« March 2004 | Main | May 2004 »

April 27, 2004

Half and Half

Came across this interesting article on Reason about fight against the secularization of America. The article itself was mostly a summary and review of the book Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism, dealing with the very non-religious ideas of the Founding Fathers. I found myself both agreeing with and being troubled by many of the assertions that author made.

First, the good news. I agree with the premise that our nation's Founding Fathers were, in fact, trying to create a wall of separation between church and state. If not, why isn't the Constituion more explicitly religous? Society at the time would have been much more receptive to overtly religious statements in the Constitution, but the framers remember where they came from. Keep in mind that the Puritans (who many today would call radical Christian fundamentalists) came to the New World to avoid the persecution of the Church of England. The leaders at the time had the foresight to realize that they were escaping a government dictated by a bureaucratic religion, and they wisely avoided the same mistake. People that try and paint Thomas Jefferson or other framers as "devoutly religious" men don't know their history -- Jefferson himself rewrote sections of the Bible to make it less religious.

But, now, the bad news. The author makes the mistake of claiming the secularists have the majority. If there is a backlash against secularism, it's because the vast majority of Americans will associate themselves with a religion. Here are some statistics. 76% of the U.S. population consider themselves Christian. Only 13% call themselves "nonreligious", and a whopping 0.4% consider themselves atheist. If there is a backlash against secularism, it's because only a small percentage of the population is "non-religious." But, like I said, I don't disagree with the book's premise -- our nation was not (and is not) a Christian nation, despite what the numbers say. Our laws are nothing more than a reflection of natural law (just about anyone would agree with the basic rights affrorded to us), and attempts at further attaching national law to Biblical law have failed. We are truly a melting pot, even today, and that will invite the sort of tension the article identifies.

April 22, 2004

Progressive Consumerism

This article on Reason about a new generation of "socially aware" clothing manufacturers who are trying to buck the trend and keep their work in shops in the U.S. that actually take care of their workers. The article itself is quite positive about American Apparel, and it poses some interesting questions about the offshoring of the textile industry.

There is a double edge sword when avoiding offshoring completely. If you're trying to help Third World workers who are being abused in sweatshops and you simply decide to not use those sweatshops, you're not really helping those folks. They've got work, and if it has to be in a sweat shop, well, so be it. And if you choose to "help" those folks in the Third World by exclusively buying clothing from American Apparel, well, you're not really helping them. You are helping folks in L.A. who work for AA though.

So what should companies do? One thought is an approach much like what Timbuk2 took when the design of some of the products was too complex for their shop in San Francisco. The owners actively sought factories in Asia that did good work and treated their workers fairly. And the owners make regular trips to the factory to be sure that those standards are being consistently upheld. In some ways, at the moment, Timbuk2 is a paradigm of smart, progressive, socially aware production -- they are still making their messenger bags by hand in the SF shop, and they are doing their part for the global economy by taking care of their workers-for-hire in Asia.

If you'd like to read more about Timbuk2's manufacturing process, check out this.

April 20, 2004

Detainees

NPR had an interesting segment this morning about the detainees in Guantanamo and the Supreme Court's involvement in their hearings. The most interesting bit -- supporters of the administration and its policy of not allowing the detainees access to lawyers compared their policy to what the Vietnamese and Koreans did during those respective conflicts.

Huh? Now there's a good argument: "See, the Viet Cong did it us, so it's ok for us to do it to someone else." There's some airtight logic for you.

April 19, 2004

Oops

Perhaps it's time I modify the defaults for MT to avoid the embarrassment of turning on comments and turning off line breaks. Sorry for the utter goof-up last night....

April 18, 2004

Rally New Zealand Wrapup

It came down to the last stage on the last day, but Petter Solberg got his championship defence back on track with a win in New Zealand. The Norwegian looked unstopable on the first two days, and he entered the final day with a 20+ second cushion over Marcus Gronholm. Gronholm, however, wasn't ready to roll over and give up, and the two swapped the lead over the course of a tense final day.

