Daniel's Place

How do you listen to music?

Singles that top the charts are fun. That song you can listen to four times in a row and not get tired of. Go ahead and push repeat, it’s one of my guilty pleasures too.

After a while though, a single gets too repetitive. So I’m glad music comes in albums.

An album is an experience, a full musical meal composed by the band that offers a little more insight than that four minutes of foreplay. Albums have their own track ordering, selection and deliberately flow. Once I’ve discovered I like a band, I hop into their albums. Once I’ve heard the entire album a few times, I will play it through again and again (though not back to back, that’d just be crazy). Good albums, like King Crimson’s THRAK follow a very deliberate flow that make the entire album a musical piece in itself with musical waves larger than individual songs.

Of course, I will skip some tracks; not everything a band slaps on an album is musically tolerable (e.g. The Gutter Twins’ poetic but musically crappy All Misery/Flowers hurts their otherwise masterful Saturnalia).

In my experience, listening to the whole album instead of a smaller selection of songs stretches the listenable lifespan of the band. Hopefully until their next album. For some people, that may be a little too much Led Zeppelin. For me? It’s usually the right amount.

Once in a while I see something that outrages me so much that I gripe about it on the internet. This is one of those times.

I saw an article in Reuters about children of a school (ages 6 – 11) voting (13 – 1) in favor of slaughtering a lamb they have raised as part of an educational program. The news has sparked some controversy and groups of animal and human rights activists as well as a bumper crop of celebrities and facebook users are voicing overwhelming idiocy.

What disturbed me most was not the animal rights activists or the celebrities. I understand where they’re coming from and they are perfectly correct in voicing their grievances in the matter. No, it had to be the “human rights activists” about whom was said the following:

“…and human rights campaigners worried about the emotional impact of Marcus’s death on the children.”

Seriously?

Let me put it this way: human rights are an important thing and we have violations of human rights happening all over the world. I am at a loss for metaphors, but if the human rights issue were a burning house these folks seem to be obsessed with polishing a leaky faucet in the basement.

Did I mention that much of the food we eat every day comes from animals? What would the emotional impact to children be when they learn that meat comes from animals? Would they ever be the same? Or would the trauma be so hard on their hearts and minds that they snap and lose all empathy toward their fellow man? Grow up.

The irrational preservation of “innocence” in children is not a human right. If anything, it should be considered a violation of human rights to not properly answer the “where do hamburgers come from?” question.

The children have exercised a vote. I support their decision either way. Now go do something meaningful for human rights.

What happens when all the world’s a Twitter?

Many folks have heard of an election in Iran, Michael Jackson’s death, and Jeff Goldblum’s fake death. We know that news is spreading virally, spreading faster.

Jeff Goldblum’s death may not have been a mistake. Jeff Goldblum played Ian Malcolm in the movie versions of Jurassic Park and The Lost World. Perhaps his fake death is an allusion to something the Ian Malcolm’s character mentioned in The Lost World.

 …Although, personally, I think cyberspace means the end of our species…

…Why is that?

… because it means the end of innovation.This idea that the whole world is wired together is mass death. Every biologist knows that small groups in isolation evolve fastest. You put a thousand birds on an ocean island and they’ll evolve very fast. You put ten thousand on a big continent, and their evolution slows down. Now, for our own species, evolution occurs mostly through our behavior. We innovate new behavior to adapt. And everybody on earth knows that innovation only occurs in small groups. Put three people on a committee and they may get something done. Ten people, and it gets harder. Thirty people, and nothing happens. Thirty million, it becomes impossible. That’s the effect of mass media-it keeps anything from happening. Mass media swamps diversity. It makes every place the same. Bangkok or Tokyo or London: there’s a McDonald’s on one corner, a Benetton on another, a Gap across the street. Regional differences vanish. All differences vanish. In a mass-media world, there’s less of everything except the top ten books, records, movies, ideas. People worry about losing species diversity in the rain forest. But what about intellectual diversity-our most necessary resource? That’s disappearing faster than trees. But we haven’t figured that out, so now we’re planning to put five billion people together in cyberspace. And it’ll freeze the entire species. Everything will stop dead in its tracks. Everyone will think the same at the same time. Global uniformity.

Sounds scary. But I don’t think Ian Malcolm’s proposal is coming to life and the four horsemen of the apocalypse are riding into town tweeting on their Blackberries. It just means that in our increasingly connected world, we should view individuality as a more prized commodity.

Why you should present at BarCamp

I recently attended participated in BarCamp Seattle. BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering of folks to openly discuss interesting subjects in the tech field. Sessions put heavy focus on discussion and knowledge sharing. It was my first time and I’m hooked. 

