Michael Hanscom

Enthusiastic ambivert. Geeky, liberal, friendly, curious, hopepunk; trying to be a good person. (he/him)

Links for July 30th through August 4th

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Sometime between July 30th and August 4th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • How Netflix Gets Your Movies to Your Mailbox So Fast — chicagotribune.com: "If you subscribe to the DVD-rental service, the Netflix warehouse, which you know must exist somewhere; which a P.O. Box on every Netflix envelope suggests does exist; which processes your Netflix queue with alarming efficiency; which you bet will be as magical as you imagined if you ever stumble on it, overrun with dancing Oompa Loompas in matching jumpsuits of Netflix red, is one of those mythical New Economy temples. Like an Amazon warehouse. Or an Apple warehouse. One imagines miles of pop ephemera between its brick-and-mortar walls — one imagines that limitless building from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' but with 15,000 copies of ' Confessions of a Shopaholic.' The truth is stranger."
  • Fla. Highrise Has 32 Stories, but Just 1 Tenant: "A large, circular fountain in front of the building is dry. The automatic glass doors that lead to the front lobby are locked. On the front desk is a guest sign-in sheet. The last entry: Feb. 13, 2009. [Over time,] the building grew more deserted. The lights on the pool and palm trees were off. Their garbage shoot was sealed, a trash bin placed in front of their unit instead. Despite the empty units, they faithfully parked in their assigned spot on the second story of the parking garage. Then those lights went off, too. Then there were security concerns. One night, someone pounded on their door at 11 p.m. They called the front desk at the next door building, which contacted police. A search turned up no one, though a pool entrance was open. Another morning they awoke to find lounge chairs in the pool."
  • Study: Redheads’ Extra Pain May Cause Fear of Dentists: "Studies have indicated that redheads may be more sensitive to pain and may need more anesthetics to numb them. New research published in this month's Journal of American Dental Association found that painful experiences at the dentist might cause more anxiety for men and women with red hair, who were twice as likely to avoid dental care than people with dark hair." This report does not surprise me in the least. Three guesses as to why, and the first two don't count.
  • 10 Worst Evolutionary Designs: "8 Slug genitalia. Some hermaphroditic species breed by wrapping their sex organs around each other. If one of said members gets stuck, the slug simply chews it off. What. The. Hell?"
  • Northwesterners not acclimated for record heat: "You might find it hard to believe at the moment, but your body was built for heat. Experts say humans are remarkably adept at coping with high temperatures — but that doesn't lessen the misery for Northwesterners who saw temperatures records topple Wednesday as Sea-Tac airport reached 103 degrees." Some interesting facts and tidbits in this article about how our bodies deal with heat, and how we acclimate.

Links for July 28th through July 29th

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Sometime between July 28th and July 29th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • TV Tropes: "Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. On the whole, tropes are not clichés. The word clichéd means "stereotyped and trite". In other words, dull and uninteresting. We are not looking for dull and uninteresting entries. We are here to recognize tropes and play with them, not to make fun of them." Much fun. Of particular interest: the Viewer Friendly Interface primarily used as a front-end for Magical Databases. Found through this fun MetaFilter post about the silliness of CSI and similar shows.
  • Welcome to the Hottest Day Ever?: "In what is shaping up to be the hottest day ever recorded in Seattle, the forecasted high temperature is 101 degrees. And actually, now that the east wind is here, that could end up being conservative. At 8 a.m., it was 82 degrees in Seattle. To put that in perspective, the day it hit 100 degrees, it was 73 degrees at 8 a.m. So we are well ahead of the pace."
  • Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana Talk Upskirts, Empowerment: Saldana: "If we continue, as women, to see this as a battle, it will take so much energy away from what we are. What it takes is education. When I have to fight an army of men, and try to convince them that I should wear pants for an action scene, where I'm running from one building to another, and jumping, and they are convinced that I should do it in a short skirt and Gucci boots — fighting that small battle takes education. We are trying to teach how a women should be created, and how a woman should be treated. [When a male creator does get it right, the correct response is] a little pat on the head like 'You did it.' (She says this, like she's talking to a small child or a puppy.)"
  • Speechless: Dilbert Creator’s Struggle to Regain His Voice: "The rules changed all the time–sometimes day to day, sometimes hour to hour–and whenever he tried to recite them, people thought, 'This guy is nuts.' The rules dictated when and where Scott Adams, the chief engineer of the Dilbert comic empire, was allowed to speak. He could neither control them nor predict exactly when they'd go into effect. All he knew was that he'd woken up one morning and found that his voice had turned against him, imposing a set of bizarre restrictions."
  • Is This the Stupidest Person Ever? (VIDEO): "We can be rich in cotton and mining metals and silkworms and we can makes things, we can make things cars, the machine can make it for us…on the East Coast they have slaves and they believe in slavery and made in China, but on the West Coast, the new West Coast, we don't believe in that. We believe in the union and that's what we are."

