Chris Dwan

Author: cdwan

  • Analog conversion

    I keep hearing about how the conversion from analog to digital in television broadcasts is going to be some sort of armageddon. That 19 million americans are going to suddenly be awash in panic and darkness as their TV sets stop being able to pull pablum from the air. That we need to step up production of $40 coupons to keep these folks connected to their glowing lifeline.

    I keep asking myself “why do I care?”

    On the other hand, that’s a measly billion bucks for converter boxes. What if we spent $700B and gave everyone free HD cable instead of a retirement account (that they didn’t get back anyway)?

  • Abandoned Nuclear Lighthouses

    clued me in to Warren Ellis’s link to this set of pictures about a series of Soviet era nuclear powered lighthouses, now abandoned near the arctic circle.

    The great northern coast of Russia is inside the Arctic Circle, and the shoreline is hundreds of miles from civilisation almost the whole way along. Lighthouses were required for the coast, because it’s a handy passage but it spends a hundred days of the year in near-permanent night. The problems were that they’d be miles from anywhere, and couldn’t realistically be supplied or crewed.

    So the Russians erected autonomous nuclear-powered lighthouses. Which worked great, until the collapse of the Soviet Union. In fact, they probably would have been fine after that, if people hadn’t looted them for copper and anything else that looked like it wasn’t nailed down too hard. Including, apparently, reactor shielding. So many of these great polar nuclear lighthouses are now radioactive deadzones.

    This is satisfyingly apocalyptic for me. Mmmmmmm.

  • Poverty

    When we come to you
    Our rags are torn off us
    And you listen all over our naked body.
    As to the cause of our illness
    One glance at our rags would
    Tell you more. It is the same cause that wears out
    Our bodies and our clothes.

    The pain in our shoulder comes
    You say, from the damp; and this is also the reason
    For the stain on the wall of our flat.
    So tell us:
    Where does the damp come from?
    Bertolt Brecht, “A Worker’s Speech to a Doctor”

    Pathologies of Power is a hard book to read.

  • Pants

    Went to Judo last night, and got my pants un-seamed. Ripped clean open from knee to crotch on the inside of the right leg.

    This is perfectly normal, though rare. In judo (and other gi-based sports) you control the uniform in order to control the person inside it. I put on a pair of the spare pants that hang on a rack for exactly this purpose, and came back to the workout.

    How odd.

  • War

    I’ve been disconnected from the net (by choice) for a couple of lovely days with family out in Virginia.

    I return to see that Israel is actually invading and conquering Gaza.

    My first impression, which I’m sure will be moderated by reading the actual article rather than just seeing the headline is that this is somewhat akin to the US invading one of our Indian reservations. With fighter jets and tanks and everything.

  • Judo

    Someone made an interesting point at Judo on Monday. It was that in Judo (and wrestling, and other similar sports) have the ability to stop the action with a tap. Beyond being able to stop – you are expected to do so before you suffer serious injury. In football, if your position is bad and the tackler is bearing down on you, you can’t simply concede the play at that point. You have to take the hit and the possible subsequent injury.

    I’m not sure whether that means anything, but it is an interesting distinction.

  • Finance

    I manage my long-term savings by the “don’t touch it!” philosophy. Therefore, through the application of iron will, I’ve managed to ride out the current financial crisis without selling off all my assets and hiding the revenues under my mattress (while weeping quietly). However, there are two days of the year on which I allow – nay – require myself to look at the stocks: My birthday, and new year’s day. Generally speaking, I glance back at my desired allocation between long and short term … between lower and higher risk … and between domestic and international assets … and I re-balance the portfolio accordingly.

    This year, I have no idea what to do.

    I know that some of you (technolope, capital_l, and multiplexer in particular) think a lot about these things. I seek free advice: I’m still in it for the long haul – I’m 30+ years to my notional retirement age. I move stuff around twice a year, mostly to achieve what I perceive as a balanced portfolio. I’m a fan of big, market-sector-following index funds rather than particular companies or stocks.

    I seek free advice. Should I stick with my former thinking, because a nice even 40% has fallen out of the market? Has something changed? More international? More domestic? More “with the market, large, well capitalized?” More “crazy venture capital firms?”

    Go.

  • Family

    Down in PA for a quick visit to s parents. We even got to catch up briefly with her brother, which is a rare treat. While the drive down on Friday evening was uneventful we expect the trip back today (Sunday post Christmas) to involve heavier traffic. Seems like I’ve been having the same conversation about route choice for the past 13 years or so. “Are you going to take the Tappan Z Bridge?” “Well, it adds about half an hour to the trip if the traffic is equal.” “Goodness, but the traffic through New York, well.” “You really can’t tell. You just have to guess.” “Do you remember the Merit Parkway? That’s a nice drive.” “Yep, we took that last time, but the entrance is easy to miss.” “What about that northern route, the one that goes to the Mass Pike?” “Oh yes indeed. No traffic there, but it adds an hour to the expected trip.”

    The holiday was very pleasant. Lots of gifts exchanged, and an Apple TV entered the house. Interestingly, the Apple TV requires an HD television, which continues a year-long running conversation. I went to Best Buy on Friday before hitting the road and determined that I hate shopping in crowds. It was a feeding frenzy. Anyway, I think that Plasma looks better than LCD, that 1020p looks a lot better than 720p, and that dynamic range doesn’t seem to make a bit of difference in the pictures on the show floor.

    This morning I’m considering the construction of a workout area in a garage. This would require me to own a garage … but given that I owned one, it would make for a great individual gym.

  • Need a handyman in Detroit?

    I have a family friend who has helped out with all sorts of handyman jobs in the Detroit area for many years. He just got laid off from his day job, and is looking for piece work until he finds something new.

    Email me if you’ve got any contacts and I’ll put you in touch.

  • Of cats and magnets

    Back from one of the pricier dinners I’ve ever had – and I’m pleased to report that it was quite tasty. The five course wine-paired Christmas dinner was really something.

    redmeds parents got me Rattlesnake Eggs for Christmas. They’re sturdy little magnets that you throw into the air. They bounce off each other rapidly, making a clacking-buzzing noise.

    The small cat HATES them. As soon as I tossed them in the air, she hit the kitty-slink pose and slunk out of the room. Now, whenever I go near the packaging, she hops down from wherever she’s perched and slinks out of the room. I managed to get them near her by stealth and cunning, and decided to see if cats understand magnetism. I held one magnet in my hand, and made the other one move around on the floor without touching it.

    She *growled* at the moving magnet when it moved. She *hissed* at the one in my hand.

    No kidding. Cats hate and fear magnets. Try it and see!