
relief team from Jordan International Aid.  Although I
was a paramedic many
years ago, my role on this trip is chaplain and critical
incident debriefer.
L'espwa fe viv!
Nick


Keep up the good work, Nick!~)
Jon




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Re: Off to Haiti

[Nick Arnett]

Howdy from Port au Prince. We have run two clinics at an orphanage  
yesterday and today. Saw about 200 people. Going to a tent city  
tomorrow. Team is heading to bed mostly.


Parts of this are really hard, but it is a privilege to be here.

Facebook is being bad. Even though I was using it earlier, now it  
won't let me because I'm not using "my" computer. It is a few thousand  
miles away!!!


If anybody knows another solution, please rely to the list and I will  
probably see it fairly soon. Only online in morning and evening...  
When the generator works... When the Internet works.


FYI, I am in Musseau, near Petionville.

Nick

Sent from my iPod

On May 16, 2010, at 2:15 PM, Jon Louis Mann   
wrote:



I'm heading to Miami today and then into Port-au-Prince
tomorrow morning...
the list has been so quiet that I suspect it will be fine
without me until I
return from Haiti, a week from tomorrow.
Not sure if I have mentioned this trip here... I'm going
with a medical
relief team from Jordan International Aid.  Although I
was a paramedic many
years ago, my role on this trip is chaplain and critical
incident debriefer.
L'espwa fe viv!
Nick


Keep up the good work, Nick!~)
Jon




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Off to Haiti

[Nick Arnett]

I'm heading to Miami today and then into Port-au-Prince tomorrow morning...
the list has been so quiet that I suspect it will be fine without me until I
return from Haiti, a week from tomorrow.

Not sure if I have mentioned this trip here... I'm going with a medical
relief team from Jordan International Aid.  Although I was a paramedic many
years ago, my role on this trip is chaplain and critical incident debriefer.

L'espwa fe viv!

Nick
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Something quite, if not completely, different - Heading for Haiti

[Nick Arnett]

Nothing to do with the topic of the list (whatever that is) Two weeks
from today I'll be heading to Haiti for a week with a medical team as its
critical incident debriefer/chaplain.  I've done a lot of crisis
intervention and ministry, especially over the last five years, and I was a
paramedic for about seven years (30 years ago!), and I have traveled into
areas of extreme poverty and heard the local peoples' stories first-hand...
but I must admit some apprehension about this trip.  I've never been the
person with the primary responsibility to look after an entire team's
spiritual/emotional well-being.  Not to mention listening to the locals who
may be in need of an ear.

A couple of my other skills may come in handy - amateur radio and French -
but I'm not sure about that.  I'll be taking along a dual-band HT (2-meter
and 70-cm) and it apperas that there are a couple of operating repeaters,
but I have no idea what they are being used for in terms of relief efforts,
if anything.  And I don't know what language people will be speaking on
them.  Could be French, which I might be able to keep up with (probably not,
too rusty), could be Spanish (one of the repeaters was installed by the
Santo Domingo amateur radio club), might be Kreyole (that's the preferrred
spelling there, I'm told) or who knows, maybe English.  I suspect that most
of the people we'll encounter as patients will be Kreyole speakers, not
French.  We'll have translators.

I've gotten a bunch of shots to bring all my vaccinations up to date -
tetanus, diptheria, pertussis, hep A and B, typhoid.  Got my doxycycline
ready for malaria prophylaxis - decided not to take any of the other ones
because the rest have neuro-psychiatric side effects and I'm crazy enough
already.  Wait, that's not exactly it.  I'm taking this trip partly to honor
the memory of my sister Lesley, who died suddenly in January.  Lesley lived
a large part of her life in the Caribbean.  Given that stress (and it is
much more complicated than just losing Lesley) and the fact that I'm the
team's stress management leader, it seemed like a bad idea to take anything
that would potentially add to my psychological load.  I have a growing box
of things to take along...

If you're interested, here's the sponsoring organization:

http://jordaninternationalaid.org/

You can even donate, if you like (and if you do, put "Nick Arnett - Haiti"
in the Donation Purpose box), but I was able to cover my direct costs by
having my business partner (I'm starting a new company these days) donate in
lieu of a consulting fee, so I'm covered.  Friends have also helped me to
buy some new clothes equipment that will make the trip safer and more
effective.

