We headed north to the in-law's place who reside just north of Duluth, MN on Lake Superior. It was eventful to say the least. Anyhow, Brenda and Tara made a spectacular meal. Toby and I threw down some "Gears of War," which is a pretty impressive game. Tara is now feeling under the weather, which is going to make her time difficult alone with Ashby while I’m in Boston for the next couple days at the Gilbane Content Management Conference. Enjoy the pics.
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I've been reading (listening) to Bill Bryson's "Made in America." This is the second Bryson book I've read (listened to). Previously I read Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything," which I thoroughly enjoyed even though I have read some claims his accuracy borders on dubious on some of the topics he covers. I think it's more likely that many experts in the fields of science he covers likely find his catechumen understanding and summary of their fields a tad caustic. I can understand where they're coming from. Take this screen shot Steve sent me the other day.
I guess this is from some television show titled "Jericho."(?) That’s a fancy IP. Anyway, I thought it was lots of fun and informative, at least with respect to the personalities that have shaped science. Also, it was amazing to me to learn how little we really know and how short a time it's been that we've known it. I guess I never thought about why the salt levels in the ocean are not rising to the point that they cannot sustain life.
"Made in America" is a cursory look at the etymology of American English and U.S. history. I'm about 80% of the way through the book. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in etymology, I am very much so, or is into history (ditto). Keep in mind this is not an in-depth look at the etymology of America's English, but provides more of a sprinkling throughout. Bryson is informative, jocular (a word he uses frequently), and clever in relating this (brief and mostly culturally focused) history of the United States. As usual with Bryson, it's a really fun read. I do, however, think "A Short History of Nearly Everything" was a better book; so, if you’re going to pick up a Bryson book for the first time, start there..
David Berlind posted an article titled: "Are SugarCRM, Socialtext, Zimbra, Scalix and others abusing the term 'open source?'" in which he opines on the prevalence of non-OSI approved licenses among Web 2.0 companies that are alleged to be open source. Actually, strike that, Berlind doesn't actually seem to say anything beyond: Gee-wiz everyone seems to have a point. In my opinion he almost seems too scared to state an opinion for fear that he may anger dozens of alleged open source Web 2.0 execs or OSI. If anything he speaks snidely of OSI with statements of "'allegedly' keepers..", etc. I suppose this makes it all too clear who has the power here.
If you're reading this you almost certainly understand that OSI (Open Source Initiative) maintains the official definition of open source and is a standards body that all open source license authors turn to have their licenses ratified as meeting the requirements of the open source definition. This is a very important organization that has done a lot to maintain innovation in software. Also, it is hugely significant because it helps to prevent confusion about licensing.
When we were selecting licenses for DekiWiki and Dream we considered many licenses. The one thing we knew for certain was that we would select a license that was OSI approved. We did this for the same reason that we launched OpenGarden, released our source, and made our bugs database public all before we began selling a product. Because open source is a process. It's not an event. It's not a tick in a feature matrix to get funding. And it's certainly not about getting free labor. For us it has always been about Free Knowledge and rapidly evolving the best damn software application possible. I’m making this point because some of these same companies that Berlind is talking about have actually spent years selling a product while not making their source code publicly available and then when they did release their source for the time they did so under a non-OSI approved license. This makes them decisively not open source.
Allow me to share my opinions on this topic further. As I state on our licenses page: every time a new "open source" company comes along and creates their own open source license it muddies the landscape of open source licensing. As we all know there is a significant amount of FUD in this space. By creating new licenses it only creates more confusion, which by definition breeds fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Moreover, I personally find it offensive when companies slap open source contributors and companies in the face by claiming the title of open source while, in some cases, selling for years while not releasing their source code or providing any transparency and then when they finally do release their source they create a non-OSI approved license. It's asinine and inexcusable. In short, that's fine if you want to use these licenses, but do not claim to be open source unless OSI has approved your license. Nor should you claim to be open source when you’ve not even released your source code.
Companies that claim to be open source without OSI approval weakens OSI. I now hear that OSI is actually considering these 'attribution' licenses for approval. Going back now and approving them would greatly diminish OSI's legitimacy. As mentioned, take a look at how many of these companies have developed their software. Open source is clearly an event for them and not a process. For them it's about free labor, press, and a tick in a feature matrix. If OSI approves these licenses retroactively or doesn't, at some point, do something to discredit these claims that these companies are open source I, for one, will lose a great deal of respect in the organization.
