Philonoist.net

The most disgusting thing in the world is racism. And yet, one would argue, this is the oldest thing in the world. Why do we fight wars? Quite frequently, because of race, or religion, or nationality, or reasons that for those lost in the war, is something they cannot control. Men, women, children, have died because their skin was too black, too yellow, too dark. And, without being overly dramatic, who can forget those who perished in religious skirmish after skirmish, be it Protestant vs. Catholic, Christian vs. Muslim, Jewish vs. Everyone else.

Who is to say that whites are the “best”? To the <a href=http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/jul/20/072010065.html”>White Peoples Party of Nevada: I am white. I should be an easy sell. I want one reason you think I should join your party. But I bet that no matter what you throw at me, it will be vile, horrible filth.

Minorities are taking the jobs of America? Well, if they work harder, they should have the jobs. May the best person win. Whites are unfairly treated due to affirmative action? Perhaps, but if there were no racism in the world, we wouldn’t need programs like affirmative action in the first place? Blacks carry AIDS more frequently? Again, maybe, but that could be because they’re uninformed about safe sex thanks to poor schooling, which is due to a lack of funding, which is probably due, again, to racism. Minorities are lazy. Minorities are worthless. Mixed-Marriage is a sin. Wrong, Wrong, and Wrong.

As you can see, racism is not the answer. It is the problem. And the problem needs, to paraphrase Einstein, a new way of thinking. One where the only thing excluded from the table is racism.

These groups are driven by hate, by, by bad experiences and misinformation by turning a blind eye to the present and following the perverse ways of the past. I feel nauseous now. I want to cover my ears, hide my eyes, and pretend that racism no longer exists, that is a thing of history. That the world is a place without boundries, without borders, without fear, without hate. But that world is a long way off. That world does not, may never exist.

If the only thing I have to fear is fear itself, then right now I’m very, very afraid.

I always get a big kick out of the kind of commercials shown during the time when most people are at work. Apparently, the target audience is people who have crashed their car, are out of work, have menopause, need fast cash now, etc. Which, if you’re at home from 10-3, there’s a good chance you fall into one of those categories.

I guess I should be used to this: when I watch sports in primetime on TV, I’m constantly reminded to drink more beer and take my Viagra. But the quality of those commercials seems just so much better than these. I’m sick of the grainy-no-sound-”I can’t believe we can get paid to make video games!” advertisement.

And, I wouldn’t really have a problem with it. Advertising is advertising. But the number of law commercials during the soap-hours is absurd. Every 3 commercials, John “for the people” Morgan reminds me that if I’ve been injured, I may be entitled to compensation. I guess my beef is this: If you choose your lawyer based on their television advertisement, that’s pretty vile. You should, in my opinion, choose a lawyer because they’re the best. You almost certainly wouldn’t choose a doctor because they’ve got the flashiest ad campaign, would you? (Even for popular outpatient surgeries, you’d maybe have an idea of who to go to, but you’d probably consult with your own primary care physician first.)

Ah, but the best lawyers are the ones who have money to advertise, right? Well, not exactly. The best lawyers are the ones with the most money, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean they’re the best. That just means they charge the most. And, really, what defines a good lawyer? (Let’s ignore the obvious “a dead one” joke.) Total number of cases? Total number of cases won? Both of those can be bumped up through higher inventory. Percentage? 1 case won out of 1 is an excellent average, but you probably wouldn’t go with them. Years of experience? I’d bet that the track record stays the same, or improves slighty, over time. A ratio of cost and cases won? We could come up with baseball-like statistics for lawyers. (Which, come to think of it, why hasn’t someone done that already? Think of the bar arguments: “Johnny Cochran hit a lifetime .898 with a lifetime ACPC of $120,000. The man’s a legend. It’s why he’s in the hall-of-fame.” Think of the trading cards. Think of the fantasy law teams.)