While the BarCamp website has loads more information, the rules of BarCamp struck a note very close to my eastside condo-living heart: 

• 1st Rule: You do talk about BarCamp.
• 2nd Rule: You do blog about BarCamp.
• 3rd Rule: If you want to present, you must write your topic and name in a presentation slot.
• 4th Rule: Only three word intros.
• 5th Rule: As many presentations at a time as facilities allow for.
• 6th Rule: No pre-scheduled presentations, no tourists.
• 7th Rule: Presentations will go on as long as they have to or until they run into another presentation slot.
• 8th Rule: If this is your first time at BarCamp, you HAVE to present. (Ok, you don’t really HAVE to, but try to find someone to present with, or at least ask questions and be an interactive participant.

The 8th rule I read the night before the event. With plenty of time left over, Matt and I worked until the early hours of the morning on a presentation. We posted our topic on the wall (Matt makes the coolest cards): 

Twitter is Dead (long live Twitter): an open discussion on new directions for social media

With no sleep and a high blood-caffeine content, we stood in front of an audience and gave a sparsely practiced talk about the future of Twitter and social media and how it could become more helpful to our daily lives. Once the talk was over, an open discussion began. 

The results blew me away. 

People around the room diverse in career background, Twitter/social media experience, and opinion began to build on our talk and offer critiques. It seemed that most people in the crowded room had a thought or question to share and the presentation morphed into an open discussion moderated by the presenters. 

Matt and I collected an invaluable pile of thoughts and questions to ponder throughout the rest of the day. I also got in some much needed presentation practice. 

The bottom line: Anyone with a good idea and a chance should give a talk at BarCamp. It’s fun and educational.

Other sessions

I attended other sessions covering social media information overload, user centered design, startups, social media analytics, and the amusing PowerPoint Karaoke. Each session broke into a discussion and some sessions were entirely discussions. I heard the thoughts and experiences of industry professionals, enthusiasts, and casual users. 

Where many conferences offer the speaker a pulpit and too much time, BarCamp gives the audience significant control and participation. The speaker even learns a thing or two. 

Thanks!

A special word of thanks to all of the organizers. You put together an amazing venue, brought a great interactive crowd, and kept us all fed, caffeinated, thinking, and entertained. I look forward to my next BarCamp. 

Closing thoughts 

Go to BarCamp. After the first day we all headed to the Red Door in Fremont to drink for free (thanks Bing!), be merry, and network more. The whole event was a blast and a great way to spend a weekend in Seattle. 

Here’s a list of links: 

• Flickr photos of BarCamp Seattle
• BarCamp website
• Twitter is Dead slide deck

Swine flu is running rampant in the hearts and minds of people across the world. To aid in calming the pandemic paranoia, I have assembled a simple guide that may save your life. Remember, more lives than your own may depend on your actions. 

Each step is important and must be performed in the listed order. Do not skip any steps. 

Swine Flu Preparations

Step 1: Get Supplies

For this to work, you will need:

• A particle mask that is not rated to protect you from anything but indirect exposure to spray paint
• A marker capable of writing on the particle mask

Step 1: Supplies

Step 2: Preparations 

This step requires several actions and is the most complicated step: 

1. Turn the mask inside out (typically less writing on the inside)
2. Draw a pig snout over the place where your nose goes 
3. Write “OINK” on the mask so people know what’s going on

Step 2: Prepare

Step 3: Protect

Now that your mask is ready to go, put it on your face. Be sure to cover your nose and mouth to maximize the amount of air moving through the mask. 

Warning: Don’t wear the mask for long periods of time; you’re inhaling fumes from the marker. Only wear the mask in short stents when it’s likely to get the biggest reaction from the folks around you. 

Step 3: Protect

Congratulations! You’re now protected from the hysteria that is Swine Flu. 

Parting thoughts 

Really? Are people really that concerned? If you are, then turn off the AC and hang up the plastic. Folks disseminating the news are interested in protecting their jobs in the wake of all this transparent accountability. In the world of work we call this “covering your ass.” Sometimes you just need a little more time and information. 

Is Twitter to blame? Not for the mass hysteria. If you don’t recognize an Internet meme when you see it, please learn more. 

More stuff on Twitter 

Interestingly enough, we are witnessing a very effective method of broadly disclosing information to the public. Twitter represents the emotional pulse of the millions of users who grasp its purpose. This  is certainly worth study.

The Internet is, once again, changing the way we interact with our world. The question is no longer what are the implications of increasingly connected systems, rather what are the implications of increasingly connected people?

