Microsoft Surface Technology (A Parody). Don't know if you guys have already seen this, but it's pretty dagum funny and well worth your time. (IMHO.)

P.S. For quite some time, I've been really considering moving the bulk of our liquid assets from the dollar, and into other options. I read an article (which is apparently largely plagarized) which only confirms my thoughts with sound historical logic. By saving in US dollars, we'll ultimately lose buying power. (As we have been, since 1992 or so.) When I get back from my summer trips, I'm going to be looking into some offshore investment and savings oppurtunities. Let me know if anyone else is interested in looking into this... If I can quote Ol' Dirty Bastard, "Remeber to diversity yo' bonds."

Today's cool story: I kept thinking 'you're not taking my dad's car - I've already damaged it once'.

Obama says right- wing evangelical leaders have have 'hijacked' the Christian faith.

Never figured out if you (Matt) were pro-O or not. (But then again, why should I ask. Clearly, you would be pro-Hillary for reasons that I wish not publicly divulge.)

Hey, sorry for the absentia. Greg, I don't have much to add to your post. I've had "AA" students of all varieties, from the "keepin' it real" to the "driven to succeed". I don't doubt at all that the things you're seeing are pretty systemic, and it certainly is upsetting.

Incidentally, as for my population being "about as cherry-picked white as can get", of the three schools I've taught at, I'd say my current school is the most (racially) diverse. Granted, that's not saying much, but... it's something.

Did anyone take the time to listen to Bill's new online album? It's definitely a departure to what I'm used to...

I'm actually more interested to hear what Matt has to say about the AA educational values paper. From my experience here at my current U, I think this guy's observation are spot on. With a great many of my AA students, you can spot the chip on their shoulder from a mile away. Those that fit his category often sit together, don't pay attention in class, and consistently get Ds and Fs. (Which sucks, because they try taking my class again the next year--taking spots away from more deserving students. And they get the very same D or F on the second pass.)

Conversely, I'll have AA students that are just spot on. Model freaking students. So much so that I wish I could clone them and create a master-race of future professionals. And these successful AA students want little or nothing to do with their AA counterparts that are "keeping it real" through consistent failure. They don't sit near them, associate with them; totally different worlds. I would go as far as to say that they're totally different populations.

And a few of these AA students that "kept it real" will get into grad programs because of unspoken quotas diversity--and that's where the real problems begin. Because these students have never been held to any real standard, and subsequently cannot achieve a real standard. And I've already had 2 students in this population suggest that their failures are because of my whiteness. And I'm just sick of it. Absolutely sick of it. It's gunna go down one day, it's just a matter of time. Somewhat ironically, a successful AA student has never questioned my whiteness. Go figure.

But to answer your question--yes, I do have quite a few white entitlement-baby students. However, these girls usually accept reality at some point and suck it up. Further, these are the girls that don't get into grad school--largely because they're white. So I don't have to deal with them on any type of regular basis anyway. There's simply too much competition for a white entitlement baby to slip through the cracks. It may happen every now and then, but even if it does happen--the rigors of grad school get them in line with a nice firm reality check. It's been my experience since leaving Gallaudet that the AA quota baby is the bigger problem, and it's precisely this victim mentality that Ogbu cites that seems to be a core issue. One great example is a part-time quota baby that is currently in the process of flunking out. She's trying to go to grad school with a full time job and take a full course load. Very few people could pull this off. And when you don't have the natural cognitive skills relative to her peers, compounded with the work ethic that "Saturday and Sunday are my personal days off"... you do the math. She flunked both my grad classes, and she'll likely flunk her way out of the summer session as well. And I just can't say this enough--I'm sick and tired of people maintaining a lower standard for the quota baby, because it comes back and bites you in the butt every time. There's no hiding a lack of proficiency, knowledge or skills.

Some people may find this concept offensive. But what I find offensive is the very concept of a second (double, or lower) standard for the AA "keeping it real" community. By its very existence, it is suggesting that there is a difference in ability. That, to me, is the real racism. The soft bigotry of lowered expectations. And it's too damn bad that none (or very very few) of my ivory tower cohorts recognize this or have the brass to state this reality.

