Hudsonblick 20: Be the Bullet
The Rhythm, the Rebel
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Spreeblick sampled by Public Enemy
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charles:02.06.2006 um 05:05Thanks for all the feedback: good, bad, and ugly! And don’t worry about the funny english, you should hear my german… (du sollst meine deutsche hoeren??)
The Rhythm, the Rebel
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Charles:22.05.2006 um 21:53That mp3 of Chuck D at University of Houston on http://www.hiphoppolitics.com is dead on. Especially the part about being arrested in NYC. Someone should make the f*cking mayor listen to it.
Hudsonblick 18
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Charles:03.05.2006 um 19:12Please, don’t get me started…!
To me, the two-party system is uncomfortably close to a one-party system, especially in American winner-take-all style elections. This simplistic left/right dichotomy doesn’t help, either. The problem goes beyond the ‘excluded middle’, it’s excluded dimensions.
But let’s not be too hasty about dismissing boobs here… we need SOMETHING to cling to.
Podcast 100
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charles:23.03.2006 um 12:20I am Not a Crank
or
An Informal Attempt to Bring Nuance to My Podcast OutburstsSo, no sooner do I finish the corrections to my Hudsonblick 2005 columns, than I go and do a podcast with Johnny. Let me start by saying that I generally need a few rounds of editing before I go on the record. Let me continue by saying that about half of what I said was just ridiculous hyperbole. And let me conclude by saying that I promise to do it again the next time I’m in town. Practice, practice, practice. Signing off,
The Year is One
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charles:10.02.2006 um 05:06Word of the day: link-orgy.
wtf,
Thank you for your disjointed, caffeine-induced comments. I’m glad that you could take time from your chronic masturbation to write them. At least, I hope you did.
I think I started writing because it looked easy, and being a writer seemed like a cool, intellectual thing. It turns out to be hard and mostly thankless, even self-destructive for some people. It is rewarding though, and if it weren’t for Spreeblick I wouldn’t be doing as much of it.
Speaking of writing and porn, this is a good article about both:
“My dialogue was stilted and forced, and none of it was as funny as I’d once envisioned. I tried to tell myself that I’d intended it this way. It was all part of my plan to create the perfect porn parody. But deep down, I knew that I hadn’t been quite so cunning. ”
http://www.salon.com/sex/feature/2002/06/05/forward/
Mal ‘ne AK-47 bestellen
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Hudsonblick 11
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charles:25.08.2005 um 17:52Thanks, stralau!
I spent most of my summer looking at this, so I wanted to share the pain ;-)
Yes, learning to drive a car strictly by trial-and-error would be a bad idea, especially for all of the innocent pedestrians. I guess this is why I play Grand Theft Auto.
The Speechalist
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charles:17.08.2005 um 16:41Definitely not a good person to learn english from… unless you’re trying to get votes!
“Gentlemen, get the thing straight, once and for all: the policeman isn’t there to ‘create’ disorder; the policeman is there to ‘preserve’ disorder.”
— Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley, 1968
Hudsonblick 09
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charles:02.08.2005 um 19:31Today’s statement by the President nudges the theocracy-o-meter up a few points..
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charles:24.07.2005 um 03:54Some Republicans have now decided that science is best handled by congressional committee. And part of that scientific process requires not only data, but financial records…
Hudsonblick 10
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charles:21.07.2005 um 19:25Thanks, Peti! I’d write about my computer science classes, but that might be kind of boring…
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charles:20.07.2005 um 17:25Hey, Ken!
In case anyone is a regular reader, Ken was my host in New Orleans back in February (Hudsonblick01). An appropriate cameo for the Hudsonblick Jubilee!
I have a diffent take from Mr DuToit, but he’s still an interesting read. I think the only reason he gives for owning a gun that I really feel is the geeky, mechanical thing. My main reasons are more like a) just like to shoot at things and b) good enough for H.S. Thompson, good enough for me!
Mind you, reason b) has to be embraced with some caution.
Hudsonblick 09
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Charles:15.06.2005 um 07:42Other warnings signs of fake science:
* the “research” was done by a political think tank
* the “research” has not been published in a scientific journal
* it describes previous, published research as deliberately misleading
* it includes a recounting of the media outlets and lobbying organizations that reported the previous, published research.At least, these are some of the signs that make me think that this might have more to do with politics than science.
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Charles:06.06.2005 um 14:35In today’s news, America’s theocrats march on!
