Advogato blog for MarkAtwood

Project 365, Day 132: Invisible Light

Wed, 14 May 2008 03:11:04 GMT

Project 365, Day 132: Invisible Light
Originally uploaded by FallenPegasus

The illuminator LEDs on this security camera were not visible to my eyes, but they show up clearly to my camera.

Linked from Fake Steve Jobs?

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:11:46 GMT

Jonathan Schwartz of Sun, and Giuseppi Maxia of MySQL
Originally uploaded by FallenPegasus

According to my Flickr stats, this picture just got a huge surge of views, most of them from "fakesteve.blogspot.com".

But when I go to that blog, I can't find the link.

Can anyone find it for me?

I just learned a new term today...

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:11:46 GMT

"Essex Man"

This is apparently a nasty slur in the UK, and it means "a person of a working class background, with aspirations to own property and shares. Usually used as an insult".

That such an intersection of class and aspiration is the basis of an insult says a hell of a lot about the UK.

None of it good.

...

Mon, 12 May 2008 07:10:36 GMT

He's not exactly the brightest bowling ball in the deck.

As Always, Always Follow the Incentives...

Mon, 12 May 2008 02:09:11 GMT

Remember the story of the Yugoslavian socialist worker-managed firm? If you add another worker to the firm, that worker gets a pro-rata share of the firm's value added. The firm's value added has a component attributable to the firm's capital stock, a component attributable to the ideas embedded in the firm, a component attributable to the firm's market position, and a component attributable to the workers. Hire another worker, and only the last of these goes up: the first three do not, and so average compensation falls. This means that a worker-managed firm is likely to shrink whenever it gets good news that makes it more productive--the larger is the value added due to ideas, capital, or market position, the more expensive does it become for the existing workers to replace workers who leave, let alone hire enough workers to expand. While a competitive market capitalist firm responds to good news about its productivity and value to society by increasing employment, a Yugoslavian-model market socialist firm responds to good news about its productivity and value to society by shrinking.

But remember, folks, worker owned co-ops are Good, and free market capital funded corporations are Bad.

Life, the past weekend so far.

Mon, 12 May 2008 02:09:11 GMT

Today, it was cold again. Where is my spring? Did a bunch of yoga, with hvc teaching. Went to the first weekly Farmers Market of Capitol Hill. Fresh cheap food, omm nomm nomm...

Yesterday, went climbing at Vertical World. Pulled too hard, strained my elbows, had to stop before my muscles got tired. Went to Emerald City Comic Con, but didn't see anything I wanted to buy. I did get some presents for some friends.

Went to Colin & Kirsten's bachelor & bachelorette party. This was actually my first "bachelor party", but I think it was pretty non-standard, since I have such non-standard friends. Sadly, I got there too late to enjoy the Naked Sushi, but still, the candy was good, the company was fun, and I got a slot with the henna artist that was there. Kirsten, of course, got a lovely complex work on her arms and chest. I got a pattern on my left palm.

Friday, I finally got caught up on my work paperwork. Let's try to not let it get behind again.

That evening, I went to elfs surprise birthday party. Actually, I picked him up here in Cap Hill, and took him home, while his wife and daughters got the party ready.

Mother's Day

Mon, 12 May 2008 02:09:11 GMT

I have friends who's mothers have called them up drunk at odd times. Mothers who institutionalized for the mentally ill. Mothers who blinded themselves to abuse. Mothers who abused. Mothers who are absent, or hated, or hateful. Mothers who treated their kids as nothing more than exchange tokens in Family Court. Mothers who's greatest positive contribution was bundle of chromosomes and 9 months in a womb, and not much of anything else. Mothers who loved boozing, 420, screwing around, and "protesting against The Man" more then their own kids.

In fact, most of my friends have, by my standards, mothers who mind-screamingly screwed up.

Not my mother.

My mother certainly wasn't perfect. She made mistakes, and a lot of times, the stresses of obligations toward house, church, and five intelligent, strong-willed, and slighly insane kids, took their toll on her.

But still, she did a better job and tried harder to do a better job, than most all of my friends' mothers.

Happy Mother's Day, wurtmann.

Enjoy your new roses.

Project 365, Day 126: Known for their Hair

Fri, 9 May 2008 03:11:13 GMT

Project 365, Day 126: Known for their Hair
Originally uploaded by FallenPegasus

Project 365, Day 125: The Winner!

Fri, 9 May 2008 03:11:13 GMT

Project 365, Day 125: The Winner!
Originally uploaded by FallenPegasus

This kid was the winner of the day's Cardboard Tube Fighting League tournament

call from 623-492-6031

Fri, 9 May 2008 03:11:13 GMT

I just got a call on my cellphone from this number. It was an immediate hangup. Googling the number says its a shady fly by night place that claims to be AmEx collections.