Duane Gran’s log of thoughts

I had a great Memorial Day weekend in Chicago and caught up with my college buddy Alan. He offers a better summary than I can. It is worth a good read. I lived in Chicago for two summers during college, once downtown and the other time in a suburb. During this visit we saw the Art Institute of Chicago, Shedd Acquarium and a variety of other very cool things.

It brought back a lot of memories, and naturally inspired some thoughts, in no apparent order.

• Chicago is a seriously down-to-earth kind of place. I was dressed so-so and I actually got service at some high end shops. Mind you, I was just looking, but it took me aback when some salespeople were willing to be helpful. I haven’t heard “please” and “thank you” in a big city for a long time.
• If you don’t like the weather, just wait fifteen minutes. It only rained a little, but it looked like it was ready to pour any moment half the time. I’ve become accustomed to the consistent climate of the mid-atlantic. On top of all this, I forgot to bring an umbrella, thereby tempting fate.
• The food was pretty good and it was really nice to be reunited with Chicago style pizza. There are few places outside the area where you can get a proper pizza that requires a fork and knife.
• Chicago is a pretty fashionable place, in as much as jackets are common. I saw a higher percentage of double breasted suits and hats (not caps) than I do elsewhere. The Italian ties are very popular there, which made me happy.
• While the view is great from the Sears Tower, I recommend dinner or lunch on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. The view is just as good and you can put that $12 entry fee toward a meal. We arrived around 11 am and had very nice seats. I’m told that few restaurants in Chicago take reservations (still trying to figure that one out) so arriving early is a good game plan.

Having grown up in the midwest and cut my teeth on urban living in Chicago, it was interesting to go back after about six years of being away. I only lived there during the summer but I’ve visited in the winter, which is enough to make clear that I’m a visitor, but I couldn’t live there. Hats off to those who can, because it is a really cool place.

Prada’s ‘Hezbollah’ line

Testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee in Washington yesterday, law enforcement officers warned that terrorist groups such as Hezbollah are generating revenue by pushing knockoff handbags, T-shirts and other accessories sold on the street and at flea markets across the country.

I may be crossing the line from skepticism to cynicism, but I smell something awry here. I’ve heard other reports about media piracy as a terrorism money source as well. We have had knock off products as long as elite brands have existed. Traditionally such activity has been the realm of misdemeanor and petty trademark abuse, but now diluting Prada’s brand image is supporting terrorism. Somehow I think this is getting blown out of proportion and I would be interested to see if the couture industry has a hand in promoting this new interpretation of petty crime.

This morning I listened to a report on NPR that President Bush is promoting his Social Security reforms again. This is on the heals of a Gallop Poll showing that “thirty-three percent approve of Bush’s handling of Social Security.”

For the moment set aside arguments about how the market will outperform SS or how the system should have been designed better in the first place. These are all moot points in my opinion, because I have one glaring problem with privatizing any part of Social Security — It does nothing to further the goal of solvency. In fact, it siphons funds away from future recipients and makes a future crisis (hint: there is no present crisis) more possible. If the President could pair private accounts with necessary funding for existing recipients many of us would feel a lot better about endorsing it.

Update: After posting these thoughts I stumbled upon a Business Week article which hints at some possible compromises among the two parties. One part jumped out at me:

There are three possible pieces to such a package. Republicans would like to see income limits removed for IRAs, 401(k)s, and especially Roth IRAs, whose withdrawals are tax-free. Democrats want new savings incentives for low-income workers, and lawmakers of both parties see the need to fix defined-benefit pensions.

This is a compromise that Democrats should support, as we should encourage people who want to fund their own retirements to do so. The current income caps on IRA contributions are too low, creating a situation where most people who can afford to be fastidious savers (a good thing, in my opinion) are barred from doing so.

Putting on the Brakes

But behind the hodgepodge of figures is a very specific goal: Keeping out Wal-Mart Stores Inc. As the discount giant shifts its focus from the Washington region’s fast-growing fringes to its dense urban center, it has become locked in a bitter behind-the-scenes struggle with the local unionized grocery industry, which is scrambling to erect legislative barriers to the chain’s growth.

Having cannibalized the downtown shops of nearly every small town in America, walmart wants to go into urban spaces. A similar story played out in Flagstaff Arizona where they were outspent by nearly five to one by walmart propaganda. One of the best things about DC when I lived there was the lack of big box stores. The place has real character and local ownership in many of its businesses. It is something worth keeping, which requires keeping parasites like walmart out of DC.

