Thursday, March 08, 2007
The Power of One
The Power of One
by Michael Cloud
"One is four times as powerful as two," said Karl Hess. "One is nine times as powerful as three. One is sixteen times as powerful as four."
This was not math class. Nor business. It was speechwriting.
And master speechwriter Karl Hess was teaching me. One on one.
Karl Hess was best known as Barry Goldwater's speechwriter. But he was far more than that. He was a journalist, a gunrunner, businessman, Republican activist, New Left activist, Libertarian activist, author and speechwriter.
But on this day, Karl was showing me how to prune my speech into something elegant, simple, and direct.
I was writing a speech for a client. It had clever phrases and interesting insights. But it just didn't work. Something was wrong. So I called Karl Hess, and asked for help.
"You're making six points in this speech," he said. "The audience will applaud. They'll remember that the speaker was smart and deep, but they won't remember one single thing your client says.
"Six points is too many. Too much. Every great speech has one point. One assertion. One idea. One important and unforgettable idea."
I followed Karl's advice, re-wrote it as he advised, and my client gave an unforgettable speech. The audience loved it. More than a dozen organizations invited him to give the speech to their members. He grew into a local celebrity. And he sent me eight paying customers who wanted me to write them an unforgettable speech like his. A speech people talk about.
Karl Hess taught me the power of one.
In speeches. Essays. In conversations.
Each of Aesop's fables had one point. Not two. Not three. One lesson.
The parables of Jesus. One moral. Not two. Not three. One maxim.
Allegories. Myths. Teaching tales. Each offers one truth. Not two. Not three. One.
------------
Excerpted from the Liberator Online
by Michael Cloud
"One is four times as powerful as two," said Karl Hess. "One is nine times as powerful as three. One is sixteen times as powerful as four."
This was not math class. Nor business. It was speechwriting.
And master speechwriter Karl Hess was teaching me. One on one.
Karl Hess was best known as Barry Goldwater's speechwriter. But he was far more than that. He was a journalist, a gunrunner, businessman, Republican activist, New Left activist, Libertarian activist, author and speechwriter.
But on this day, Karl was showing me how to prune my speech into something elegant, simple, and direct.
I was writing a speech for a client. It had clever phrases and interesting insights. But it just didn't work. Something was wrong. So I called Karl Hess, and asked for help.
"You're making six points in this speech," he said. "The audience will applaud. They'll remember that the speaker was smart and deep, but they won't remember one single thing your client says.
"Six points is too many. Too much. Every great speech has one point. One assertion. One idea. One important and unforgettable idea."
I followed Karl's advice, re-wrote it as he advised, and my client gave an unforgettable speech. The audience loved it. More than a dozen organizations invited him to give the speech to their members. He grew into a local celebrity. And he sent me eight paying customers who wanted me to write them an unforgettable speech like his. A speech people talk about.
Karl Hess taught me the power of one.
In speeches. Essays. In conversations.
Each of Aesop's fables had one point. Not two. Not three. One lesson.
The parables of Jesus. One moral. Not two. Not three. One maxim.
Allegories. Myths. Teaching tales. Each offers one truth. Not two. Not three. One.
------------
Excerpted from the Liberator Online
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Ham Radio Logging Software for Macintosh
Really cool software to log distance contacts on HAM radio.
Ham Radio Logging Software for Macintosh
Bit expensive - $95 for the base software, another $34 for the 3-D visualization plugin . . .
Ham Radio Logging Software for Macintosh
Bit expensive - $95 for the base software, another $34 for the 3-D visualization plugin . . .
Thursday, March 01, 2007
My phone saga
I have, or rather, had, a corporate demo phone. One of those nice things with the full keyboard and access to all the corporate e-mail systems, etc. However, on Tuesday the account appears to have been terminated. No one knows for sure why, and the billing system where it was terminated has nothing noted other than the string, "TERMINATED".
So, I figure I'll get it turned back on . . .
We had one lady who handled all those accounts. But, she left suddenly. We'll call her ALy (Account LadY).
I contacted the ALy's manager - she said contact her Director, who owns the demo account.
I contacted the Director - he said contact Employee Accounts.
I contacted Employee Accounts, and they confirmed that the line was terminated, and they were unable to modify the account because the account is a Type Z Demo. The account needs to be turned back on in order to work again, and suggested I contact Business telecare.
I called Business telecare and they cannot turn the account back on, They suggested Corporate Activations.
Corporate Activations said that type-Z demo accounts needed to be handled by upper management in our team, who could contact our indirect sales rep to have the account reprovisioned.
So, I'm back to the Director. And I still don't have a phone. At least not one that the work people are going to get the number to.
Such is life in a big company.
I wonder if our retail customers get any better response?
So, I figure I'll get it turned back on . . .
We had one lady who handled all those accounts. But, she left suddenly. We'll call her ALy (Account LadY).
I contacted the ALy's manager - she said contact her Director, who owns the demo account.
I contacted the Director - he said contact Employee Accounts.
I contacted Employee Accounts, and they confirmed that the line was terminated, and they were unable to modify the account because the account is a Type Z Demo. The account needs to be turned back on in order to work again, and suggested I contact Business telecare.
I called Business telecare and they cannot turn the account back on, They suggested Corporate Activations.
Corporate Activations said that type-Z demo accounts needed to be handled by upper management in our team, who could contact our indirect sales rep to have the account reprovisioned.
So, I'm back to the Director. And I still don't have a phone. At least not one that the work people are going to get the number to.
Such is life in a big company.
I wonder if our retail customers get any better response?
flood at the school
Yes, that is the parking lot to the elementary school. 4" deep in water. Nice bit of a storm we had overnight.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
History of NORAD Tracking Santa
CONELRAD: Atomic Culture | NORAD Tracks Santa [1964]: "The 'NORAD Tracks Santa' tradition goes back to the late 1950s when a young boy accidentally dialed the unlisted number of the Director of Combat Operations at NORAD Headquarters in Colorado Springs."