Hottest Day Ever!

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Hottest Day Ever!

Hottest Day Ever!, originally uploaded by djwudi.

I’ts official: as of 2:38 this afternoon (though this iPod screenshot was taken about an hour later), today is the hottest day in Seattle history! This is actually the second high temperature record set today, as temperatures last night only dropped to 71 degrees, breaking the previous record for highest low temperature…which had been set (well, okay, tied) the night before.

Links for July 23rd through July 28th

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Sometime between July 23rd and July 28th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • Sarah Palin’s Farewell Address — Full Transcript: I hadn't actually read this until just now, but it's a piece of work. Not a good piece of work, mind you. In fact, the best way to get a feel for it is through one of the best bits I've ever seen from the Conan O'Brien show: William Shatner reading from Palin's farewell speech. The perfect combination of performer and source material.
  • UW Probability Forecast: "No weather forecast is perfect; when a forecaster provides information about tomorrow's high temperature, there is a certain amount of inaccuracy implied in the figure. Variations in elevation, geography and terrain, in addition to the inherently unpredictable nature of the weather, all contribute to these inaccuracies. However, while any well-considered forecast attempts to land as close to the truth as possible, traditional weather forecasts include no information relating to just how accurate they can expect to be, or the likelihood of an outcome that, while not the most probable eventuality, could still have a significant chance of happening. The UW probcast web site attempts to address these omissions."
  • #EAFail Link Roundup: "#EAFail is a total clusterfuck of misogyny and pandering to the lowest common denominator. Here are a bunch of resources on it. (Last updated July 25 at 8:45 AM EST.)" (Regarding the Electronic Arts ComiCon 'game' from the Dante's Inferno team encouraging sexual harassment of the booth babes.)
  • EA Puts Sexual Bounty on the Heads of Its Own Booth Babes: "At Comic Con, if you commit 'an act of lust' with an EA booth babe and take a picture, you could win dinner with said babes, as well as a great big pile of prizes related to the upcoming Dante's Inferno. That's right, the babes won't just get the standard behavior and awkward advances–if someone is really obnoxious, they get rewarded for it, and then you get to see them again socially!" Worse: the EA flyer actually says any booth babe, not just EA's. So they're encouraging sexual harassment against every booth babe at ComiCon. Yeah…great idea, guys.
  • ReasonableAgreement.org | the Small Print Project: "READ CAREFULLY. By [accepting this material|accepting this payment|accepting this business-card|viewing this t-shirt|reading this sticker] you agree, on behalf of your employer, to release me from all obligations and waivers arising from any and all NON-NEGOTIATED agreements, licenses, terms-of-service, shrinkwrap, clickwrap, browsewrap, confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-compete and acceptable use policies ('BOGUS AGREEMENTS') that I have entered into with your employer, its partners, licensors, agents and assigns, in perpetuity, without prejudice to my ongoing rights and privileges. You further represent that you have the authority to release me from any BOGUS AGREEMENTS on behalf of your employer."

Is there an editor in the house?