For those of you who don’t know, I’m 23 today. One step closer to being older than I was one step ago. Age doesn’t concern me in my youth, though it is disturbing how quickly these 20’s are moving. 

Yesterday was Earth day and tomorrow is my friend’s birthday. I can’t think of a better time to be born. 

If you have too much time on your hands, check out what other wonderful and not so wonderful things happened today. I’ll summarize the main points below: 

Births

1564 – William Shakespeare, English writer and actor (d. 1616)

1923 – Dolph Briscoe, Governor of Texas

1958 – Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Icelandic music composer

1987 – Emily Fox, American cupstacking champion (how she got in Wikipedia amazes even me, I need my own page)

Deaths

303 – Saint George, Roman soldier and Christian martyr

1124 – King Alexander I of Scotland (b. 1078)

1616 – William Shakespeare, English writer and actor (b. 1564) (date according to the Julian calendar, hence 10 days later than death of Cervantes or Garcilaso, by the Gregorian calendar)

2007 – Boris Yeltsin, first President of the Russian Federation (b. 1931) (sad to see you go, Boris)

Holidays

Canada Book Day

UNESCO International Day of the Book in honor of the death of both William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes on April 23, 1616.

Closing thoughts

If Boris Yeltsin and Shakespere kicking buckets isn’t enough reason to celebrate then just remember that you can make it into Wikipedia if you stack cups. 

Incidentally, Warren Zanes of the Del Fuegos doesn’t have his own Wikipedia page either (though his wife, April March, does have a page). Zanes, you and I are one of a kind: famous without the fame.

There are many reasons to complain about driving in the Seattle area. This is one such particularly compelling story.

For those of you who aren’t aware, many drivers in the Seattle area demonstrate an uncanny proficiency in inattentive, dangerous, drunk, and distracted (not the same as inattentive) driving. These make for a rather hazardous environment for cars, bicycles, and pedestrians alike. (Annecdotally: nearly every time I drive at night, I observe at least one car with its headlights turned completely off.)

I was riding home from work today (4/8/2009) along the well regulated streets of Bellevue. The ride was smooth by comparsion to other rides with a surprising amount of legal compliance on the part of car drivers. Two blocks away from home, I found myself impressed with the drivers around me. Nobody unnecessarily endangered my life. Until…

Brrrr WOOSH!Millisecond reflexes saved my life as an individual driving a grey Infiniti (license plate 953-RCV, male driver in his twenties, brown and bleached yellow hair) shot past. Another inch and his rear view mirror would’ve struck my elbow. The adrenaline took hold. Obviously, our kindly driver was not in full understanding of his actions.

I stomped on my pedals to catch up. The driver parked at the next intersection. Most folks don’t know what they’re doing when they do something stupid, I reasoned to myself, perhaps I should explain myself to the driver. By now, I reached the driver who was parked at the red light. Cautiously, I sidled along side the driver’s window which was cracked slightly.

“Pardon me, sir, do you realize how dangerous that was?” I said, keeping my cool. “What?” came the reply. “Do you realize how dangerous and illegal that was?” my voice elevated slightly. “Then you shouldn’t be on the road,” the kindly driver stated nonchalantly. The light turned green, he sped off.

Stunned, shocked, fascinated. I was these things. How does a driver demonstrate such willful ignorance?

RCW 46.61.110 states (interesting part in bold):

The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to those limitations, exceptions and special rules hereinafter stated:

     (1) The driver of a vehicle overtaking other traffic proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left thereof at a safe distance and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken traffic.

     (2) The driver of a vehicle approaching a pedestrian or bicycle that is on the roadway or on the right-hand shoulder or bicycle lane of the roadway shall pass to the left at a safe distance to clearly avoid coming into contact with the pedestrian or bicyclist, and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken pedestrian or bicyclist.

     (3) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, overtaken traffic shall give way to the right in favor of an overtaking vehicle on audible signal and shall not increase speed until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle.

Even lawyers would have trouble finding a way to construe almost killing me as a “safe distance.”

Lesson Learned

If you ever find yourself in a car needing to pass a cyclist, please observe a couple simple rules:

• Unless it’s unsafe, impossible, etc. give the cyclist 3 feet of room while passing.
• Don’t almost hit the cyclist.

We all want to get where we’re going. We want to get there on time. Most of us want to get there alive.

To the driver of the Infiniti: you are truly a precious snowflake. Don’t be a dumbass snowflake. BTW, my carbon footprint pwns yours. Kthxbai!

Nick Health has written a blog post on ZDNet about technologies that Generation Y will replace. I agree with many of his points. I disagree with some. The article is a great framework for briefly discussing the future.