Now it's Weather Radar, but still facinating...
Now it's Weather Radar, but still facinating...
Friday, February 09, 2007
Internet Weather Forecast Accuracy
OmniNerd - Articles: Internet Weather Forecast Accuracy: "Weather forecasting is a secure and popular online presence, which is understandable. The weather affects most everyone's life, and the Internet can provide information on just about any location at any hour of the day or night. But how accurate is this information? How much can we trust it?"
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Alec in his first musical
Way up there on the right is Alec. He did mighty fine in his first Kindergarten musical!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
WWII Homework..
If'n you're interested, my homework this week:
The Battle Of Britain was the first full scale air battle fought in modern war. Germany needed to gain air superiority over Britain before it could begin moving naval and ground troops in for attack. The battle was fought between the Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe between 10 July and 31 October. The Germans needed to destroy the RAF fighter forces. The goal for the RAF was to stop the bombers before they got to their targets, and to shoot down as many German aircraft as possible.
The Germans nearly won the fight - in late August, they were attacking the command airfields around London, and nearly wiped out the backbone of the RAF. However, for some reason, the Germans decided to switch targets, allowing the RAF to recover.
Beyond the significance in the face of the war, this battle was the first that used a combined command and control network blending fighter aircraft, radar and ground defenses into one unified force to stop the German attack. Before this, air defense had been an ad-hoc effort done by each station as the bombers passed over.
Propaganda is communication used to promote your ideals, or denigrate the ideals of another. It preys primarily on emotion, rather than reason, using inflammatory words, images, sounds and ideas. Propaganda can be used for good purposes - to instill a spirit of success and freedom, as in these posters:
Or to encourage greater production for a cause;
Or for less positive purposes:
For a full discussion of the techniques of Propaganda, refer to this website:
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-propaganda.html
The Allies were not the only ones using propaganda - Hitler based his entire rule on "the big lie" - as he noted in Mein Kampf: "The greatness of the lie is always a certain factor in being believed; at the bottom of their hearts, the great masses of a people are more likely to be misled than to be consciously and deliberately bad, and in the primitive simplicity of their minds, they are more easily victimized by a large than by a small lie.... Some part of even the boldest lie is sure to stick." (Hitler, 1924)
You can further read his views on war propaganda from Mein Kampf at this website:
http://www.hitler.org/writings/Mein_Kampf/mkv1ch06.html
The single largest factor leading to the evacuation at Dunkirk was the surrender of Belgium on May 28, 1940. King Leopold III decided to end the fighting on Belgian territory. This freed up German forces to concentrate on the British Expeditionary Force. Because of this greater threat than anticiapted, the British Government decided to evacuate on May 28. Prior to this, the German Army had driven the French and British Expeditionary force back, but there was still hope. The Belgian army kept open the line of retreat to the sea for the French and British forces. When Leopold surrendered, he exposed a 30 mile wide hole for the Germans to exploit. Evacuation was the only option. The evacuation was covered under 'Operation Dynamo', where anyone with a boat was urged to help. Any description I put would pale beside the words of Churchill:
"[...]the Royal Navy, with the willing help of countless merchant seamen, strained every nerve to embark the British and Allied troops; 220 light warships and 650 other vessels were engaged. They had to operate upon the difficult coast, often in adverse weather, under an almost ceaseless hail of bombs and an increasing concentration of artillery fire. Nor were the seas, as I have said, themselves free from mines and torpedoes. It was in conditions such as these that our men carried on, with little or no rest, for days and nights on end, making trip after trip across the dangerous waters, bringing with them always men whom they had rescued. The numbers they have brought back are the measure of their devotion and their courage. The hospital ships, which brought off many thousands of British and French wounded, being so plainly marked were a special target for Nazi bombs; but the men and women on board them never faltered in their duty." (Churchill, 1940)
http://www.indiana.edu/~league/1940.htm
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=393
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,764003-2,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,763997,00.html
The Maginot Line was built in order to allow a smaller force to take the offensive against the Germans. Originally conceived of by the French Minister of War, Andre Maginot, the purpose of the line was to provide a shrot-term defensive line against German attack, while a French counter attack cut off the German supply lines. The French wanted to envelop the German right flank by striking through Belgium from their own left. To do this, they had to hold the front line at Vosges with mobile units, comprising only a small part of the total force. This would give them enough men to make the counter attack. The Maginot Line was built to help in that defense - to hold the Germans back briefly while a massive counter attack took place through Belgium. However, when the Germans did attack, the French did not counter attack and only offered passive resistance (MacArthur, 1964). The Maginot Line was not designed to withstand the onslaught of the entire German army without any pressure elsewhere. Without the counterattack, the line failed.
MacArthur, Douglas. (1964). Reminiscences (p 107). New York, New York: Fawcette.
The Battle Of Britain was the first full scale air battle fought in modern war. Germany needed to gain air superiority over Britain before it could begin moving naval and ground troops in for attack. The battle was fought between the Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe between 10 July and 31 October. The Germans needed to destroy the RAF fighter forces. The goal for the RAF was to stop the bombers before they got to their targets, and to shoot down as many German aircraft as possible.
The Germans nearly won the fight - in late August, they were attacking the command airfields around London, and nearly wiped out the backbone of the RAF. However, for some reason, the Germans decided to switch targets, allowing the RAF to recover.
Beyond the significance in the face of the war, this battle was the first that used a combined command and control network blending fighter aircraft, radar and ground defenses into one unified force to stop the German attack. Before this, air defense had been an ad-hoc effort done by each station as the bombers passed over.