Nick
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Re: Apprehension, was listmail

[Nick Arnett]

On Sun, May 2, 2010 at 2:38 PM, Keith Henson  wrote:

> This list may have somewhat of the same kind of problem science
> fiction does in general.
>
> The problem is runaway technology.


In other words, perhaps the list doesn't need us anymore.

I've seen a lot of web sites like that.

Nick
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Re: On Listmail

[Nick Arnett]

On Sun, May 2, 2010 at 10:49 PM, Doug Pensinger  wrote:

>
> If anything good is to come out of this disaster, its that we'll be
> taking a closer look at offshore drilling, and that nobody will even
> be suggesting that we rape the California coast for a few buckets of
> oil.


I've seen people seriously speculating that anti-drilling people, perhaps
directed by the White House, sabotaged the platform, to cause the spill, so
that drilling would slow down or stop.  There is no end to the conspiracy.

On a more rational note, DB commented that every well should have a deadman
switch, so to speak - a device that shuts off the flow if it doesn't
continuously receive a signal.  Maybe I'm naive, but it seems to me that
something like that would be in place if it were practical.  Anybody know?
Why not an automatic shut-off valve?  Is it perhaps that some oil is under
so much pressure that once it starts flowing, there's no stopping it as a
practical matter?

Nick
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Spent part of Friday and yesterday at Ames

[Nick Arnett]

I participated Friday and yesterday in CrisisCampSiliconValley, a bar cap
style unconference, sponsored by CMU and NASA Ames.  It included a tour of
the DART training facility, which is one of a kind.

Photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=156873&id=599168196&saved

Nick
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Re: KJ6FOI

[Nick Arnett]

On Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 9:36 AM, Bruce Bostwick
wrote:

> On Feb 25, 2010, at 9:47 PM, John Williams wrote:
>
>  On Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 7:37 PM, Nick Arnett 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> However, some of
>>> the spectrum is still restricted to CW (code) only.
>>>
>>
>> Right, the masochist channels  :-)  Or, perhaps, the apocalypse
>> practice channels.
>>
>
> There's actually an interesting tangent here, by the way, on the subject of
> single sideband (SSB) reception and transmission.  SSB effectively
> translates a slice of spectrum either up from or down to audio baseband more
> or less intact (inverted in the case of LSB), and it's amazing what your
> ears can learn to figure out just from what you hear in that slice of
> spectrum, especially with tuning up and down the dial.
>
> And the possibilities only multiply when you feed that audio from the radio
> into, say, the sound card of a computer, and vice versa.  DigiPan is only
> one of a nearly infinite number of possible examples of that.  All the DSP
> capability of your computer interfaced quite elegantly with that old
> Hallicrafters tube rig from the attic and maybe an audio interface with an
> audio-triggered transmit relay.  I don't know about you, but I find that
> thought rather exciting.  :D
>

Wowza... just read a little about DigiPan.  Amazing.  Personal computers
sure have transformed amateur radio from when I first got interested.  I
think the first time I ever encountered it at all was in 1968, when my older
sister was an exchange student in Columbia and we talked to her via HF at
the University of Pittsburgh's radio club.  I remember it sort of freaking
out my younger sister, the one who died last month.  She was only six or
seven years old and found the whole thing scary.  They patched the audio
into a telephone handset and that helped her deal with it.

(And an interesting experiment: Feed the I and Q outputs of a quadrature
> detector to a pair of stereo headphones.  Apparently the brain's auditory
> cortex is wired in a way that takes unique advantage of that format.  And
> you're literally *listening to signals on the complex plane*.  What's not
> cool about that?


It must be very cool, since don't quite understand what you're saying.  ;-)

Nick
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Re: KJ6FOI

[Nick Arnett]

On Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 9:19 AM, Bruce Bostwick
wrote:

> Congratulations!
>
> When are you going back in for your General and/or Extra?  ;)
>

The examiners tried to talk me into doing the General immediately, but I
didn't.  I'm not sure when or if I will... I'll be quite happy on VHF, I
think, but we'll see.


>
> -de N5VB, EM10gi  (might at some indeterminate point in the future be up on
> 20 meter PSK31, but for now is stuck on 2m/440 FM repeaters, fortunately
> accessible via IRLP)


I just set myself up on EchoLink, but I haven't explored IRLP yet.

