Duane Gran’s log of thoughts

Much fuss has been made on the AM radio band as well as in congress about immigration. The objection is predicated on a belief that we have too many illegal immigrants. An article by Thomas Sowell, a Conservative economist, captures the essence of the anti-immigration viewpoint:

Citizen-of-the-world types are resistant to the idea of tightening our borders, and especially resistant to the idea of making a distinction between people from different countries. But the real problem is not their self-righteous fetishes but the fact that they have intimidated so many other people into silence.

He goes on to cite examples of troublesome groups, such as Russians and Nigerians, as worthy of special exclusion from entering the United States. It almost has the ring of truth and sense until you consider that any group-based discrimination denies the rights of individuals. I find the wording of the Manifesto for the Abolition of International Apartheid, authored in 1997, to be helpful in identifying the crux of the issue:

Since the end of interracial apartheid in South Africa, no longer any state in the world openly practices discrimination between humans based on the arbitrary criterion of skin colour. Today, however, another equally arbitrary criterion is still accepted and applied by virtually every state in the world. For a human individual to have been born in some a particular place, from parents of some particular nationality, and thus to possess emself some particular nationality, is a matter of chance, and cannot be taken as a non-arbitrary criterion of discrimination.

Ultimately the raging debate may be a lot of fury over nothing, as Arnold Kling, an economist, deflates the hype in pointing out that “illegal immigrants bring relatively little economic benefit and cause relatively little economic harm.” Advocates for tighter border control aren’t xenophobes and proponents for the status quo aren’t laying a welcome mat for n’er do goods. That doesn’t sound worth fighting over, but I can’t blame 500,000 people for protesting legislation that would criminalize providing services to illegals.

It’s un-Christian and I don’t think Senator Hillary Clinton was far off the mark when she said that House Resolution 4437 would criminalize the Good Samaritan. We should foster, not criminalize, our compassion and it should transcend borders.

A Richmond Times Dispatch article raises the oft-heard objection to rail service:

In its 34-year history, Amtrak has never turned a profit. It has debt of more than $3.5 billion and its operating loss for 2005 topped $550 million.

Curiously, when is the last time you heard someone exasperated over our non-profitable interstate highway system? In the last 25 years of transportation funding (1977 - 2001) , the federal government spent $782 billion on transportation, 48.4% of which went to highways, 22.4% to air, 12.3% to ports, 12.1% to transit, and only 4% to rail. Rail is the only modality held to the profit standard.

What most people intuitively realize is that all modes are profitable to society. Consider for a moment that the Virginia Railway Express eliminates one lane of traffic on Interstate-66 during rush hour. It is largely believed that gas taxes don’t account for the wear imposed by semi trucks on Interstate highways, but we presume that rapid and convenient transport of goods is a net benefit for society. Examples abound for qualitative value for all modes of transportation.

Why then, does Amtrak repeatedly get held to a means test? The short answer is that it is politically expedient, but this warrants more explanation:

• Rail closure affects the non-affluent
• The poor, to their disadvantage, generally don’t have the means or will to make their interests heard to Congress
• Even worse, the poor tend to not vote

While not exactly class-warfare, attempts to close rail service, under the auspices of cost-saving, is dishonest and is predicated on the appearance that no one cares about rail. I, and others, intend to counter both misconceptions.

cenSEARCHip is a clever project from the Indiana University School of Informatics which produces a visualization of the variant results given between Google’s regional search engines. The differential between the Chinese and US versions of Google has been of particular interest in the media and to members of Congress. Debate ranges whether google.cn represents a carrot-and-stick or if search corporations neglect an implicit interest in advancing human rights. I debate the issue and frankly, I don’t think it is possible to be sure either way, but I am certain that the tech-saavy populace within China knows how to circumvent content restrictions.

One hint of this comes by way of searching for “freedom”. See the image below for a curious term that comes up frequently in google.cn:

WordPress is a blogging software system. If that doesn’t make any sense, this site is a WordPress blog — a writing space for discussion, debate and commentary. It is also interesting that software is also a key term associated with freedom, but does this signify anything more than a curiosity?

I hold out hope that it in fact means that people are exercising freedom through writing — the ability to comment, critique and analyze the world around us. This may represent an undercurrent of actually existing freedom in China that is more powerful than the suppression of search engine results. You say freedom, I say WordPress.

John Battelle, a noted search technology expert, argues that Microsoft should be split up into separate companies. No, he isn’t appealing to anti-trust injuctions of old or new lawsuits from the European Union concerning interoperability. He thinks Microsoft should split up for its own good:

Everyone knows that Microsoft has one center of gravity that matters: The Office and Windows revenue line. Everything else pales in comparison. But where does Microsoft get judged, day in and day out? Not on Office, or even Windows. It’s search, and innovation across the web generally. And there, it’s clear, Microsoft’s gravitational mass is getting in the way.

The company urges its customers to “evolve”, which translates to “upgrade” in tech parlance, should consider diversifying its phyla over extending its lineage.

Today I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center to discuss various aspects of my career in Information Technology to 10th graders. It was great fun, but for kicks I thought I might as well write up what I shared. In this way I’ll suspend one of my rules about not blogging directly about my work.