Propaganda is communication used to promote your ideals, or denigrate the ideals of another. It preys primarily on emotion, rather than reason, using inflammatory words, images, sounds and ideas. Propaganda can be used for good purposes - to instill a spirit of success and freedom, as in these posters:
Or to encourage greater production for a cause;
Or for less positive purposes:
For a full discussion of the techniques of Propaganda, refer to this website:
http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-propaganda.html
The Allies were not the only ones using propaganda - Hitler based his entire rule on "the big lie" - as he noted in Mein Kampf: "The greatness of the lie is always a certain factor in being believed; at the bottom of their hearts, the great masses of a people are more likely to be misled than to be consciously and deliberately bad, and in the primitive simplicity of their minds, they are more easily victimized by a large than by a small lie.... Some part of even the boldest lie is sure to stick." (Hitler, 1924)
You can further read his views on war propaganda from Mein Kampf at this website:
http://www.hitler.org/writings/Mein_Kampf/mkv1ch06.html
The single largest factor leading to the evacuation at Dunkirk was the surrender of Belgium on May 28, 1940. King Leopold III decided to end the fighting on Belgian territory. This freed up German forces to concentrate on the British Expeditionary Force. Because of this greater threat than anticiapted, the British Government decided to evacuate on May 28. Prior to this, the German Army had driven the French and British Expeditionary force back, but there was still hope. The Belgian army kept open the line of retreat to the sea for the French and British forces. When Leopold surrendered, he exposed a 30 mile wide hole for the Germans to exploit. Evacuation was the only option. The evacuation was covered under 'Operation Dynamo', where anyone with a boat was urged to help. Any description I put would pale beside the words of Churchill:
"[...]the Royal Navy, with the willing help of countless merchant seamen, strained every nerve to embark the British and Allied troops; 220 light warships and 650 other vessels were engaged. They had to operate upon the difficult coast, often in adverse weather, under an almost ceaseless hail of bombs and an increasing concentration of artillery fire. Nor were the seas, as I have said, themselves free from mines and torpedoes. It was in conditions such as these that our men carried on, with little or no rest, for days and nights on end, making trip after trip across the dangerous waters, bringing with them always men whom they had rescued. The numbers they have brought back are the measure of their devotion and their courage. The hospital ships, which brought off many thousands of British and French wounded, being so plainly marked were a special target for Nazi bombs; but the men and women on board them never faltered in their duty." (Churchill, 1940)
http://www.indiana.edu/~league/1940.htm
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=393
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,764003-2,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,763997,00.html
The Maginot Line was built in order to allow a smaller force to take the offensive against the Germans. Originally conceived of by the French Minister of War, Andre Maginot, the purpose of the line was to provide a shrot-term defensive line against German attack, while a French counter attack cut off the German supply lines. The French wanted to envelop the German right flank by striking through Belgium from their own left. To do this, they had to hold the front line at Vosges with mobile units, comprising only a small part of the total force. This would give them enough men to make the counter attack. The Maginot Line was built to help in that defense - to hold the Germans back briefly while a massive counter attack took place through Belgium. However, when the Germans did attack, the French did not counter attack and only offered passive resistance (MacArthur, 1964). The Maginot Line was not designed to withstand the onslaught of the entire German army without any pressure elsewhere. Without the counterattack, the line failed.
MacArthur, Douglas. (1964). Reminiscences (p 107). New York, New York: Fawcette.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Alec building his shelf
Alec building his new shelf. He really did build most all of it -- assembled, nailed, screwed, everything. I was very impressed with my boy!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Gonzales Questions Habeas Corpus
Gonzales Questions Habeas Corpus | BaltimoreChronicle.com: "Responding to questions from Sen. Arlen Specter at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Jan. 18, Gonzales argued that the Constitution doesn’t explicitly bestow habeas corpus rights; it merely says when the so-called Great Writ can be suspended.
“There is no expressed grant of habeas in the Constitution; there’s a prohibition against taking it away,” Gonzales said."
What was I saying about 'buy more guns'?
“There is no expressed grant of habeas in the Constitution; there’s a prohibition against taking it away,” Gonzales said."
What was I saying about 'buy more guns'?
Saturday, January 20, 2007
hugin - Panorama Tools GUI
hugin - Panorama Tools GUI: "With hugin you can assemble a mosaic of photographs into a complete immersive panorama, stitch any series of overlapping pictures and much more."
Used to stich the photos together before you run it through Enblend...
Again, GNU - Free. Windows, Mac and Linux
Used to stich the photos together before you run it through Enblend...
Again, GNU - Free. Windows, Mac and Linux
Friday, January 19, 2007
iChat and Bluetooth Headsets
Check out this article on using a Bluetooth headset with iChat.
O'Reilly Network -- Listening to Bluetooth (or at least trying to): "the greatest new feature is being able to pace while chatting -- no more having to talk directly into your iSight or PowerBook's microphone. And the combination of iChat, an iSight, and your Bluetooth headset is the virtual equivalent of VOIP calling."
Reportedly it eliminates echo for the recipient of the audio, and you're freed from having to sit right smack in front of the computer!
With Bluetooth headset prices dropping ($10 for my favorite, the Motorola H500 -- Seriously, $10 at uBid, and several others!), it's really well worth it.
O'Reilly Network -- Listening to Bluetooth (or at least trying to): "the greatest new feature is being able to pace while chatting -- no more having to talk directly into your iSight or PowerBook's microphone. And the combination of iChat, an iSight, and your Bluetooth headset is the virtual equivalent of VOIP calling."
Reportedly it eliminates echo for the recipient of the audio, and you're freed from having to sit right smack in front of the computer!
With Bluetooth headset prices dropping ($10 for my favorite, the Motorola H500 -- Seriously, $10 at uBid, and several others!), it's really well worth it.
