Even after all these years, the Internet’s sheer efficiency still impresses me sometimes. After upgrading my computer over the weekend, I decided to try selling a few used parts on Craigslist. Within a few hours, everything sold. Should I ever get serious about de-cluttering my place, I may just spend a weekend posting on Craigslist. But don’t worry, bust of Mr. Spock sitting on my desk. You’re not going anywhere. You’ve seen too much.
Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake argue in the Washington Post that the forthcoming across the board budget cuts (also known as the sequester) may be the best way to focus Americans’ minds on a basic contradiction in their thinking: they like the notion of cutting government spending but they balk when asked to identify specific cuts they would prefer. As the cuts take hold and people begin to notice the consequences, perhaps they will start pressing lawmakers for a smarter, less arbitrary method to reduce spending.
Of course, this assumes that the cuts will be sufficient to get voters’ attention. On this point, I’m skeptical. Even though the Obama administration is doing its best to illustrate how the sequester will have real-life consequences, it may not happen quickly enough to register as a noticeable change. We are already accustomed to tolerating flight delays, understaffed government agencies, and underfunded schools. I’m not sure the sequester will be draconian enough to upset the average American’s low expectations of the public sector—expectations that have already declined substantially in recent years.
A friend and I will be doing a partial computer upgrade this weekend. It all started when I purchased a new video card (a Radeon 7850, for any geeks who might be reading) and discovered it wouldn’t fit in my five-year-old case. I contemplated replacing all of my components, but decided to simply replace the case. Everything else is still running smoothly and I’m not sure I would see much benefit from a newer processor. My trusty AMD Phenom can probably give me another year before it begins to sputter on the newest games.
People give me funny looks when I tell them my PC is not store-bought. And I suppose building a computer is a little archaic in this age of smartphones and tablets. But I get a lot of satisfaction from using a system that I customized to my own specifications. Perhaps this is how my fussier side expresses itself.
Republican resistance to the Medicaid expansion in Obamacare continues to crumble. Florida governor and Tea Party mascot Rick Scott announced yesterday that he will accept federal funding for a Medicaid expansion, joining a growing list of GOP governors who have developed amnesia about their previous fierce resistance to the health care law. Other states (I’m looking at you, Wisconsin) continue to hold out, but I’m guessing they’ll come around eventually–assuming they remain in office. Now, if only this epidemic of conservative sanity could spread to Congress.
Google released a new video showing off its Glass wearable device. The interface is pretty minimal, which is probably a good thing. I wouldn’t want a bunch of icons constantly blinking in the corner of my eye. Google is seeking additional beta testers and I’d be interested in testing it from an accessibility perspective, but the $1,500 pricetag may be a dealbreaker. And that’s too bad, because this could be much more useful to me than Apple’s rumored iWatch.
Here’s the video:
Keeping up with the latest developments in human machine interfaces may require a blog of its own before long. Over the past week, news came of a bionic eye receiving F.D.A. approval and clinical trials beginning for a prosthetic arm capable of delivering sensation to its user. I understand that years of research and development precede these announcements, but this tech seems to be advancing at a quickening pace. Five years from now, re-reading this post may be akin to reminiscing about the emergence of dial-up modems today.
I finally got around to watching this movie about disability, sex, and love over the weekend. It recounts the true experience of Mark O’Brien, a Berkeley writer and poet with polio who yearns to experience sex and decides to hire a professional sex surrogate (Helen Hunt). John Hawkes is magnificent as the deeply insecure yet charming O’Brien. Of course, I would have preferred that an actor with a disability play the lead, but Hawkes plays the role with assurance. And Hunt really deserves to star in more films; few actors have the talent to handle a part that requires both intimacy and guardedness.
The movie itself is a bit disjointed. Scenes transition abruptly and the script sometimes relies too heavily on flashbacks. But several moments in the movie will have viewers with disabilities (or me, at least) nodding in recognition: the bumbling confession of love to a caregiver, the painful realization that those feelings aren’t reciprocated, the persistent doubts that the loneliness will ever end. My own romantic and sexual misadventures differ in some respects from O’Brien’s, but I caught myself wincing and smiling a few times as the movie summoned memories of my own awkward efforts to find love, or at least a willing partner.
Enjoy the weekend. I may have as many as two social engagements. Perhaps I need to hire a personal assistant to organize my calendar.
The Minnesota Legislature sent a bill expanding Medicaid to Governor Dayton today, moving Minnesota one step closer to fully implementing health care reform. Tens of thousands of people will gain comprehensive health care coverage beginning next year at little additional cost to the state. I’m actually a little surprised that the bill passed this quickly, but I’m also pleased that this Legislature seems intent on getting things done. Legislators must now decide what becomes of MinnesotaCare, the health care program that served many of the people who will now receive Medicaid. It’s likely to continue in one form or another, but the details need to be worked out.
Count me among the fans of Obama’s State of the Union proposal to provide universal pre-K education, and not just for the usual wonkish reasons. My parents enrolled me in a pre-K program and, even though I was a white kid with middle-class educated parents, it made a huge difference in my life. From an early age, I learned to love school, to pay attention to my teachers, and (most importantly) to read. I may have been fine without this preparation, but I’m not sure I would have had the same success as an adult.
Incidentally, This American Life did an excellent report on the benefits of teaching “soft skills” to young children.