In the previous entry I felt it prudent to mention some plot spoilers, but I feel odd having to do that. I like a good plot twist as much as the next person, but not at the expense of a good plot. Consider Shakespeare plays, where someone steps forward and tells the whole story before the play even begins. Today this person would be digitally tarred and feathered for spoiling the story, but until recently no one cared because you came to know how the story was executed, not to find out what happened. Everyone knew the details of Hamlet or King Lear.

About the closest thing we have had recently is Titanic and Pearl Harbor, two movies where you know the outcome ahead of time. Incidentally, they are also two movies that indulge in a love story at the expense of the larger human tragedy around them, but I digress. The best part about movies based on history, or at least inspired by it, is that it puts a lid on the dreaded sequel.

For the few people who haven’t seen it already, this post may include spoilers.

The sixth star wars movie in production, Revenge of the Sith, is well worth seeing. It opens up with lots of action and keeps the adrenaline going the whole way through, much in contrast to the previous two films which felt like watching C-SPAN. This is from someone who likes to watch C-SPAN, but not as George Lucas might narrate it, thank you. On that note, the dialog is just as cheesy and bad as ever, but throw in some light sabers and cool effects and anything is forgivable.

My biggest complaint about the film is the poorly done transition of Anakin’s character into the dark side. His reasons for transition were plausible, but the pacing was too fast and I was expecting some sort of apprentice relationship between him and the Chancellor. Instead, it appears that the dark side merely requires someone to become pissed off in order to amass new powers. This was weak and disappointing. Add to this the flat acting by the Anakin guy (his name leaves no trace in my memory) and I found the whole plot direction less believable than the noise in space from a laser. It would have taken a great actor to convince me that he went from loyalty to the Jedi order to killing children, but Anakin guy couldn’t convince me that he changed his mind about salad dressing at dinner.

Does this mean I didn’t like it? Far from it. Having suffered the abuse of the past two episodes I’m numb from any meaningful response. It was actually good and enjoyable. I might even see it again on video, and this is from someone who believes that Hans shot first.

I anticipate some episode I and II apologists will come out of the woodwork, claiming that you must see 1-3 as a continuation of the story. For the love of God, lets not siphon off the coolness of this last movie in order the save the first two.

Read Waldo Jaquith’s article on transportation for a good overview of what is going on in this area. It is sad, really. I’m puzzled to see that we are so mired in dealing with car transportation that there seems to be little room for dialog on public transportation. Isn’t this one of those “we had to take money from education to build prisons” type of stories? I think so, and I believe we should find a way to fund roads in addition to rail.

A CNN article raises the odd topic of advertising is space and what the FAA seeks to do about it:

The Federal Aviation Administration proposed Thursday to amend its regulations to ensure that it can enforce a law that prohibits “obtrusive” advertising in zero gravity.

If they succeed, this will only prevent the US from doing it. I hope that international treaties can be written to prevent space advertising. It is already bad enough that light pollution makes it nearly impossible for the current generation to see the night sky, the shouldn’t also have to look past an advertisement.

Today I share with you two great ideas, courtesy of the nice folks at Boing Boing that could have made me a millionaire if I would have thought of them first:

1. Hot dog buns packaged with the same number as hot dogs. What a simple idea that is overdue.
2. Electrical outlets that can swivel so that phone charges and the like don’t cover up two slots.

In my gradual transition from geek-programmer to a technical manager I’ve picked up a few nuggets along the way:

• Focus on the positive. It is easier to nudge someone along by recognizing what they do well than by focussing on shortcomings. That said, a good manager should at some point communicate areas of improvement to an employee, but it is counter productive to dwell on it.
• Praise in public, scorn in private. Related to the previous point, too many managers believe in public ridicule. Such sophomoric tactics are bound to push the most competent developers toward other more mature organizations. Giving public credit to developers, especially among stake holders, builds respect and morale among the team.
• Give programmers space for “flow.” Given a variety of internal and external factors you can expect about 5 hours of productivity in an 8 hour day from most employees (managers included). Interruptions kill the groove of programming, so I do my utmost to not “pop in” on developers. Nothing kills the groove worse than a manager who sticks his head in the door (or cube, if you will) asking if x feature or bug is finished every fifteen minutes.
• Project management is people management. The name of the game is understanding the developer’s motivations, skills and desires and finding a way of aligning them with the goals of the project.

Check out Casey Software for even better advice than I have. They are doing some really interesting work over there on Dot Project.

CIO Today: Cuba to switch from Windows to Linux

Cuba will gradually switch to the open-source Linux operating system for its state computers, eliminating its exclusive use of Microsoft Windows, the government daily Juventud Rebelde reported Tuesday.

