J&C’s Happy Valley Ho-Hum

Submitted by: dunno source via Oddly Specific

It’s specific, yet incredibly vague at the same time.

I simply cannot grasp what motivates these people, what compels them to thwart even the smallest attempts to clean up the enormous destruction they wrought under Bush and Cheney. Irresponsible, hateful, mendacious, sleazy, destructive - these words do not even begin to describe them.

I am unemployed and have not found a new job after almost a year of searching. I have a mortgage. I also have a preexisting medical condition, thanks to emergency surgery I had to undergo nearly 18 months ago. My unemployment benefits expire in five months, my COBRA not long after. Like untold millions of Americans, I am preparing for the worst as the economy slogs through its agonizing turnaround.

I voted for Obama with proud but open eyes, knowing full well not just the magnitude of the tasks he faced, but the pure, unrestrained malevolence of his opposition. Health care reform will unquestionably help people like me. And now some low-rent hairdo, whose sole claim to fame is posing naked for some ladies' magazine way back when, may happily destroy whatever chance this country has at moving in a more just, humane, and morally and fiscally responsible direction.

As you stated, the Republican Party of this new century is shot through with nihilists. Unabashed nihilists. But what leaves me shaking with anger damn near every day since President Obama's inauguration is the pure smugness and nonchalance of their nihilism

The past year has been a very difficult one for me, personally and professionally. I've been up a lot more than I've been down, and I've been angry and frustrated with life, as we all are at times. But I can't remember the last time I felt such overwhelming rage toward a group of people as I have felt toward the Republican Party and the conservative movement since President Obama's election.

I simply cannot grasp what motivates these people, what compels them to thwart even the smallest attempts to clean up the enormous destruction they wrought under Bush and Cheney. Irresponsible, hateful, mendacious, sleazy, destructive - these words do not even begin to describe them.

I am unemployed and have not found a new job after almost a year of searching. I have a mortgage. I also have a preexisting medical condition, thanks to emergency surgery I had to undergo nearly 18 months ago. My unemployment benefits expire in five months, my COBRA not long after. Like untold millions of Americans, I am preparing for the worst as the economy slogs through its agonizing turnaround.

I voted for Obama with proud but open eyes, knowing full well not just the magnitude of the tasks he faced, but the pure, unrestrained malevolence of his opposition. Health care reform will unquestionably help people like me. And now some low-rent hairdo, whose sole claim to fame is posing naked for some ladies' magazine way back when, may happily destroy whatever chance this country has at moving in a more just, humane, and morally and fiscally responsible direction.

As you stated, the Republican Party of this new century is shot through with nihilists. Unabashed nihilists. But what leaves me shaking with anger damn near every day since President Obama's inauguration is the pure smugness and nonchalance of their nihilism

Saying that you "cannot grasp" what motivates others is supposed to indicate their utter moral turpitude, I suppose.  And in the case of say, people who rape children, yes, it's true:  I cannot grasp it.  Can't imagine.  Don't want to.

But when you're using it as a dodge to avoid grappling with the opinion of well over half your fellow countrymen, this won't do.  Being unable to imagine what the majority of Americans might be thinking doesn't indicate a problem with them.  It suggests you kind of need to get out more.  Ask around.  If there's one thing any American is always happy to share, it's his opinion.

But for the shut-ins, and those who are too busy with their needlepoint, I have a useful little shortcut that you can use to try and understand why this vast, pulsating blob of undifferentiated evildoers might be opposing the Democrats' health care agenda:  they think it's a bad idea.

That's not so hard to imagine, is it?  You have had ideas, and you have opposed the bad ideas of others.  You have experience in the domain, so to speak.  Think of it as sort of a visualization device. 

The next time you are trying to imagine why the people who disagree with you are actively promoting the destruction of all that is good in the universe, grab a soothing cup of mint tea, put your feet up on a comfy pillow, and then close your eyes and imagine what those people would look like campaigning against something that is a very bad idea.  99 times out of a hundred, you'll find that they look . . . well, exactly like they look when they're campaigning against your idea.  And suddenly the whole thing is no longer so inexplicable, isn't it?