47,500 Miles, excellent shape. Fully loaded–Every feature offered by Honda, including:
The car is in great shape. Has 2 new tires (all four great) and new brakes.
It's excellent in the snow because it's front wheel drive and has traction
control.
NADA: $16,875
Asking Price: $15,000 / obo
If you’re reading this blog, you likely know Tara, Ashby and I are moving. We don’t need two vehicles being that we’ll be living in downtown San Diego, which is why we’re selling the Accord.
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I went with Tara to the pediatrician on Friday for Ashby's appointment. Ashby is suffering from iron-deficit anemia, which means her low level of iron in her blood is causing her to have a low hemoglobin count. Tara and her mother also have low hemoglobin count, but this is caused by them both having Thalassemia Beta and has nothing to do with low iron. Ashby tested negative for Thalassemia when she was born. Ashby's low hemoglobin and iron is perplexing because we've been supplementing her diet with iron for a month now and we have seen no improvement. The doctor says iron-deficit anemia is not uncommon for babies, which is why they test at 9 months (Ashby is now 10 months, 2 weeks). Also, she said that she has seen cases where the children 
don't show an improvement in the first month. I can say based on research Tara has done we just discovered you shouldn't eat eggs or cheese within a 1-2 hours of consuming iron supplements because both can prevent your body from absorbing iron. Of course, this is what Ashby has for breakfast almost every day when we dose her with iron. We've been giving her juice cut with water for Vitamin C to assist her body in absorbing the iron too, but now we're going to straight juice, which I wanted to avoid. Giving babies juice seems…unnatural. Here is Ashby getting her blood drawn in sequential order, she's such a trooper!
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Tara took Ashby to Maplewood Mall's play area earlier this week along with the other participants of her ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) classes. By the way, ECFE is awesome. I recommend it to any parent. This is Ashby's second class, it's called: "Movers." The classes consist mostly of singing songs and the adults have time to chat while the kids play. It's great for providing Ashby some additional socialization with other kids her age. Although, Ashby does have Alla, who I believe is also in ECFE classes, but is in an older age bracket.
I managed to make it to at least a few of Ashby's first ECFE's classes last Spring, but this current one I've only been able to attend once. Somehow I managed to attend the class in which all the mothers (I was the only dude) decided to discuss their birth experiences. Needless to say, I didn't have a 
whole lot to contribute to that conversation. My only contribution was sharing my perspective on Ashby looking like a piece of canned fruit when she popped out.
Anyhow, Ashby had such a great time at the play area earlier this week that Tara and I decided to take Ashby again today. Tara was stunned I was actually willing to go to a mall, but I wanted to see Ashby crawling through the tunnel Tara had told me about. It was a bit too crowded for our comfort, but Ashby had a great time. When we got home there was a deer in our backyard. We get lots of deer, turkey, pheasants, raptors, and other wildlife in our backyard because our property ends at Rice Creek Nature Preserve, which is a large wildlife corridor. Speaking of our house, now that it's almost certain Tara and I are moving to San Diego we're actively planning for the move. We need to sell a car because we won't need it. And we need to rent our house. I may as well take advantage of the little traffic I get here by posting ads here too (coming up).
 MindTouch's Youngest Employee |
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I was giving Tara a hard time because she has posted comments on JJ’s blog, but not mine. Also, I’ve noticed that none of my family have posted comments . So, Tara told me it’s just too much work to perform the requisite registration with the site. Damn, it’s her husband’s blog and that’s too much work!? Anyhow, I installed “Challenge” for her and turned off the requirement that users register before commenting. Now users just have to know how to perform basic arithmetic. Comment away you lazy !@%#%!&s!
Some snippets from a recent Wired article.
Two federal agencies are investigating whether the Bush administration tried to block government scientists from speaking freely about global warming and censor their research, a senator said Wednesday.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) said he was informed that the inspectors general for the Commerce Department and NASA had begun “coordinated, sweeping investigations of the Bush administration’s censorship and suppression” of federal research into global warming.