I wonder how this will jive with Bill Gates’ view that open source advocates are communists. Well, in this case, he might be right.

If you develop web applications, check out Ruby on Rails. I saw this about six months ago, but I’m just now giving it a serious look and it is impressive beyond words. It isn’t a silver bullet, but it is the closest thing I’ve seen to one. The setup movie (10 mb file) is mind-blowingly cool, and above all else, accurate. My favorite quote about rails thus far:

Ruby on Rails is astounding. Using it is like watching a kung-fu movie, where a dozen bad-ass frameworks prepare to beat up the little newcomer only to be handed their asses in a variety of imaginative ways.
—Nathan Torkington

What is the greatest source of domestic terrorism in the United States? If you guess Al Queda you would be wrong, according to a congressional testimony by John Lewis, of the FBI:

One of today’s most serious domestic terrorism threats come from special interest extremist movements such as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), and Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign. Adherents to these movements aim to resolve specific issues by using criminal “direct action” against individuals or companies believed to be abusing or exploiting animals or the environment.

The quote above will undoubtedly be repeated with glee by anti-environmentalists, but it should give us all pause for a moment. We are spending about one billion dollars per week fighting terrorism on the other side of the world, yet a rag tag group of folks wearing hemp clothing among us are the biggest threat? While I think these groups are wrong and dangerous, I am having a hard time digesting the contradiction. Either the FBI is blowing things out of proportion or we have our priorities wrong.

I’m going to vote yes on both, in fact. As for priorities I’ve read compelling arguments for shoring up (no pun intended) our ports to inspect cargo imports and a variety of other cost effective and more practical measures than the military endeavors. In related news, a CNN article quotes Senate Environment Committee Chairman James Inhofe as saying:

“Just like al Qaeda or any other terrorist movement, ELF and ALF cannot accomplish their goals without money, membership and the media,” the Republican senator from Oklahoma said.

I rebutt:

1. Money - It takes very little money to mix vaseline with a few gallons of petro and make a napalm bomb. Not that I would know this personally, but settings things on fire is pretty cheap.
2. Membership - These organizations, if they can be called such, are loosely knit where people don’t even use their real names. Their is little hierarchy and they operate as independent cells with only inspiration from anonymous web sites and leaflets.
3. Media - I’ll give Inhofe this one, as the media gives ample coverage to the groups, even though they have no spokesperson or press release.

Class in America: Shadowy Lines That Still Divide - New York Times

Today, the country has gone a long way toward an appearance of classlessness. Americans of all sorts are awash in luxuries that would have dazzled their grandparents. Social diversity has erased many of the old markers. It has become harder to read people’s status in the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, the votes they cast, the god they worship, the color of their skin. The contours of class have blurred; some say they have disappeared.

The article is the beginning of a series of articles that The Times will publish on the issue of class in America. Naturally, if there are no classes then there can be no concept of class warfare, so this issue is pertinent to progressives. The article hints at how we have come to not see class:

A paradox lies at the heart of this new American meritocracy. Merit has replaced the old system of inherited privilege, in which parents to the manner born handed down the manor to their children. But merit, it turns out, is at least partly class-based. Parents with money, education and connections cultivate in their children the habits that the meritocracy rewards. When their children then succeed, their success is seen as earned.

Naturally there is nothing wrong with parents encouraging their children to succeed. It is a good thing, if there ever was one, but the perception among the well-to-do that everyone could simply do likewise and achieve the same results is, to put it bluntly, jaw-dropping ignorant. That we have confused the benefits conferred by wealth with merit says a lot about how far we are from doing something about wealth disparity.

I searched for some cues on the solutions to the problem, but the closest I have come is a paper by Bhash Mazumder where he analyzes income mobility over generations and finds that “persistence in inequality is about 50% higher than previously thought.” I quote:

These studies suggest that the rise in income inequality in recent decades may persist for several generations. The underlying mechanisms that enable this persistence are not well understood. However, recent research suggests that the existence of borrowing constraints among those with little wealth is a plausible candidate to explain the high intergenerational elasticity. Families that are unable to access credit may not optimally invest in their children’s schooling. Gaining a better understanding of the nature of these borrowing constraints is a necessary step in designing the appropriate policies to foster greater income mobility.

Small Wineries May Benefit

The Supreme Court’s decision striking down some states’ laws barring interstate shipments of wine will change the economic rules by which small vineyards like Willowcroft have played for decades. Instead of navigating a patchwork of state laws that limit some out-of-state customers to whatever they can carry out the door, wineries may soon be able to ship more liberally around the country — filling orders by catalogue, phone or the Internet.