(read to the tune of Mozart’s Requiem)Religious zeal sets U.S. apart from allies, poll finds
“Nearly all U.S. respondents said faith is important to them and only 2 percent said they do not believe in God. Almost 40 percent said religious leaders should try to sway policymakers, notably higher than in other countries.”Governor signs anti-abortion bill at Christian school
“FORT WORTH, June 5 - Making good on a Republican campaign call to celebrate with “Christian friends,” Gov. Rick Perry traveled to an evangelical school here on Sunday to put his signature on measures to restrict abortion and prohibit same-sex marriage.”Dies irae…!
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Charles:05.06.2005 um 20:14I can empathise with the author of that article; it sometimes surprises me what people think evolution is. Really, you can’t blame them for misconceptions. Evolution is often misrepresented as “survival of the fittest”, and nature programs often describe some animal’s physical train (a beak, a claw) as being “made to” do something. To an inquisitive viewer, statements like these are bound to mean trouble for evolution.
I think it’s great that you’re seeking out dialogues on this subject. I’ve often found religious people to be very philosophical and open-minded about topics like this. It’s unfortunate that the puritanical among them hold so much sway.
(PS: I wouldn’t worry about Derrida regarding this topic. Bill meant it in reference to the reality-bending nature of the arguments often used by Republican pundits, as demonstrated in some of the links in the original post. Prost!)
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charles:05.06.2005 um 09:54hahahaha, sorry Andrea, we’re screwed. In a recent survey only about a third of those surveyed believed that creationism had no place in a science class. The other two-thirds accepted creationism as a topic for a science science class to a greater (only creationism) or lesser (mention creationism as a “belief”) extent. I saw a breakdown by political affiliation and more than half of LIBERALS thought that creationism shouldn’t be ignored in science class. It wouldn’t be “fair”.
This is what really gets me. The idea that we should include some brand of creationism in science because it’s only “fair” or “democratic”, since so many people (at least so many loud ones) want it included. I’m here to tell you: Science is not “fair”. It does not provide equal time to all points of view. It is not egalitarian. It is ruthless. It is critical. It is discerning. There is room for dissention and discussion, but never room for compromise. Two plus two must always equal four, and if you disagree with that, you have a long uphill climb before anyone is going to give you the time of day.
The forces arrayed against science in America have taken a strangely post-modernist stance where the only truth is in the mind. As my friend Bill describes it, it appears to be the ultimate triumph of Jacques Derrida.
I enjoyed your article, too: informative and, yes, creepy. I wish I had better news for you, but ever since Bush got into office, there has been a redefining of what makes truth, and not for the better. You might have noticed.
Max, thanks for your comments, too. I’m always happy when I can get someone to launch into a tirade in german! ;-)
Hudsonblick 03
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Charles:11.05.2005 um 04:53I sure showed them! ;-)
Critical Mass is a bike ride that happens once a month in many cities: on a given day (usually the last Friday of the month) at a given place, riders get together and then ride around the city. In NYC it reached the point where there were literally a thousand riders stretching from Union Square, down to Houston, over to Sixth Ave, and all the way back up to midtown. Then the cops closed in and it got a little dicey… Lately the city has been arresting people for riding witht his group: last month it was only 400 people, of whom 35 got arrested. These usually get thrown out once you get to court, but the arrest process and bike impoundment is punishment in itself. And cars just get tickets!
Hudsonblick 06
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Herzilein
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Hudsonblick 05
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Charles:08.04.2005 um 22:10OMFG, that was INSANE. When those guys make a point, it’s like they punch you in the nose with it over and over and harder each time until you’re screaming I GET IT! I GET IT! Especially in the episode where Kyle’s dad gets a species-change operation… Both of them had my jaw on the floor.
It’s also amazing how they can put out an episode relating to current events so quickly. They’re like the bloggers of cartoon-land!
Thank you for the kind comment,
C
FB-Webcam ist online
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Hudsonblick 05
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Charles (not in Iraq):07.04.2005 um 14:34Hi Christian,
Yes, borderline situations like the ones you mention keep the discussion lively. In Mrs. Schiavo’s case they spent years trying to get her brain working again, and by the time she died most of it had atrophied away completely. At some point, I think that heroic measures cross over from hopeful to ghoulish.Another interesting angle is that (at least here), even if a patient has made a choice to die quickly rather than make a slow descent through dementia to eventual death, it’s illegal for anyone to help them, even doctors.