A key theme, or take away, was that I never could have predicted my current life and profession sixteen years ago when I was in 10th grade. Way back in 1990 the Soviet Union was still a country, I was a 10th grader and dinosaurs roamed the earth, or so it would seem. When I wasn’t looking, I became old. My job today didn’t exist then, and I’m certain that today’s 10th grader is best served by looking for “upwind”, as Paul Graham states it. Some knowledge and experience opens more doors than others.

The work I do as a Project Manager is mostly as a translator. Professors speculate about how software could provide new insights into electronic-based literature and I mediate these explanations into software development lingo. In truth, the developers and professors work closely together, but I take on the role of the least specialized person in the room to ask pointed questions which make me confident in producing the right software. I also maintain the schedule, but like all good things, it is collaborative. Requirements come from professors, time commitments to deliver come from developers and I try to assure that it all makes sense.

Frankly, some days I think I suck at it and other days it flows. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed and sometimes I feel like a third wheel, as if everyone but me has something useful to do. Such is the nature of being “overhead”, but it is truly the most interesting work I’ve ever done and I’m amazed that I get paid to have this much fun.

That aside, I shared some worthwhile life-lessons with the crowd:

• Pick your friends, don’t let them pick you. Your social network is a powerful force to uplift or pull you down, but the former tends to only happen if you are willing to shake off some steerage. Cruel, but true. I firmly believe that many social ills could be eliminated if people rebuffed social parasites — those people who seek out the lonely, insecure and needy to fulfill their selfish intentions.
• Write. Get a blog, write a letter to the editor and generally volunteer to write at any opportunity you get.
• A college education is a door pass, in many respects, but learning is a life-long pursuit.
• When life pushes you around, push back. Don’t presume that anything is non-negotiable, the price is final or a variety of other tactics which encourage you to react with emotions instead of intellect.
• Sell yourself. Most jobs are not advertised, as such. The first people to know about an opportunity are the ones who have made worthwhile business deals in the past.
• If the above sounds like a catch-22, the good news is that older people genuinely want to help younger people who have their heads on straight. Ask someone 20 years your senior for advice or to watch out for an opportunity and they will likely lend a hand if they sense that you won’t embarrass them.
• Distrust the crowd a little. I’m reminded of a story about Rockefeller, who in roaring 20’s was making small-talk with an elevator operator about investing and was shocked to find that he held the same securities. He promptly sold his holdings and averted a good portion of the 1929 crash. I don’t mean to impugn the judgement of the common man, but it is not possible (for very long, at least) to do common things and get uncommon results.

Anyhow, that is the measure of my wisdom for today’s youth. I can’t really say what someone should do to have a fulfilling career 15 years from today, but I can say with confidence what they shouldn’t do. Trite as it may sound: Don’t do drugs, stay in school, don’t rush into marriage and family and it just might work out well in the end.

Because I’m disposed to ironic behavior, I brought along a copy of John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty essay to read on an airplane flight. What better place to witness the tension between security and liberty than the friendly skies? We are free to travel, but under restriction and investigation so numerous that shoeless men are icons of modern travel. But my point isn’t to argue that security restrictions are bad, but I think that we put inordinate attention to securing passengers at the expense of securing cargo. That remains a point for another day, and I don’t believe Mill envisioned this sort of tension.

After all, the Liberty that Mill speaks of is primarily that of speech, thought and privacy, of which the former two are in abundance and the latter has never had much of a foothold. As it happens, my luggage contained the now-familiar notice that its contents had been inspected, ostensibly for the good of all concerned. I wish I had thought of it myself, but a clever blogger has made his own 4th Amendment shipping tape, so that metaphorically the TSA can shred the 4th amendment as they conduct unreasonable searches. Mill would be amused, I think.

Fontana residents blast Pantops development

A roomful of angry Fontana neighborhood residents lambasted a proposed housing development at Tuesday’s meeting of the Albemarle County Planning Commission, arguing that through traffic could endanger their children who are used to quiet, rural streets.

I was at the above mentioned meeting and spoke to the Commission about my concerns, but the linked article paints something a black and white picture of the situation. Albemarle County, like many growing areas of the country, is wrestling with how to maintain its rural character while accommodating growth. To that end, the neighborhood model is the cornerstone of the master plan, which designates an urban ring around Charlottesville and is projected to keep 95% of the county rural.

The neighborhood model is a positive move, and among its various provisions requires that subdivisions interconnect, thereby decreasing the load of traffic on the main arteries. So far so good, except that my subdivision, Fontana, was permitted to have rural roads which are rather narrow and lack sidewalks.

The article implies that residents, like myself, are opposed to new developments in the area. On the contrary, the developer is ambivalent about interconnectivity and the County is trying to reconcile its master plan with Fontana.

In my testimony to the Commission, I explained my endorsement of the neighborhood model in concept; however, I believe it is predicated on the assumption that compatible neighborhoods are interconnected. To that end, I believe there are two primary solutions:

1. Don’t make a connector road between Fontana and new developments
2. Sharpen our pencils and raise the funds between the developers and the County to upgrade the Fontana roads, including sidewalks

The article didn’t catch much of this nuance, and I realize this issue is of interest only to a few hundred people, but there it is.

A BBC article reports that Americans know more about The Simpsons TV show than the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Only one in four could name more than one of the five freedoms it upholds but more than half could name at least two members of the cartoon family.

About one in five thought the right to own a pet was one of the freedoms.

I’m sure there are a good number of things of which I’m ignorant about, but this is basic stuff. I’m glad we are exporting Democracy elsewhere, because I don’t know how it can continue here.