Category: Life

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Life

Why We Blog

Watch out! It's a blog fly!Dave Rogers: “Even that’s not my reason for abandoning social media, it’s just that I don’t want to be a part of it. I don’t want my photographs, my links to interesting stuff, my thoughts and opinions to be something that helps Facebook hold my friends captive.”

I’ve followed Dave for a number of years, since at least 2001. I’ve always loved his writing style. Anywho, I’ve said this before and I’m going to say it again. I started blogging in hopes of becoming a better writer. Along the way I’ve been able share my horrible opinions and make some really great friends.

I’ll continue to use this space as I see fit, and for as long as I continue to breathe. I think the social media craze has twisted what people believe a weblog is all about. I’ve seen friends talk about shuttering their sites because they don’t make money, or have a big enough following. I suppose that could be a problem if blogging is a business to you. For me it’s just a space to share my thoughts or vent or write about software or life. You get the picture. A weblog doesn’t have to be about social engagement or monetization. If it’s likes and retweets you crave, blogging may not be for you.

Welcome to my web front porch.

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Life Local

Fresno’s Fulton Mall

Fresno Bee: “For a spell, the plan worked. The mall was packed, and commerce thrived. Some businesses bragged that sales had risen by 40%. But by the end of the 1980s, all the major retailers were gone, their spaces filled by discount stores — or nothing at all.

It’s time now for the Fresno City Council to end this noble but unsuccessful venture and approve Mayor Ashley Swearengin’s plan to return vehicle traffic to Fulton.

The mayor has secured $16 million in federal grants to turn the six-block pedestrian mall into a two-way street — one with beautiful landscaping and sidewalks wide enough to accommodate the people who work and shop there now.”

I’m one of the folks that believes in the Fulton Mall. The plan to rip it out makes me sick. I don’t know what else to say.

This won’t fix downtown. For a thriving downtown you need to attract people, people that need services. How does ripping out the mall magically make businesses and, more importantly, people show up? Sure, it will attract a crowd, for a while, human curiosity and all, but what happens next? Where is the real plan? The plan to attract businesses and people downtown? That seems more important.

Remember the stadium project? That was supposed to fix downtown. Did it? No, it did not. What makes city leaders believe one street will fix it?

If they do this, I hope it works, but I just can’t see it happening and we will have lost yet another unique space in the Valley.

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Football Life Uncategorized

NFL: The Biggest Con

The Atlantic: “Nearly all NFL franchises are family-owned, converting public subsidies and tax favors into high living for a modern-day feudal elite.”

I love pro sports, and the NFL in particular, as much as the next person, but this is ridiculous. Of course the common folk will never attempt to stop the insanity because we love watching millionaire sports heroes take to the gridiron to play a game.

Here’s the kicker. We pay to go to the stadium, which isn’t cheap, and if you live in an area with a pro team you pay tax money to build and support luxury stadiums.

We’re sick.

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fun Life Movies

Christmas Movie List

Say 'Hi' to the Christmas Turkey!My brother, Jay, mentioned a few movies he thinks of as Christmas Movies; Christmas Vacation, Die Hard, and he gives honorable mention to Elf. Not a bad list. Believe it or not, I’ve never seen Christmas Vacation. Die Hard and Elf are great films, regardless of the season.

Here’s the list of movies we watch, I may miss a few, but here goes.

Of course we don’t watch A Christmas Story until Christmas Eve when TBS does 24 Hours of A Christmas Story. I watch it a few times while I’m wrapping presents for my wife late into Christmas Eve, because, you know, there’s nothing like waiting until the last minute to wrap your wife’s gifts, right?

UPDATE: 12/24 – Here’s a list that’s a bit on the dark side, I thought I’d add these while I was updating the list above.

Categories
Life

Pathetic

A wonderful bouquet of flowers.The New York Times: “Mary Elizabeth Phillips, a retired accountant, is fighting eviction from the rent-controlled apartment where she has lived for almost half a century. If her new landlords have their way, she will have to move in April, shortly after her 98th birthday, because they want to sell the units.”

It’s nice to see San Francisco embrace technology companies, but not at the expense of others. People that work in the city cannot afford to live there; teachers, police, and fire fighters have to live outside the city and commute. That feels wrong. I know it’s typically more costly to live in a city, but San Francisco is heading toward New York prices, a place only the rich can afford to live.

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Government Life

Big Brother

The Guardian: “But they obviously had zero suspicion that David was associated with a terrorist organization or involved in any terrorist plot. Instead, they spent their time interrogating him about the NSA reporting which Laura Poitras, the Guardian and I are doing, as well the content of the electronic products he was carrying. They completely abused their own terrorism law for reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism: a potent reminder of how often governments lie when they claim that they need powers to stop “the terrorists”, and how dangerous it is to vest unchecked power with political officials in its name.”

So, it looks like UK agencies are now working with the NSA to intimidate reporters.

It’s getting pretty disgusting.

Our once great nation needs a new name. I’m thinking The United States of Terror.

Clearly the terrorists have won. Our own country is no better than the creeps we’re trying to stop.

I would not be surprised, in the least, to see acts of domestic terrorism rise. People hate being mistreated and crap like this is enough to push rational people to the breaking point.

If it does happen it’ll be our own darned fault.

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Life Movies

The Moviegoing Experience

Cut, cut, cut!Hunter Walk: “But why? Instead of driving people like me away from the theater, why not just segregate us into environments which meet our needs. I’d love to watch Pacific Rim in a theater with a bit more light, wifi, electricity outlets and a second screen experience. Don’t tell me I’d miss major plot points while scrolling on my ipad – it’s a movie about robots vs monsters. I can follow along just fine.”

I love movies. I have since I was a boy. I remember seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey with my parents and thinking “why are these monkey’s freaking out over that black thing.” I was into it even though I was a little boy. The theater was dark and quiet. It was awesome. My parents were on either side of me, but I was alone, immersed in the film.

That’s the experience I love.

The experience you’re talking about is definitely not something I’d ever choose to participate in. It’s just not my thing.

But, and there’s always a but, I would be fine with a theater setting aside one, or two, screens for just such an experience as long as they don’t allow it to bleed into the other screens. Having a strict no talking, no text messaging, no annoying, policy in the others would be fantastic.

My wife and I love to visit a theater that caters to adults. They have two screens set aside for people over 21. They serve wine and beer and the theater seats are larger and more comfortable than a “normal” theater seat. I love it. It was clearly built for the kind of movie going experience I appreciate.

Hunter’s idea doesn’t appeal to me. I want to escape for a couple hours and enjoy a movie.

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Development Jobs Life

Re: Senior Development Engineer

[redacted],

As much as I love the idea of this, I’m just not the right guy for the job. I just don’t have the energy to stand in front of a whiteboard an answer code questions for eight hours straight.

I love [redacted], I really do, and I wish you all the best in your search for a developer to fill this position.

Rob

Categories
Government Life

No longer the Land of the Free

Michele Catalano: “This is where we are at. Where you have no expectation of privacy. Where trying to learn how to cook some lentils could possibly land you on a watch list. Where you have to watch every little thing you do because someone else is watching every little thing you do.”

It’s really quite sad we’ve come to this. In days long since past people would’ve started wars over things like this. Not today. Today we move along, more worried about our followers or likes than our own elected officials watching every little move we make.

Big brother. Yes, indeed.

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Life Sports

Form vs. Function