I mean, we all know that that's ridiculous, because you have never in your life been wrong about any major question, or had a bad idea of your own, which is why you are so fabulously wealthy and married to the first person you ever dated, who is even now smiling at you in blissful perfection from the arms of your four flawless children.  But they don't know that, you see.  As I think I've mentioned, they haven't met you.  They won't know anything about you until you finally accept that Nobel Peace Prize.  So you'll have to content yourself with understanding that while you, personally, may never be in error, other well meaning people sometimes are.  And then still other well-meaning people have to get up off the sofa and point this out, lest they lead the entire nation astray.

This does not require arguing that the people who oppose you are right.  Obviously, if you thought that, they wouldn't be opposing you.  It just requires a little more empathy, a little less tribalism.

When I realized that health care was probably going to pass, I was, as you can imagine, sort of unhappy.  I thought that this was, over the long run, very likely to result in the untimely deaths of lots of people, maybe including me.  I may have been in error about this belief--but it was sincerely held.

Had I gone off into a despairing and rage-filled rant about how I just could not understand how all those people could be so determined to kill millions and millions of innocent people with their stupid central planning schemes that never work, haven't they seen what happened to the Soviet Union, ferchrissakes . . . should my views get a respectful hearing?  I think not.  Had I said anything like that, I would have sounded like an idiot.  As, indeed, some of the more benighted conservative commentators kind of did.

Because it's not that hard to understand why the people on the other side want what they want.  They look at people without insurance, and they want to help them.  I'd like to help them too.  They believe, as I do not, that the government will be able to muster the political will to control costs.  They believe, as I do not, centralized government planning will improve the health care system rather than being hijacked by special interests within it.  They believe, as I do not, that there is so much fat and waste in the pharma and medical technology industries that they can considerably reduce reimbursements without reducing useful innovation and thereby condemning those who might have been saved to an early death.  These are not unreasonable beliefs.  Neither are mine.

In a situation like that, it is natural to despair that those who oppose you have made a tragic error.  But if you want to rage, rage against the universe that provides us too little information, and too limited brains, to make perfect choices every time.  If Coakley wins (or Brown does and the Democrats manage, against my expectation, to pass something anyway), I won't be happy about it.  But I don't need to go inventing evils where none exist, for the sheer joy of venting my unhappiness on a person.  Life is too short for me to spend any time manufacturing hatred for strangers.

Update:  A friend emails Mad Men put it this way in season 1: "I hate to break it to you but there is no big lie. There is no system. The universe is indifferent." --Don Draper

Crayola Color Chart, 1903-2010

Weather Sealed made this awesome visualization of Crayola’s colors throughout the 20th century. My inner Tufte approves.

Okay for you 11 readers that feedburner says we have (11?! You mean people actually follow us?), we’re trying something new. There’s a reason i just spammed you with a bunch of random stuff.

I’m syndicating stuff I like that shows up in my google reader. So if I read something in one of my feed, and it’s funny, or intriguing or I like it enough for whatever reason, I’m going to hit the share button.

Then magically, wordpress here goes out and says “hey, you shared something. Well let’s get it out there for people to see!”. And it does.

Let me know how it does.

Submitted by: /b/ via deMotivational Builder

“Do you consider yourself a pastor?”

Someone asked me that once during a Q&A at a conference. That one threw me for a loop and I answered it the best way I knew:

“I consider myself terrified.”

That’s the truth. I don’t know how to do most of this, so these weird moments are a mix of abject fun and slight terror. Like the time I mentioned having struggled with porn in the past to a reporter. You know what the first line of his article was? “In addition to many other problems, Jon struggles with P.” Awesome. Thanks fella. “Many other problems.” Fantastic.

But no one tells you how to do smart interviews. So you do dumb ones and then realize later, that was dumb. And part of the reason this whole thing is so weird is because I’m boldly and bravely tackling such hard issues. Like today’s. I don’t see Mark Driscoll or Rick Warren stepping to the plate on this one. But I am. We are. Today we’re going to settle something that is divisive and critical and currently tearing the church asunder:

Is God Mac or PC?

That is, up in heaven, is he cranking away on a Mac or a PC? Does he love the iPhone or is he currently listening to Michael W. Smith’s greatest hits on a Zune? Does he have a little apple sticker stuck anywhere?

