Need For Speed

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Aug 182005
 

I thought this report on the FCC’s failure to promote the spread of broadband Internet access in the U.S. illustrates the current Administration’s lack of vision in terms of domestic policy. According to the report, the U.S. ranks 16th worldwide in the number of broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants. It also points out that the FCC can exaggerate the number of broadband connections by defining “broadband” as anything 200kbps or faster. That’s barely four times faster than a dial-up connection. But yet many telephone companies are able to sell DSL connections at this speed and convince people that they’re buying “broadband” service. Meanwhile, the French can buy 15 Mps service for $38 a month. I’m paying almost $50 for a 4 Mbps connection.
We badly need a national broadband policy. But instead what we get are state laws banning municipal wifi networks and FCC rulings that weaken consumer choice. Yes, we’re a big country with lots of rural areas. But we don’t seem to have a problem giving everyone access to a bazillion TV channels. If Joe Sixpack in Nowhere, Kansas can get seven HBO channels, why the hell can’t he get a decent Internet connection?

Rendezvous

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Aug 172005
 

While I’m in Paris, I’d like to fall in love with a geeky French girl who thinks my American accent is kinda cute and who will take me into a solitary corner of Shakespeare & Company and kiss me with one warm hand behind the nape of my neck. See that it happens, will you?

Launch

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Aug 162005
 

I’ve previously mentioned my involvement in efforts to launch a media corporation focusing on disability issues and featuring pieces produced by and starring people with disabilities. I’d like to direct you to the official website for PWdBC, the People With disabilities Broadcast Corporation. It launched a few weeks ago and you’ll find my name listed under the Board of Advisors. It’s a concept that is still in its formative stages, but you’ll find our business plan on the website as well as an open solicitation for resumes and programming ideas. Keep in mind that PWdBC doesn’t have any funding yet, but I think it’s safe to say that we’ve had a few nibbles of interest from assorted parties. Howard Renesland, the Visionary-In-Chief for PWdBC, has put in hundreds of hours into making this idea a reality and he deserves a lot of credit for keeping his eyes on the prize in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. We continue to believe that there’s a market for such a channel, not to mention a lot of untapped and underutilized talent. The Screen Actors Guild recently released a report stating that performers with disabilities are vastly underrepresented in mainstream media. While we certainly don’t want our channel to become the disability ghetto of the media spectrum, we do think it could be a showcase for all kinds of talent that isn’t getting any exposure in the current media conglomerates. And if we’re successful, it might give show the other networks how negligent they’ve been in ignoring this segment of the population.
I’ll keep you posted on the progress of PWdBC. And if there are certain types of programming you’d like to see on a disability-themed channel, send them to me and I’ll pass them on to Howard.

Walking Tour

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Aug 152005
 

My brother wants to buy a new notebook computer and he’s asking me for advice. He wants something that is light but nothing in a subcompact model. I’m not going to recommend any Apple models because of their impending switch to Intel processors. Otherwise, I would wholeheartedly endorse a Powerbook, so I don’t want any nasty comments from Apple partisans. I was thinking about the Dell D600 or the IBM Thinkpad, but this is only after a cursory glance at some hardware reviews. If you have a favorite model that you want to pitch, let me know.
I had originally reserved a van and driver for each day I’m in Paris, mostly because I wasn’t certain how much I would need it. But as I look more closely at where I’ll be staying, I realize I can walk to most of the big attractions. I’ll only use a van for a couple days to see Versailles and Sacre Coeur/Montmartre, thereby saving myself a considerable amount of money. I’m not too worried about Berlin. My brother has told me that most of the S-Bahn and U-Bahn is accessible. When the Allies were bombing the piss out of the city sixty years ago, they probably didn’t realize that all of the subsequent rebuilding would create a more accessible city.

Nine Lives

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Aug 142005
 



Sister’s Cats



These are my sister’s kittens and my houseguests until tonight. Thunder is on the left and…wait for it…Lightning is on the right. This morning, I kind of freaked because one of the cats jumped up on the window sill and stuck his head out the partially open window. For a moment, I thought I might have to make up some story for my sister that the cat ran away to see the world or something like that. Fortunately, the cat’s existential crisis passed and it decided to play with a paper bag instead.