Hudsonblick 04b
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Charles:01.04.2005 um 19:18It’s a little hard to work “ombudsman” into casual conversation, but when you can, look out!
Verblogt
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Hudsonblick 04
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Charles:18.03.2005 um 23:49Honestly, in a field as mature as logistics, AI isn’t exactly the right word for it. The basic problems turns out to look a lot like the classic Travelling Salesman Problem (http://www.tsp.gatech.edu/), but in practice, of course, it’s never that simple!
Our ultimate goal was a completely automated dispatch system, and we fully expected to fail at this. But in the meantime we produced tools to assist the dispatchers and delivery people. Sort of the ‘cyborg’ approach, vs robotic.
First, I integrated geographical information into the delivery system, so that the dispatchers could have a geographical representation of the state of outstanding orders. One dispatcher laughed when he saw it because he said it reminded him of when he was in the Air Force.
I also developed software for a ruggedized palm pilot (http://www.amerbar.com/catalog/palm.asp) so that information awareness could be extended out into the field. This was in beta when the company went down. The ultimate plan was to gather every scintilla of data that we could about delivered orders (weight, location, time, etc, etc x100), and then apply statistical and machine learning methods to predict things like delivery times, problem orders, even order occurence. Philosophically, the plan was to use the past to destroy itself…
The bar was called Sugar Bar. You should look at the link I put in there, it was verrrry fancy!
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Hudsonblick 03
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Charles:12.03.2005 um 00:41Critical Mass is a group ride that a lot of cities do once a month. It looks like Berlin has one: http://www.fortunecity.de/olympia/adrenalin/95/
If it’s still going on, you should definitely give it a try. Safety in numbers!
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Charles:11.03.2005 um 23:06Riding a bike is really a special way to experience a city; more street-level than by car and more far-ranging than by foot. When I started riding a bicycle in NYC it competely changed my perception of the place.
Do you do the Critical Mass in Berlin? The one here is a blast, but the mayor has been cracking down on it since the Republican National Convention. But that’s another story…
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Charles:11.03.2005 um 20:01There are some other good videos on the same site. Put that high-speed connection to use!
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Charles:11.03.2005 um 19:13Hi Dirko,
sorry about that… but it’s just so COOL!OK, like the man said, the “death maze” link is a little bandwith intensive, but totally worth it!
PS: good luck with your license. Remember: speed is your FRIEND.
Bad hair day
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Hudsonblick 02
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Charles (not in Iraq):06.03.2005 um 16:17:-)
Sorry, Tanja, but I can’t blame the government for this one. All of my suffering has been self-imposed!
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Charles:05.03.2005 um 16:05Yes! Hard training for hard drinking!
I have to agree: exercise can actually make you a better drinker. You have more energy, need less sleep, etc. The curious thing is how once in a blue moon it works the other way. I remember once after a particularly brutal personal training session, I was in the locker room trying to keep from vomiting. My years of drinking excess had provided me with the mental tricks I needed to pull through…. (one breath at a time… every second you don’t throw up is another second behind you… one more second…)
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Charles:02.03.2005 um 22:00Sure enough, there’s someone doing both!:
Variously described as “the lunatic fringe of running” and “the drinking club with a running problem,” the Hash House Harriers are a worldwide group with some 350 chapters in the United States, including a dozen in Colorado.
http://harrier.net/primer/hashing.htmlprost!
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Hudsonblick 01
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Charles:25.02.2005 um 01:54Thanks, katha. Honestly, I think it’s better to experience a collapse of the global systems of commerce and government as a young person: better opportunities that way. The old people just get left out on ice floes or something.
Charles
(kind of stringy, probably doesn’t taste very good)
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Charles:24.02.2005 um 21:38LOL (*really* LOL) Hi Tanja!!
and the moral here is…. READ IT LOUD!
Thank you very much for your comments and hospitality. I’ll try to be a good guest on your computer :-)
Charles
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I’ll definitely check that out, thanks for the reference.
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I think I see… you’re just talking about hunting? Ethically speaking, that’s really a far cry from shooting paper. I’ll save my views on that for another occasion.
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It wouldn’t be a thread about guns if someone wasn’t being nasty! It’s an issue that courts strong opinions, I guess, or maybe we’re just not exposed to many nuanced views.
For my part, I’m generally in favor of letting people do what they want, and have fun how they want to, as long as they’re being safe and responsible. So if you’re having fun shooting in a safe and responsible manner, more power to you. Same for fucking!