Replaced technologies

Email

Nick asserts that the youths of today use email to communicate to the folks of older generations and little else. Having recently graduated college, I see where he’s coming from; I used email as little as possible. In college, Facebook, IM’s and text messages facilitated the majority of my interpersonal communication.

Now I work for my money. I assume much of Generation Y will too. Business requires a more robust and free-form environment for the communication of ideas. I can’t illustrate rich ideas in Facebook messages nor can I easily arrange meetings and reserve spaces using 160 character SMS messages. These tasks require a more versatile technology called e-mail.

If Nick is referring to the age-old model of POP/SMTP and text-only email, then I see where he’s coming from. Nick, we’ve already replaced these technologies. It’s entirely likely that we have a semantic disconnect here (see also: any two peoples’ definition of the cloud).

Websites

Right on! Most folks can’t author a web page, nor should they. Down with Geocities!

Datacenters

Based on the quote, Nick seems to think that all computing will become a utility (like electricity and water).

This is doubtful when considering that many government and private institutions will not tolerate the risk of downtime and disclosure. Especially disclosure.

I’m not averse to the idea of cloud computingsimply because the defnition is so nebulous. I do not believe that all private user and business data belongs in someone else’s datacenter. Though I do believe those people and institutions should be able to access their data anywhere.

Fixed line phones

Yes! Yes! You can see it happening right now. I only have a cellphone.

The personal computer

Ambiguity abounds. Nick seems to assert that personal computing sessions will live in the cloud, connecting through thin clients.

Most consumer PC needs could go to the cloud. OnLive, netbooks, and other technologies are questioning the necessity of computing power for consumer purposes. But the cloud will have to to deliver a lightning storm of rich user experience before users stop expanding their hardware.

I’d rather be writing this blog post from a netbook.

Traditional data processing

Nick promises that data will all be tagged and machine parsable. He points to XBRL as a solution. This reminds me of Tim Benders-Lee’s The Semantic Web, published back in 2001.

XBRL suffers from a heavy case of multi-institution collaborative scope creep. Human nature will sabotage these efforts as long as human nature persists.

Closing thoughts

I agree with Nick on many points, but I believe we should consider the practical implications of his many visionary points. Future technologies should:

• Preserve privacy
• Allow anonymity
• Provide flexibility in input and representation
• Be cheap and reliable

I’ll blog on these points and the cloud at a later date.

Speaking of the future, check out this cool video Microsoft published highlighting its vision. Who wants to take bets on whether 2019 will be this green and satisfying?

I have ceased my complaint free world bracelet activity. Going in the metrics for success was a complaint free month. This was a very tough challenge and I learned many things along the way.

I did not reach my intended goal of 30 days complaint free. My longest streak was a short five days. But like so many other projects, I discovered that the “complaint free” aspect of my complaint free world attempt was hindering my ability to be effective in more important areas of my life. I did, however, learn several important lessons.

Think twice before letting something negative out

All too often I find myself focusing on the negative aspects of my world. This is especially challenging because sarcasm plays a large role in my ability to formulate humor.

If you don’t have something nice to say, reword it until it sounds nice.

It’s obvious

Most folks can find the things that displease them in this world on their own. Stating the obvious is an overrated skill. It’s much more interesting to state that which is not obvious.

Everyone can see that it’s cold and rainy outside.

I don’t care if you’re hungry

And you shouldn’t care if I am. Finding a solution to the problem is more important.

Give me the patience

Some things you can’t change. Most of the time the same problem is obvious to everyone else.

The economy is totally ready for some improvement.

Ah well.

Having said all of that, I can’t stand the way people in Seattle drive (I am also not alone in this opinion). The only way to fix the problem involves copious amounts of horn, fist shaking, and screaming with the window rolled down. I can’t take the time to teach you how to drive, but if I can scare you out of my way, I have saved us both the energy. And please, turn on your lights when you drive at night.

Not complaining was an interesting challenge and I think I have modified some of my behaviors for the better. Either way, I have helped myself to a little self help.

Google sends me daily alerts about the status of my good name on the Internet. The FBI has recently released a press statement with the name “Jurek” in the second paragraph. Beneath a set of insider traders, seems someone has been soiling the Jurek name with white powder in envelopes.

… special agents and postal inspectors arrested Richard Leon Goyette, a/k/a Michael Jurek, 47, yesterday at the airport in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on a charge in a federal complaint related to his mailing 65 threatening letters to financial institutions in October 2008.

What leads a person to select the name “Jurek”? And didn’t carefully packaged flour sent through the postal system go out of style back in 2002?

Goyette, some advice: put as much creativity into your crimes as you did name choosing, and you might be arrested for something less trivial than the criminal equivalent of parachute pants.