Life on Mars http://kasei.us/ Confessions of a mangalavid junkie. en-us 2013-04-19T07:07:39-05:00 Benjamin comments on "'Genius' Bar" http://kasei.us/archives/2009/09/04/genius_bar#comments This is exactly what it’s like owning a PC, except I can only argue over the phone, not in person like you fancy Mac owners. P.S. How’s that Mac virus software? :P This is exactly what it’s like owning a PC, except I can only argue over the phone, not in person like you fancy Mac owners.

P.S. How’s that Mac virus software? :P

]]> Benjamin 2009-09-11T00:52:07-05:00 Gunnar comments on "'Genius' Bar" http://kasei.us/archives/2009/09/04/genius_bar#comments Can I wager a guess? The “genius” bar is not for people with a comp-sci education? It sounds more like a mac alternative to the windows-adware-removal services you get. Anyway, my macbook pro has problems sleeping even with 10.4 - it will sometimes randomly wake up for a few minutes and go back to sleep, all with the cover closed. I would worry more if I carried it around more often I guess. Now I just see it as a bit of tossing and turning - perhaps worrying that one day I’ll install linux on it. Can I wager a guess? The “genius” bar is not for people with a comp-sci education?

It sounds more like a mac alternative to the windows-adware-removal services you get.

Anyway, my macbook pro has problems sleeping even with 10.4 - it will sometimes randomly wake up for a few minutes and go back to sleep, all with the cover closed. I would worry more if I carried it around more often I guess. Now I just see it as a bit of tossing and turning - perhaps worrying that one day I’ll install linux on it.

]]> Gunnar 2009-09-05T02:46:51-05:00 Norman Gray comments on "Pirate Party?" http://kasei.us/archives/2009/06/01/pirateparty#comments Greg: There was a recent decent note about the Pirate Party in the Guardian at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jun/11/pirate-party-sweden Also, it seems from the wikipedia page that there’s quite a lot of respectable popular sentiment in Sweden in favour of fielsharing. I think that part of the context is that non-profit uploading is (or was) arguably not illegal under Swedish copyright law, and that the recent action against Pirate Bay was (perceived as being) driven by US commercial interests. It certainly adds to the gaity of the nation…. Norman Greg: There was a recent decent note about the Pirate Party in the Guardian at http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jun/11/pirate-party-sweden Also, it seems from the wikipedia page that there’s quite a lot of respectable popular sentiment in Sweden in favour of fielsharing.

I think that part of the context is that non-profit uploading is (or was) arguably not illegal under Swedish copyright law, and that the recent action against Pirate Bay was (perceived as being) driven by US commercial interests.

It certainly adds to the gaity of the nation….

Norman

]]> Norman Gray 2009-06-11T10:45:10-05:00 Matt comments on "Ice Storm" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/12/15/icestorm#comments Do you have anyone checking up on the house while your gone? My parents are also without power and per the electric company its going to be at least another week or so(there goes Xmas). We do have a generator though so at least there’s heat and water…but thats about it… Do you have anyone checking up on the house while your gone? My parents are also without power and per the electric company its going to be at least another week or so(there goes Xmas). We do have a generator though so at least there’s heat and water…but thats about it…

]]> Matt 2008-12-17T06:39:54-05:00 David Pisoni comments on "Election" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/11/06/election#comments I personally line up with some of the insta-pundits who claim that the No On 8 campaign failed to deliver. Particularly, I think they lost control of the message of what voting no on 8 actually meant practically: there was a great deal of FUD laid out by the Yes On 8 people, and the No On 8 people did too little to counter it.

Although it defies logic to those who understand how the initiative system works, apparently people believed that voting “no” would actually cause changes to the status quo. Apparently these changes would effect “the children”, so they had to be stopped.

I think this is the issue that swung people who otherwise either nominally supported homosexual marriage or were indifferent to the issue towards the “yes” camp. And I think that the smart folks who were promoting the “no” side underestimated the gullibility of some folks.

I have no science to back this up, I’m just another insta-pundit blowhard.

Incidentally, if you want to see an interesting discussion about the civil liberty issue, see the über-long comment thread that followed my Facebook status update “David believes amendments to the constitution (even state constitution) should increase, not decrease liberty.”

Not sure if this link will work for you, but you can try it: http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=709540162&v=feed&story_fbid=33559435841

]]> David Pisoni 2008-11-06T16:21:32-05:00 Uldis comments on "Happy Halloween" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/10/31/halloween#comments That’s one nice pumpkin! ;-D Happy Halloween! That’s one nice pumpkin! ;-D

Happy Halloween!

]]> Uldis 2008-10-31T22:25:50-05:00 David Pisoni comments on "Mozilla leads push to reimagine Web browsers" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/08/05/mozilla#comments But it’s VRML for the SemWeb! Aren’t you supposed to be excited? But it’s VRML for the SemWeb! Aren’t you supposed to be excited?

]]> David Pisoni 2008-08-10T12:47:24-05:00 useEvil comments on "New York" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/06/22/newyork#comments I just got this for my Prius. If you haven’t done it, you should try it. I’m still trying to reap the benefits, but the battery drains a lot quicker and takes longer to recharge. Since your Prius is more recent, you may have a better battery. http://www.juicedhybrid.com/Prius-Electric-Mode-Only-p/evmode.htm I just got this for my Prius. If you haven’t done it, you should try it. I’m still trying to reap the benefits, but the battery drains a lot quicker and takes longer to recharge. Since your Prius is more recent, you may have a better battery.

http://www.juicedhybrid.com/Prius-Electric-Mode-Only-p/evmode.htm

]]> useEvil 2008-07-29T13:51:09-05:00 dara comments on "Jimmy Eat World" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/04/29/jimmyeatworld#comments Aw! I’m so jealous that you actually got to see a GOOD Jimmy Eat World concert! And I’m jealous you got to see Paramore too, I have their album Riot! and I think it’s pretty darn good. I’ll admit - I’m visiting your website for selfish reasons. I was hoping you’d have pictures from reunion. Did you go? Miss you! Aw! I’m so jealous that you actually got to see a GOOD Jimmy Eat World concert! And I’m jealous you got to see Paramore too, I have their album Riot! and I think it’s pretty darn good.