Odds are, you probably pick your lawyer for the same reasons you pick a doctor, a carpenter, or a plumber: based on word-of-mouth. I honestly wouldn’t know how people pick these things: My doctor’s been set for more-or-less life, and I’ve never needed the other three. (I guess that’s true for anyone: if you’ve got a parent in a service-based business, you’re set.) But if I needed a lawyer, I’d probably ask one of my friends or neighbors before tuning into All My Children or picking one out of the phone book.

In fact, why do we have TV commercials in the first place, and why is advertising so pervasive? I guess, since word-of-mouth is so strong, advertising serves as the initial gateway into understanding a product or service. I’m certainly not going to seek out a Burger King and demolish a Monster Omelete sandwhich unless someone I trust tells me it’s really good, or I can get one for free. I may decide between the ATI or the NVidia graphics card, but I’m going to ask someone I know before making up my mind. I assume most people are the same, waiting for the advice of a trusted person (or, in the case of internet review sites, persons) before seeking out the product and (hopefully) making an opinion for yourself.

This leads us to the ultimtate question: who are the people who try a product first? In many cases, these people are paid to try these things either by the distributor itself, or more commonly, by an independant company, such as movie critics and their affiliated newspapers. In the case of the former, the opinion itself is rarely trusted (unless the link between distributor and reviewer is blurred, such as the current radio payola set-up); in the latter case, the review is trusted by people who are interested in that genre of products.

But I’m digressing. The point is: who’s the first to try a lawyer or doctor? And maybe here, the only way is advertising. But I don’t think so. Usually, unless you’re backed by a large law firm or large medical group, you lack the necessary funds to advertise en masse. (I suppose the cost of an ad in the classified section is small and acceptable, though.) Perhaps your friends and neighbors will direct clients your way, but if you’re a new urologist in town, you’re probably not going to have friends who can help. And I guess this reason is why so many doctors and lawyers are connected with large groups in their field to start.

Interesting. I’m not really sure where I’m going with this. So I’ll stop here.

I’ve decided that the way I do book recommendations is no fun. Well, it is fun, but mostly for me. I want it to be fun for you too. Therefore:

Recommend books. Win stuff. Celebrate.

Here’s how it works:

Every month, I’ll ask for book recommendations. Submit as many as you like. If one of your books is selected for that month, you’ll receive a point. 5 points in the school year? You’ll get a free dinner somewhere. Submissions for the month of September must be receieved by August 27th, at 11:59 PM.

Continue reading »

I’m in Florida from now until the 30th. It’s really only a pseudo-break for me, as I’ll be working on the library website from home. I’m also trying to:

• Read 5 Books. At least. Right now, the list is Cryptonomicon, Harry Potter 6, Number9Dream, Catch-22, and Huckleberry Finn. I’ve made my way on the first one so far, but I’m not entirely sure I’ll finish. More on this tomorrow.

• Do something really cool with an old computer and television. I need to do more research on this too.

• Create a bio page on the site. Like, more information than you’d ever possibly need to know.

But, right now, and really, the overarching theme for the “break” is relax, enjoy myself, and sleep. I also need to plan out my semester very well.

That said, if you need me for anything, I’ll be around.

When I read about the Delhi cow problem a few days ago, I wondered how they were going to handle repeat cow business. It turns out the government has its answer.

I’m impressed with the government’s handling of the problem. The Delhi government is providing $1.8 million to combat what is a serious traffic hazard (as well as a health risk).

Ah, if only the almost $300 Billion bill Bush signed into law yesterday gave me money for removing stuff from roads. Armadillos. Homeless people. Anything.

Link

Wow. I didn’t think the time or effort to buddy list everyone I talk to would be worth it, but I was wrong. For starters, it’s definitely the kind of thing I already had a nice lookup-table in my head for people: I didn’t need to really think about it. But getting a quick glance of actual people’s names in my buddy list instead of random letters is certainly an upper.

I also took the time to find a new skin, change my font, and update my profile somewhat. A change like this is good: I had used the same skin theme since October.

