Welcome to April

I dislike this April Fool's Day joke thing -- and I am not saying this because someone managed to fool me today or something (or even that anyone tried) -- but I did sit here for a grand total of 5 seconds and try to think of something to make a fool's-day joke over. The only things I could come up with were incredibly cruel, which is why I don't like fool's-day jokes (a holiday-specific subset of practical jokes) to begin with.

So. If the only thing I can come up with is faking my death online, I need to write more comedy.

Instead, I'll amuse you with a story about my latest bank statement. Riveting, I know.

I go about my business like most Sidras (work, lunch, more work, secret cabal meeting, watch episode of Stargate, throw out trash, dance around to Tomb Raider soundtrack, have a drink, read book, ritual human sacrifice at midnight, go to sleep. All completely normal.) and find my bank statement waiting for me in the mailbox.

Big wup, right? That's what I thought.

So, being in a mail-opening mood, I actually open my mail. (This does not always happen. Matter of fact, this does not often happen. To be truthful, this rarely happens.)

The thought actually crosses my mind that the beginning of April is...soon-ish or something, and I'm going to have to write a check for rent, and the bank statement is about an inch from my hand.... What the hell, I'll read my bank statement.

Which says "Current Balance: 0.00".

Yes, that's exactly the reaction I had. Hand clutching heart, gasping on floor like a drowning fish. Yes! That face! That's the face I made!

And then I notice what's probably been printed on my statement since UltraMegaBankCorp bought BigBank-U.S., to wit, "when we transfer your BBUS account to UMBC, your BBUS statement will show a current balance of 0.00. "

Oh. That's all right then. Thank you so much, UltraMegaBankCorp, for the heart attack, I can't tell you how long I've wanted one! If this is what I can expect as a customer, why, I'm thrilled to be a member of the UMBC family (FDIC insured)!

Want to take a guess at how many phone calls their customer service number got the day all the BBUS customers got their statements? I'm a little curious about that myself.

Fish. It's What's for Dinner.

Diabetic women gain significant health benefits from eating fish.

DALLAS, April 1 -- Eating fish regularly reduced the risk of heart disease in diabetic women by as much as 64 percent, according to study reported in today's rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
 
"We found that women with type 2 diabetes who ate more fish had significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease and total death than those who rarely ate fish," says Frank B. Hu, M.D., lead author and associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "Previous studies have found that fish consumption reduces risk of heart disease in a largely healthy population. This is the first study to look at the relationship among diabetic patients, who have very high risk of heart disease." The American Heart Association recommends that adults, except pregnant women, eat two servings of fish a week. For those with, or at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), supplementing fish in the diet with fish oil capsules may be advisable in consultation with a physician.
 
Also known as fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids from fish have been shown to reduce the risk of irregular heartbeats that can lead to sudden death, decrease blood triglyceride levels, improve the functions of blood vessels and reduce blood clot formation. These effects are particularly important for reducing risk for CVD among diabetics.

Enter My MInd

Understanding the Psychology of Programming, by Bryan Dollery.

Contrary to popular belief, programmers more frequently resemble artists than scientists. If you want to maximize the creative potential on your development team, you've got to start thinking about the psychology of the programmer and be willing to back it up with management policy.

Very accurate. Do programmers work for you? Or near you? Do you interact with them? Do they always seem absent-minded and upset at you for interrupting them? Not to mention just fucking weird? READ THIS ARTICLE.

If none of the above apply to you, READ THIS ARTICLE, too. Might come in handy.

'Course, while I'm at it, try reading Dave Kiersey's Please Understand Me. And then the Hacker FAQ.

Firewalls Bad?

The remark in Arron Rouse's article about "sysadmins fainting in disbelief" seems reasonable to me.

Use a Firewall, Go to Jail, at Freedom to Tinker.

Armageddon, ho!

Space Weather news for March 27, 2003 http://www.spaceweather.com

Sky watchers in several US states were startled around midnight on March 27th when a brilliant fireball streaked across the sky and exploded. It was a small (perhaps less than a few meters wide) rocky asteroid with a mass of about 10 metric tons. Some 500 fragments scattered over a 10-km wide zone in the suburbs south of Chicago. Meteorites struck houses, cars, roads--but no people. Such fireballs are surprisingly common: Researchers expect an asteroidal object one meter in diameter or larger to strike Earth's atmosphere about 40 times per year. Few are seen, however, because they usually appear over unpopulated areas.

Visit spaceweather.com for more information.

Foreign Policy, Free Speech

"We must face the fact," President John F. Kennedy once said, "that the United States is neither omnipotent nor omniscient -- that we are only 6% of the world's population -- that we cannot impose our will upon the other 94% of mankind--that we cannot right every wrong or reverse each adversity -- and that therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem."