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Something seems wrong about this paragraph, taken from the ‘textbook’ (actually a CD of Microsoft Word-generated HTML pages and some PowerPoint presentations) for my Domestic Violence class. Can you spot the goof?

However, two years after the release of the original Minneapolis police experiment, it was replicated in six other cities. The results from these new studies were much more supportive of the deterrent effect of arrest on domestic violence. Researchers in Milwaukee concluded that while arrest deters repeat domestic violence in the short run, arrests with brief custody increase the frequency of domestic violence in the long run. On and again kick Tracey in the head. After, three more officers arrived, they still allowed Charles to wander about the gathered crowd and the other hand, these replicative experiments have also been criticized for several reasons, including the failure to properly replicate the Minneapolis experiment. Thus, although not conclusive, there is some support to suggest that arrest has an effect in delaying, if not deterring, further incidences of domestic violence.

Amusingly, apparently someone did notice this, as there’s a hyperlinked footnote that says, “Who Kicked Tracey in the head? This paragraph does not flwo together….Charles wandered the croud, which replicative statements?” Guess that got missed before finalizing the files for the CD duplication.

Links for July 22nd from 08:52 to 15:24

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Sometime between 08:52 and 15:24, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know: "These are just ten ways that you can protect your privacy on Facebook. While there are a few other small things to keep in mind, these ten settings are most important. While you may not want to configure all of the privacy settings outlined, simply knowing how to do so is a great step in the right direction. By following the 10 settings listed above you are well on your way to an embarrassment free future on Facebook!"
  • CitySounds.fm – the Music of Cities: "CitySounds.fm lets you listen to the latest music from cities around the world. The most active cities and the list is constantly changing as new music is being created. Tracks and city information is fetched from the SoundCloud API – updated in real time as new tracks roll into SoundCloud. Additionally, images for each city are fetched from Flickr. Really nice! Go and explore!!"
  • 100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About: "There are some things in this world that will never be forgotten, this week's 40th anniversary of the moon landing for one. But Moore's Law and our ever-increasing quest for simpler, smaller, faster and better widgets and thingamabobs will always ensure that some of the technology we grew up with will not be passed down the line to the next generation of geeks."
  • The 10 Best Animated Movies for (Traumatizing) Kids: #9: The Incredibles: "Now, we're not for the dumbing down of American entertainment, but when your film' funniest moment is a montage of death scenes (where Edna demonstrates the danger of capes) you might want to reconsider marketing your film to children."
  • 88 Lines About 44 Women (Official Video): "In the 30 years since 88 LINES ABOUT 44 WOMEN was first recorded there has never been a video version authorized by THE NAILS. Of the dozens of videos on youtube that pay homage to the song, this is the only version created by a member of the band, me. So, here's the world premier of 88 LINES the video. Hope you enjoy it. I had fun making it." NSFW in, as Boing Boing put it, a "1950s National Geographic sort of way." (Or just go straight to the video on YouTube.)

Your Cellphone Can Kill

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I’ve had a guideline in my head for some time that I haven’t always followed as closely as I should. From here on out, I’m going to be making a much more determined effort to follow through.

If I can tell that you are talking to me on a cell phone while driving, I will hang up after asking you to call me back later.

I don’t care if you’re friend, family, job recruiter, Trent Reznor, or Barack Obama. Do not call me while driving. It’s stupid and dangerous to yourself and anyone around you.

There really shouldn’t need to be much explanation on this one, but just in case, here’s excerpts from two recent articles from the New York Times that essentially confirm what should be blatantly obvious to everyone.

Driven to Distraction: Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cellphone Risks

Extensive research shows the dangers of distracted driving. Studies say that drivers using phones are four times as likely to cause a crash as other drivers, and the likelihood that they will crash is equal to that of someone with a .08 percent blood alcohol level, the point at which drivers are generally considered intoxicated. Research also shows that hands-free devices do not eliminate the risks, and may worsen them by suggesting that the behavior is safe.

