My Blog's Appearance

One thing I'm sure the three two regular readers out there have no doubt noticed is that I keep tweaking the appearance of this site. It's because I started with a template that blogger provided -- if you click on the "next blog" link in the top right corner of the page, and scroll through some other blogs, you'll see that a large number of blogs look very similar. The template I selected wasn't bad, but it wasn't quite right either.

So now I'm messing with the code despite knowing nothing about coding a webpage (in the past I've used Netscape Composer or some such program). I'm enjoying the trial-and-error component, though I wish I was doing a bit more learning beyond simple substitution & insertions of color codes & gifs. Still, it'll come, and maybe one day folks will visit my blog just to see what's different about how it looks (hmm, I wonder if I can archive past site appearance in addition to past posts?).

Whither the Weather

Big snow storm forecasted for today (6-10 inches), supposed to begin in the middle of the night -- the sort of storm that can shut down this region of weather wimps and give me a day off. I woke up early, like a kid at Christmas, to check whether we were shut down, but I knew the answer before I made it to my computer -- there was salt aplenty on my street, but no sign that any snow had fallen whatsoever.

Ultimately it did snow, and sleet, and accumulations are now forecast for 3-6 inches. So I worked today, and that's not a bad thing. It's what I had planned to do before someone informed me of the threatening storm. I just wish my hopes hadn't gotten up so much.

No work tomorrow -- jury duty instead (unless, of course, it's cancelled due to the weather). This'll be my second time serving. Last time I got selected for a trial, and after the trial I was dismissed -- turned out I was an alternate, so I missed out on deliberations. It wasn't really an interesting trial -- guy was very guilty, and everyone knew it, but because of mandatory minimum sentencing, there was no reason for pleading out the case. I can't say I really wanted to be a juror, but if I had to sit, the least they could have done was let me participate in deliberations -- sort of like watching a meal be prepared but having to go home before it's served. Hopefully tomorrow I won't get picked, but if I do it's not as an alternate.

Space

I want that our world can put people into space, but I don't want us to actually go out there yet. Humanity needs a parent (or two) who can say, "You're not allowed to go outside until you clean up the mess you've made on your own planet."

Digital Camera Purchase, Part 2

Kathy likes the idea of getting two cameras a whole bunch -- the little one for her, and the larger one for me. So I guess that's what we'll probably do (I'm betting she'll get this one).

Digital Camera Purchase

On our trip to Costa Rica, I dropped my digital camera. It still works, but now you have to press extra hard to take a picture. And of course, pressing extra hard increases the likelihood that I'll jerk the camera and produce a blurry shot. So, given that defect, and that my camera is over three years old (the model came out 4 1/2 years ago), I thought it might be a good opportunity to find a better camera.

In using my current camera, I had gotten some ideas on what I'd like to find in a new camera -- I wanted more than 3MPs, to allow for some cropping here and there without significantly hurting the photo quality, and I wanted more than 3x zoom, because I'm sick of taking a photo of wildlife or a distant landmark that a 3x zoom can't capture adequately. I also wouldn't mind a smaller camera, because the smaller it is, the more likely I am to have it with me (and it's less likely I can drop it if it can fit comfortably in a pocket). But seeing all the possibilities out there, I'm feeling overwhelmed by the choices.

• There's a tiny camera for $225 that's just as powerful as the one I have (3x zoom, 3.2MPs), provides great photos, and has a high-quality movie feature (Canon PowerShot SD200 Digital ELPH). A 4MP version is another $90 (the SD300), and the 5MP is due out next month for ~$400 (the SD400).
• If I'm ok with lower quality movies, a smaller viewscreen, and slightly larger size, less expensive older versions are out there (the 4MP S410).
  
• Similarly, there are a number of cameras, significantly smaller than my current one but not quite as small as the Digital Elphs, that have similar features and quality.
  