Install Apache 2 and Tomcat 5.5 on FreeBSD 6.1
Install Apache 2 and Tomcat 5.5 on FreeBSD 6.1 : "This guide will help you install Tomcat 5.5 and the Apache web server on a FreeBSD 6.1 machine."
Very nice, *and* it's current for the most recent versions. Written in January of 2007. More as I test it out...
Very nice, *and* it's current for the most recent versions. Written in January of 2007. More as I test it out...
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
Pages for Mac makes publishing easy
Just got done writing and printing a very slick (if I do say so myself) newsletter for the motorcycle club I'm in. I used Pages and it took all of 30 minutes to put this together. Take a look at the PDF newsletter for the Kansas HSTA
Pages for the Mac is really one of the biggest selling points on these computers - after iTunes, Safari, iPhoto, the iPod, the absolute lack of crashes, iMovie, . . . OK, it is among one of the big selling points for a Mac.
W.
Pages for the Mac is really one of the biggest selling points on these computers - after iTunes, Safari, iPhoto, the iPod, the absolute lack of crashes, iMovie, . . . OK, it is among one of the big selling points for a Mac.
W.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Snowy Photo Essay
Cold, Icy, Snowy day today - and I have a new camera phone, so a few photos and a brief story.
The roads were iced and slushed and dirty with sand, but drivable.
Ice, slush and snow everywhere. But the heat and the peace of it all was relaxing for Alec and I:
We went for a drive so Alec could find himself a new videogame with his gift-card from Christmas. Only a ten minute drive, but soon the warm and peace took its' toll:
So, we travelled westward to see what we could see. Gray, white, brown. The park was closed, the sky looming. Nothing to see here. We moved on to the video game store. Bright lights, lots of people stocking up on entertainment before the next blast of winter. After some looking, we found the game we wanted, and headed back home.
Alec was happy to be home, and settled in for a good night blasting computerized Legos into their component parts.
I settled in for an evening cheering Alec on in his virtual endavours while reading my book beside a warm and cheery fire.
The fire has gone to coals, the boy has gone to dreams. And I have pages to go in my new book.
The roads were iced and slushed and dirty with sand, but drivable.
Ice, slush and snow everywhere. But the heat and the peace of it all was relaxing for Alec and I:
We went for a drive so Alec could find himself a new videogame with his gift-card from Christmas. Only a ten minute drive, but soon the warm and peace took its' toll:
So, we travelled westward to see what we could see. Gray, white, brown. The park was closed, the sky looming. Nothing to see here. We moved on to the video game store. Bright lights, lots of people stocking up on entertainment before the next blast of winter. After some looking, we found the game we wanted, and headed back home.
Alec was happy to be home, and settled in for a good night blasting computerized Legos into their component parts.
I settled in for an evening cheering Alec on in his virtual endavours while reading my book beside a warm and cheery fire.
The fire has gone to coals, the boy has gone to dreams. And I have pages to go in my new book.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Ravioli at high speed.
I was surfing my own website and found a link to this wonderful quote:
"Thermonuclear interactions, such as hydrogen fusion, may take place in the tomato sauce."
Absolute must read. And print. And forward to anyone who knows anything about science. I dang near snorted coffee up my nose!
(updated link w.england 9/14/12)
"Thermonuclear interactions, such as hydrogen fusion, may take place in the tomato sauce."
Absolute must read. And print. And forward to anyone who knows anything about science. I dang near snorted coffee up my nose!
(updated link w.england 9/14/12)
Monday, January 08, 2007
Why Nerds are Unpopular
Why Nerds are Unpopular: "Kids are sent off to spend six years memorizing meaningless facts in a world ruled by a caste of giants who run after an oblong brown ball, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. And if they balk at this surreal cocktail, they're called misfits."
Friday, January 05, 2007
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Sprint RAZR V3m - Playing Video, Music, and Other Nonsense at ClockSkew
Sprint RAZR V3m - Playing Video, Music, and Other Nonsense at ClockSkew Fancy Shiny phone. Plays MP3, m4a, and QT video! 2gb SD memory card too. And it seems to synch to iSynch:
iSynch info 1
iSync directions
iSync plugin from Clockskew
Update 9:50 PM 1/3/07:
Well, damn - the thing works! Sprint had the Red (tm) Razr in stock and with the employee discount it came out to $65, fifteen of which went toward the fight against AIDS. Not a bad deal. Got home, checked out the info on updating the Mac and it worked! Full iSync from a Sprint phone... Very nice. Also can connect and browse the files via Bluetooth - I copied these off:
And a videoclip:
And look! iSync found the phone!
iSynch info 1
iSync directions
iSync plugin from Clockskew
Update 9:50 PM 1/3/07:
Well, damn - the thing works! Sprint had the Red (tm) Razr in stock and with the employee discount it came out to $65, fifteen of which went toward the fight against AIDS. Not a bad deal. Got home, checked out the info on updating the Mac and it worked! Full iSync from a Sprint phone... Very nice. Also can connect and browse the files via Bluetooth - I copied these off:
And a videoclip:
And look! iSync found the phone!
Friday, December 29, 2006
How old are the rocks? Don't ask the NPS
A very interesting news release regarding geology, books and the National Park System. Read on - feel free to post comments refuting this; I'm too lazy.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: News Releases: As one park geologist said, this is equivalent of Yellowstone National Park selling a book entitled Geysers of Old Faithful: Nostrils of Satan[...]
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: News Releases: As one park geologist said, this is equivalent of Yellowstone National Park selling a book entitled Geysers of Old Faithful: Nostrils of Satan[...]
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Snowday!
Today we had snow. And ice. Well, most of the ice came down yesterday. But nonetheless, no school today for Alec, so he got to stay home. Tonight we played outside - watch the video to see more!