Ok--sorry. I'll pack my soap box up and go now. Curious what Matt has to say--although I expect his population is about as cherry-picked white as can get.

P.S. I've been known to visit this site every now and then...

So we're a few days removed from my brother Ron's house being victimized. I stopped by before they got home (to leave plant and a card on the front porch) and had a chance to look around myself. Interestingly enough, what looked like relatively minor damage is actually turning out to be much more substantative. Some of the siding, which is a vinyl composite, actually melted and fused into the bricks and the concrete. Even the professional cleaners were having difficulty removing it. In the end, if they can't get it off, they will have to remove the siding on the entire front of the home (even though the damage was limited to the porch area), they will have to tear up the concrete, and they will have to remove the brick and redo the entire thing.

The good news (beyond the obvious that no one was hurt) is that the inside of the home was relatively unscathed. They will loose an area carpet to smoke damage, but that's about it. So that is really a blessing for them.

If you are so inclined to continue to pray for them, I would ask that you pray for their emotional journey. They are all processing this in very different ways (e.g. denial, anger, compassion for the arsonists, etc...) and I think that is the hardest thing of all. So please pray for them that they would retain their oneness even as they stay true to their own feelings.

P.S. On a completely different note, I really enjoyed the article you (Greg) posted on African Americans, education, and the denial of "truth." After reading it, I found myself wondering whether this disease is actually an epidemic and whether the same things will be said across all racial lines as parents continue to disengage and students continue to seek the "mark" without actually learning the material.

Wow. Which brother? (Of which you have many…) Man—I am so sorry. People tell me of the violation that one feels after an in-home theft. But the concept of arson just takes that to a whole different level. I guess all I can hope (and pray for) is that they had strong insurance, they catch the perp, and (your family) can heal. Wow.

Your interpretation of Bill’s comment was significantly different from mine, but once you brought it into context--your's is likely better. My original thought is that it is so very easy to go through times in one's life finding fault in others, while failing to truthfully investigate and deal with faults in oneself. (The fundamental attribution error in practice.) Almost as if the whole world’s screwed up, and I just have to slog through the perpetual failures and shortcomings of others. And sometimes I actually catch myself in this mindset this from time to time; I’m impatient, and sometimes very graceless in my impatience when dealing with others who mean the most to me. And to what personal gain, or gain relative to the relationship? Clearly, none. I hurt those that mean the most to me and I draw myself farther from God. So the re-acknowledgement of my own very fallen nature in action reaffirms my need to seek and employ grace. And through that grace, I hurt others less, the quality of life improves, and I have posted less barriers between me and God. (No need to read too much into this—my life’s fine; just trying to give a poignant example.)

But then again, your interpretation may very well hold a heck-uva-lot more validity given the situation than mine.

I'll be interested to hear how that quote impacted you, Greg, because when I read it, I heard the words of a man trying to justify his own pathetic actions. I've selfishly pursued a musical career at the expense of wife and children; and now that I've landed at the bottom with little more than a divorce (and a tastelessly named touring band, "The Trophy Wives") to show for it, I no longer point fingers. How convenient. How terribly convenient ...

In other news, my brother has a home that was broken into 18 months ago. Now word comes to me that yesterday, the same house was victimized by arson. By the grace of God, no one was hurt. But seriously, what do you do with that? Theft is one thing. Somebody is jealous of what you possess and/or they have needs/wants of their own; and they selfishly take what is yours to "improve" their lives. But arson ...! What is that? There's nothing to gain. No end goal that "improves" anyone's life. Just wanton destruction that may or may not be personally directed. It makes me sick to my stomach. Well, that and pissed!

THANK. YOU.

Bill's remark:

"There is a place where one can fall to and (after having fallen) learn the freedom of never having to point a finger at anyone again, much less throw a stone. It makes the journey quite a bit lighter. Arms at one's side and hands free of the excess weight"

seems to have struck a nerve with me. Perhaps because I (think I) know exactly what he means, and that I need to reminded of it every now and then.

It’s not blog-hogging if no one else replies, right?

A couple of interesting things in my life as of late; may be of some interest to others...