Gronholm started the day by taking a chunk of time out of Solberg's lead, but Solberg quickly responded and took back the time. It nearly all went wrong for Solberg on SS20, when he hit a rock and lost power steering in the Impreza. Suddenly his 20 second lead was a one second deficit. Gronholm, however, couldn't take full advantage on SS21, only slightly expanding his lead. Then, on S22, Gronholm had his moment when his handbrake locked in a corner, spinning the 307 and costing Gronholm every second of his lead. SS23, the rally's final stage, began with Solberg 16 seconds ahead of Gronholm. Gronholm went for the win, and blasted through the stage a full ten seconds faster than the rest of the field. Solberg, however, had the advantage of running after Gronholm, so he knew what he had to work with. Solberg drove conservatively, and finished 11 seconds adrift of Gronholm's pace, giving him the rally with a five second cushion.

So, who had a good rally? Obviously, Petter Solberg, who is now only three points behind in a tight race in the championship standings. But Subaru won big as well, with Mikko Hirvonen taking seventh place, pushing Subaru only two points behind Ford for third place in the manufacturer's championship. Hirvonen has exceeded expectations this season already -- Subaru management must be pleased.

Peugeot had a good rally, despite Gronholm's failure to win and Harri Rovanpera's disasterous second day. Gronholm feels confident in the 307, and he proved it is just as fast the other cars on circuit. Gronholm will be a factor in the driver's championship.

Ford had a mixed debut with the new Focus. Markko Martin took third place, but he never really challenged for the lead. Francois Duval had a rough time on the third day, going off and finishing the stage on three wheels. Citroen also had a less than stellar debut of the new Xsara. Seb Loeb took fourth, but, like Martin, was never in contention. Carlos Sainz's sixth place, however, allowed Citroen to remain on top in the manufacturer's race.

The big loser? Mitsubishi. Both Lancers succumbed to electrical gremlins between the first and second stages, and that was it -- rally over. The team will bounce back however....

The championship moves to the rough stuff next stuff, with Cyprus, followed by Greece and Turkey. These are rallies with high rates of attrition -- the championship race should have a distinctly different look in a month or two.

April 16, 2004

Commuting

This article nicely sums up some of the reasons why I choose to ride my bike to work every day. This past year has marked a change in my dedication toward scorchin' to work everyday, as I've ridden through some nasty bits of weather. About the only things that keeps me off my bike every day are snow on the road (the fixie isn't well suited to white stuff) and sickness.

I'll also add my two cents about why I do it (since the author didn't cover all my bases). First, as Dave already talked about, I've got a deep down love of bikes. Bikes have been one of the few material constants in my life -- I've jumped around in the sporting world quite a bit, but I've been riding bikes religiously since I was about 8 years old. There is really something about the feeling of moving over tarmac (or dirt, or mud, depending on your preference). And that feeling is only heightened riding a fixed gear.

But commuting has a perk that is missing from other types of cycling -- that feeling of synchronicity moving through (and with) traffic. When you take a particular route enough times, you begin to learn the ebb and flow of things -- the patterns of traffic lights, how cars will behave, the subtle nuances of tarmac. It's that whole "zone" thing that athletes talk about, except that if you're willing, it's there to experience every day.

Also, a couple of notes from ride today:

I saw a guy in his car, driving on Butler Street, doing the following things concurrently:

1) Smoking a pipe
2) Reading the newspaper
3) Using his PDA
4) Drinking coffee.

Scary.

Also, pedestrians in downtown are officially either crazy or stupid. I am amazed that several people aren't killed each day. Folks just cross the street, regardless of traffic and/or the status of the traffic light. I'm not really afraid of them, since if one of them were to run into me, they've got to worry about the consequences as much as I do. But, nothing gets the adrenaline going like riding under the Kaufman's building on William Penn Place. The sidewalk on the south side of the building is right at the end of the tunnel. There is a traffic there (at the intersection of William Penn and Forbes), but, as expected, pedestrians ignore this and instead choose to simply walk out blindly. I expect it's only a matter of time before I hit one, since they don't actually see me (for whatever reason).