(click to open the video in a new window)
Oh, the eye? He got something in his eye Tuesday night when we were driving home. Flushed it out at home, still hurt Wednesday, so off to the pediatrician. No luck there - still hurt this morning, so over to Childrens Mercy Hospital to see the pediatric opthamologist. She found a bit of debris under his eyelid and cleared it out. Slight scratch on his eye (corneal abrasion), so he gets to wear an eyepatch till Saturday. Should all be healed up by Saturday! Tough kid...
(click to open the video in a new window)
Oh, the eye? He got something in his eye Tuesday night when we were driving home. Flushed it out at home, still hurt Wednesday, so off to the pediatrician. No luck there - still hurt this morning, so over to Childrens Mercy Hospital to see the pediatric opthamologist. She found a bit of debris under his eyelid and cleared it out. Slight scratch on his eye (corneal abrasion), so he gets to wear an eyepatch till Saturday. Should all be healed up by Saturday! Tough kid...
Sunday, November 26, 2006
How were Stalin and Lenin alike?
An essay I wrote for History class -
After Lenin’s death in 1924, Stalin rose to power and
corrupted the plans, vision and goals Lenin had worked toward during and after
the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Stalin
deified Lenin and himself, creating a ‘religion’ or cult of personality around
his rule. He changed the goal from
international communism and social revolution to a single socialist
country. He changed the government from
government by the workers to a dictatorial system ruled by him. He twisted and used the principles and powers
created by Lenin to enrich himself and protect his power.
Stalin was originally a ‘hanger on’, flirting around the
edges of the Bolshevik party and revolution of 1917. He came to greater power as Lenin rose to
power with Trotsky. Lenin had grand
visions and ideals for implementing world socialism and eventual communism
along the lines of Marx and Hegel.
However, the reality of governing the divisive Russian people led Lenin
to realize that more autocratic means were required to implement his
vision. He put in place things like the
secret police and government structures that were used by Stalin. Lenin died in 1924, possibly from stroke, possibly
from poisoning by Stalin. After his
death, Stalin rose to power against Lenin’s wishes as documented in his ‘Letter
to the Congress’ of 1922 (MacKenzie, p140).
Many views exist concerning the relationship between Lenin
and Stalin, and the continuity of their leadership. The official and contemporary Soviet view was
that Stalin was the direct descendant of Lenin’s power. An interesting point, though, is the official
party history refers to the original Bolsheviks as the “dregs of humanity”
(MacKenze, p144). This begs the question
how Stalin could be the true inheritor of the movement, if the original
creators of the movement were considered enemies. Dissident historians of the period, including
Roy Medvedev, call Stalin’s rule an “unlimited dictatorship”, and a “tyrant […]
cold bloodedly destroying millions of people” (ibid., p145). Medvedev referrers to Stalin’s rule as a cult
of personality. A Russian exile,
Alexander Solzhenitsyn considers Lenin, Stalin and the whole concept of the
Soviet system a repressive, totalitarian system that was never well suited to
the Russian people (ibid., p147).
How were Stalin and Lenin alike? They were both powerful men, both capable of
mastering internal Party intrigue, ruthless cruelty and hostility toward the
Western world (MacKenzie, p147). How
were such similar people capable of creating such a diversity of opinion? American specialist in Russian affairs,
George F. Kennan points out some critical differences. Lenin ruled autocratically to meet the needs
of the Bolshevik movement. He had the
confidence to seek the best ends for his party.
Lenin also wrote most of the theories of the new Communist party,
allowing him to speak from a position of authority (ibid.) Stalin had a much
ruder upbringing, and combined with his minimal role in early Bolshevik actions
led to a sense of inferiority. This
inferiority caused Stalin constant concern for the loyalty and respect of his
colleagues. Stalin was also paranoid and
power hungry. This created an atmosphere
of fear and divisiveness under Stalin that was not present in Lenin’s rule (ibid.,
p148). Under Lenin, the government and
foreign policy were of a movement, under Stalin the government and foreign
policy were of a single man.
Stalin betrayed the Communist movement, corrupting it and
turning it into a totalitarian system.
He used the principles and tools of Lenin for self aggrandizement and to
counter his deepset feelings of inferiority.
Lenin knew Stalin would be a poor leader and would corrupt his vision. Stalin proved him right. Among the diverse opinions about Lenin and Stalin,
the most compelling one is that Stalin used the institutions created by Lenin
for his own selfish ends. He corrupted
and twisted the vision Lenin left behind.
MacKenzie, D. & Curran, M. (2002). Russia and the USSR in the Twentieth Century (4th
ed.). Belmont:
Wadsworth/Thompson.
iCal performance tip
When working with iCal, especially on older Macs (I have a G4-866 laptop), uncheck every calendar you have except the one you are working with. Especially uncheck subscribed calendars. There is a huge lag for some kind of string comparison when you have multiple calendars visible. Doubt if it's a problem with modern (G5 or Intel) Mac's but on this old beast it's a real PITA.
Post a comment if you know more about it, or have other suggestions!
Post a comment if you know more about it, or have other suggestions!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Sunday, November 12, 2006
MacRumors Apple Ad Contest Results
The website, MacRumors, sponsored an ad contest for Apple fans - here's the winners at: MacRumors Apple Ad Contest Results
Well, I just spent 90 minutes browsing all the entries - all I can say is WOW! You can see all the entries, plus links to the music used at this MacRumors Forum thread. Remember - none of these are paid ad agency films, and the winner is a college student studying music history!
The winner, Generations, used this video technique to animate the foreground and background images separately.
Well, I just spent 90 minutes browsing all the entries - all I can say is WOW! You can see all the entries, plus links to the music used at this MacRumors Forum thread. Remember - none of these are paid ad agency films, and the winner is a college student studying music history!
