Sarah Palin on SNL: you'll cry until you laugh...and then you'll cry some more

Via Digg. Via Huffington Post.


[Link to clip at NBC.]

This is the 'real' interview in case you couldn't tell.


[Link to clip at YouTube.]

All I can say: thank God that Jesus wants McCain/Palin in the White House, or I'd be really scared.

And no, I'm mocking all Christians with my sarcasm--just those insane enough to think a conservative Christian social agenda makes up for a total lack of qualifications.

Either that, or I'm an evil liberal possessed by witches.

Cap Hill Yuppies Unite!

From the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog: How yuppie, hipster, gay are we?

Guessing most Cap Hill kids reading this are yuppies.

Trickle-down economics, family values, bombs, guns and religion

A reply to a reply.

From my perspective, Obama doesn't get it regarding the economy either.

First of all, no matter what you call it, he supports the principle of income redistribution. He will increase taxes on the wealthy, and distribute that money to lower/no income people. That principle does nothing but lower incentive to work, rather than getting people back into work that contributes to society. I believe private/individual assistance and charity, rather than government mandated charity, is the way to keep unemployment low, and to increase incentive and drive to work.

I also get a kick out of the "tax break" Obama has for the middle class. Sure, he might begin a new tax cut of $1,000, but the Bush tax cuts will be no more, which are bigger cuts than the $1,000. It's deceiving to get people excited about the tax break for the middle class, when the overall taxes will actually be higher.

I also don't like all of the big government Obama will initiate. Government, no matter who is in power, screws things up. Why put things like health insurance in their hands? And, if people who work but don't get health insurance through their employer are going to get it through the government, who is paying that bill? And what employer in its right mind is going to offer insurance to employers, when taxpayers can pick up the tab?

Well, let's start with experts.

According to a recent survey, 66% of economists support Obama, while 28% support McCain. (There is a link to details about methodology, etc.)

Second--skipping around a bit--the non-partisan Tax Policy Center has stated that most Americans will have lower taxes under Obama (PDF).

If I'm missing other independent analysis, I'd love to know about it.

Regarding the classic "trickle-down economics: good", "big government: bad" argument, I'm not going to get into the technical--although superficially appealing--fallacies of the position.

My point: American embodies Reganomics more than any other country right? And it's supposed to be better than ineffective--dare I say evil?--systems in Europe and Japan, right?

Then why does the country with the second highest GDP/person rank 13th in quality of life?

If you look at life expectancy, poverty, insured-rate, work-vs-leisure time, we are a joke, especially given our collective wealth.

If you're rich, I can understand why you'd want to sell voodoo economics and the big government bogeyman--it's great for your off-shore accounts.

Otherwise, I think it's good to remember that most of Ayn Rand's books are in the fiction section of the library.

I, just like you Kevin, don't support McCain's family history. But Dems pounded home again and again, when it dealt with Clinton, that the private life is his business, and should be separate from the work he does. So it's hypocritical to say it's irrelevant with Clinton, but a big deal with McCain.

You nailed it. Dems, in general don't care about personal matter. It's the Republican's that scream and yell about family values.

So why was Clinton such a big deal and McCain ignorable?

This issue is full of hypocrisy, but not on the side of the Democrats. My point about caring McCain's 'family values' was mostly sarcasm--although I do think it's quite telling about his character.

I, too, don't like the Bomb, Bomb Iran comment. But I also don't like the "Cling to their guns and religion" comment Obama made about rural life. All candidates say stupid things. Obama said there were 53 states one time when he was on the campaign trail. But I will vote on issues and policies, not on this stupid, media-overblown campaign drama.

We'll take these in reverse order.

"53 states". A mis-statement. Does anyone anywhere honestly think Obama doesn't know how many states their are? Need I go through the long and growing list of McCain 'mis-statements'?

"Cling to their guns and religion". An honest and accurate assessment of how a disturbingly large percentage of American's approach public policy. Likely including the 13% of Americans who think Obama is a Muslim. When Europeans bang their heads against the wall in disbelief at American voting patterns it's because they don't understand this part of the population. Thankfully, Obama does.

"Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran". A mis-statement or disturbingly arrogant, ignorant, and reckless pandering?

Hmm...

I guess this is the guy who picked Sarah Palin.

Another Conservative for Obama--or at least against McCain

From the article:

McCain’s recent conduct of his campaign – his willingness to lie repeatedly (including in his acceptance speech) and to play Russian roulette with the vice-presidency, in order to fulfill his long-held ambition – has reinforced my earlier, and growing, sense that John McCain is not a principled man.

In fact, it’s not clear who he is.

Via Digg.

A Conservative for Obama

From Digg:

Former supporter of Barry Goldwater and editor of the National Review makes the case for why Obama better represents the genuine values of conservativism than John McCain does.

From the article:

Obama will be a realist. I doubt he will taunt Russia, as McCain has, at the very moment when our national interest requires it as an ally. The crucial distinction in my mind is that, unlike John McCain, I am convinced he will not impulsively take us into another war unless American national interests are directly threatened.

“Every great cause,” Eric Hoffer wrote, “begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” As a cause, conservatism may be dead. But as a stance, as a way of making judgments in a complex and difficult world, I believe it is very much alive in the instincts and predispositions of a liberal named Barack Obama.

My Photography in the New York Times Blog

A week or so ago my friend Debs called me--or maybe it was emailed me--with an offer.

Take pictures of her picking black berries for a guest post she was writing for the New York Times Food Blog.

I said sure.

The result: Deliciously Invasive: Himalayan Blackberries in the Pacific Northwest.

Check out the credit on the photos.

Lesson for today: if you want to get ahead in life work hard--or ride in on the talent of someone else.

Thanks, Debs!

For all of those voting for McCain

A cartoon by Steve Greenberg.

As Stephen Colbert famously said, "Reality has a well established liberal bias."

So what's with the 'j832' thing?

I saw this comic and I was inspired to explain.

I occasionally get asked about the whole j832 thing.

Rewind to 1999. I was an intern at Microsoft and realized that I wasn't cool...because I didn't have my own domain.

Being the philosophical and relatively Catholic guy that I was, I went with (what I thought was) a profound a biblical reference.

John 8:32

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Now that I'm very much not Catholic, I think the verse is even more profound.

Hot Christian Singles

Facebook has recently figured out that I'm not interested in "Local Men".

My zip code aside, I think the fact that I explicitly say I'm interested in "women" may have been an important hint for their ad placement algorithm.

It would seem that they are not keying off my religion, though.

I don't know about you, but I'm left wondering if woman pictured represents the vanguard of Christian virtue.

...although I'm sure she'd do wonders for attendance at Sunday services.

I'm Free(lance)

As posted on my work blog.

It's seems like only 8 month ago that I was leaving a job. It's just too much fun to switch around my insurance and investment plans, I guess.

I've had a great time at AMC. I proved to myself I can be happy being a developer full-time--something that worried me after five years as a program manager at Microsoft.

I'll miss working with Paul and David. Working day-to-day with David has been amazing. One of the hardest working and sweetest guys I know. He's made be a better developer and probably a better person.

What's next?

On June 16 I enter the wonderful, terrifyingly independent world of software consulting and freelancing.

My first gig will be helping out some good friends and former MS co-workers at Jackson Fish Market.

You'll hear all about the project when it's done. All I can say now: Ruby on Rails and a little Flash.

I can't wait to hear the comments about either leaving or go to the dark side.

Yes, I've been spending time at the Apple Store. Scary.

No, I'm not giving up the MS stack. I'm hoping to have the chance to do consulting and freelance work in WPF and Silverlight, too.

While I'm likely booked for over a month, I'll be looking for gig+1, +2, etc. shortly.

If you would like to chat about my services, please drop me an line: edeya9902(at)sneakemail(dot)com.

In the mean time, happy hacking.

SNL: A Message from Hillary Clinton

Via Huffington Post, via NBC.