Ahhh. Simple joys. I’m easily amused.

Apparently, the company that produces models for small police agencies is going out of business. Does anyone want to buy an Olin College Police Cruiser (1:43 scale)? It will make that perfect gift for the Oliner you love this holiday season. Link (Thanks to Michael, Miks, and Ash, et. al.)

I just recieved an advance copy of the 2005-2006 Parents’ Handbook (not a personal copy, obviously, but one for the library’s collection). I’m impressed with the number of people, especially in my class, who elected to change their picture. If you’re not an Oliner, let me backtrack: there are two handbooks published yearly, one for the students, and one for parents. What’s always interesting is the photographs of everyone that are included in both. I’ve always used my crappy (and now outdated) high school senior photo. I’ve just gotten used to it being in the handbooks.

Oh, and I suppose I should say that there aren’t any suprises as to who is in the lists. If you don’t know, several people left the school for one reason or another since last semester. The handbook has been updated accordingly. It’s not my place to report on missing persons, but most of the removals are just cleaning up people who have been gone a while. It’s refreshing to see that Olin is finally OK with the idea that not every student works here, and our graduation rate will never be 100%.

(And personally? The cover’s not my favorite.)

Operator, oh could you help me place this call You see the number on the matchbook is old and faded She’s livin’ in L.A. With my best old ex-friend Ray A guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated

Chorus: Isn’t that the way they say it goes But let’s forget all that And give me the number if you can find it So I can call just to tell them I’m fine and to show I’ve overcome the blow I’ve learned to take it well I only wish my words could just convince myself But that’s not the way it feels

Operator, oh could you help me place this call ’cause I can’t read the number that you just gave me There’s something in my eyes You know it happens every time I think about the love that I thought would save me

Chorus

Operator, oh let’s forget about this call There’s no one there I really wanted to talk to Thank you for your time Oh you’ve been so much more than kind And you can keep the dime

Chorus -Jim Croce

Sometimes, I wonder about the people I went to high school. The ever present indicator of people I talk to regularly, the buddy list numer, has dwindled from over 20 to just 2. And both of those will probably be deleted the next time I purge the list.

So, what happened? It’s a combination of things. For the most part, I hated the people high school: the faux niceness that people presented to get a look at my AP US History, the emphasis on attacking other people’s faults, the immaturity the vast majority of my class showed. I just wasn’t one of those people who liked drinking, who liked partying, who liked street racing. So sue me.

But it’s not like those thigns isolated me from people in high school. I had a fair number of friends, or at the very least, people I talked to regularly. But most of these relationships centered around school, and once we went to our seperate colleges, that was that.

I think that’s another big factor: I’m so far away from the nearest high school alumnus. Something like 95% of CAT students end up going to Florida schools. I don’t blame them: I’m the first to say that if I didn’t get into Olin, I would have joined them at UF. Scheduling becomes tough. I think there’s a total of three days over lap when I go home at the end of the week.

Some nights, I want to reach out, I want to say to some of them “Remember me? We used to talk, we used to be close.” But I never do. For one, I’m betting it would be awkward as hell for both of us, and I’m sure it wouldn’t really last, like putting down a rope bridge over the Grand Canyon. And really, I think the energy required to try and make a connection far outweighs the benefits derived from that connection. What will I gain from re-connecting with my high school friends? A list of parties I missed out on? A fresh batch of inside jokes I won’t understand? Stories about people I can no longer put a face to?

So, it’s come to this. 2 years removed from CAT, and I talk to no one. It’s really not a big deal: I love the friends I’ve made at Olin. Not having friends at home makes going home tough, but not impossible.

But, occasionally, when a song like Operator comes up in random mode in iTunes, I get just the smallest of lumps in my throat.

I wrote about something like this before, but this is very cool. Pick a color, any color, and you’ll have up to a dozen photos to choose from. Very impressive.

Catchy Colors Colr Pickr