While the decision may be a small loss for state rights, it is a big gain for wineries. On a social level, it is also a victory against prudish notions about alcohol, but that battle may take a bit longer to win. I personally love the vineyards in Virginia (more so than the wine itself, but that is another story) and expect this ruling to be most helpful to them.

Update (8/10/05): I was quoted in slate for this entry.

Check out Gospel Spectrum for a fascinating visualization of the life of Jesus as it is portrayed in the four gospels. I don’t know much about how this was produced or how they chose versions for the texts, but it is interesting to see what portions of Jesus’ life and ministry are most collaborated upon.

Confessions of a Listener by Garrison Keillor

The deregulation of radio was tough on good-neighbor radio because Clear Channel and other conglomerates were anxious to vacuum up every station in sight for fabulous sums of cash and turn them into robot repeaters. I dropped in to a broadcasting school last fall and saw kids being trained for radio careers as if radio were a branch of computer processing. They had no conception of the possibility of talking into a microphone to an audience that wants to hear what you have to say. I tried to suggest what a cheat this was, but the instructor was standing next to me. Clear Channel’s brand of robotics is not the future of broadcasting. With a whole generation turning to iPod and another generation discovering satellite radio and Internet radio, the robotic formatted-music station looks like a very marginal operation indeed. Training kids to do that is like teaching typewriter repair.

If you have listened to A Prairie Home Companion before you can almost hear Keillor’s melodic voice as you read the linked article. Although he doesn’t mention the word, he is referring to the hip new media of podcasting. During a long flight from Milan, having read everything I brought with me, I flipped through the in-flight magazine. Even they had an article on podcasting and how it will affect the media. I officially declare it mainstream now.

These are exciting times when a person has the ability to be heard far and wide, not because fortune put a network microphone or camera to his face, but because he is gradually acknowledged by the community. The great difference in this new media is its asynchronous delivery — one need not tune in with the multitudes en masse.

Will this destroy traditional media, as some suggest? I doubt it, but those who find scant value in it they have a worthwhile alternative. That alone is progress and I imagine there is room for both modes.

Times Online

In every age and in every country older people complain about the rudeness of the young %u2014 but rarely is the gulf between the two as great as in contemporary Japan. Exposed to the corrosive crudeness of Western popular culture, young Japanese are abandoning the sometimes stifling codes of politeness for which their country is famous, while older people look on in horror.

I’m an etiquette enthusiast, which is to say that I actually enjoy reading about it from Emily Post and George Washington’s Rules of Civility. That said, I think it is a sign of bad times that even I find the above article to be a little humorous. When twirling one’s umbrella is an offense so grievous to warrant the creation of a government study group it must mean that Japan is a fantastic place to live. Unless, of course, you are a gaijin, in which case the place may not seem as polite. Who knows, maybe it is all a misunderstanding.

I’m back from a wonderful two week trip in Italy. I can’t say enough good things about it, and it has reaffirmed my convictions about the value of public spaces and diverse transportation. It would be hard to pick the high point of the trip, but looking out on the hills of Tuscany, cathedrals in Rome (let alone the Vatican), walking the streets of Venice and viewing masterpieces in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence certainly rank high on my memories. My head is full of observations, but I’ll share just a few for now and let the remainder trickle out in future entries.

• Driving in Italy is performance art. It is fast and aggressive, but once you figure it out, it makes sense. If you aren’t willing to haul ass at 140 km/h then get out of the fast lane. In the states everyone drives the same speed in all lanes. What is up with that?
• Italian coffee is a wonderful thing. I do my best to replicate it at home, but there is nothing quite like un café.
• I feel dreadfully ignorant of my Western culture. As much as I try to study the classics and take a genuine interest in cultural issues, sometimes I feel like a mouth-breathing idiot when I look upon masterpieces of sculpture and painting or hear people gracefully intermingle with multiple languages as I stand helplessly monolingual. Actually, I’ve studied Spanish, French and German but my comprehension and capacity for dialog barely suffices to order a meal or ask for directions. I’m sufficiently motivated to be a smarter person because of this trip.
• American cars are rediculous. Upon returning I thought someone let the air out of the tires on my car, as it lumbered along with reluctance, compared to my svelt rental Fiat that leapt with vigor. Really, why is that our cars must weigh two tonnes and are we really so dumb that we can’t operate a stick shift any more? Yesterday I swore that I saw a house parked in the road, but it turned out to be an SUV.
• Not once during the two weeks did someone ask me “what I do” as a means of sorting me into their rolodex of usefulness. It was refreshing to talk art, travel and whatever came to mind without concern about vocation.