shades of grey

I was listening to NPR the other day on the way to work and heard them discuss the approval of a new regional economic growth plan called "Agenda 360", whose stated goals are:

At the core of this plan are three transformational, long-range goals. By the year 2020, the goal of Agenda 360 is to:

• Add 150,000 additional 20 to 34 year-olds in the region's workforce, an increase of 50 percent.
• Add 200,000 net new jobs in the region, representing an estimated 50 percent increase in the historical job growth rate in the region.
• Create economic self-sufficiency for all, incorporating the United Way goal of income at a minimum of 250 percent above the federal poverty level for all households.

Of course, being smack in the middle of that demographic at 26 years old, and as a designer being a member of the coveted creative class, my ears perk up. Does this mean my city loves me?

So naturally, I'm wondering what kinds of stimuli they're scheming in order to attract people like me to the region. I had hoped more emphasis might be put on public transit infrastructure, but I wasn't surprised to learn that the only reference to such is support of the anemic streetcar proposal already on the books and a vague reference to future LRT plans without any real call to action. For shame.

Young creative urban types thrive on public transit. You want to revitalize downtown, get these kinds of people interested in moving here? Public transit enables the lifestyle of the demographic you're targeting. In purely economic terms, it makes it more affordable to live and thus more attractive to people just out of college or at the beginning of their careers with lower incomes.

It's about freaking time. Let's hope this money doesn't get siphoned off by local transportation authorities for more road projects.

Map of Potential HSR Built by the Stimulus

So I have this odd habit of holding a glass with only three fingers sometimes. Apparently so does Barack Obama. Oh and we both like good beer too.

Beer and the president: A new political reality?

For your perusal, the next installment in making the case against a suburban lifestyle comes from this insightful article in New York Magazine: Is Urban Loneliness a Myth?

I'm going to spoil the best line in the entire article right here, which occurs on page 5: "The presence of other human beings puts a natural limit on how freakily we can behave.". Well, it certainly hit the spot for me. Where do all those school shootings happen, and who perpetrates them? Freakishly antisocial kids in suburban schools in the middle of nowhere, or at universities in isolated locations.

The whole premise is how you live. Urbanites, whether single or married, have larger social circles, more social activity, and because of this are less likely to feel lonely, which affects physical health. Among other things, such as not driving everywhere and not sitting on your ass watching television every night.

What ever happened to capitalism? With all the critical remarks about socialism against Barack Obama after he made that fateful comment about "spreading the wealth", you'd assume that people in this country were staunch capitalists. Apparently that isn't the case at all. You'd assume at least the leaders of large corporations would be capitalists, after all they're the ones that scream the loudest when it comes to protecting their hard-earned cash. So why is it that the leaders of the big three automakers are suddenly groveling at the doorstep of the government asking for a handout like it's a soup kitchen? I guess that belief in the free market economy is easily set aside when the free market economy seems perched to throw you in the dumpster.

As you can tell, I'm infuriated at the hypocrisy here. I don't think those companies deserve a bailout at all. I think they need to get what's coming to them. They've been outperformed by companies that make better products and have bee unwilling to retool their product to compete. In the free market, that means you fail. What about the jobs, you say? Auto repair shops, auto parts shops, they'll all stay in business. People will still be buying cars in large numbers - they'll still need maintenance. What about the assembly line workers? Well, when Honda and Toyota suddenly feel the windfall of increased demand from the failure of these companies, they'll probably open more plants to produce more cars, and that means they'll be hiring. They already make all of those supposedly "foreign" cars right here in the United States anyway.

So let them fail. Fuck them. Bad business decisions, greedy unions, all of them should get what's coming to them. In the words of Republican senator Richard Shelby of Alabama,

“The financial straits that the Big Three find themselves in is not the product of our current economic downturn, but instead is the legacy of the uncompetitive structure of its manufacturing and labor force. The financial situation facing the Big Three is not a national problem but their problem.”