Nick
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Re: KJ6FOI

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 7:34 PM, John Williams wrote:

> On Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 6:43 PM, Nick Arnett 
> wrote:
>
> > This is something I've been thinking of doing for decades.  When I
> started,
> > one of the obstacles was learning code at 5 wpm, which I accomplished.
>
> Did you want to learn Morse code?
>
> When I got my license year's ago (haven't used it in a while), there
> was a "no code technician" license.


I meant to continue that thought... ;-)

As you say, the code requirement was dropped for Technican a while back...
it has since been dropped for all three license classes.  However, some of
the spectrum is still restricted to CW (code) only.

There wasn't a no-code license when I first started down this long road.

Nick
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KJ6FOI

[Nick Arnett]

Permission to brag, er, share good news?  Since we're all somewhat geeky
here, I'm happy to report that the Federal Communications Commission, in its
infinite wisdom, bestowed upon me the amateur radio callsign KJ6FOI
(mnemonic: "Freedom of Information") today, after I passed the Technician
Class test last Saturday.

This is something I've been thinking of doing for decades.  When I started,
one of the obstacles was learning code at 5 wpm, which I accomplished.  The
other was coming up with money for gear, which I could have, but didn't.
Nor have I done so today, actually.  A radio was bestowed on me by Lutheran
Social Services because I'm on their board and helping get their
emergency/disaster response better organized and operating.

Nick
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Re: Patience

[Nick Arnett]

On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 12:06 PM, Jon Louis Mann wrote:

>
>
> Michael, what job is it that's so draining
>

FYI, folks, he signed off the list right after posting his message, so don't
expect answers.

Nick
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Re: Electric trains and Clipperships!

[Nick Arnett]

On Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 5:30 PM, Jon Louis Mann wrote:

>
> Shucks, we're better of without aircraft,
> heavy trucks and diesel powered ships.
> It will force us to use alt fuels and
> old tech, like wind and steam power!~)


How do you make the steam?

Nick
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Re: Google Buzz

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 2:45 PM, Mauro Diotallevi wrote:

> On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 9:28 AM, Nick Arnett 
> wrote:
>
> > It said it automatically imported the people I talk to the most.  The
> list
> > it showed me sure didn't look like that, however.
>
> It was probably the people with gmail accounts that you talk to the most.


Except that it isn't.  I think it might be people who I have chatted with,
actually.

Nick
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Re: Google Buzz

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 7:20 AM, John Williams wrote:

>
> Why do you think it imported something from your contacts? Did you
> click on "setup" or whatever when the buzz screen popped up?


Here is what it said, exactly:

*Welcome to Buzz*
*Buzz is a new way to share updates, photos, videos and more, and start
conversations about the things you find interesting. You're already set up
to follow the people you email and chat with the most.*

Then a list of people, followed by two people who are already following me.

And then this:

*Your Google Reader shared items, Picasa Web public albums, and Google Chat
status messages will automatically appear as posts in Buzz. To edit your
connected sites or change privacy settings, view connected sites.*


Nick
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Re: Google Buzz

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 7:20 AM, John Williams wrote:

>
> Why do you think it imported something from your contacts? Did you
> click on "setup" or whatever when the buzz screen popped up?


It said it automatically imported the people I talk to the most.  The list
it showed me sure didn't look like that, however.

Nick
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Google Buzz

[Nick Arnett]

So... Google Buzz introduced itself to me this morning, just as I was
reading an article on privacy concerns about it.  The biggest one is that it
automatically imports contacts and shows them as friends.  Sure enough, when
I looked at Buzz, it said that it had automatically followed a dozen or so
people.  I looked through the list and didn't see much of concern, although
a couple of them are people I don't know very well... but the last one on
the list was my sister, Lesley. who just died.  Oy.

This was a bit like Facebook popping up her photo and urging me to get back
in touch with her... I did manage to get Facebook to memorialize her page,
which I assume stops that from happening.

Nick
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Re: Br?n on global warming

[Nick Arnett]

FYI, unless the word "Brin" in the subject is followed by a colon, he won't
see it... so it's not really necessary to replace the "i" like that.