(Scott)--Parallels 3.0 has some really interesting features. Let’s say I have a .doc file; version 3.0 let’s me choose to open it from Apple’s MSFT Word, or Window’s MSFT Word, right off the bat. In essence, this gives you the power to automatically (or manually) select which operating system environment you want to use when modifying a file. (This feature appears to be built into the Mac OS.) It's totally blurring the notion of an "Operating System". Secondly, you can set it to ask which OS environment should take control of all volumes, such as a USB drive or CD/DVD; so it's easy to direct new devices to the appropriate OS. Version 3 seems to have solved any and all of the significant remaining issues; if anything, it will be too powerful for the weaker minds to comprehend. Finally--check out Path Finder, if you haven't already.

And here’s another thing... I’ve recently discovered Pandora, which is a really great music referral service. Historically, I’ve found these types of “let us pic your music for you” services to really stink, but this one has pretty much nailed me right out of the box. Further, there’s a program called Pandora Jam that let’s you record the songs in which Pandora plays (at up to 256 kbs AAC). Pretty sweet, I think.

Had a few other instances of note, including a mother that outright lied (i.e., covered up) her child’s punky behavior to me (as the other parent was lying) at the park. Other mothers were looking at me with a disgusted look on their faces, shaking their heads.

The other biggie was our induction into a “Swim Club”, which felt tantamount to being investigated by “The Firm”. Could talk about this latter incident for hours...

Finally--an interesting post by Bill.

CAIR membership plummet 90% since the 2001 terrorist attacks; current number of members is less than 1,700.

So why do we give a rats-butt what they think?

Sorry for hijacking the thread so much guys--but I've been keeping up with some of my peeps from my old U... One in particular. I like her quite a bit. Anyway--she's always been "spiritual", and we've talked about that from time to time. Anyway--now she's got a "spiritual counselor" who is teaching her to live in "peace and love". I don't need to go on; you guys know what I'm talking about.

So I told her about the Collins book that Matt's so fond of. (And it's a good listen, actually.) Anyway, she replies with stuff that *I* need to check out... such as this and this.

And this is why I don't really witness all that much. Because I honestly don't see the point. If someone wants to know God through Christ--they'll do it. If they don't (for whatever personal reasons that they may have), then they won't.

Here's a quote from her most recent email:

I don't necessarily believe that Christ was the Son of God literally. But I believe
that he "got it." I believe that So of God is a metaphor for someone who understood that all of us are sons and daughters of God.

So does this mean that I actually have to look at her stuff? And do I even bother responding to these views? When someone is so entrenched, what is the point?

To answer your question, Scott--my view is this.

Our founding fathers left a fatal flaw in the founding documents. And I’m not blaming them at all, because there’s no way that they could have even conceived this being an issue. (And here is the issue...) Society is nothing more than a macrocosm of the show “Survivor”. Everybody needs to contribute; and as the numbers of contributing people increase, the amount of contribution can decrease. This, however, is a finite closed-loop system. Once the threshold of takers exceeds that of the givers, the Survivor-like macrocosm will become to collapse upon itself, or otherwise implode.

I predict this is what will happen to the United States of America. All great powers will eventually fail; we’ll just fail sooner than previous global super-powers, because we have a flawed democratic republic. Once the number of voters receiving government support exceeds the number that are not, the system will collapse or implode. Couple this with a sense of entitlement and a loss of personal accountability (the two deadly sins of a Survivor-like microcosm), politicians will pander to the voters by promising something for nothing: Equality of outcome, not equality of opportunity.

This end-result is invariable; it’s only a matter of time. But in any event, to state this and then become a part of the problem due to this reality’s pending nature is irresponsible. We have children, after all. And I believe that it is incumbent upon us to provide them with the best possible opportunities relative to the quality of life. So to go down with a sinking ship is selfish and shallow thinking, as the sinking process can be slowed by a bucket brigade, thereby extending the American standard of living for at least 1 future generation.

And re: a comment that Matt made... It seems that Giuliani is banking on the notion that the conservatives value (born) lives over (unborn) lives. And I wonder what the Christian ramifications of that are. If we support a presidential candidate that may “get” the war on terror (thereby preemptively saving (born) lives, but who also supports the murder of (unborn) lives--well, that (to me) seems a little prejudicial toward the concept of a born life. Isn’t a life a life? If so, then we’ve got problems, Rudy. If not, then why are conservatives so worked up over this abortion issue anyway?