La Rive Gauche

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Aug 132005
 

There was a slight mix-up with my hotel in Paris. I thought I’d be staying on the Champs d’Elysees, but that turned out to be exorbitantly expensive. Instead, I’ll probably be staying at this hotel in the St. Germain neighborhood, inside the Latin Quarter. I’ve made arrangements for a van and driver for each day I’m in Paris, but I’m wondering if I should scale that back a day or two because I’m within walking distance of the Louvre, Notre Dame, and Musee d’Orsay. I should also mention that if there are any Parisians who read my blog, I’d love to meet you and buy you a drink. The same goes for any readers in Berlin. Which reminds me, I should e-mail a couple of my cousins in Germany and let them know I’m coming.

Thought Police

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Aug 122005
 

My sister’s cats are creeping me out. Wherever I go in my condo, they follow me around like they’re stalking prey. And sometimes they’ll simply sit and stare at me until I start getting self-conscious. Oh, and one of them decided my carpet looked an awful lot like a litter box. Charming creatures.
The way some Republicans are behaving towards Cindy Sheehan, the grieving mother of a soldier killed in Iraq and who is camped outside Bush’s Crawford ranch, is so vitriolic it’s almost bizarre. Whether or not you agree with the symbolism of her vigil, she certainly doesn’t deserve to be called a “whore” or peppered with taunting chants of “We don’t care.” I’m not sure this is even about Iraq anymore. It’s about quashing any display of speech that a small but potent group of ideologues deem threatening. And yes, there are rude, overzealous liberals who also behave badly. But if someone from the left made derogatory remarks about the mother of a dead soldier, that individual would quickly be vilified by the right. But because the right feels like they are the exclusive proprietors of star-spangled patriotism, it somehow excuses their conduct from the normal bounds of decency and compassion.

The First Step Is Admitting You Have A Problem

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Aug 112005
 

My TiVo finally gave up the ghost the other day. After three years of near constant spinning, one or both of the hard drives must have failed. You wanna know how addicted I am to this technology? As soon as I was positive the device was kaput, I was scouring eBay for a replacement. Fortunately, I found a Series 2 model for a very reasonable price and I’m going to try to hook it up to my wireless network, which has my inner geek rubbing his hands in anticipation. Now, I’m perfectly willing to acknowledge that I didn’t need to buy this toy. Then again, I probably didn’t need to buy an iPod either. I have few vices in life and my gadget fetish doesn’t carry the risk of communicable disease or incarceration, so there’s my rationalization, lame as it is. And besides, I can stop whenever I want.
As soon as I get that LCD display for my computer.

Stopped At The Border

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Aug 102005
 

I had some medical supplies sent over to Europe so that I wouldn’t have to pack as much for the trip. They’re currently stuck in customs and it’s uncertain whether they’ll ever be released. I can imagine some French customs clerk looking at some spare ventilator tubing, scratching his head, and wondering Qu’est-ce que c’est? Hopefully, they’ll realize that I’m not trying to smuggle contraband into the EU and they’ll send the packages on their way.
My division is moving to a new building near the Capitol at the end of September. And the President signed a multi-billion dollar transportation bill. These two events are related. You see, for all the pork packed in the bill, it does contain some money to develop a transit depot in St. Paul. This might mean that we’ll soon see progress on a light-rail line between Minneapolis and St. Paul, along what’s known as the Central Corridor. I’ve commuted between Minneapolis and St. Paul before and I-94 can turn into a parking lot during rush hour. I’d gladly take the train to work if such a line existed, rather than stare at an angry red ribbon of taillights on the freeway. The Hiawatha Line has been a resounding success and it seems that the stars are aligned for this expansion to take place. C’mon, civic leaders of the Twin Cities, make my life a little easier.

Feline Friends

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Aug 092005
 

Beginning tomorrow, I’m supposed to watch my sister’s kittens while she’s in Chicago for a few days. These are the instructions she e-mailed me:
On Friday, change the litter. All you have to do is pick out the hard pee and poop. I know it sounds gross, so make someone who has cats do it. Then all you have to do is put fresh crystals on top so it doesn’t smell too bad.

Damn right it sounds gross. Sorry, but the idea of a pet that leaves its excrement lying around in a box for you isn’t all that appealing to me. I know, I know, I need to stop the cat-bashing. I’m sure my next girlfriend will simply adore cats and I’ll have a dramatic change of heart. Or I might just keep my mouth shut.
Okay, a technical question for the electrical engineers in the audience. I use a battery charger to recharge the external battery connected to my ventilator on a nightly basis. In Europe, can I plug the charger into a transformer and still use it to charge my battery? Or do I shell out an obscene amount of money for a dual-voltage charger from the vent manufacturer? My wheelchair manufacturer is loaning me a dual-voltage charger free of charge, but the vent manufacturer :cough Puritan Bennet :cough: isn’t in as an accommodating spirit. Thoughts?

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