On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 2:27 PM, Trent Shipley  wrote:

> I believe that climate change is true, but that America's response must
> preserve the American way of life or to hell with the planet.
>
>
> So the solution has to be a magic technology fix.  We cannot raise the
> cost of energy to solve climate change, especially not before the costs
> of climate change become apparent.  Even then it may be more politically
> expedient to build levees than to increase the cost of energy.
>
>
> As for American energy security, that means coal, not uranium.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Nick Arnett wrote:
>
> >
> http://open.salon.com/blog/david_brin/2010/02/09/the_real_struggle_behind_climate_change_-_a_war_on_expertise
> > 
> >
> > ___
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> >
>
>
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Brin on global warming

[Nick Arnett]

http://open.salon.com/blog/david_brin/2010/02/09/the_real_struggle_behind_climate_change_-_a_war_on_expertise
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Re: Spray-on glass (was Re: ping)

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 9:58 AM, John Williams wrote:

> On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 9:08 AM, Nick Arnett 
> wrote:>
> >
> > On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 8:33 AM, Chris Frandsen  wrote:
> >>
> >> I have blink feeling that this is a big deal. Any thoughts?
> >> http://www.physorg.com/news184310039.html
> >
> > It caught my eye, too.  If it really does all that they say, it will have
> a
> > tremendous impact.  And the patent owner will acquire many of the dollars
> in
> > the world.
>
> I checked Nanopool's website, and one thing I did not see addressed
> was durability. A 1nm coating of quartz just does not sound very
> tough. One application they mentioned was coating corks for wine
> bottles. I find it hard to believe that the coating will completely
> adhere to the cork as it is jammed into the bottle, and then speared
> with a cork-screw and tugged out of the bottle. (Incidentally, is
> there any reason cork is used in wine bottles other than tradition?
> why not a conventional bottle-cap? Is it just wine connoisseur
> stubborness, "I'd never drink wine with a bottle cap!")
>

Screw-on caps are becoming more common, especially for white wine.  I'm also
seeing more and more plastic "corks."  I think all that is keeping corks in
use is, indeed, tradition.


>
> Another issue is silicosis. Small particles of SiO2 are known to cause
> lung disease. I would not want to be a test subject for spraying this
> stuff around the house or eating food grown or processed with it.


Oh, but the article assures us: "the nano-scale glass coating bonds to the
surface because of the quantum forces involved."

And who can argue with quantum forces?

Nick
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Spray-on glass (was Re: ping)

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 8:33 AM, Chris Frandsen  wrote:

>
> I have blink feeling that this is a big deal. Any thoughts?
> http://www.physorg.com/news184310039.html


It caught my eye, too.  If it really does all that they say, it will have a
tremendous impact.  And the patent owner will acquire many of the dollars in
the world.

One of the odder things about it was that it protects against water, but it
also helps protect plants because it is breathable.

Clean freaks will spray everything in their homes, I predict.

Nick
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Re: ping

[Nick Arnett]

Pong?

On Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 6:12 PM, Trent Shipley  wrote:

> Ping!
>
>
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>
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Re: Brin: Lesley's copy of Kiln People

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 6:38 AM, Pat Mathews  wrote:

>  If this is consoling instead of making matters worse - I ran across the
> following poem online. It's Seamus Heaney on the death of a sibling. Just in
> case it makes matters worse for some people, I will Spoiler it. Get a hanky
> and look out for that last line - it's explosive.
>

I'm a little numb to it right now... but we have somebody right here on the
list, my best friend, who knows this story all too well.  When I saw the
size of his son's coffin, I found it very hard to look at.

My sister was quite short.  At 5' 8", I'm the tallest in my family.  But
there is no coffin, just a little box of her ashes.  That was so hard to
receive.

Nick
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Re: Brin: Lesley's copy of Kiln People

[Nick Arnett]

On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 7:55 PM, Rceeberger  wrote:

>
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik8J9L5rJnc
>
>
> xponent
> Having Been There Maru
> rob
>

I started to watch it... too hard right now, but I'll get there.

Thank you - it means a lot.

It is so hard - I haven't just lost a sister, but to see my parents' hearts
broken and my five-year-old niece, Sarah, who lost her momma.  She's on her
way back here today.  Tomorrow after the memorial, we will have a
Valentine's Day party at our house because Sarah said it would be okay to
take down the Christmas decorations if we replaced them with decorations for
the next holiday.

Nick
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Re: Brin: Lesley's copy of Kiln People

[Nick Arnett]

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 1:39 PM, David Brin  wrote:

> Nick, if it consoles at all, I wish I grew up in a family as clearly tight
> and loving as yours must have been.  Stay strong and thrive-all.
>

We weren't always... and although there have been some rocky moments in the
last week, we are growing closer and learning to be more gentle with one
another than ever before.