1. An interesting online quiz, intending to measure people's (racial / color) preference.

2. And in other news, "If he calls me that again, it'll happen again," Bishop said. "

3. And Matt--sorry for beating a dead horse here... But Parallels 3.0 is out. I've already paid for the upgrade, so I'll give you a review (Scott). The features seem really promising. (Install went fine, btw. UPDATE: Program seems to be running fine; may take a hint longer booting. I almost wonder if this program is a little *too* powerful. It allows you to run MSFT apps emulated for OS-X, as well as OS-X apps emulated for MSFT within the Windows environment. Such a concept may break the weaker minds. Simply stated, this program entirely blurs the two operating systems. It's really just all about the applications; which is perhaps the purpose of the computing experience. So far--two enthusiastic thumbs up.)

4. Just read that Paris Hilton was let out of jail. I'd be pretty pissed if I was a black man...

You know, I'd love to comment on Greg's assertion that the Muslims would have to attack a non-US/non-Israel state, but the both of you have made comments that are even more intriguing.

Yesterday, I'm sitting around talking to a buddy (Greg - you may or may not remember Ryan) who happens to be extremely conservative. And we're talking about the recent decision made by the state of Indiana to mandate all resturants to be smoke-free. I was arguing that I think that this is a bad move, because, barring an abuse of certain core rights, the state should not, ultimately, have the power to influence how an entreprenuer makes his/her income. While I may not care to sit in the smoking section, I do believe it is an individual's right to choose whether or not he/she wishes to light up. And if a resturantuer wants to give him the right to light up in a resturant, that should be okay. Because if its not, we're giving the state the right to influence how someone can make money. Take Gary, Indiana and Chicago for instance. Everyday, thousands of people commute from Gary to Chicago for the sake of employement. Now let's say that some of these fine folks are smokers and they want to stop by the local watering hole for a drink. Do they stay on the Illinois side, where they can smoke and drink in relative freedom, or do they cross back over to Indiana where they can only drink. If it was me, I'm opting for Illinois. But that means that every tavern owner on the Indiana side of the border is getting hosed by a law that ultimately regulates something that should be beyond the purvue of the government.

All this to say, I'm making the argument for small government. And then my buddy surprises me. He's all in favor of the anti-smoking law. What was surprising was his reasoning. In short, he believes that we long ago crossed over the theoretical line where America is still within the reach of cultural redemption. Hell in a handbasket. Yada, yada, yada. So for his two cents, the anti-smoking law makes life more pleasant. Does it cross lines? Sure. But lines are going to be crossed. Religious freedoms are going to be violated as they are regulated. Nothing you can do about that. So you might as well enjoy some of the benefits along they way. In short: he has, on some level, abandoned principles in the belief that America will no longer rise to the occassion. So as the ship is going down, he might as well get what benefits he can -- even if those benefits are derived from violating principles he would have endorsed in the past.

What makes this interesting is listening to the two of you. Much like Ryan, you would both consider yourselves to be conservative thinkers. But Matt, you are talking not-so-subtle shots at the Bush administration (even as you examine the GOP field); and Greg ... well, it appears as if you too have lost "hope" (if that is the appropriate word).

Anecdotally speaking, that's three rather conservative folks all who are dealing with some varying degrees of disillusionment. Do you think this is party-wide/ideology-wide? And if so, what would it take for a turn-around?

You know Matt--I’ve really been flat-out disinterested in the ’08 elections. I’m quite confident that the (liberal) democratic party will not adequately represent my world view. (I’ve never seen a group of people court the concept of retreat and defeat as they have.) However, I’m not convinced that there’s anyone on the republican side of the isle that represents my views either. I’m really quite soured, actually. The republican party really is in shambles, and I largely blame a lack of oval-office leadership for that. If Newt decided to run, I may get interested. But none of the candidates has what it takes to win. We’ll be seeing a liberal dem in the oval office in 2008.

I believe we have a very legitimate chance to squelch radical muslim terrorism, if the global community decided to stomp it out as such. But the world has succumbed to appeasement, white guilt and relativism. And while the US has the power to affect change, they're too afraid of civilian (and American) casualties. The economic fall-out would also be significant, as the liberals will not let us drill for our own energy and become self-sufficient.