Apparently John McCain thinks it's highly unlikely that someone in their twenties would vote for him - so unlikely in fact that he's willing to bet that the only reason a college-age person would be at one of his rallies would be to protest. It's probably true that a larger percentage of twenty-something voters in this country are liberal-leaning and likely prefer Obama, but McCain seems to take this as fact. Here's an interesting example of profiling not based on race, but based on age - and an assumed political leaning.

Pre-emptive Ejection (Iowa State Daily)

He certainly isn't winning any young votes with this one. One person ejected from the rally even stated that she had already early-voted for McCain. It must have been quite a slap in the face.

Saw this coming a mile away:

AIG Execs go on Vacation

Ever wonder how a bunch of corrupt businessmen spend your tax dollars when you bail them out? This is how they show their gratitude. I also read today that Dick Fuld, the CEO of Lehman brothers, was punched in the face at a gym and knocked out cold. To catch you up on the story, he basically implicated everyone but himself in the failure of his firm and dodged questions about the $480 mil he's raked in from the company during his tenure as chief executive with esoteric financial lingo. Frankly, I'm glad someone had the cojones to knock him out.

Now check out the article about the AIG execs and how they spent your tax dollars after they were bailed out to the tune of $85 bil. This is why the dems were so adamant about tacking on stipulations about executive compensation to the bailout bill - because of corrupt assholes like this. Did you really expect these people to graciously accept our money and not throw a big party for themselves? I can't say I'm surprised.

When Sarah Palin is familiar with the issues she's talking about, she's an aggressive and formidable debater, it seems. Check out these excerpts from the 2006 Alaskan gubernatorial debates, she's on the ball and even acts like a jerk to the guy she's debating (sounds like McCain, eh?). Now, that says nothing about being qualified to be in a federal government position that requires much broader knowledge about world affairs, but Joe Biden might not have it so easy if she can debate like this and not come off like an idiot, as she's done in her interviews with Katie Couric. As I watched this video, I thought, Who is this? This isn't Sarah Palin!

Why Sarah Palin is a better debater than you think

Still doesn't make up for the comment about parents sending their kids off in backpacks as the only reason why someone would have visited a foreign country, though :) Or any of her other numerous crazy right-wing ideas and opinions.

Just for contrast, check out day 1 and day 2 of the CBS interviews here.

Katie Couric interviews Sarah Palin, day 1

Katie Couric interviews Sarah Palin, day 2

It's not Baghdad, it's Dayton. Check this out.

Muslim Children Gassed at Dayton Mosque After "Obsession" DVD Hits Ohio

I guess that goes to show that there are actually ignorant people out there who are succeptible to being manipuated by blatant propaganda. Scary thing is, they're practically my neighbors.

So, John McCain decides to suspend his campaign for the time being so that he can get to the business of fixing the economy. Instead of speaking my opinion on this, I'll defer to David Letterman, who says it so much more elegantly than I would.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E

In short, don't lie about why you're canceling your appearance on Letterman, then proceed to do an interview on the exact same network. That's like bailing on a friend then going to get a drink with that friend's best friend. You think they won't talk to one another?

I do appreciate that Letterman only hints at the idea of a publicity stunt, but dances around it enough that you get the picture while complimenting him simultaneously. I'm a much more straightforward man and I wouldn'tve put it so nicely!

And I wonder what he implies when he says "the road to the white house runs right through me". Does this mean he'll endorse Obama? Or was it a conceited attempt to imply that as a television personality, he has the ability to sway opinion :)

If you're like me, a person of fervent opinions who often finds themselves at a loss for an eloquent or rational way to express them, and are an outspoken critic of suburban sprawl, you might find this speech interesting. Even if you're not a proponent of new urbanism, take a moment or twenty to listen to what this man has to say about places that are not worth caring about, and ones that are.