• There's a camera the size of my current one that is being phased out (already almost 2 years old since originally released!) that's 5MP with a 4x zoom, gives great photos (but mediocre movies), and with rebates is less than $200 (Nikon CoolPix 5400).

• There's a camera that's a bit larger than my current one, about to come out for ~$500, that's 5MP, with a 12x zoom, image stabilizer (to overcome shaky hands), and an adequate movie mode (Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5).

And these are just examples -- I've spent hours upon hours reviewing specs for dozens of cameras (the site I've been using the most is Digital Camera Resource). I want high image quality, but that still leaves plenty of options, with all sorts of different combinations among zoom, MPs, price, and size, as well as features that have less, but still some, value to me (e.g., the movie mode and screen size). And the manufacturers keep on churning out newer models, with new features (such as the image stabilization). Even disregarding price, there's no such thing as the perfect camera -- the best option will still be outclassed by a similar model in at least one of the categories.

At this point, I'm at a loss as to what to buy. I'm even considering buying 2 cameras, one tiny one and a larger one with more features. Anyone have any suggestions?

The Postman

'Twas a good weekend for reading, and I read all of David Brin's The Postman on Sunday. This book was made into what is considered a mediocre (at best) movie by Kevin Costner (though I haven't seen it), but I understood the story behind the movie to be a good one. The story's setting is basic sci-fi -- post-nuclear America, a loner (Gordon) in need of a jacket comes across an old mail truck, complete with skeleton of a postman. He grabs the jacket from the dead man, and takes the sack with him along with a few letters to read. From there, it's only a matter of time before the enclaves he visits start believing in the entity behind the mailman, the vanished U.S. government. And Gordon, because it's convenient, continues the lie, even expands upon it, until there's no turning back. He becomes the reluctant hero, and the constant introspection he engages in makes it obvious why an action movie based on the book was a flop.

So did I like it? In truth, I didn't think much of it -- perhaps it's showing its age (20 years), but for a supposedly thought-provoking book, it seemed cliched and derivative. The bad guys were almost cartoonish, and their basic principle (the strongest should lead, with additional verbiage) was silly. It might have helped if Brin showed any sign in taking their belief seriously, but it was evident that he did not. On this issue, it came across as a morality play rather than anything that could make someone older than 13 think.

An area where he commanded some originality (at least for me) lay in the role of "active" feminism. For some unexplained reason, the communities had reverted back to more traditional gender roles. In one community, however, one woman took advantage of particularly troubled times to spread her own brand of post-apocalyptic feminism -- not that women should be equal, but that they should be the judge (and, as appropriate, executioner) of men, even their own sons, to prevent bad men from ever being in a position to seize power.

Probably the best idea carried forth was the book's defense of lying in certain circumstances. Gordon isn't the only teller of a big lie, and in the other instance, he elects to keep the lie going, because like his fictitious U.S. Government, it gives people something to believe in in (what he believes to be) an otherwise hopeless world. The concept troubles me, as it makes one wonder whether and how leaders of every government stand behind their own big lies because they believe it's for the best.

I rate it 5/10.

A Thread of Grace

I finished reading Mary Doria Russell's latest book (A Thread of Grace) this weekend, and I generally enjoyed it. Unlike her first two books, The Sparrow and Children of God, this one is historical fiction. Set in Italy in the later part of World War II, the book gives a fictionalized account of what actually happened -- many ordinary Italians hid Jewish refugees from all over Europe from the Nazis once the Germans had taken over their country. The story is loosely centered around 3-4 people, but weaves its tale from the perspective of many characters (refugees, partisans, German soldiers, a German defector doctor, priests, nuns, regular Italians, Jewish Italians, children) -- with so many diverse viewpoints, it was no surprise to discover that the story was more about the setting than the people, even though the characters were pretty well drawn out.

Russell also continued her religious philosophizing, something she did in her earlier books. The setting lent itself to this activity, and I wouldn't be surprised if her evident interest in the subject is one of the reasons Russell chose this setting for her latest book.

