A collection of random Bad Ideas (by me, not collected from elsewhere):
1) Reality TV Show: "So You Think You can Dance Like an American Fifth Grader" [OK, that's more parody than a bad idea...]
2) Cell Phones with customizable scents. Just like you can customize your phone to ring a different tune for different callers, embed one with technology to make different scents. So rather than an annoying ringtone, you get a slight waft of something, telling you that you have a new text message, or call. Different scents for different folks (flowery, acrid, and so on). Scent, unfortunately, is not as quick as sound so that's a negative factor here (missed calls if you're in so much as a slight breeze). And it's also as public as sound ("Is that you or did your boss just call?")
3) One upon a time I actually drafted a parodic post in response to a news article on NASA's budget troubles, though I don't think I ever posted it. Might lead Bad Ideas II with that one later on, but given proximity of this post with the previous one I'll hold off for now (though it may have come through on an earlier posting).
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Columbia report
http://www.nasa.gov.pdf/298870main_SP-2008-565.pdf
This is gripping, horrifying, and tragic. It's the final report on the spaceshuttle Columbia's catastrophic re-entry in 2003, complete with acronyms (CMCE: Crew Module Catastrophic Event). In some ways its coldness and technicality is a way of respecting the privacy of the deceased [a number of redacted sections at the end also keep personal details private]. But its second by second account has an inexorable fatalism, watching a disaster unfold in slow motion (watching technology fail) knowing there's nothing you can do. In the end the crew didn't suffer. But man, reading this really hits me hard.
This is gripping, horrifying, and tragic. It's the final report on the spaceshuttle Columbia's catastrophic re-entry in 2003, complete with acronyms (CMCE: Crew Module Catastrophic Event). In some ways its coldness and technicality is a way of respecting the privacy of the deceased [a number of redacted sections at the end also keep personal details private]. But its second by second account has an inexorable fatalism, watching a disaster unfold in slow motion (watching technology fail) knowing there's nothing you can do. In the end the crew didn't suffer. But man, reading this really hits me hard.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Speeding Cameras
Arizona is rolling out quite a number of new automated speed and red light cameras, an expansion which is expected to continue. See the article here.
Cutting down on speeding around here is a good thing (130mph??). But what's always worrying about such technologies is their function creep. Also, they're a technical fix that doesn't consider why people are driving so much and have to go so far (urban planning) and have to get there so quickly. Broader, and deeper, social questions.
Of course, do the cameras work?
Here's the Independent from London this summer.
Cutting down on speeding around here is a good thing (130mph??). But what's always worrying about such technologies is their function creep. Also, they're a technical fix that doesn't consider why people are driving so much and have to go so far (urban planning) and have to get there so quickly. Broader, and deeper, social questions.
Of course, do the cameras work?
Here's the Independent from London this summer.
Monday, December 01, 2008
What Color is Your House?
An interesting post about airport security and the new surveillance by Anita Allen over at the blog Daily Beast. How to get through security if you lack proper ID and the sorts of things they can find out about you.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Miscellany
1. After around two and a half years of blogging, Ain't Got Time to Blog just logged it's 2,000th visit ("Low Traffic Site" I think is the phrase). Our final push over the top is due to the popularity of MC Howie and Julie and those searching for them on the web ending up here. Add to that some searches for Crying Nut and a few for Faye Wong. And even a few folks looking for me, this blog, or something I wrote.
2. Starting an occasional anecdotal series in this blog: "Argument Against Electronic Book Readers"
Our first entry I scrawled on the back page of Galloway and Thacker's "The Exploit" towards the end of Monday's flight from San Diego to Phoenix. "As we make our final descent into Phoenix, please turn off all portable electronic devices until we are on the ground."
3. As a side note regarding Monday's flight: Southwest is stating in ads that they now serve Monster beverages on board. Just what I need when packed like a smoked oyster (hah--thought I'd say "sardine"?) into a flying tin can: some guy hyped up on power drinks twitching in the seat next to me. What could be worse? Well, the day they allow cell phone calls on flights, that would be worse.