Rally New Zealand -- Day One

You've got love rallies on the other side of the world. Here it is, 7:00am on Friday morning, and we have Friday's results already....

Petter Solberg currently holds first place after a steady day behind the wheel of the Impreza. Solberg has held the lead for all but one stage, and he has a slim five second lead over Peugeot's Harri Rovanpera heading in the break. The other 307 of Marcus Gronholm is holding third place, another 30 seconds behind Rovanpera. Gronholm had been running well, but a roll on SS6 has dampened his chances. Ford's Markko Martin hold fourth, and the latest Citroen driven by Seb Loeb is fifth. Neither the Xsara or the Focus have been particularly impressive so far, with both Loeb and Carlos Sainz giving the Xsara it's fair share of criticism.

Expect Solberg to put his foot down tomorrow and show the rest of the field what he and the Impreza are capable of. I'm sure he's not terribly concerned with Rovanpera -- the Finn has a history of blowing in a close rally (see last year's events in Turkey and Australia). Solberg has a good cushion over the rest of the field already, so a steady, quick drive from the Norwegian should get his championship defence back on track.

April 14, 2004

Rally New Zealand Preview

After another long break, the WRC begins again on the other side of the world with the Rally New Zealand. This rally begins a more hectic schedule for the teams, with less time between events to regroup.

There are quite a few storylines that have developed since the Rally Mexico, and this rally should set the tone of the championship for the rest of the season. First, both Ford and Citroen will debut the next evolutions of their world rally cars. The last time Ford modified the Focus, it was incredibly quick, but beset with reliability issues. Francois Duval and Markko Martin looked good last month in Mexico, but they were blessed with a relatively high attrition rate for the rally. But the Focus didn't impress during shakedown, with Martin taking 10th best, coming in behind the Lancer of Kristan Sohlberg. Citroen has been guarded about the new Xsara, since it was redesigned to take advantage of new rules to permit a lighter car body. This could mean a faster Xsara, but it could also mean a less reliable car as well. Time will tell.

Peugeot's management admitted that perhaps they pushed the new 307 into the competitve arena a little too quickly. The car has had its share of reliability issues so far this year, even with Marcus Gronholm holding third overall in the championship.

The Big Three have all been scrambling after the debut of the latest Subaru Impreza last month in Mexico. Petter Solberg set over half of the scratch times, and would have won the rally by over two minutes if not for a penalty thanks to a dead battery. Solberg will be a marked man for the event, and he can win this event. Suddenly, after being the most under-powered car in the championship, the Impreza is suddenly the car to beat.

Another bit of news heading into the weekend is the unpredictability of the weather and the potential for disasterous tyre choices by the factory teams. Remember, thanks to new rules, the teams had to choose tyres for event over a month ago, and they were limited by the choices they could make. The current forecast looks a bit rainy, and this could push the advantage further into Subaru's court, especially with new Pirelli rubber. Michelins have never been good wet weather tyres, and the other teams are nervous about the choices they were forced to make.

On to my guesses....

Like I said, this is Solberg's rally to lose. The Impreza has one rally plus additional six weeks of testing under its belt, so the car should be ready and willing to deliver. Expect Mikko Hirvonen to have a good showing too -- he should finish somewhere in the points, especially if Ford or Citroen run into problems.

Markko Martin and Sebastien Loeb have the potential to be quick as well, though they could be limited by their vehicles and their tyre choices. The biggest question mark hangs over Peugeot. Will the 307 be up for the task? Gronholm and Harri Rovanpera took the top two spots during the shakedown, but, what does that matter? If the 307 remains reliable, one of them could end up on the podium -- though more and likely that will be Gronholm. Rovanpera struggled in Mexico despite being the only driver with racing experience there.

Keep an eye on the Mitsubishi Lancers of Gilles Panizzi and Kristian Sohlberg. They won't be fighting for a podium spot, but the Lancer has been progressing nicely. It's not impossible for both cars to finish in the points, especially if other factory cars run into problems.

