probably the last update

I've given up on writing a blog because it was too much work.(EDIT 4/29/2014: I'D KILL A MAN IF IT MADE TOO MUCH WORK, AS LONG AS SOMEONE PAID ME)

I have now instead gotten into podcasting, which it turns out is much more work.

Go to Untitled 1 Show for all your Dusty content needs! I'll keep this space around in case I need it, I guess.

Thanks for reading! I had so much fun writing this, and every now and then it's fun to go back and read... it's like a photo album, but with words instead.

Facebook Breaks Its Own Privacy Rules

I have public search disabled on my Facebook account. Facebook is for my friends and I to keep in touch, not for strangers, stalkers, and marketers to search for my name and find me.

However, as you can clearly see from the image, my name and facebook page appears in the first page of Google results for my name -- on FACEBOOK JAPAN.

I have never been to Japan, I do not speak Japanese, and I 100% surely have never been on facebook.jp. Also, Boulder, CO is not in Japan. This appears to be a clear violation of Facebook's own privacy policy.

a rare moment of candor

“What you are observing is a continuation of where we have been for a doggone long time,” he said. “The trouble is you all are looking for news and there ain’t no news.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), via New York Times.

I'm a bit skeptical that health-care legislation will be on the President's desk by the end of the year. Discussion is just now turning from boilerplate to details (maybe). Between the progressives and blue dog (blue cross?) dems in the House, and the "necessity" of bipartisan agreement in the Senate, plenty of competing interests have the power to get something concrete out of this deal.

Hopefully the White House can effectively keep Congress from doing what it would like the most: nothing at all. For the time being, though, we all are looking for news... and there ain't no news.

independence day

Unsurprisingly, President Obama says everything I thought better than I could. From my inbox:

Our country began as a unique experiment in liberty -- a bold, evolving quest to achieve a more perfect union. And in every generation, another courageous group of patriots has taken us one step closer to fully realizing the dream our founders enshrined on that great day.

Today, all Americans have a hard-fought birthright to a freedom which enables each of us, no matter our views or background, to help set our nation's course. America's greatness has always depended on her citizens embracing that freedom -- and fulfilling the duty that comes with it.

As free people, we must each take the challenges and opportunities that face this nation as our own. As long as some Americans still must struggle, none of us can be fully content. And as America comes ever closer to achieving the perfect Union our founders dreamed, that triumph -- that pride -- belongs to all of us.

So today is a day to reflect on our independence, and the sacrifice of our troops standing in harm's way to preserve and protect it. It is a day to celebrate all that America is. And today is a time to aspire toward all we can still become.

Plenty to reflect on without considering our place as a steward of the planet, or far-reaching American cultural influence. I am confident those who would sacrifice our liberty for a little security (or political influence) will steer the ship of America again in my lifetime. I am equally confident they will never set its course.

that's a big picture

it just occurred to me that the flatirons on display in my image header were frosted over.

boulder is apparently a rainforest now; the yard is like ten different flavors of lush. the flatirons, of course, are spiked up in all their cleaved glory; i updated with the first hit on Google Images until i take a more appropriately sized picture.

it's the absolute least i can do, for now.

quarterly update: HANG UP AND DRIVE

So I'm riding my bike to work yesterday.

I hit the button for the crosswalk lights on Baseline. Colorado state law mandates all traffic must stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk when lights are flashing. I don't like to hold up rush-hour traffic for very long, so when I see the left and right lanes of the 3 eastbound traffic lanes stop, I start pedaling as hard as I can.

Luckily, I am a slow biker. A woman flew through the middle lane going 30-35 mph, talking on her cellphone. I had to swerve right and brake as hard as I can, and I still only missed her by a matter of inches. I doubt she was ever aware of my existence.

Consequently, I feel I have no choice but to put to paper these suggestions for motorists and pedestrians in Boulder.

1) HANG THE FUCK UP AND DRIVE. I am going to die young, and it is going to be by the hands of a young woman talking on her cellphone, violating traffic laws and striking me or my vehicle at comparatively high speed. I swear they're hunting me down.