4. Update on the College of Human Services (CHS) saga: as of last Friday (21 November) the college and department are officially disestablished. In terms of the upcoming convocation, we (Com Studies faculty and students) are now back with the resurrected-for-one-day-like-David's-Mom-in-A.I. CHS for one final Convocation ceremony with our students before we join our new colleagues and students in the New College in next Spring's Convocation.
2. Starting an occasional anecdotal series in this blog: "Argument Against Electronic Book Readers"
Our first entry I scrawled on the back page of Galloway and Thacker's "The Exploit" towards the end of Monday's flight from San Diego to Phoenix. "As we make our final descent into Phoenix, please turn off all portable electronic devices until we are on the ground."
3. As a side note regarding Monday's flight: Southwest is stating in ads that they now serve Monster beverages on board. Just what I need when packed like a smoked oyster (hah--thought I'd say "sardine"?) into a flying tin can: some guy hyped up on power drinks twitching in the seat next to me. What could be worse? Well, the day they allow cell phone calls on flights, that would be worse.
4. Update on the College of Human Services (CHS) saga: as of last Friday (21 November) the college and department are officially disestablished. In terms of the upcoming convocation, we (Com Studies faculty and students) are now back with the resurrected-for-one-day-like-David's-Mom-in-A.I. CHS for one final Convocation ceremony with our students before we join our new colleagues and students in the New College in next Spring's Convocation.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Limbo
[despite the date above, this was posted 11/8/08]
So, while we wait for the official vote by the Arizona Board of Regents in December or late November to dissolve the Department of Communication Studies and the College of Human Services, they are for all practical purposes gone. The Dean has been un-Deaned (and is currently an Interim Vice Provost) though I’ve heard rumors of an Acting Dean (somewhere), our Chair has been un-Chaired, all of the Dean’s staff is gone, Com Studies faculty now officially report to the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, our students are now being advised by an Advisor on the other side of the building (rather than around the corner from our offices), and so on.
The latest oddity in this whole process is that the College of Human Services will be resurrected for one last Convocation Ceremony in mid-December. However, as I understand it, the ceremony will be run by administrators from a different college (where the other departments and schools from CHS have gone), and Communication Studies will not be taking part. We (faculty and students) will be at the New College’s ceremony. I wonder what our students will make of the switch?
By the way, none of this is a reflection on my new colleagues or administrators in the New College. It’s just an observation on the strange limbo-like state that has been this semester.
This is also in the midst of another round of budget cuts. See the story in the Arizona Republic (and note the plan to have classes with up to 1,000 students in mass lectures). And the New York Times just picked up on some of the adjunct faculty layoffs--things are bad all over.
So, while we wait for the official vote by the Arizona Board of Regents in December or late November to dissolve the Department of Communication Studies and the College of Human Services, they are for all practical purposes gone. The Dean has been un-Deaned (and is currently an Interim Vice Provost) though I’ve heard rumors of an Acting Dean (somewhere), our Chair has been un-Chaired, all of the Dean’s staff is gone, Com Studies faculty now officially report to the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, our students are now being advised by an Advisor on the other side of the building (rather than around the corner from our offices), and so on.
The latest oddity in this whole process is that the College of Human Services will be resurrected for one last Convocation Ceremony in mid-December. However, as I understand it, the ceremony will be run by administrators from a different college (where the other departments and schools from CHS have gone), and Communication Studies will not be taking part. We (faculty and students) will be at the New College’s ceremony. I wonder what our students will make of the switch?
By the way, none of this is a reflection on my new colleagues or administrators in the New College. It’s just an observation on the strange limbo-like state that has been this semester.
This is also in the midst of another round of budget cuts. See the story in the Arizona Republic (and note the plan to have classes with up to 1,000 students in mass lectures). And the New York Times just picked up on some of the adjunct faculty layoffs--things are bad all over.
Supermarket surveillance
So you know that supermarket rewards cards help create nice consumer profiles of you. A concrete example of this just arrived in the mail from the grovery store we tend to frequent. It included 16 "personalized coupons" for things we "buy the most." They were (of course) pretty, scarily accurate (missed on a couple of things: we don't buy Coke Classic, for example, and do we really buy black olives that often? Maybe. And the offer of the free cashews is just trying to redirect our nut-buying habits onto new products). But they were also, sigh, really useful.