Three reasons why super delegates should support Mrs. Clinton, from Hillary herself:

1. I am a sore loser.
2. My supporters are racist.
3. I have no ethical standards.

Brilliant, cutting satire.

Author Michael Pollan @ Google, talks about his book: "In Defense of Food"

Brilliant talk. The kind you want to share with everyone you know.


read more | digg story

Too funny

Via Digg, Via the SF Gate.

I love morons with loudly expressed opinions.

India in April

This is just a heads-up. I'm going to be pretty quiet for the month of April. I'm getting on a plane in 4 hours for India.

I'm spending the month there--doing a meditation retreat, seeing some sites, hopefully dancing a bit.

If you're a regular reader and live in Mumbai, Delhi, or points in between, let me know. We might be able to meet for coffee.

j5poedr02(at)sneakemail(dot)com

Watch my personal blog for updates. If I find a computer, I'll try to make some posts.

Otherwise, see you in May!

>Kevin

How to abandon your God

An interesting article from the SFGate, (via RichardDawkins.net). The last bit is great:

Maybe it's not about abandoning God at all, and instead merely broadening your definition of the divine so as to encapsulate and swallow it all, every God, every dogma, every attempt to corner the market on belief and parse it and put it into cute little boxes and break us all up into angry tribes who stomp our feet and wave our little gilded books and launch screaming bloody wars over promised lands and chosen peoples and crucifixes and crusades and witches and pagans and gays.

In other words, maybe you abandon God by realizing it's all God, it's all divine, all hot, thrumming, vibrating connection in all places in all things at all times. And hence, to try and parse it and restrict it and beat it into submission and claim it for one people, one history, one country or church or authoritarian body, is actually the highest form of divine insult.

Or, you know, grand cosmic joke. Same thing, really.

Well said.

Dump Evite

This article from the January Wired got me started:

An email arrives announcing a fete, but it's short on deets. You're forced to click to an ad-choked Web page, then another to RSVP, and then back to the first to see the info again. That faint sound you hear? It's coins tumbling into the pockets of media conglomerate IAC/InterActiveCorp, which acquired the site in 2003.

It's been 2 days since I read the article and I've received 4 evites. It's time to put a stop to this.

The article recommends Socializer as an alternative, but it's way too heavy for my taste. The sign-up experience is overly complex and account management is a pain.

What I want:

• Painless sign-up
• Time and location details in the email
• +1 if it includes a link to a map
• +1 if the map link is to Google Maps
• +1 if a calendar file is attached for us Gmail/Outlook users.
• Super-clean user experience.

Invitastic nails it. There are no crazy custom themes or anything and I'm fine with that. Kudos to the Jackson Fish Market folks.

They even include the host's email address as the sender of the the invitation. You can reply directly to a human being. Brilliant!

Goovite also looks promising. It includes the ability to offer a set of possible meeting times and allow a discussion about when to have the party. Cool.

You should also check out this list of alternatives from another annoyed user.

Let's encourage Evite to evolve--or go the way of Altavista.

Obama - "Just words?"

Via YouTube.

Happy Darwin Day

February 12, 1809. Two great men were born--okay, two babies were born that would become great men: Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin.

I got the heads-up from RichardDawkins.net.

Check out the "official" web site. (No clue who decides what's official--probably the first guy to buy the domain.)

Mr. Dawkins has posted some e-cards for the occasion here.

My favorites:

 

Obama: Victory Speech in Madison, WI

Now we carry our message to farms and factories across this state, and to the cities and small towns of Ohio, to the open plains deep in the heart of Texas, and all the way to Democratic National Convention in Denver; it’s the same message we had when we were up, and when were down; that out of many, we are one; that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; and that we can cast off our doubts and fears and cynicism because our dream will not be deferred; our future will not be denied; and our time for change has come.

[Full text of speech] [YouTube Video]

One more: "Yes We Can" Obama Video (and an amazing spoof)

An inspiring video by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

[Original Location]

And, a spin-off for our friend John McCain: John.He.Is