The winner, Generations, used this video technique to animate the foreground and background images separately.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Sloppy - the slow proxy for dial-up modem speed simulation (slow down)
Sloppy - the slow proxy for dial-up modem speed simulation (slow down): "Sloppy deliberately slows the transfer of data between client and server.
Example usage: you probably build web sites on your local network, which is fast. Using Sloppy is one way to get the 'dial-up experience' of your work without the hassle of having to install a modem."
Example usage: you probably build web sites on your local network, which is fast. Using Sloppy is one way to get the 'dial-up experience' of your work without the hassle of having to install a modem."
Four Seconds Max
A couple of bullet points from the article:
- The consequences for an online retailer whose site underperforms include diminished goodwill, negative brand perception, and, most important, significant loss in overall sales.
- Online shopper loyalty is contingent upon quick page loading, especially for high-spending shoppers and those with greater tenure.
- JupiterResearch recommends that retailers make every effort to keep page rendering to no longer than four seconds.
Also, Jakob Nielsen has two good articles on the same topic:
http://www.useit.com/papers/responsetime.html
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9703a.html
Those reference research dating from the 1960s' - 10 seconds is about the max you want to go.
Interesting stuff.
You can also check out the original papers by Goodman and Spence from the 70s
Monday, November 06, 2006
Cottonwood Falls and Chase County
Friend of mine at work sent me these great links after we were talking about the Flint Hills.
Cottonwood Falls River and Bridge
and a huge page about Chase County and the Chase County Courthouse
Mighty cool stuff right here in our back yard. . .
Cottonwood Falls River and Bridge
and a huge page about Chase County and the Chase County Courthouse
Mighty cool stuff right here in our back yard. . .
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Saturday, November 04, 2006
I Love Commerce Bank Online Bill Pay
Just got off the phone with this nard from one of my less savory creditors. They claimed I owed them another payment, and that I hadn't made a payment since September!
I pull up the Online bill pay page, search for the payee and see a payment was sent out last month. I had the check number, confirmation number, and the cancelled check, front and back. I read off the info from the back of the check to this nard and he conceeded that I may have made the payment (may?!?) and that'd he'd mark it as paid.
All that took about 3 minutes.
I imagine if I had to try to do that with paper checks and a check register it would have taken more effort than just giving the guy another payment.
I love commerce bank online bill pay!
I pull up the Online bill pay page, search for the payee and see a payment was sent out last month. I had the check number, confirmation number, and the cancelled check, front and back. I read off the info from the back of the check to this nard and he conceeded that I may have made the payment (may?!?) and that'd he'd mark it as paid.
All that took about 3 minutes.
I imagine if I had to try to do that with paper checks and a check register it would have taken more effort than just giving the guy another payment.
I love commerce bank online bill pay!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
THE FATAL FREEDOM (The Tragedy of the Commons)
THE FATAL FREEDOM (The Tragedy of the Commons): "Coercive force which is centered in the modern state cannot be sustained in the face of the active resistance of some 10 percent of the population unless the state is willing to embark on a deliberate policy of genocide directed against the value dissident groups. The factor that sustained the myth of coercive force in the past was the acceptance of a common value system. Whether the latter exists is questionable in the modern nation-state"
What's truly bad - I sit here reading this horrible text, well backed up with quotations from Locke, Hobbes, Goffman and Dawkins, while I eat cheezy potato chips and drink a cold brewski. I am an American! Pass the dip, please...
PS - don't even go to this website if you're feeling a bit down about things. It is incredibly depressing.
What's truly bad - I sit here reading this horrible text, well backed up with quotations from Locke, Hobbes, Goffman and Dawkins, while I eat cheezy potato chips and drink a cold brewski. I am an American! Pass the dip, please...
PS - don't even go to this website if you're feeling a bit down about things. It is incredibly depressing.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Saturday at the Zoo
Carol, Alec and I decided to take a trip to the zoo this afternoon. Perfect weather and the trees are at the height of their fall colors. I took a few photos and posted them to my photo gallery. Click on the image (below) to see the rest!
Friday, October 27, 2006
Comparison between scp and sftp
The good people have created a comparison between the protocols - including technical details and a comparison grid. Nutshell: SCP is faster, SFTP is more feature rich.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Warning Sign Generator
Friday, October 20, 2006
Inside the Worst Congress Ever
Rolling Stone : COVER STORY: Time to Go! Inside the Worst Congress Ever: "One could go on and on about the scandals and failures of the past six years; to document them all would take . . . well, it would take more than ninety-three fucking days, that's for sure. But you can boil the whole sordid mess down to a few basic concepts. Sloth. Greed. Abuse of power. Hatred of democracy. Government as a cheap backroom deal, finished in time for thirty-six holes of the world's best golf. And brains too stupid to be ashamed of any of it. If we have learned nothing else in the Bush years, it's that this Congress cannot be reformed. The only way to change it is to get rid of it."
Clean Up PHP Form Input
Clean Up Form Input [php] [forcodegrrl]: "Basic cleanup of user form input."
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Sprint / Cableco partners new purchase
Sprint and the cable companies have made a joint venture to do something wierd with wireless and wired communications. So, step one: Spend 2.37 Billion - with a B - to buy up honkin big chunks of new radio spectrum. And, what are they going to do with this?
Comcast Investor Relations: Investor News: "While no plans have as yet been finalized, including no specific plans to build out the networks at this time[...]"
Outch. Very nice. They dropped 2.3 billion and have no idea what they want to do with it.
More detail at the link above, and you can read all about cellular phone radio spectrum and the recent auction at PhoneScoop in their in-depth guide.
Comcast Investor Relations: Investor News: "While no plans have as yet been finalized, including no specific plans to build out the networks at this time[...]"
Outch. Very nice. They dropped 2.3 billion and have no idea what they want to do with it.