Of course, what the store can't profile are the things we buy at other places because they aren't available at their store (fair trade, organic coffee, for example), so the system just reinforces specific things from their own stock. It's a closed cybernetic system (teaching Andrejevic's iSpy next week, so this is all bouncing around in my cranium anyway).
Of course, what the store can't profile are the things we buy at other places because they aren't available at their store (fair trade, organic coffee, for example), so the system just reinforces specific things from their own stock. It's a closed cybernetic system (teaching Andrejevic's iSpy next week, so this is all bouncing around in my cranium anyway).
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Culture + Technology
Culture + Technology: A Primer just went into its 4th printing. I'm glad that so many have found it a useful book. It's quite exciting.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Backscatter Backlash?
Well, that's overstating the case (but makes a good headline). European Union is debating whether to allow backscatter devices at airports. New York Times article here.
And just to add to the theme of airport surveillance: the lastest passenger screening protocol (e.g., terrorist watch lists) is being worked out. See the Arizona Republic (channeling an AP story) here.
And just to add to the theme of airport surveillance: the lastest passenger screening protocol (e.g., terrorist watch lists) is being worked out. See the Arizona Republic (channeling an AP story) here.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Post-Debate Photo
OK. I didn't watch the last debate. Even so, I don't understand this picture at all (apparently McCain caught himself going in the wrong direction). One of those unfortunate images. But I can't stop laughing.
Image is from Reuters, via the Huffington Post
Saturday, October 11, 2008
politics
Haven't had much on the election in here. But this one thing has been bugging me.
Newsweek (and others, but this excerpt is from Newsweek) describes a recent McCain rally:
At a town-hall event Friday in Minnesota, McCain took the microphone from a woman who said Obama is an Arab. McCain said, "No, ma'am," and he called Obama "a decent, family man."
I understand that McCain is trying to temper the comments of his supporters, but rather than simply denying that Obama is an Arab he makes the argument that he's a decent family man, as if that's the opposite of being Arab. Arabs certainly can be decent family men!
Jeez.
Newsweek (and others, but this excerpt is from Newsweek) describes a recent McCain rally:
At a town-hall event Friday in Minnesota, McCain took the microphone from a woman who said Obama is an Arab. McCain said, "No, ma'am," and he called Obama "a decent, family man."
I understand that McCain is trying to temper the comments of his supporters, but rather than simply denying that Obama is an Arab he makes the argument that he's a decent family man, as if that's the opposite of being Arab. Arabs certainly can be decent family men!
Jeez.
Friday, September 19, 2008
National Security and Kids (again)
Apparently Sesame Street has teamed with Homeland Security to teach kids about emergency preparedness. This is a follow-on from a previous post of mine (ain't got time to link) on national security and kids. Again, gotta be a paper in here somewhere.
More airport scanning
Breathe deeply, calm down, it's just a security check, nothing to worry about, forget that the cameras can tell if you're nervous, pulse racing, stressed. At least, that's the project: remote physiological scanning of passengers looking for signs of stress.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Fira
New cat in the family. First pet since Edmund passed away last year, and first cat in 14 years.
Fira is from the Humane Society. 2 yrs old female. Interesting mix of breeds. Medium-long hair, tortoise-shell coloring (looks like a thin Maine Coon), very thin, with a tail almost longer than she is. Quite friendly. More pictures later.
Book Signing
Signing copies of Cultural Globalization: A User's Guide at the Borders Books and Music at Camelback and 24th Street in Phoenix. This Friday, 19 September, from 6-8pm.
Note that the events page that the above link takes you to actually omits my signing (sigh), but that's par for the course.
Note that the events page that the above link takes you to actually omits my signing (sigh), but that's par for the course.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Irony
One irony in all of this regarding the dissolution of the College of Human Services is that we all got brand new College of Human Services logo polo shirts just last week.
[I'm using "irony" here in the Alanis Morissette usage rather than the more literary usage.]
[I'm using "irony" here in the Alanis Morissette usage rather than the more literary usage.]
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