Quote of the day: What changes your mind?

When thinking changes your mind, that’s philosophy.
When God changes your mind, that’s faith.
When facts change your mind, that’s science.

John Brockman, founder of the nonprofit Edge Foundation, Inc.

Athletic shorts, Man porn, CatalogChoice.org

Rewind four years. I wanted to buy some athletic shorts for the gym. Simple right?

I happened to be shopping on Amazon for other stuff so I figured, "Why not look?"

Amazon did happen to have some nice, modest athletic shorts. They weren't being sold directly by Amazon, but by through a company I had never heard of: Under Gear.

Whatever.

I put in my order and waited patiently.

The shipment was a bit of a surprise. The shorts were fine, but the Under Gear catalog they included--hmm--how to say this.

It's like a Victoria Secrets for guys.

Guys with no body hair.

Guys who like fishnet.

I mean, if you're into that sort of thing, fine.

Not really my cup-o-tea.

Anyway, they've followed me since. I figured moving would eliminate this "surprise" in the mail every three months.

Nope.

So recently, someone in my condo mentioned CatalogChoice.org in our little discussion group.

From their about page:

Catalog Choice is a free service that allows you to decide what gets in your mailbox. Use it to reduce your mailbox clutter, while helping save natural resources.

I've kept the page open in Firefox, but didn't jump on it.

My mail today gave me an excuse.

I also happened to get a 1-800-Flowers catalog, too. No doubt the result of remembering my mother's birthday.

Well as of five minutes ago, both of these fine companies have been politely asked to save a tree or two.

Crazy what inspires one to be environmentally conscious.

Oh, and if you want to buy a "collarless gauze shirt" or an "enhancement bikini", let me know.

I got the store for you.

My Brother, Opera Singer, in the New York Times

My brother John made his premiere in The Barber of Seville at the Met Opera, in New York.

From the review in the New York Times:

Jennifer Check (Berta) and John Michael Moore (Fiorello) were both first rate.

Not too bad for a first roll, huh? Next month I get to see him on stage--can't wait.

As I said before, you can hear him here.

As an aside, I coded some cool features in the NY Times Reader.

They never wrote about me though.

*sigh*

Sound's Presidential, Doesn't He?

Obama's Iowa Victory Speech

In other news, Huckabee takes first for the Republicans. Keep in up kids. Please, keep in up.

Video: Ken Miller on Intelligent Design

Wow! Check in out.

His content is generally fascinating, but he centers around the case of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District.

Ken Miller was an expert witness at the trial, in which a Bush-appointed judge concluded:

Teaching intelligent design in public school biology classes violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States (and Article I, Section 3 of the Pennsylvania State Constitution) because intelligent design is not science and "cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents."

His discussion and analysis are brilliant, in one case mentioning the famous textbook disclaimer stickers:

This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.

His reply was brilliant and simple: the stickers don't go far enough. The alternative:

This textbook has material on science. Science is built around theories, which are strongly supported by factual evidence. Everything in science should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.

He also references a comic that I have blogged about before:

 

Very funny. Very important.

Quote of the day

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

-Howard Thurman

Discovered via an email signature. Thanks, Briana.

Tell the world to ignore Bush on climate change.

From our friends at Avazz.org:

UN Climate talks in Bali, Indonesia are down to the wire to set new global emissions targets--but the Bush administration is trying to prevent any concrete agreement on cutting carbon.

Tell the world that President Bush doesn't speak for us. Sign the petition below, and Avaaz will deliver it to delegates in Bali--letting the Bush administration know that we don't agree with its obstructionism, and telling the world not to give up hope on Americans. We're ready for progress, even if our government is not.

Please, sign the petition.

Gift Cards Suck: don't give them as (Christmas) gifts

So I'm listening to the Marketplace podcast walking home tonight and on comes a brilliant commentary: Forget the gift cards, give cash.

Bottom line: if you can't figure out something to buy someone, you're silly if you think a gift card is some how better than just giving cash.

They are more inconvenient and they are rarely fully used. Merchants push them because--surprise, surprise--they know that any card not redeemed is pure profit.