The historical parallels truly are striking. I'm just wondering what it's going to take for the world to wake up. It's to the point where I think an entire (non-US or non-Israel) nation will need to be devastated.

Has anybody been watching the debates? I guess I'm particularly interested in the Republican ones; the Democrats appear to have their heads in the sand when it comes to national defense/foreign policy/the war on terror.

Incidentally, I'm finding that I'm becoming a one-issue voter--if you can count the three things listed above as one issue. Rudy is pro-choice (among other things), but he's been singing my tune when it comes to my one-issue. And I think I could vote for him. (On the radio this morning I heard some commentator being interviewed about last night's debate, and he said that there are a lot of conservative Christians out there who could vote for Giuliani because he speaks their language about the war going on, and he said they see it as a "religious war." He capped it off by saying, and I quote, "they're thinking to themselves, 'Yeah, I care about abortion, but I care about killing Muslims more.'" I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Does this guy actually know any conservative Christians personally?)

McCain? While I think he has a good handle on my one-issue, his immigration bill is a stinker, and I could have at least given him some credit for trying if he didn't routinely slander all opponents of the bill as bigots and racists. Leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Plus he's old, and looks it.

Romney's okay, though I prefer Giuliani's straight talk to Romney's occasional politician-speak. (Although I probably admired Bush's "straight talk" back in the day, look where that got us.)

I've been watching Mike Huckabee with interest. Here's a guy, evangelical Christian, ordained pastor... yet not the Bible-thumping stereotype the media wishes he would be at all. He's intelligent and articulate, and whenever he gets the opportunity to say a few words in these debates, I've liked both what he said and how he's said it. He doesn't try to please everyone by being middle-of-the-road and equivocal; he says what he believes without apology, take it or leave it.

At the moment, I think a Giuliani/Huckabee ticket is one I could get excited about.

Anyone else?

Oh, and Fred Thompson could certainly make things interesting if he jumps in.

Hey Greg,

Thanks for the heads up on the Parallels info. Apple has been surprisingly uninformed on the subject; and it's an important topic for us as we often do data merges from a program built on the Access platform (which can only be run on the MSFT side) into MSFT Word (which we will run on the OS X side). So this is huge for us.

And now, an update on the Home Theater system. After taking your advice, I went and listened to a number of different speakers including two different brands of electrostatics (MartinLogan and Magnepan) and then the more conventional monkey coffins. After some careful deliberation, I ... [insert mental hesitation] ... didn't care for the electrostatics. I'm sorry, Greg. I know this admission probably wounds you, but there were two issues.

One, both electrostatics really ... I don't want to say "ruined," but ... ruined The Joshua Tree. I plugged in this brilliant album and all of sudden, I'm hearing all of this tini-ness at the upper end of the listening spectrum (that part of the spectrum where my hearing is still okay). But beyond that, I couldn't get past the directional nature of the sound. I would be sitting in the sweet spot of the room and the sound was great. But then I would stand up and its almost as if I rose above the sound. The tone completely changed. And it was driving me nuts.

But all of your suggestions have not gone to waste. In fact, based upon your recommendations and some personal listening, I came across a fantastic deal at Tweeter, a local store that is going under because of Best Buy.

So tell me what you think. My front towers are two Polk Audio RTi12's with a center channel Polk Audio LSiC. If you shop around on the net, you can find them for $1707. I dropped a grand total of $900. For now, I may use my old AIWA bookshelfs for the rear, or I may go back to Tweeter and pick up a pair of Polk Audio RTi6 bookshelves (they're on sale for $140 a pair). So, factor in a free sub-woofer (an old Sony) that a friend gave me, that leaves me $700 to put into the receiver we talked about. Obviously, I'll update the sub at a later date, but I think this gets me off the ground in the price range we talked about.

I love this story. Particularly the last couple of paragraphs.

Also, Thomas Sowell could probably turn this column into a whole book. And I would read it.

Scott--

(Just got tired of the comments...)

1. You can turn-off DHCP from w/in the Parallels preferences. This would effectively kill all internet access for the MSFT OS. (In other words, no more security problems!)