More detail at the link above, and you can read all about cellular phone radio spectrum and the recent auction at PhoneScoop in their in-depth guide.
Monday, October 16, 2006
21 protests in 5 hours!
Guardian Unlimited Politics | Special Reports | Mark Thomas on demonstrating near the Houses of Parliament: "I really should get a proper job."
Four Days in 30 Seconds
Nathan has set up a web cam for CornerBanks.com pointed at 9th and Main streets in Winfield. He takes an image about every 15 minutes and has combined them into a quicktime timelapse movie.
It's really amazing, watching the traffic and shadows and daylight move across in such a short time.
Check out the video!
(Quicktime, opens in new window, about 10 MB)
More neato-wizardry: Overland Park has put the feeds from their traffic cameras online. You can view it on a map with neat mouse-over images from around town, or as a list - you can also view live video from some of the intersections. 119th and Glenwood is the Sprint Campus entrance / exit.
Kansas City DOT has the "KCScout" traffic cameras on all the busy highways around the area. Note that most of em are the ones by my house. Sigh. Anyway, check the 'camera' box on the left of that page to see the camera locations.
Fun with public surveilance!
It's really amazing, watching the traffic and shadows and daylight move across in such a short time.
Check out the video!
(Quicktime, opens in new window, about 10 MB)
More neato-wizardry: Overland Park has put the feeds from their traffic cameras online. You can view it on a map with neat mouse-over images from around town, or as a list - you can also view live video from some of the intersections. 119th and Glenwood is the Sprint Campus entrance / exit.
Kansas City DOT has the "KCScout" traffic cameras on all the busy highways around the area. Note that most of em are the ones by my house. Sigh. Anyway, check the 'camera' box on the left of that page to see the camera locations.
Fun with public surveilance!
Sunday, October 15, 2006
HSTA STAR Photos
Finally uploaded the photos from the trip to the HSTA STAR rally in Avon Colorado:
Click the photo for the gallery!
Click the photo for the gallery!
Alec Fall Photos
Alec and I have had a busy month - we went to a birthday party at the end of September:
Then, he made a book to keep his Yu-Gi-Oh cards in:
And went to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival:
Then this weekend we played out at Shawnee Mission Park:
(Click any of the photos to see the Gallery at Mylanders...)
Then, he made a book to keep his Yu-Gi-Oh cards in:
And went to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival:
Then this weekend we played out at Shawnee Mission Park:
(Click any of the photos to see the Gallery at Mylanders...)
TexSTOC Motorcycle Trip Photos Online
Back from TexSTOC, great ride - 2500 miles, 4 days and a bit. Must see country. To see more of the photos, check out the TexSTOC 2006 Photo Gallery at Mylanders. 42 of the best photos from the trip, even a few of the people!
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Response from Dennis Moore
In my previous post, I sent a letter to my congress man, Dennis Moore asking about the defnition of terrorism in HR 6166. I got a reply back - a pre-printed meom with "Here is the material you requested" and a printoff of the Congressional Quarterly fact sheet on the bill. More than likely, all that he knows.
And, no, it never did address the definition of a terrorist, as specified on para 24 of section 950v, HR 6166.
It did mention that hearsay evidence is now allowed in military tribunals, until the defense can prove it's wrong. . .
Y'all best be voting come November, Mmm Kay?
And, no, it never did address the definition of a terrorist, as specified on para 24 of section 950v, HR 6166.
It did mention that hearsay evidence is now allowed in military tribunals, until the defense can prove it's wrong. . .
Y'all best be voting come November, Mmm Kay?
Friday, September 29, 2006
Definition of terrorism
Quiet day at work, so I surfed out to the Library of Congress to check out the text of the latest terror bill, HR 6166. (note - big-old-pdf file there, 90 pages)
Specifically, the definition of a terrorist (page 76, starting on line 21). As I read it, it's rather fuzzy, so I sent the following letter to Dennis Moore, my representative here, who voted for this measure.
I wonder what I'll get back on this. . .
Specifically, the definition of a terrorist (page 76, starting on line 21). As I read it, it's rather fuzzy, so I sent the following letter to Dennis Moore, my representative here, who voted for this measure.
In the recently passed HR6166, I have a question about paragraph 24 of section 950v, the definition of a terrorist:
It reads that a terrorist is any person who (kills) or (engages in an act of wanton disregard for human life to intimidate the gov't or civilians)
Then it gets fuzzy. The next clause says "or to retaliate against government conduct" - is that an explanation of (engages in an act), or is that a separate clause that could be read as:
"A terrorist is a person who engages in an act to retaliate against government conduct".
If it's the second reading, I have a real problem with that - Donating to the Green party, attending a demonstration or voting against Bush could all be seen as acts retaliating against government conduct. This e-mail could be seen as such an act.
Could you please have your staff research this and get back with me?
I wonder what I'll get back on this. . .
Monday, September 25, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Quote about security engineering
It's hard to find all the security bugs in a piece of software:
"It's like microwave popcorn. You nuke it and in the first few minutes you can get almost all of the kernels (exploits) popped. Then the rate of popping slows down. After a while, you simply have to stop or else you'll burn right through your profit (of warm, yummy popped corn)."
"It's like microwave popcorn. You nuke it and in the first few minutes you can get almost all of the kernels (exploits) popped. Then the rate of popping slows down. After a while, you simply have to stop or else you'll burn right through your profit (of warm, yummy popped corn)."
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Green
Ah, Fall. In Kansas, Fall is when everything turns green again, after the harsh dry summer.
Click for a short video of my lawn and flowers...
Click for a short video of my lawn and flowers...
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Odd hack - negative screen
On your Macintosh, press [ctrl] [option] [command] 8 all at the same time.
Flips all the colors to negative.
Weird.
Fun, but weird. Odd bit - you cannot screen capture the reverse image.