If you really care about someone, give them something they can really use.

Or give them cash--which is something they can really use.

Gift cards are the worst of both worlds. Don't buy the hype.

And yes, I accept PayPal.

My younger brother is an opera singer. Wanna hear?

I really wanted to write "little" brother but he's probably an inch taller than me. I'm taller than my "big" brother, too. Funny how that works.

Anyway...

If you want to hear John Michael sing: http://www.myspace.com/johnmichaelmoore

As I've joked many times: we have about the same amount of hot air, he just uses his much more effectively.

Two thoughts on the picture.

1) Why do people always look angry in their glossy?

2) Can you tell we're related? Kinda freaky...

Cool stuff from Lessig: Corruption, Obama, Fox News Porn?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

New mission: Letter to the editor

I read an op-ed piece in the New York Times and it annoyed the heck out of me.

Taking Science on Faith, Paul Davies, November 24, 2007

His argument is as old as it is false: science is just another type of religion--another type of faith.

Somewhere between rolling my eyes and yelling at the ceiling I found a letter.

To the Editor:

Re "Taking Science on Faith" (opinion, Nov. 24):

Mr. Davies is confusing religious faith and scientific uncertainty. For instance, few scientists would claim to know with certainty that the pull of gravity applies universally. Science simply has faith that it does—with much compelling data in support of the theory and no compelling data to the contrary. This "faith" is still based upon objective observation and analysis. Likewise, the notion that there are fundamental principles that consistently explain the natural world is also a "faith" of science--a faith that has proven to be well founded since well before Copernicus, providing accurate predictions and useful knowledge. To conflate this scientific faith with religious faith--which offers no such record of accuracy or usefulness--is naïve at best; dangerous at worst.

Kevin Moore
Seattle, Washington, Nov. 26, 2007

Of course the Times has all sorts of rules about submitting a letter, but they were pretty straight forward.

I'm realistic about my chances of getting into the paper. To quote Cornel West "I'm not optimistic, but I'm hopeful".

So now I have a new mini-mission: get a letter-to-the-editor published in a major...uh...publication.

Assuming I'm an above-average writer, I think it's probably just a numbers game. Write a bunch of good letters and one is bound to get published.

Wish me luck...

Voting in Seattle, of course I missed one: Fuse

From the site: Fuse is focused primarily on securing major advances in progressive public policy for Washington State.

Of course these guys have a voter guide.

Sounds like we agreed on everything except SJR 8212.

I like their argument there.

Eh. To be considered.

Kevin's Seattle Voter Cheat Sheet

The Stranger does it. The Municipal League does it.

Why not me?

I go in order for folks in Seattle. Hope this helps. Would love your thoughts.

Initiative 960

Stranger says no. Muni League says no.

Tim Eyman is a jerk.

Kevin says no.

Initiative 67

Stranger says yes. Sounds good to me.

Kevin says yes.

SJR 8206, 8212

Stranger says no. I buy their argument.

Kevin says no.

HJR 4204, 4215

Stranger says yes. I buy their argument.

Kevin says yes.

Initiative 25

Stranger says no. MuniLeague says no.

Kevin says no.

King County Proposition 1 (Medic One)

Stranger says yes. I buy their argument.

Kevin says yes.

King County Prosecuting Attorney

MuniLeauge gives both candidates 'outstanding'. Stranger likes Sherman (the Dem). (Not that I like Dems, just that I don't like Republicans.)

Kevin says Sherman.

King County Assessor

MuniLeague gives Scott Noble 'outstanding' and James Nobels 'adequate'. Stranger likes Scott.

Kevin says Scott.

Port of Seattle Commissioner Position #2

MuniLeague gives Gael 'outstanding'. Stranger likes Gael.

Kevin says Gael.

Port of Seattle Commissioner Position #5

MuniLeague gives Fisken 'outstanding'. Stranger agrees.

Kevin says Fisken.

Transportation District

This one is a bitch. Stranger doesn't like it. The Sierra Club doesn't like it.