TED Talks: James Howard Kunstler, "The Tragedy of Suburbia"

The best part of the speech is perhaps the very last thing he says before closing:

I can't say I was surprised when I read this latest tidbit from the front lines of the copyright wars. In brief, the Performing Rights Society, Britain's copyright collections agency, sued a charity because the radio in their kitchen was loud enough to be heard in a public dining room, apparently constituting some form of public performance. Then, they proceeded to ask for more money because kids were singing Christmas carols there which were copyrighted.

To me, this is a ringing endorsement of Festivus. In addition to being the non-religious holiday, it's also the non-commercial holiday. No carols, no traditional songs, just an aluminum pole and plenty of alcohol and merriment to go around. Come to Festivus at the Herford and don't worry about having your pants sued off.

So, apparently it's pretty simple to make a facebook application, and their language of choice is PHP. They provide you with any API keys you want, and they also have "FQL". Yep. I figure, why the hell not. Perhaps I can come up with something worthwhile. So now, I'm wondering, what do you all want? Toss me some ideas. I'm pretty good with PHP and SQL, I can do this bitch. Maybe I'll make something totally awesome.

So you're looking to spend some quality time with your dad this sunday, but you haven't yet thought of something the two of you could do together. Maybe you don't have enough in common, and the fear of awkward silences and conversations about superficial things like sports teams is weighing on your thoughts. If you're into local music, I have a solution, and it involves beer. Your dad might have to warm up to the bands, but everybody knows that beer helps to smooth out those rough spots in conversation. Plus, it is also common knowledge that silences aren't as awkward when there's live music. The Seedy Seeds and Pomegranates are playing tomorrow night at Northside Tavern, and you should be there. It does not necessarily have to be a part of your plans with your dad, but it is required for any fan of Cincinnati music.

Also, lemonade. Who doesn't love lemonade? If such a person exists, I haven't met them. But I do know plenty of people who probably haven't yet tasted the best lemonade on the face of the earth. It is stored in a gigantic glass jar with lemons floating in it, and if you offer its keeper a dollar, he may just let you taste it. That is, if he hasn't run out of plastic cups. Go to Findlay Market, and at the center of the main building, you'll find it, along with jars containing other assorted cold, refreshing drinks with fruit halves floating in them. Delicious. And I'm serious about the one dollar.

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT? I have one scar, from when I had chicken pox - one of them refused to go away and left a scar! Weird, I know.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM? Posters from rock shows, some paintings I did.

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP? I have never been accused of such things.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? Indie Rock, Shoegaze and New Wave/Post-Punk.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN? 1:47 AM

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? Hmmm.

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS? Friends who don't live in Cincinnati.

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION(S)? Titanium Powerbook, CD collection.

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 179 cm, or 5'-10.5"

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK? I love the dark.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY? Robyn.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PERFUME? Don't know about that one :) I like incense, does that count?

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOUR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX? I don't have a hair preference, but going by my dating history, you'd think I liked redheads and blondes. And as long as they're pretty eyes, I like them.

15. WHO CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF GETTING MARRIED TO? Nobody at this point.

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK? Coffee.

17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PIZZA TOPPING? Pepperoni.

18. IF YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Three cheese melt from Sitwell's.

19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Fish and Chips at Claddagh in Newport.

20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLD FISH? Nope.

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT SOMEONE EVER GAVE YOU? I have no idea. I'm sure it was at christmas 1983.

22. DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY? I like lots of people.

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE-JOINTED? No.

24. FAVOURITE CLOTHING BRAND? I'd have to go with Urban Outfitters or Express - or perhaps "vintage store".

26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW? Nope

27. WHAT KIND IS IT?

28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING? No.

29. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU? A big long hug.

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED: 16.

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES? Makes no difference to me.

32. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL MOST OFTEN? it ends in "91". I don't think anyone would appreciate having their phone number released over the internet :)

33. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST? People who say one thing but mean another, and expect you to know this.