Good Foreign Policy a Casualty of War:Today, it is we Americans who live in infamy. By Arthur Schlesinger Jr.

Go read the whole thing. I'll wait. Then reflect on the fact that John Quincy Adams warned us (er, U.S.) not to be assholes, in 1821. That's plenty of time to figure out what the words meant, y'know.

Schlesinger revists the theme of "full and searching discussion" as a necessity prior to going to war, in What Ever Happened to Protest?, pointing out, among other things, that Americans have "rarely refrained from criticism and dissent when the country was heading toward war."

This one shouldn't be any different. The Bush Doctrine, as Schlesinger refers to it, of anticipatory self-defense (comparing it to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, and I believe, quite rightly so) was lambasted in 1848 by no other than Abraham Lincoln, then discussing the Mexican War as a representative of the state of Illinois.

"Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion... and you allow him to make war at pleasure...[The Founding Fathers]...resolved to so frame the Constitution that no one man should hold the power of bringing this oppression upon us."

From the birth of this nation, the Bush Doctrine has been considered one incredibly bad idea.

But it's so darn attractive,...if you're sure you're in the right, that is. But you can't be, can you? Not really. Life is never that black and white.

Anything But Plastic

Plastic shopping bags and the environment

"Plastic shopping bags have a surprisingly significant environmental impact for something so seemingly innocuous."

Darn straight. Plastic shopping bags are so prevalent in my area, unless you're shopping a health-food store. I can't recall the last time I was asked "paper or plastic". That's a lot of bags, every day, steadfastly not decomposing for 20+ years.

It's not so hard to minimize your use, just invest in 3 or 4 woven or cloth bags and bring them to the store with you. Sure you have to remember, but you already remembered the shopping list, didn't you? Why not this, too?

First Stop, Iraq

How did the U.S. end up taking on Saddam? The inside story of how Iraq jumped to the top of Bush's agenda -- and why the outcome there may foreshadow a different world order.

This is a terribly interesting article, I'm not done yet.

Courtesy of Wil, who's not a weenie.

Bush, Blair

Differences Remain in Allies' Relationship

"today's joint press conference by President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Camp David also revealed some subtle but important differences between the two allies on the war in Iraq and its aftermath."

I heard it on NPR this morning, and noted several of these same distinctions.

Rare Blood Disease Actually Cancer

Rare Blood Disease Shown To Be A Form Of Treatable Cancer; Genetic Mechanism Of Disease Is Discovered

"In the process of figuring out why an anti-cancer drug is effective in treating patients with a rare blood disorder known as hypereosinophilic syndrome, or HES, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown that the condition may in fact be a form of cancer."

Aboriginal Weather Prediction

Experts look to Australia's Aborigines for weather help

Heretical Ideas, for the link

Bush order covers Internet Secrets

Actually, this caught my eye because of the 'defense against transnational terrorism' clause.


http://news.com.com/2100-1028-994216.html

Bush order covers Internet secrets
By Declan McCullagh

March 26, 2003, 12:11 PM PT

President George W. Bush has signed an executive order that explicitly gives the government the power to classify information about critical infrastructures such as the Internet.
Bush late Tuesday changed the definition of what the government may classify as confidential, secret and top-secret to include details about "infrastructures" and weapons of mass destruction. The new executive order also makes clear that information related to "defense against transnational terrorism" is classifiable. more >>

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Things to Read

French airline steward detained for nine months in US


Hundreds Of Arabs Still Detained

"We have absolutely no idea how many they have behind bars and neither does anybody else because the government simply will not tell us"

The American Muslim Association of North America


Detained, by Michael Welch, reviewed by Elaine Cassel, who recommends

"Detained" should be read by anyone interested in learning about the origins of the evolving "us versus them" posture that stigmatizes, criminalizes, and incarcerates immigrants in the name of "freedom" and "national security." The way this country treats its vulnerable residents should be of concern to all Americans who profess to value human rights. But, as the draft of Patriot II suggests, the treatment of immigrants may foreshadow the treatment of citizens in the years to come.

Yeah, Peace and Stability, Uh-Huh


Arab League lines up behind Iraq

Arab countries have condemned the "aggression" against Iraq and called for the immediate withdrawal of US and British forces from the country.

Yep. Saw that coming, didn't we? Prescience. What a pain in the ass.

Web Site Credibility

How Do People Evaluate a Web Site's Credibility?

In a nutshell,

1. Design
2. Information structure

And, interestingly, once a design passes a certain threshold, that's only when other elements such as information structure (navigation, organization) come under scrutiny.

Very interesting. No matter how well organized it is, if it doesn't look good, they're not going to stick around. But, also, don't spend weeks trying to get that last 10% of coolness in the design.