The MuniLeague likes it. FutureWise (a group I support a lot) likes it. Friends of Seattle likes it.

No proposal (especially of this size) is perfect. Given the list of supporters and my love of transit, I'm going for it.

Kevin's says yes to Roads and Transit.

Seattle Council #1

MuniLeague gives Godden and Szwaja both 'good'. Friends of Seattle likes Godden. Stranger likes Godden.

Kevin says Godden.

Seattle Council #3

MuniLeague gives Harrell and Velazquez both 'very good'. Friends of Seattle likes Harrell. Stranger likes Valazquez.

Damn, now I have to think.

Reading through endorsements and web sites, I'm going with Harrell.

Kevin say Harrell.

Seattle Council #7

MuniLeague gives Burgess 'outstanding'. Friends of Seattle likes Burgess. Stranger likes Burgess.

Kevin says Burgess.

Seattle Council #9

Stranger says Clark. Friends of Seattle says Clark. MuniLeague gives Clark 'very good'.

Kevin says Clark.

Seattle City Charter Amendment 17, 18

Stranger says yes on both. Sounds fine.

Kevin says yes.

Seattle School District 1

Pos #1
ML: Maier is outstanding.
Stranger: Maier is cool.

Kevin says Maier.

Pos #2
ML: Carr is outstanding. Flynn as 'very good'.
Stranger: Flynn. Says that Carr "stumbled on our basic questions about high-profile issues like intelligent design and student free speech".

Kevin says Flynn.

Pos #3
ML: Martin-Morris is 'very good'.
Stranger: reluctant endorsement.

Kevin says Martin-Morris.

Pos #6
ML: Ramirez and Sundquist are both 'very good'.
Stranger: Sundquist.

Kevin says Sundquist.

From the 'so cute it hurts' department

Via Neatorama.

Wonderfully Beautiful Moments...

Sitting in Online Coffee on 1st in Seattle.

A class of (what looked like) 1st graders walks by in their cute, colorful rain coats with hoods.

For some completely random reason, the teachers brings them up to the glass of the coffee shop...within inches of my seat.

She knocks on the glass and points to someone across the room from me.

All the little kids smile and wave...noses pressed to the glass.

Wonderful. Perfect.

Who says rainy days aren't beautiful.

Ken Burns talks about his new documentary on WWII

Another lucky Tuesday night.

KUOW. Word for Word.

Filmmaker Ken Burns on "The War"

From the National Press Club on September 19. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick

Check out the Documentary web site on PBS.org.

Now I really want to see this movie. Their commentary is eloquent and compelling.

Believing the Unbelievable: Sam Harris at the Aspen Ideas Festival

One of those happy accident. Sitting my car waiting for a friend on Tuesday when Word for Word came on KUOW.

The program: A clash between faith and reason?

You can listen to the talk using their flash audio player.

YouTube has the videos. Brilliant.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

I've read The End of Faith by Sam Harris. He's a bit argumentative, but the content is quite educational.

Fixed some dead links: 2008-01-01.

My Morals, Your Morals

Via Lauren, (from whom I shamelessly copy):

Via Andrew Sullivan, an interesting survey that assesses your attitudes about five basic “moral foundations” and allows you to compare your answers against others who have taken the test and self-identified as “liberal” or “conservative.”

Andrew took the survey to try to confirm or deny his assertion that he’s “still a conservative,” in spite of the stance he’s taken against Bush and his war.

I didn’t have too many doubts about which side of the issues I’d end up on…

This is my score. I'm green. Blue and Red are self-explanatory.

Like Lauren, I'm not surprised.

I really want to throw this at my 'conservative' friends and see how they come out.

We unlocked the iPhone

My buddy Sean and I grabbed lunch today (he's back from India, where he's cranking on his start-up).

The process took a while, but we found a great resource to walk you through: How to unlock the iPhone using the anySIM program.

The phone is not mine. It's for a friend of Sean.

In the end, I was able to call his T-Mobile number and it rang on the shiny new toy from Apple.

Cool.