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE U.S.? Most definitely.

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES? Sex, alcohol, music.

36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS? I don't think De Novo Dahl is famous yet.

37. FIRST JOB? I used to answer phones at my stepmom's office for extra cash.

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL? I don't think so.

39. FIRST VACATION YOU EVER TOOK? Arizona, 1984. That I remember? Mackinac Island, 1988.

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE DOING THIS? Sleeping

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY? Nope.

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST? design and coding abilities, and sometimes that I'm a nice person.

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES? nope.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY? i have no idea. Possibly a new computer, if they've made them sexy again by that point.

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT? None.

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull.

47. DO YOU WISH ON STARS? No.

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE? Something I get at CVS that smells like oranges?

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Indeed.

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT? Corned Beef. Yes, I'm irish.

52. ANY BAD HABITS? You tell me. I'm sure I have them.

53. WHAT IS THE MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON YOUR SHELF? Well, I still have Filter's "Title of Record", but that's not embarassing so much as it's just compeltely unlike everything else I own.

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I'd sure hope so.

55. FAVOURITE GUM? I don't chew gum.

56. DO LOOKS MATTER? I'm quite vain. But I don't hold other people to that standard.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER? Lately I just forget about whatever it was that was making me angry by finding something to take my mind off it.

58. WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME? I don't have one.

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE TOY AS A CHILD? A stuffed frog.

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE? At least a hundred or so.

62. WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A KID? No, I was too old at the time.

63. DO YOU USE SARCASM? I do.

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE? Mashed potatoes.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL? That's a much more complicated question than I can answer in a few short blurbs.

66. DO YOU HAVE ANY NICKNAMES? Not that I know of.

67. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BAND/SINGER? Ride, Jeremy Enigk/SDRE, Smashing Pumpkins, De Novo Dahl, The Broken West, Bad Veins, Ultravox, ..........

68. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE TV SHOW? Don't really watch TV, but I like that show "House".

69. WHAT WAS YOUR ACT/SAT SCORE? ACT 31, SAT 1390.

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR? Amaretto Chip from Graeter's - and they got rid of it those punks.

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES? yes

72. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT? I don't.

73. DID YOU NOTICE THAT THERE WAS NO #64? huh?

74. WHAT'S THE FASTEST YOU HAVE GONE IN A CAR? over 200 kph, on the Autobahn - I think that's about 125.

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS? Sure.

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? The Selmanaires.

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK? Smithwick's.

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Robyn.

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX? Eyes.

80. FAVOURITE THOUGHT-PROVOKING SONG? Too many to list.

81. FAVOURITE THING TO HATE? .

82. FAVOURITE MONTH OF THE YEAR? October.

83. FAVOURITE ZODIAC SIGN? My own? Pisces.

85. WHAT IS YOUR NATURAL HAIR COLOUR? Rotten wood.

86. EYE COLOUR? Cerulean blue.

87. SHOE SIZE? 10.5

89. FAVOURITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT? Skyline! Wait, is that "fast food"? I guess it'd have to be Jimmy John's then.

90. YOU LIKE SUSHI? Yes!

91. LAST THING YOU WATCHED? Fight Club

92. FAVOURITE DAY OF THE YEAR? October 31st

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS? Nope

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT? Neither.

95. KISSES OR HUGS? Both at the same time.

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT? Dinner at Claddagh.

98. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE? 1995 red honda civic.

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? "Queen of the Damned" by Anne Rice.

100. DESCRIBE YOUR LIFE: Friends, rock shows, web design, dancing, pointy collars, Campari, and good beer.

It's another cool night outside on the supervisor shift. Tonight I'm spotlighted by the sterile glow and insectile hum of the stadium lights, pumping millions of watts of power to light the playing field for three people playing frisbee.