2) Don't like bikes on your sidewalks? STOP FUCKING WALKING IN BIKE LANES. Multi-use paths in Boulder have clearly marked bike lanes and walking lanes. When you and your six friends decide you can't stand to walk behind one another, it makes it nigh impossible for me to pass you. When you are making out with your wife in the middle of the bike lane, it makes it difficult for me to pass you. When you are talking on your phone, walking into oncoming bike traffic, and shoot ME a dirty look when I ring my bell at you, it makes me want to ride my bike 15mph all over your campus sidewalks.

3) LISTEN. I see you people with your headphones. I wear them when I'm riding sometimes, even though I know it's illegal. I give you a wide berth because I assume you cannot hear me when I ring my bell 15 times.

If, however, you are NOT wearing headphones.... FUCKING PAY ATTENTION. That ringing sound is me alerting you to my presence. Gather your group on one side of the street or the other. I always assumed proper etiquette was, upon hearing a bell ring, to look behind you and basically hold still until the biker passed. Apparently this is wrong, for pedestrian groups in Boulder immediately scatter to cover all available pavement when they hear a bike bell. I know I probably startled you, but think about how scared you'd be if I flew by you without any kind of warning, or crashed into you when you made a sudden move into my path. Take a second and LOOK THE FUCK AROUND BEFORE DECIDING WHERE TO GO. I nearly had a head-on crash with another biker going ~20mph down University Hill last week because two shitbags couldn't figure out that the walking lane was on the RIGHT and the bike lanes were on the LEFT, and my insistent bell-ringing only confused them more.

Also, to the group of eight people at the bottom of Uni Hill that ignored my bell-ringing even as I was passing them... thanks. It's good to see that you're not so full of yourselves that you can pay attention to potentially dangerous situations as they occur around you.

Also, to all the walkers who pull their friends aside as I roll past, all the motorists that give me a wide berth when I'm riding alongside them in the bike lane, and to all the bikers who faithfully hand-signal, ring their bells, and use their lights at night.... THANK YOU. Boulder's bike trails are incredibly expansive and absolutely fucking amazing, and I love being able to ride them around our beautiful city. You people are what keep me from a murderous rampage.

IOKIYAR 2009

(IOKIYAR: It's Okay If You're A Republican)

From The Washington Post:

"Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company run by his sister for services that were never performed, his finance chairman from that campaign has told federal prosecutors."

Tom Daschle's accountant screws up his taxes, and his career ends. Michael Steele pays his wife (one could even say himself) for work she never did, and he's elected Chairman of the RNC. Welcome to the United Snakes... land of the theif, home of the slave...

North Dakota, in a Facebook comment

When people ask me about North Dakota, I generally tell them that it's just like the rest of America, except maybe seven or so years in the past.

This comment, from a facebook-friend of a facebook-friend, very neatly encapsulates all of the details and nuance contained within being a lifelong resident of North Dakota.

"Dude The zoo Bar in Drayton Rocks haha Where else could u do a burn out with a motercycle in the middel of the bar and the bartender just gose oh well as long as he makes it though the door it ok haha"

So, once again, thank yous to PokerStars and a certain special someone from the Green Mill; without you I would never have escaped.

Early Morning Deep Thought #1

For eight years, the congressional and executive parts of the Republican party united in spirit. They universally delighted in saying "fuck you" to anyone who opposed any of their policy goals. You don't like the idea of tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of Americans? Fuck you. You don't like a doctrine of pre-emptive, endless war? Fuck you. You don't like energy policy made in secret by industry lobbyists? Fuck you. You don't like torture, spying, retribution, illegal politicking, gerrymandering, and favoritism? Fuck fuck fuck, fuck fuck fuck... you, you, you, you, you, and you.

President Obama finds himself in office atop an avalanche of mandate. Newly-elected Democrats find themselves in office riding said avalanche, along with our new President's coattails. The first and loudest appointment to his staff was DNC finger-breaker Rahm Emanuel.

So, I ask you, Democrats of Washington... what will be our "fuck you" moment? There must be at least one... right?

solving fglrx issues with EnvyNG

(355 days since last post. It's nice to be back.)

I run Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid) on a Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop, posessing an AMD Sempron processor and and ATI Express 1150 graphics card. ATI/NVIDIA's laptop graphics card driver set, "fglrx," is not my favorite piece of software, and has been the only sticking point in my otherwise-awesome Linux experience.