The book had minor flaws -- for example, some of the characters that were introduced had plotlines left unresolved. Warning -- somewhat spoiler material continues for rest of paragraph. The biggest flaw for me, however, was that most of the Jewish refugees (in addition to most of the non-refugees) in the book were killed. No doubt many perished, but if the point was to tell a story of heroism among everyday people that led to success over a powerful enemy, one would think the story would have had a few more people survive to demonstrate that "success." Given the paucity of survivors among the book's characters, one is instead left with a sense of noble albeit largely unsuccessful effort.

Given the quality of Russell's first two books, I had high expectations for this one. I have to say that the way the book finished left those expectations largely unmet. I rate it 7/10.

A Good Weekend

Just got back from a weekend in the Shenandoah Valley with Kathy. We rented a rather isolated dog-friendly cabin, and other than a few hikes, stayed put for most of the time (well, there was the hot tub in the back that we used some as well). It was good to get away, it was beautiful, we read, had fires, hung with the dogs, and all-in-all, relaxed. So often we travel to see others, or to do things -- it was nice just to "be." I used to do such vacations at the Outer Banks, but the past couple of years we haven't gone due to weddings, and this year's week there with my family should be nice, but not as relaxing. This served as a reminder that it's worth taking such trips, and that even a long weekend can be rewarding.

Happy Presidents' Day!

p.s. Here's a follow-up link on Bush's social security private savings accounts: http://schumer.senate.gov/calc/

I Hate Preseason!

Still have over 6 weeks until DC United's season opener, even though they've been training for three weeks already! Fortunately they're in the CONCACAF Cup (a tournament for top clubs in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean), so they play a couple of games for that in March. I feel sorry for the fans of clubs that don't have a meaningful game until April 2.

United still intends to add a couple of players to the team over the next few weeks, even though it gets dangerously close to the CONCACAF games (March 9 & 16) -- in the offseason the team lost a couple of top players, in particular their captain, and have made no significant additions. I feel good about the team, but I also feel that we sat still while a lot of teams in the league made significant improvements.

It's weird -- in both soccer and baseball, my team won the championship, and yet, rather than still savoring those championships just a few months after their respective seasons ended, I'm already chomping at the bit ready for the next year to get under way (much more eager for soccer than baseball -- baseball is for boxscores and rotisserie, soccer is for watching).

The NHL (No Hockey League)

Last May, while on vacation with my family, I watched the Stanley Cup Finals with my brother and father. They were both Lightning fans, and I cheered along with them. I was a bit torn rooting for a Florida team against a Canadian one, Canada being the heart of hockey and Florida being a place where you can't even play hockey outdoors in the winter. But only a bit. So we watched together, a rare occurrence given our locations across the country, the infrequency with which we're together, and our different sporting interests. And it was entertaining. The announcers talked about the upcoming labor dispute, but it was background. They said there was a good chance for a lockout, but that was in the future -- we were enjoying the present, and there wasn't much we could have done about it anyhow.

Well, the future is now, and this season hockey officially is limited to the minor leagues and colleges (go Big Red!). The Lightning remain defending champions for another year, though who knows if any of the winning players will be defending their title. The owners must be happy -- they've fractured the unity of the players, and, according to their mantra, they're losing less money than if they'd played the season under the existing labor agreement. Never mind that the players agreed to major pay cuts that would have reduced the loss and possibly even given them a gain. Never mind that the owners were the ones that caused the problem in the first place with their profligate spending -- they decided that as a group they couldn't control their spending, and consequently, the players would have to bail them out. Never mind that the casual fan is likely lost for a decade, and some probably won't return.

Interest in hockey had been growing, slowly, but growing nonetheless. Now it will fall back among the lesser sports (it was already a distant 4th among the team sports -- the average sports fan doesn't even care that it's gone). Will it ever rise again?