I'm leaving Microsoft

A re-post from my work blog.

You read that correctly. September 14 is my last day at Building 10 on the Redmond Campus (well, at least as an employee).

Here is (most of) the goodbye email I sent to colleagues and friends last week.

Where to start. Iowa State. Fall of 1998. A career fair. I was a freshman looking for free stuff. The MS recruiter wanted to see a resume. I didn’t have one. (I didn’t think I would need one.) I ran back to my dorm, wrote enough to fill a single page, and brought it back to him.

Early that spring I flew to Sea-Tac and had an on-campus interview. (I was warned that that winter had 100 sunshine-less days.)

In May 1999 I showed up in Redmond for an internship. Building 25. I shared an office with a woman who’s a great friend to this day.

After 3 internships, a stint as a Microsoft Student Consultant at ISU, and 5 great years as an stock option award earning employee, I’m going to try something drastically different.

Friday, September 14 will be my last day in the office.

Monday, September 17 I’m going to work at a small, actuarial company building internal, web-based LOB apps.

• No, I’m not crazy. (At least I don’t think so.) It’s been almost a decade since I’ve built anything substantial end-to-end. I’ve got pretty good at designing the tiny pieces of something XXXL. I’d like to try my hand at implementing a huge pieces of something M.
• Yes, I’ll be staying in the area. Actually, working from home most days.
• Yes, it’s all .NET still. I’m actually looking forward to cranking on SQL, ASPX, WCF, Workflow, Linq, ADO Entities, etc.
• Yes, it’s hard to leave. I’ve been plugged into Microsoft since just after high school. It’s been a great ride. I’ve learned an amazing amount and met some amazing people. Recently though, I’ve realized that if I was ever going to unplug, it was never going to get easier than it is now.

http://j832.com is my web site. It mostly just links to my blogs. I plan to keep work.j832.com going for any WPF stuff I hack on. The other blog will be everything else. :-)

(If you want the j832 thing explained some time, just ask.)

I have two closing thoughts.

First, Doug Purdy shared a tag line that Don Box and he used on a presentation once: “There is only one program…and it’s still being written.” Microsoft was a gig. My new company is a gig. There will be gigs after. The gig is not the important thing. It’s the stuff you’re building. I love software because in the end it’s all about helping people record, explorer, and communicate thoughts, memories, and ideas. If we keep making that faster, easier and just better we will all still be working together...and making the world just a bit better.

Second, a video I discovered a couple months ago. While it was after I’d made most of my decisions, it does a good job of representing the stuff in my head right now…the stuff I’m trying to figure out. It’s absolutely worth sharing: http://blog.j832.com/2007/07/music-and-life.html

I will close out the way my good friend Robby did. A master of great design: simple and to-the-point.

Goodbye and thanks again,

>Kevin

Q: What does this mean for me, loyal reader of work.j832.com?
A: Hopefully not much. I plan to keep working with and blogging about WPF. I have some clever project ideas that I still want to hack on. A cool upside: I can actually collaborate in substantial ways with community members. I may blog a wider variety of stuff, but given the new job I'm sure it'll be mostly .NET-related. I'll keep my non-geek stuff on my personal blog: blog.j832.com.

Q: What about the bag-o-tricks?
A: The current URL (blogs.msdn.com/okoboji/pages/BagOTricks.aspx) is going to die when my MSDN blog dies. (I'm not sure about when that'll happen, actually.) So I'm introducing a new, even more stable home for the latest-and-greatest: j832.com/BagOTricks. I hope this will be valid as long as I remember anything about WPF and I pay my ISP bill.

Q: Are you planning any updates the bag?
A: Great question! I can't say much, but...um...expect great things from a lot of what's in the bag. (This is my subtle and evil way of leaning on Larry. Sorry dude.)

Q: What about the NetFX install stuff?
A: I'm going to hand this off and make sure that those who've emailed me are taken care of--hopefully by making the code generally available.

As I've said to many folks, I'm looking forward to the transition from a Microsoft High Priest for WPF to just another geek in the big city.

See you on the other side, my friends.