I feel like lists work well on blogs, so let’s break it down list style and weigh all the facts.

1. Macs are beautiful and glimmery white in their design. Christ and God are always represented as the “light of the world.” PCs are often dark. God is definitely a Mac.

2. As soon as you own an iPhone you start to feel a potpourri of pity and shame for anyone who does not own one. Someone whips out a Blackberry and you immediately, smugly think inside, “That poor person. Pushing on physical keys. The horror.” God doesn’t like that arrogance. God is a PC.

3. Apple makes real efforts to improve the planet and recycle their products. God loves that. God is a Mac.

4. Apple is notorious for rejecting apps that people try to put on the iPhone. God doesn’t reject anyone. God is definitely a PC.

5. PCs are often plagued by viruses and crashes. Much like sin, God hates that. God is definitely a Mac.

6. Mac commercials are constantly mocking people who use PCs. God hates mockery. God is definitely a PC.

7. You don’t have to learn a complicated operating system to use a Mac. You turn it on and go. Same with God. Repentance and salvation are not complex systems designed to confuse people. God’s a Mac.

8. PCs are constantly needing to be upgraded and updated with the latest software and operating systems. Just like sanctification. You are constantly changing and being renewed. God’s a PC.

9. Macs take a very holistic approach to computing. There’s iLife and iTunes and iPhone. They all work together seamlessly. Just the way God wants to be integrated into every part of our life. God’s a Mac.

10. Some people treat Apple’s Steve Jobs like he’s God in a mock turtle neck. Turns out God is not cool with that. God’s a PC.

11. Macs are very intuitive. When you want to do something, you don’t look up how to do it, you just do it. With a PC, things are often backwards. When you want to shut down for instance, you have to click “Start.” The Bible is very intuitive too. Proverbs lays out pages of simple wisdom that just makes sense. God is a Mac.

12. Macs are all about outside appearances. They look fantastic. But God cares more about what’s inside. Macs are too vain. God’s a PC.

13. Macs make music easy to enjoy. They’re more artistic and often the choice of graphic designers and photographers. God is a great fan of the arts, as evidence by the colorful sunsets and sunrises he paints each day. God’s a Mac.

14. Macs are really expensive. God’s not. He paid the cost. He paid the debt we owed to him. God’s a PC.

15. The Mac logo, an apple with a bite out of it, is reminiscent of our fall from grace in the garden of Eden and God’s forgiveness of us. God’s a Mac.

16. The Gates Foundation has given millions and millions of dollars to help people around the world. God’s all about generosity. God’s a PC.

17. Apple stores are not designed like traditional retail outlets, but are more like aesthetic sanctuaries. They’re practically consumer churches. God’s a Mac.

18. Mac is constantly teasing us with information. There is a tablet. There’s not a tablet. God, on the other hand, is much more direct with his love and purpose in our lives. God’s a PC.

There’s the list and I’ve got to tell you, I’m stuck. I have a PC desktop and an Apple laptop. I don’t know who to score this one as anything other than a tie. How about you?

Is God a Mac or a PC?

What evidence would you offer to support or deny either decision?

By Evan Ackerman

This thing is, seriously, the highlight of CES for me (so far) this year. 3D TVs and eBook readers are fine, but there’s nothing amazing about them.

The Airnergy Charger is amazing.

This little box has, inside it, some kind of circuitry that harvests WiFi energy out of the air and converts it into electricity. This has been done before, but the Airnergy is able to harvest electricity with a high enough efficiency to make it practically useful: on the CES floor, they were able to charge a BlackBerry from 30% to full in about 90 minutes, using nothing but ambient WiFi signals as a power source.

The Airnergy has a battery inside it, so you can just carry it around and as long as you’re near some WiFi, it charges itself. Unlike a solar charger, it works at night and you can keep it in your pocket. Of course, proximity to the WiFi source and the number of WiFi sources is important, but at the rate it charges, if you have a home wireless network you could probably just leave anywhere in your house overnight and it would be pretty close to full in the morning.