I’ll admit - I’m visiting your website for selfish reasons. I was hoping you’d have pictures from reunion. Did you go? Miss you!

]]> dara 2008-05-20T14:33:36-05:00 Jie comments on "Parking in Troy" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/04/18/parkingintroy#comments lol. I guess I will get a parking ticket sonner or later, as in the orintation day, the first question asked by the person in charge is that “haven’t you got a parking ticket from Tory city yet?”. - and it’s more expensive than midwest: Ames (Iowa) city only charged me $55 for towing before they clean up street snow some years ago. lol. I guess I will get a parking ticket sonner or later, as in the orintation day, the first question asked by the person in charge is that “haven’t you got a parking ticket from Tory city yet?”. - and it’s more expensive than midwest: Ames (Iowa) city only charged me $55 for towing before they clean up street snow some years ago.

]]> Jie 2008-04-24T22:37:17-05:00 Matt comments on "Google Street View" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/02/13/googlestreetview#comments Nice…Actually, if you look up my address you can see my car parked in the driveway too. Nice…Actually, if you look up my address you can see my car parked in the driveway too.

]]> Matt 2008-02-14T20:51:55-05:00 kasei comments on "Toll Discounts" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/02/05/tolldiscounts#comments I guess that makes sense for the bridges and tunnels. The Thruway Authority, on the other hand, shouldn’t be paying for the City subway system. I guess that makes sense for the bridges and tunnels. The Thruway Authority, on the other hand, shouldn’t be paying for the City subway system.

]]> kasei 2008-02-06T17:36:53-05:00 gary comments on "Toll Discounts" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/02/05/tolldiscounts#comments at least in new york city, the purpose of bridge and tunnel tolls is also to fund the subway system. so the implication in the article might not be as bad as you think. i’m somewhat conflicted on the question actually. i think it’s good to give reduced tolls to green vehicles since that helps reduce pollution. but at the same time you might be discouraging people from using transit, leading to increased congestion. at least in new york city, the purpose of bridge and tunnel tolls is also to fund the subway system. so the implication in the article might not be as bad as you think.

i’m somewhat conflicted on the question actually. i think it’s good to give reduced tolls to green vehicles since that helps reduce pollution. but at the same time you might be discouraging people from using transit, leading to increased congestion.

]]> gary 2008-02-06T17:21:53-05:00 gefilte comments on "The Candidates" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/01/10/candidates#comments The ABC thing seemed to fall in line with what you can expect from US commercial news outlets: watered-down swill. The glassbooth thing seemed an interesting approach, and at least produces an interesting result. (Case in point, my ABC result had Ron Paul in 3rd place. I’d sooner take a bath in acid than vote for that nutjob.) If you care, my glassbooth came up Kucinich, Gravel, Edwards. My Clinton score was higher than my Obama score (within 3 points though.) Truth is though, we don’t vote purely on issues. We’re not voting for vote-casting, policy-making automatons; we’re voting for people. I might actually rather see a president McCain over a president Kucinich, despite disagreeing with McCain on countless issues (43% glassboth match! :) But I think he could probably do the job (and I’m not convinced Kucinich could.) Of course, none of them has a hard act to follow. The ABC thing seemed to fall in line with what you can expect from US commercial news outlets: watered-down swill. The glassbooth thing seemed an interesting approach, and at least produces an interesting result. (Case in point, my ABC result had Ron Paul in 3rd place. I’d sooner take a bath in acid than vote for that nutjob.)

If you care, my glassbooth came up Kucinich, Gravel, Edwards. My Clinton score was higher than my Obama score (within 3 points though.) Truth is though, we don’t vote purely on issues. We’re not voting for vote-casting, policy-making automatons; we’re voting for people. I might actually rather see a president McCain over a president Kucinich, despite disagreeing with McCain on countless issues (43% glassboth match! :) But I think he could probably do the job (and I’m not convinced Kucinich could.)

Of course, none of them has a hard act to follow.

]]> gefilte 2008-01-16T16:27:04-05:00 useEvil comments on "Boston Photography" http://kasei.us/archives/2008/01/13/bostonphotos#comments Awesome photos. Really? The Patriots. Really? The infamous “Tuck Rule” turned me against them forever. Too bad the Colts don’t play well in the playoffs, I think they’re 9/9 under Dungy and Manning. I hope the Patriots don’t win The Big Game Bowl (no trademark). I would prefer the Chargers beat the Patriots, but Steve Rivers deserves none of the glory that comes with that. Awesome photos.

Really? The Patriots. Really? The infamous “Tuck Rule” turned me against them forever. Too bad the Colts don’t play well in the playoffs, I think they’re 9/9 under Dungy and Manning. I hope the Patriots don’t win The Big Game Bowl (no trademark). I would prefer the Chargers beat the Patriots, but Steve Rivers deserves none of the glory that comes with that.

]]> useEvil 2008-01-14T15:20:52-05:00