Five states and the District of Columbia require drivers who talk on cellphones to use hands-free devices, but research shows that using headsets can be as dangerous as holding a phone because the conversation distracts drivers from focusing on the road. [Not to mention all the people in Washington who blatantly ignore the law and don’t even use hands-free headsets, because we wussed out and passed a watered-down, ineffectual law that is practically pointless. -mh]

[Simulation-based] research, showing that multitasking drivers are four times as likely to crash as people who are focused on driving, matches the findings of two studies, in Canada and in Australia, of drivers on actual roads.

The highway safety administration estimates that drivers using a hand-held device are at 1.3 times greater risk of a crash or near crash, and at three times the risk when dialing, compared with others who are simply driving.

Research also shows that drivers conversing with fellow passengers do not present the same danger, because adult riders help keep drivers alert and point out dangerous conditions and tend to talk less in heavy traffic or hazardous weather.

“There is zero doubt that one’s driving ability is impaired when one is trying to have a cellphone conversation — whether hands-free or hand-held, it doesn’t matter,” said David E. Meyer, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.

In fact, some scientists argue that hands-free laws make driving riskier by effectively condoning the practice.

U.S. Withheld Data on Risks of Distracted Driving

[The] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration…decided not to make public hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the use of phones by drivers — in part, officials say, because of concerns about angering Congress.

The former head of the highway safety agency said he was urged to withhold the research to avoid antagonizing members of Congress who had warned the agency to stick to its mission of gathering safety data but not to lobby states.

Critics say that rationale and the failure of the Transportation Department, which oversees the highway agency, to more vigorously pursue distracted driving has cost lives and allowed to blossom a culture of behind-the-wheel multitasking.

“We’re looking at a problem that could be as bad as drunk driving, and the government has covered it up,” said Clarence Ditlow, director of the Center for Auto Safety.

Mr. Ditlow said that putting fears of the House panel ahead of public safety was an abdication of the agency’s responsibility.

“No public health and safety agency should allow its research to be suppressed for political reasons,” he said. Doing so “will cause deaths and injuries on the highways.”

Links for July 20th from 08:37 to 16:27

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Sometime between 08:37 and 16:27, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • Palin’s Resignation: The Edited Version: "If you watched Sarah Palin's resignation speech, you know one thing: her high-priced speechwriters moved back to the Beltway long ago. Just how poorly constructed was the governor's holiday-weekend address? We asked V.F.'s red-pencil-wielding executive literary editor, Wayne Lawson, together with representatives from the research and copy departments, to whip it into publishable shape. Here is the colorful result."
  • Woodstock Concert’s Undercover Lovers, Nick and Bobbi Ercoline, 40 Years After Summer of Love: The blanket-wrapped couple seen on the cover of the original Woodstock soundtrack album is still together. "They discovered it while at a friend's house listening to the album and passing around the gatefold jacket. First, Nick recognized the famous yellow butterfly staff in the left corner. 'It belonged to this guy Herbie,' Nick says. 'We latched on to him that day because he was having a very bad experience. He was tripping pretty heavily and he had lost his friends. After I saw that staff I said, 'Hey that's our blanket.' Then I said, 'Hey, that's us.''"
  • Best Correction Ever?: July 17, 1969, The New York Times: "Further investigation and experimentation have confirmed the findings of Issac Newton in the 17th Century and it is now definitely established that a rocket can function in a vacuum as well as in an atmosphere. The Times regrets the error."
  • Let’s Do the Time Warp Again! Offsite Time Machine Backups: "There's a new kid on the block with a different approach to offsite backup — Time Warp. This US$25 Mac application (free during the beta period) takes your Time Machine backups, compresses and encrypts them with 256-bit AES encryption, and then uploads them to your personal Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) account. "
  • We All Shine on in New Proof of Bioluminescence: "Next time that someone says that you're glowing, check that they don't mean it literally. Researchers in Japan have finally managed to prove the existence of the human body's bioluminescence with these first-ever pictures of the body's natural shine."