Nick
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Brin: Lesley's copy of Kiln People

[Nick Arnett]

I'm at my parent's house in North Carolina and we are preparing for Lesley's
memorial on Friday.  I just went with Mom down to their basement, where
Lesley kept books and found her copy of Kiln People, where David wrote this:

"For Lesley, explorer, adventurer, hurricane survivor!  If only we had
dittos for journeys!  David Brin"

As I began to explain to Mom that the book was based on the idea that time
is the one thing we can't get more of... it choked me up, as you might
imagine.

Last week, I told David in a private email that when Sarah, my niece, is old
enough to read this and his other books, they will help her know her mama
better.

Here is the story of Lesley's life that will be in the local paper
tomorrow.  Pictures of her are on my Facebook page and I'll be adding more
later.

*Lesley Arnett Tujague*



Lesley Arnett Tujague died at Pardee Hospital on January 4, 2010 after a
short illness. She was born Lesley Ruth Arnett on April 16, 1962 in
Pittsburgh, Pa., and grew up in nearby Edgewood, graduating from The Ellis
School and Chatham College in Pittsburgh, where she majored in English and
Russian literature with a minor in art history.  She earned teaching
credentials from California University of Pennsylvania.  During her Chatham
years, she was an exchange student at Berea College in Kentucky. For nine
years in St. Thomas, USVI, Lesley taught English at Charlotte Amalie High
School, taught ballet, created award-winning Carnival costumes and grew
orchids.



Lesley came to North Carolina in 1996 and lived here until she was married
and moved to Pittsburgh in 2001.  She returned to North Carolina with her
daughter in 2007.  A talented seamstress and designer, she created
historically accurate costumes for re-enactments and local theater
productions.



Lesley is survived by her five-year-old daughter Sarah, her parents, Will
and Pat Arnett of Hendersonville, her sister Susie Nivin and husband David
of Santa Barbara and their children James and Heather, her brothers John
Arnett of Hendersonville and Nick Arnett and his wife Cindy of Santa Clara,
California and their daughter Carrie.



A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 15th at the First United
Methodist Church of Hendersonville at 12:30 p.m.  Children are welcome. In
lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Sarah Yvette Tujague Educational
Trust or the charity of your choice.
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Platform for gathering memories?

[Nick Arnett]

Julia's question reminded me that you folks are a bit of a brain trust... I
need to figure out what would be the best platform for gathering pictures,
stories, videos and such about my sister, particular for her daughter to
know her as she grows up.

Lesley has a Facebook page, but that doesn't really seem right for this.
Anybody know of a site or software that might work well for that purpose,
where people could upload, write, etc.?  I was about to use a Wordpress
blog, but then realized it really is for one author, not many.  I need
something where lots of people can contribute and share text, pictures,
video and such.  I keep trying to find time to research this, but I am just
exhausted.  I'm still in California, heading to North Carolina Sunday
probably and up to Pittsburgh sometime next week.  We'll be doing memorials
in both places.

Thanks for any suggestions about what might work.  There's probably
something obvious, but my brain isn't working well.  This has been so
stressful, I've slept so little... keep trying to get a little rest during
the day but it hasn't happened so far.

Nick
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Re: The worst

[Nick Arnett]

Something I've been meaning to mention here about my sister For a number
of years, she taught English at a high school in St. Thomas, USVI.  I went
there to visit her and saw that she had a bunch of David Brin's books on her
shelf - she was a big fan!  Boy, was she tickled to discover that I knew
David.  Somewhere in her things, she has a couple of autographed first
editions with personal notes.

Come to think of it, I should make sure those books don't go to Goodwll or
something!  I better let my parents know.

Nick
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Re: The worst

[Nick Arnett]

On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 11:23 AM, Alberto Monteiro
wrote:

>
> Today, in brazilian TV, there was an analysis of the tragedies
> that happened in Angra dos Reis, where families were cut in half
> by an earthslide. The analysts said that people never recover from
> the loss, and it takes about one year for life to return to normal.


Not sure if I have ever really talked about it on the list, but my wife and
I are part of a team that does a lot of crisis intervention and grief
counseling (we were just sitting down with a family hit by suicide when I
got the first news that Lesley was so sick).  One thing I have learned is
that life never returns to the old normal.  What we can do is create a new
normal... but I'm not even ready to think about that yet.  I'm still just in
the hurt.