Here is the really, really unbelievable part: RCA says that the USB charger will be available this summer for $40, and a battery with the WiFi harvesting technology will be available soon after. I mean, all kinds of people are pushing wireless charging, but this would hands down take the cake… It doesn’t need a pad and it’s charging all the time, for free, in just about any urban environment.

We didn’t think you’d believe all this, so we made RCA explain it all on video:

Yeah, we’ll definitely be keeping you updated on this one.

Exchange is extremely useful for syncing your data live to your phone, especially since Gmail added Exchange—but iPhones still only allow one Exchange account at a time. If you're jailbroken, here's how to add as many accounts as you want.

The folks over at the Modmyi.com forums figured this one out through some trial and error, and since the instructions require sifting a thread and picking out the important steps, we've narrowed down the process here. It looks a little daunting at first (and you should proceed at your own risk), but all it requires is a little bit of copying and pasting. In order to do this, you'll need to have jailbroken your iPhone or iPod touch and installed OpenSSH on it, as well as already have an Exchange account set up.

First, you'll have to SSH into your iPhone (which we've covered how to do before) and grab the com.apple.accountsettings.plist file from /private/var/mobile/Library/Preferences/. Download it to your computer and open it up with a plist editor (OS X has one built in, and there are a few for download on Windows). Be sure to back it up before you edit it, though, in case you mess up and need to go back to the original.

When you open it up, the Exchange account should be the first entry, and it should look something this:

 <dict> <key>ASAccountEmailAddress</key> <string>account1@gmail.com</string> <key>ASAccountHost</key> <string>m.google..com</string> <key>ASAccountMailNumberOfPastDaysToSync</key> <integer>0</integer> <key>ASAccountUseSSL</key> <true/> <key>ASAccountUsername</key> <string>account1@gmail.com</string> <key>ASLastKnownProtocolVersion</key> <string>2.5</string> <key>Class>/key> <string>ASAccount</string> <key>DAAccountPersistentUUID</key> <string>47F76882-2678-41C7-91B9-5D1AD5F76BFA</string> <key>DAAccountVersion</key> <integer>2</integer> <key>DATrustSettingsExceptions</key> <dict> <key>b8fa0b7f 0e99494e e3210953 21fa4725 65454492</key> <data> YnBsaXN0MDChAdICAwQFW1NTTEhvc3RuYW1lWlNIQTFE aWdlc3QITxAUuPoLfw6ZSU7jIQlTIfpHJWVFRJIICg8b JicAAAAAAAABAQAAAAAAAAAGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Pg== </data> </dict> <key>DisplayName</key> <string>Gmail</string> <key>Enabled Dataclasses</key> <array> <string>com.apple.Dataclass.Calendars</string> <string>com.apple.Dataclass.Contacts</string> <string>com.apple.Dataclass.Mail</string> <string>com.apple.Dataclass.ContactsSearch</string> </array> <key>Identifier</key> <string>F4EBDF4A-8C1E-486E-89A8-766C1C5D8170</string> <key>Short Type String</key> <string>Exchange</string> <key>Sync Identifier</key> <string>F4EBDF4A-8C1E-486E-89A8-766C1C5D8170</string> <key>Type</key> <string>Exchange</string> <key>Type String</key> <string>Exchange ActiveSync</string> <key>kASAccountVersionKey</key> <integer>7</integer> </dict> 

Copy this whole section and paste it directly below itself—and then all you need to do is edit a few parts of the section you just pasted. Change the strings below ASAccountEmailAddress, ASAccountEmailUsername, and DisplayName to correspond to your second Exchange account. You'll also have to change the last 4 digits of the DAAccountPersistentUUID to something else (it doesn't matter what it is, it just has to be different than the first account and have the same number of digits). You'll also have to change the last 4 characters of the Identifier string to something else—and make those same changes to the Sync Identifier string (so that the two strings match). Repeat this entire process (starting with the copying and pasting) for each new Exchange account you want to add.

When you're done, go back into your SSH client and upload your newly revised com.apple.accountsettings.plist file to the same folder you got it from, and you should be all set. You don't even need to restart your iPhone, if you just wait a minute it should ask you for the passwords and start syncing. Thanks, Jan!

Pocahontas = Avatar at thenextweb.com, larger version here at 9gag.