This article compelled me to install some additional updates to Ubuntu, hoping to protect my lappy's HD from total destruction due to over-parking. Unfortunately, the series of updates broke the tenuous bonds between fglrx and xorg.conf. I was left unable to uninstall fglrx through either traditional channels or X.

EnvyNG (or Envy Legacy for Gutsy and older versions of Linux) is a handy little script that will detect the proper NVIDIA/ATI driver for your laptop and install it. It can also scrub all traces of fglrx's unholy influence from your xorg.conf file and allow you to re-install it cleanly should the need arise, which neatly solved my problem.

Next demon: during boot, GRUB spits out "MP-BIOS error 8254: timer not connected to IO-AIPC." Solution shall be posted forthwith.

presidential

Never has a person called me to action like this. Never have I been, from any role model, peer, teacher, comrade, or fellow degenerate, never once have I been exhorted to put my energies to such immediate use. Not in two years, not when I'm on my feet, not when I can really focus on the little things... none of that. Today. Now.

hulu

hulu test post

obama for (democratic candidate for) president

A speech given by Barack Obama, thanking Iowa voters for their support a week before the caucus. I think it's pretty rare to read or hear of something this inspiring - when was the last time you heard a Republican say anything with this kind of conviction and oratorical finesse?

I never thought it was such a bad little tree

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Luke 2:8-14

Web 3.0

Something crazy just happened.

I took my last turn at Facebook Scrabble aka 'Scrabulous,' and having finished my FB adventures for the day, was about to watch some internet cartoons on adultswim.com.

Lo and behold, atop my facebook page, was an ad for Adult Swim Video. Wanting to reward AS and FB for their advertising partnership, I clicked it, and was brought directly to the page. Until now, I had never seen an ad for the exact thing I wanted at the time. More importantly, I had never seen an ad where my expression of interest was enough to get me the desired product. A perfect harmony of content delivery and accurate demographic research.

Web 2.0 is clearly old and busted; Web 3.0 is the new, as-yet-undiscovered hotness. Web 3.0 can only be:

a) an internet that uses itself
b) an internet that already knows where you want to go

imo we're on our way

today in history

1192: King Richard the Lion-Hearted is captured in Austria on his way home from the Crusades.

1606: The Virginia Company sets sail from England to build the first permanent English settlements in America.

1803: The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans.

1835: First signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence at Goliad, Texas.

1860: South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States.

1945: Peter Criss, drummer for KISS, is born.

1996: Carl Sagan, author and astronomist, dies at the age of 62.

1981: Dustin O'Connell, pseudo-intellectual slacker, is born.

(Wikipedia)

I like embedding video, just because I can.

telecom immunity is illegal and ill-advised

long video, worth watching. Props to Sen. Reid for pulling the FISA bill from the floor after veto threats and half a million emails descended on the Senate when Americans found out that the President wanted to protect phone companies who have already broken the law, at the President's request:

arkansas 1, rest of USA 0

North Dakota senator Byron Dorgan recently co-sponsored an amendment to the farm bill currently being extruded from Congress making subsidies unavailable to farms with more than $250,000 in annual income. (There are fewer than 100 farms like that in America.)

It didn't work out. And Arkansas senator Blanche Lincoln shares the blame. It's a variation on a theme that Republicans have been using to jam up the Democratic legislative agenda. It works great, which is probably why Sen. Lincoln, a Democrat, used it on her Majority Leader.

There are other, less counterproductive ways to make the point that all politics are local. Certainly the state of Arkansas benefits, but it does so at the expense of a perfect opportunity to show genuine discipline and leadership.

ping

this is not an advertisement for GEICO, though they are my insurer of choice.

that is all, for now.

wait, no it's not.

I feel like I'm working on a tiny, insignificant part of the Drawball, and people keep coming over and erasing it or painting over it, sometimes on purpose, but sometimes just because they're painting their own stupid crap and it runs over mine and they don't notice. The problem is that I'm actually working on a piece of a large picture on the Drawball, and they're fucking it all up. (metaphorically.)

WTF? Knock it off. (seriously.)

And finally, can you blend hockey pucks?

i like rice, 'cause it's a grain

i like rice, so i'm not insane!

Give some free rice to hungry people by playing this word-definition game. I'm at level 43 and I've only had two incorrect answers so far...

but I've had more than two lucky guesses.