My Top Eight
1. Petter Solberg
2. Marcus Gronholm
3. Carlos Sainz
4. Sebastien Loeb
5. Markko Martin
6. Mikko Hirvonen
7. Gilles Panizzi
8. Harri Rovanpera

April 13, 2004

The Sickness and Other Things

As Jen pointed out, the entire family is currently sick. The boy and I got it first, probably from the same source, on Wednesday. Just in time for Easter, Jen also came down with the same bug. Fortunately, both Seb and I are feeling better, though he seems to be teething again. It's been five days of inactivity for me, which seems like a lifetime. I'm anxious to start riding to work again, and I may just throw caution to the wind and ride tomorrow, even if it's raining, since I get soaked waiting for the bus and walking across town.

Other news -- we're moving May 1. Woo. We can't wait.

Also, expect a preview of the Rally New Zealand in the next day or so...

April 09, 2004

My Feelings Exactly

The American Prospect has an interview with former President Jimmy Carter. The interview focuses on Carter's opinion of the "Christian Right" and how they've distorted the teachings of Christ for political gain. I really, really hope a lot of people come across this interview and see that not all Christians are conservative lunatics.

Also, I don't typically disagree with Gregg Easterbrook, but this post is a little over the top.

April 06, 2004

Ad Hominem

I've come to the conclusion that anyone who fancies themselves a writer should be required to take a basic course in logic. If you've ever taken Philosophy 101, you probably learned that there are logical fallacies -- that is -- arguments that fail to pass to the requirements of logic.

While mindlessly googling for "Christian Liberals this morning while eating breakfast, I came across this article in the fervently conservative Front Page Magazine. It is a fine example of the logical fallacy of Ad Hominem -- attempted to argue based on the character of the person you are arguing with. The author attempts to paint Christian Liberals as nothing less than anti-American (and anti-God), and compares them to the Pharisees, who were the very incarnation of liberalism. Some choice bits:

Liberal Christians take great pride and joy in consciously forgiving the criminal, in accepting all standards of religion and behavior. They’re never “judgmental.” They’re against the death penalty. They’re against guns. They’re against condemning anyone for anything. They love to tolerate—in the name of Christ.

I'm at a bit of a loss here. Against guns? Where exactly is the Biblical mandate for possessing a weapon? Where does Christ teach intolerance? While Christ gave us a the great commission to spread the news, He doesn't ask that we do so with swords and intolerance. And aren't there plenty of passages in the New Testament about the perils of judging one another?

More:

Social activism has been a YDS priority in modern times, in fact distinguishing YDS from the other “big five” theology schools of America. Socialism and social activism are their version of righteousness. Whether through campaigning, demonstration, lobbying, or in some cases even violence, the goal is to bring about the right social conditions in the world.

Again, isn't this the sort of thing that Jesus taught? Social compassion? He dined with all sorts of sinners, and wasn't afraid to help those in need. Yet when "Liberals" attempt to do the same, they are branded as socialists.

Amazingly, liberals have established an implied association with Christianity. Christian leftists like to think Jesus was a young radical socialist, and that the Pharisees were the old vanguard of tradition and conservatism. Jesus was the hero of social change, and “progressive” ideology, and the Pharisees were like crusty old Republicans who cherished the tradition of the fathers.

But what did Jesus do (pardon the pun)? Didn't He heal people on the Sabbath against the laws of the Pharisees? Didn't He dine with the castoffs of society? Didn't He shake up the established order? Wasn't that the whole point of the New Covenant?

April 02, 2004

Open Source Usability

John Gruber has written an excellent essay on the state of usability in open source software. The essay is a response to Eric S Raymond's recent essay on being unable to use the Linux CUPS interface to connect to a printer. Gruber does a fine job dissecting Raymond's arguments (distilled version: developers have to dumb down interfaces so non-technical users can use the software). His most important point? Interface design is quite different than writing software. Lots of folks can write printer drivers, or print sharing systems, but few understand the concepts of design well enough to create a usable interface for them. Hence the reason why top technical schools like CMU have Human Computer Interaction schools.