Cogito, Ergo Sumana for 2010 March 26

# (1) 26 Mar 2010, 02:55AM: Gussied-Up Link Blogging: I am accumulating draft posts as I focus my days on GNOME Journal work, errands, and preparing for conferences and other appearances. So, very little blogging; even my Ada Lovelace Day post will be days late. But I can at least mention some interesting links.

"The reason this exists is because every time we watch Parks and Recreation we sing 'Jabba the Hutt' along with the theme. So naturally we had to make this video." I like the way you think.

This New York Times article on China's cyberposses, or "human-flesh search engines", was scary and enlightening.

Searches have been directed against all kinds of people, including cheating spouses, corrupt government officials, amateur pornography makers, Chinese citizens who are perceived as unpatriotic, journalists who urge a moderate stance on Tibet and rich people who try to game the Chinese system. Human-flesh searches highlight what people are willing to fight for: the political issues, polarizing events and contested moral standards that are the fault lines of contemporary China.

It also led me to feel less sympathy for an Encyclopedia Dramatica moderator.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, as often, eloquently states something that gets my head nodding:

But I think any sort of conservatism intellectual critique of liberalism and minority rights, really has to reckon with American conservatism's appalling record on that front...

Moreover they have used a skepticism of change, to mask a defense of institutional evil...

There is a fundamental problem here, one that can't be elided by pointing out the differences between "true" conservatism and Republicans. A bias toward time-tested, societal institutions almost necessarily means a bias toward institutional evil....

Derek Powazek's recent foolproof guide to nurturing houseplants reminded me of a heartwarming houseplant story he once wrote.

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# (1) 26 Mar 2010, 09:24PM: Multipass!: Julia, chief interviewer for the Outer Alliance, today posted an interview with me. Thanks, Julia! Outer Alliance is a group dedicated to education, support, and celebration regarding LGBT contributions in speculative fiction. Julia asked me about WisCon, diversity in Thoughtcrime Experiments, Creative Commons, my interest in trans issues, and tips for social confidence. I sneak in a hint on grad school.

Other links and observations:

Fred hits it out of the park again. This put a smile on my face all the way through, a YouTube effect most commonly reserved for OK Go. (via)

If Caldera was "Linux for Business," shouldn't Linux for mobile be Calder?

A memory from 21 January, 2009: Obama said, information will not be withheld just because I say so. And from March 1 last year: McCain stuff in a Washington, DC airport gift shop was on clearance for $1.99.

A pal, upon seeing me kvetch about misspellings of "Mediterranean": "Maddittiranian!"

Some vids I've loved recently: "Power Trekkers" (Star Trek Reboot Plus), "What About" (Multifandom), and "Grapevine Fires" (Star Trek, several incarnations). That last one embedded below so you can taste it, though it's best as a high-res download:

Find more videos like this on BAM Vid Vault

My wine tastes, as recorded in notes from a single Vesta wine flight: the Aglianico is bleh, I don't like the Rubio or Pinot Noir, the Molto Montepuciano is eh, and Orvietto is nice.

When I was last in India, I saw Vestige brand toothpaste for sale.

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