Saw The Selmanaires at the Comet for free last night, after filling my stomach with one of their delicious burritos and a Christian Moerlein lager. I was duly impressed with the intensity with which they banged out their unique sound, something I couldn't bring myself to compare to any of the indie rock mainstays or popular indie sounds. It's a bad habit, making comparisons. Something I've been trained to do by immitation. They were easily one of the best acts I've seen at the Comet thus far, a band that really had it together - even the interstitial spaces between their songs were filled with little repeating electronic background melodies while the band members switched places and instruments.

I also apparently have a standing marriage proposal, should I choose to accept. I was at Mac's Pizza Pub with Nate this evening, and the waitress, upon seeing my Seedy Seeds shirt, first words out of her mouth were a sarcastic "will you marry me". It's good to see someone else who loves good local music as much as I do. So we chatted about the band a bit, during which I informed her of the upcoming CD listening party previewing their first full-length release that the Seedy Seeds are having at Rohs Street on June 30th. There'll be free food, good music, and good people aplenty, so I encourage everyone that can attend to be there.

So, this morning, I decided that for my current project at work, it was necessary to learn how to use XML data in Flash. Like in times past, I simply jacked into the Matrix, inserted the "Learn XML" disk and instantly learned everything there is to know.

Whoa. I know XML.

Not exactly. But I soaked up some juicy important fruity bits after reading for a solid hour and a half. Now, my mind is going insane. Dynamic content... in Flash? Oh, the possibilities! Apparently using XML socket servers is a great way to write chat applications that use Flash. I instantly thought of the project that Steve had in mind for me to work on, had I ended up working at UCit as my co-op, to create a website where UC students could get real-time help from employees of the libraries or IT departments. He was thinking PERL, of course, but now... pretty chat app in Flash? Makes me want to jump on that project the minute I get back to UCit.

You know the first thing I'm going to do is make a scoreboard for Asteroids.

Anways, I'll duplicate posts from Blogger here in LJ for a while. Of course spam surveys and such will remain the domain of LiveJournal :)

Probably moving my blogging persona over here:

http://pointycollars.blogspot.com

Might have something to do with my new york friend starting one. That, and you can leave comments on it even if you don't have a Blogger account. Neato!

So, I've found a snug little local coffee house with free wireless on Broadway and Alder, just a block away from the MAX, the Metro Area Express light rail train. They share the road with the cars, one lane for each. In places, the MAX has taken over the street, requiring nothing more than the type of streetcar tracks you see embedded in the cobblestone in front of Music Hall. Oh, there comes another one - this time it's the blue line. This is the third day I've driven into work with Nicole, who works at the airport, and effortlessly hopped on the red line to take me directly into the center of the city. The Portland metropolitan area is a bit smaller than Cincinnati, but not by much. You'd certainly never guess it by the bustling activity downtown. There were even plenty of people in town on Sunday. The MAX is free in the city center area, a region covering a few square miles and eight train stops, encouraging people to ride into town and stay there.

Saturday as I rode in I passed through an area called Skidmore Fountain, where there was an open air market taking place, much like Findlay Market although not as permanent. More reminiscent of the types of tent villages you might see at a Renaissance Festival, though staked out among a few late nineteenth century buildings in the heart of a city near the riverfront. It was the Saturday Market (which is also open on Sunday), a Portland tradition since 1974. I got breakfast there at a make-your-own omelette stand along with some local free-trade coffee. The distance from Pioneer Square to Skidmore fountain seems just shy of the distance from Fountain Square to Findlay Market. I'm hoping the sun burns off this overcast sky so that I can take some decent pictures.

I've noticed alot of twenty-something guys dressed like it's 1992. You know, the torn jeans and plaid shirt look. That and an overabundance of punks, also looking a bit out of date. I've only spotted one emo kid, I remember because I had to inform Nicole what it meant when a kid's hair was longer in front, stuck to his face, and looked like it had been dyed with a toner cartridge. I think Cincinnati should trade in some emo kids for a light rail train or three.