Flips all the colors to negative.
Weird.
Fun, but weird. Odd bit - you cannot screen capture the reverse image.
New Photo Links
Over ---> There! On the right - down a bit - I've added the most recent and 'random' images from my personal photo gallery over on Mylanders. I think it's stable enough that everyone can go look at the photos. If you get a lot of 'broken' or missing images, drop me a line.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
A Picture Share!
Saturday we arrived in new mexico. Now I am in Golden Co. Finally have PCS service!
Friday, September 01, 2006
Off to WeSTOC!
Heading out for WeSTOC 2006 in Colorado. Like before, watch this space for SprintPCS picturemail posts, Audioblogger posts, and this time maybe even a few real photos. I have to take my laptop for my college course, so when I stop to do my quiz, I may even update the blog...
Till later,
Will
Till later,
Will
Monday, August 28, 2006
The Dot and The Line
I just bought this book yesterday, after looking off and on for the past 15 or 20 years. I had a copy when I was a kid, and fondly remember the animated special, directed by Chuck Jones. While the book is easily available, if you care to click and buy, you cannot for love or money buy the animated special by itself. However, a pointer from the Math Fiction website mentioned that a recent re-relase of an old Doris Day movie has this short included as a special feature.
So I go digging and find "The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)" at Amazon for $11 or so. They even mention in the DVD features section that it includes the "Oscar-winning cartoon The Dot and the Line"
How cool. They should reverse the text - Oscar-winning cartoon The Dot and the Line, includes a free Doris Day movie. :-)
To the vector belong the spoils!
Mathematical Fiction Homepage
Mathematical Fiction Homepage: "The Mathematical Fiction Homepage is my attempt to collect information about all significant references to mathematics in fiction."
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Alec's First Day of School
Alec started Kindergarten on Monday; both his mom and I got to spend the first half hour there with him. He was really excited, and after 4 days still seems to like it. Kind of a change for him having to be to school at 8:00 AM (change for me too!)
A few photos from that wonderful day:
Here we are hard at work coloring his first project!
Here we are hard at work coloring his first project!
It's Alec!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Dem in 08? Not likely
Why? Easy. They have 18 months (less really) to build a cohesive broad platform other than "Bush is Bad". And they are rearranging the deck chairs making sure everyone has a 'special' seat to sit in.
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 08/18/2006 | Catering to constituency groups rouses friction among Democrats:
Great. Include everyone. But lets hear some IDEAS. Some PLANS. A *real reason* to vote for your party. Sheesh.
I'm cranky today.
UPDATE, 30 seconds later.
I figured I should check my sources before I go off on a tangent. So I went to http://www.democrats.org/. I see 1) "Bush Sucks". 2) Send Me Money. 3) Oh - more deck chairs!
Fuck.
And these folks haven't a chance, but they're saying the right stuff...
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 08/18/2006 | Catering to constituency groups rouses friction among Democrats:
"the Democratic National Committee's Rules Committee debated and adopted two new proposals - one aimed at creating 'inclusion programs' for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and the disabled; the other designed to enforce a new party move to give African-Americans and Hispanics a bigger voice in picking presidential nominees."
Great. Include everyone. But lets hear some IDEAS. Some PLANS. A *real reason* to vote for your party. Sheesh.
I'm cranky today.
UPDATE, 30 seconds later.
I figured I should check my sources before I go off on a tangent. So I went to http://www.democrats.org/. I see 1) "Bush Sucks". 2) Send Me Money. 3) Oh - more deck chairs!
Fuck.
And these folks haven't a chance, but they're saying the right stuff...
Kung Fu Monkey: FISA in One Syllable Words.
Kung Fu Monkey: FISA in One Syllable Words.: "Have you secured the ports yet? Secured the chemical plants? Figured out a way to scan all the luggage on US flights? Worked out the kinks in the retarded 'No Fly' list? Started buying up some of the 2,000 loose nukes in Russia? Gotten first responders the equipment they need in case of emergency? Fixed FEMA and Homeland Security? Caught Osama Bin Laden? Tell you what, nail down the jobs that don't require you to wipe your ass with the Constitution first."
Friday, August 18, 2006
Elgato equips Macs with digital, analogue USB TV tuner | Reg Hardware
Elgato equips Macs with digital, analogue USB TV tuner | Reg Hardware: "TV tuner maker Elgato has announced EyeTV Hybrid, a twin-tuner - digital and analogue - dongle that pops into a USB port to deliver television programmes straight to your Mac's display."
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Something to ask your childs teacher
Do you teach critical thinking, logic, problem solving, and the scientific method as applied to making everyday decisions?
Monday, August 14, 2006
Kung Fu Monkey: "Wait, Aren't You Scared?"
Must Read:
Kung Fu Monkey: "Wait, Aren't You Scared?": "Who the hell am I supposed to be scared of? Joseph Padilla, dirty bomber who didn't actually know how to build a bomb, had no allies or supplies, and against whom the government case is so weak they're now shuffling him from court to court to avoid the public embarassment of a trial? The fuckwits who were going to take down the Brooklyn Bridge with blowtorches? Richard Reid, the Zeppo of suicide bombers?"
Kung Fu Monkey: "Wait, Aren't You Scared?": "Who the hell am I supposed to be scared of? Joseph Padilla, dirty bomber who didn't actually know how to build a bomb, had no allies or supplies, and against whom the government case is so weak they're now shuffling him from court to court to avoid the public embarassment of a trial? The fuckwits who were going to take down the Brooklyn Bridge with blowtorches? Richard Reid, the Zeppo of suicide bombers?"
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Caves in Kansas?
Caves in Kansas?
Actually, some kind of deep underground storage cut into the limestone bluff above the Kansas River near Bonner Springs, KS (click for sat. view)
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