Thank you, everyone, for all the kind words.  They mean more than I could
ever explain.

Nick
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The worst

[Nick Arnett]

My friends I hate to write this.  Been putting it off for a while.

My younger sister, Lesley, the youngest of the four of us, mother of my
five-year-old niece, Sarah, could not fight off the sepsis that attacked her
body.  Lesley died this morning.

I have never hurt so much.

Nick
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Brin: Re: is Brin-l active?

[Nick Arnett]

On Sun, Jan 3, 2010 at 2:19 PM, d.brin  wrote:

>
> is Brin-l active?
>
>
Yes.

And we're cooking up a new project, a wiki for SF and fantasy, starting with
a focus on a particular writer's works...  Guess who.


Nick
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Re: Purpose of the Wiki

[Nick Arnett]

On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 10:09 AM, Trent Shipley  wrote:

>
> >
> I think there is a place for b, but I am looking more at c (if you take
> a very expansive view of science fiction).  I'd be interested to have
> Nick's input on the project's scope.


One of my favorite sayings from a venture capitalist is that the five most
important things for a startup are focus, focus, focus, distribution and
focus.

Thus, I'm on board the with idea of starting with a Brin focus and expand
from there.  The interwebs will take care of the distribution problem (the
VC's saying was pre-Web explosion).

Nick
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Re: May not be around

[Nick Arnett]

On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 8:47 AM, Jim Sharkey  wrote:

> Nick Arnett wrote:
> >Yes, Im in Santa Clara... waiting to see if I should head to NC.
> Apparently the recovery from something like this is very long, so Im not
> >rushing there unless the medical people say that its time for family to
> gather.  They havent quite said that, but close.
>
> Let's hope you don't get that call, Nick.


Amen.  I woke up this morning just about falling apart, I'll admit, scared
of what news the day might bring.

But the news was good... she is slightly better this more.  By no means out
of the woods.  At best, this will be a very, very long recovery.  The
hospital is saying that she might not be home until Easter.

Nick
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Re: May not be around

[Nick Arnett]

On Fri, Jan 1, 2010 at 4:34 PM, Charlie Bell wrote:

>
> On 02/01/2010, at 10:55 AM, Nick Arnett wrote:
>
> > Update my sister has survived more than 24 hours after she crashed,
> which is good -- the first 24 hours are always critical.  She apparently
> went into septic shock this morning, but a fairly new, very expensive drug
> for sepsis brought her blood pressure back up, so she weathered that crisis.
>
> Eesh. Thank goodness she's been able to get that level of medical care.
>
> Are you going across to be with her (you're in CA, no?).


Yes, I'm in Santa Clara... waiting to see if I should head to NC.
Apparently the recovery from something like this is very long, so I'm not
rushing there unless the medical people say that it's time for family to
gather.  They haven't quite said that, but close.

Nick
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Re: May not be around

[Nick Arnett]

Update my sister has survived more than 24 hours after she crashed,
which is good -- the first 24 hours are always critical.  She apparently
went into septic shock this morning, but a fairly new, very expensive drug
for sepsis brought her blood pressure back up, so she weathered that crisis.

Nick
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Re: SciFi and Fantasy(?) Wiki

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Dec 31, 2009 at 1:33 PM, Trent Shipley  wrote:

>   The host or its agents cannot serve on any board of
> directors since that would be a conflict of interest.
>

Eh?  Interlocking boards of directors with conflicts of interest are the
American Way!

Seriously, though, I'd need some clarification.  I have and I do serve on
boards, but I don't think they create any conflict of interest.  I am
presently on the board of Lutheran Social Services, one of the largest
social services non-profits around.  There's no conflict there, I'm quite
sure.

Conflicts of interest need to be disclosed for the sake of transparency, of
course.

What kind of boards did you have in mind?

Nick
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Re: UniversesImagined webs

[Nick Arnett]

On Thu, Dec 31, 2009 at 7:10 PM, Trent Shipley  wrote:

>
> And as near as I can tell the admin needs to create webs.


You are now an admin, Trent.  If there's anything you need to do that you
cannot, let me know.

I've also registered the domain name and pointed to the directory.  However,
the server will redirect it to the current URL... I'll fix that up later
on.  It requires changing paths in the config scripts, which I don't want to
take the time for now.

Nick
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