1.5. Parallels does support drag & drop from one environment to another; but it doesn't seem to work well (yet). It renames the files, and I couldn't get them to open in their new environment. Never had a single problem using the "shared folder" though.

2. I've learned that I can never make people happy with technology. So now I just tell them the way that it's going to be, and let them deal with it. And if I do my job right, they usually deal with it nicely. (Currently upgrading our dept email *away* from the University accounts.)

3. If you're still going to go w/ the sub/sat type of system (as opposed to the Magnepan), I would run with the Mirage. (Recently read a few articles on why Canadians seem to build such good speakers, and as it turns out--their government funds the research.)

Parallels 3.0

Scott--Parallels 3.0 now supports it's virtual machine on the Bootcamp partition. Thus, you can share files from Bootcamp and Parallels.

Sweet feature.

Last Post on the Subject. My work here is done.

RX-V661. $400
Magnepan MMG W / MMG C Home-Theater Speaker System. $1,000
Dayton Audio SUB-120 12" 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer. $150
(Note: Twin 10" powered subs from PE may provide better musical results, if space, budget & wife allow.)
Dayton Audio Interconnects & Speaker wire. $50 - $100

I actually want to buy this myself. The true quality of this system with a powerful bang-for-buck cannot be beat. This configuration cannot be improved upon at this price point. Period.

As Always. Listen. Before. You. Buy.

*picks up keys*
*turns out lights*
*closes door*

Wow--has this been an experience. I haven't thought about home-theater in YEARS; and I haven't thought about commercial (non-DIY) audio stuff for even longer.

The guy's post about getting Magnepans is excellent. I'm actually a little ashamed that I didn't think about it myself. My own system has a pair of Acoustat 2+2s, which are electrostatic speakers. (Think vast amounts of voltage being passed through 24 square-feet of saran-wrap per-speaker. This drastically increases volume displacement, thereby producing better sound.) Magnepan uses a similar technology, albeit it's much safer because it's sans the high-voltage transformer. (I have to put a fence around mine to keep Ella out.)

I would really give these Magnepans a look. Traditional monkey coffins are (by their design) limited. Not bad, just limited. Magnepans really offer some neat advantages, because of their innovative design. I would call Audio Consultants to schedule an audition. Ask if they stock the MMG or the MMGW & MMGC home theater system. You can also order these factory direct for an in-home trial. (MMGC is the center channel; MMGW are the front/rears. The MMG is a for two-channel, but would make a great set of front L/R. You'll also need to reserve money in your budget for a sub--so take that into account.)

And if you're not interested--then click on the BBS thread listed below for some suggestions. Mirage, Orb Audio, Paradigm, Energy, Definitive are all great brands. I'd also throw in Klipsch, if you don't mind the bookshelf form factor. Boston Acoustics may also be worth a look. I'd look to probably spend between 1k and 1,200; and given that the HDMI spec won't be finalized until the HD-DVD wars are over, might as well go down a model on the Yamaha receiver (per Dirk on the board). Again--read that BBS thread; it's a wealth of info.

A few quick links about Bose. Put down the grape Kool-Aid and give these links a read.

This six-speaker unit costs $1299.99 USD MSRP. From dissecting it, I can tell you it costs $100, no more than $150 tops, to assemble. It performs similarly to a $500 Optimus-Radio Shack surround sound system and is very easily outperformed by a $350 Cambridge Soundworks system. For $1300, there are at least three dozen other configurations from companies such as KEF, PSB, NHT, Mission, Tannoy, Diva, Polk, B&W, Energy, Paradigm, M&K, Infinity, Mirage, Monitor, Jamo, Axiom, nOrh, Anthony Gallo, Dahlquist, Sound Dynamics, Acoustic Research, Phase Technology, Definitive Technology, Wharfdale, Boston Acoustics, and Klipsch that easily outperform all Bose speakers from the 151s to the 901s.

Update: I've started a thread on my tech BBS; These guys know what they're talking about--and have posted some great suggestions... Definitely worth your time... (Example of where I may be wrong: Apparently the HDMI spec isn't finalized--so it may not be worth your while to dump extra money that supports HDMI if it turns out to be the wrong standard!) Great Entry. Follow up to great entry.

Update: This is a really interesting option.