He said the investigations “will uncover internal documents and agency correspondence that may expose widespread misconduct.” He added, “Taxpayers do not fund scientific research so the Bush White House can alter it.”
In February, House Science Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) and other congressional leaders asked NASA to guarantee scientific openness. They complained that a public affairs officer changed or filtered information on global warming and the Big Bang.
The officer, George Deutsch, a political appointee, had resigned after being accused of trying to limit reporters’ access to James Hansen, a prominent NASA climate scientist, and insisting that a web designer insert the word “theory” with any mention of the Big Bang.
I’m confused as to why it has taken so long for someone to take action on this. I’ve been stunned that there hasn’t been outrage over this sooner. Forget global warning! Does anyone remember when Bush dissolved a CDC committee on the effects of lead on children after receiving the shocking conclusion that lead is bad for children. He then replaced the committee with lobbyists for Lead producing manufacturers!
My previous post on the Iraqi death toll was based on the US Government’s official estimates. I did mention the estimates of a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University in 2004 too though. To learn more about this study, listen to the interview with the study’s author at This American Life, it was broadcast 11/03/2006 (find it in the archives–their website totally sucks). A new study has the numbers at 6 times this study’s estimates. I’ve plucked the following quotes from a story run in The Guardian. Give the This American Life episode a listen too. It mentions the US Government’s estimate at bombs dropped to date (not sure what date) was somewhere around 55,000 in Iraq alone. That’s a lot of bombs.
The death toll in Iraq following the US-led invasion has topped 655,000 – one in 40 of the entire population – according to a major piece of research in one of the world’s leading medical journals.
The study, produced by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore and published online by the Lancet, claims the total number of deaths is more than 10 times greater than any previously compiled estimate.
Nearly a third of the deaths (31%) were ascribed to the coalition forces. Most of the deaths – 601,000 out of 655,000 – were due to violence and of those, 56% were caused by gunshot wounds. Air strikes, car bombs and other explosions accounted for a further 13-14%.
The authors say their discovery that the death rate in Iraq has more than doubled from 5.5 per 1,000 a year before the invasion to 13.3 per 1,000 a year since “constitutes a humanitarian emergency”.
“We continue to believe that an independent international body to monitor compliance with the Geneva conventions and other humanitarian standards in conflict is urgently needed. With reliable data, those voices that speak out for civilians trapped in conflict might be able to lessen the tragic human cost of future wars.”
In case you are wondering, a Non-Newtonian fluid is one that can temporarily exhibit the behavior of a solid. This occurs when there is a rapid application of force on the fluid at which time it exhibits what is called “shear thickening,” which is to say it appears to be solid. The rapidity of the application of force is critical. If you slowly apply force it will behave as one would expect, which is to say: as a fluid. Here is a fun demonstration.
In short, you too can have fun with Non-Newtonian Fluids. Corn starch and water is all you need. Read more about this at Wikipedia.
Ok, so she hasn’t crawled on water (yet), but Ashby did start crawling last week. Right at 10 months. She has been mobile for at least two months now, but she would propel herself about by what I can only describe as log-rolling. She would roll from one end of the room to the next, which had to make her dizzy. She is so darn big I think it’s been difficult for her to master crawling. Now she is trying to master climbing up the stairs.
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Tommy and Brenda were down this weekend. Tara and I broke the news to them that we’re very likely moving to San Diego at the end of February. Needless to say that was rather emotional. It’s been wonderful living so close to them and Tara, Ashby and I will all miss them greatly. I know Tara takes great comfort in having her folks so close by. Moreover, Ashby loooooves Tbone and PorkChop. To be honest, they’re really our closest friends. We generally spend two weekends a month with them and I’m going to miss having them nearby. Also, I know Tara and Ashby are going to miss our wonderful neighbors J.J., Ron, and Alla. Tara and J.J. have grown close in the last few months (as have Ashby and Alla) and Tara doesn’t easily open herself to new friends. I’ll admit I have allowed myself to fantasize about Alla and Ashby growing up together and remaining close for many many years, even though I knew we almost certainly wouldn’t be around long enough for that. Alla is Ashby’s first friend though and they’re so sweet. End the long term I’m certain it’s for the best though.
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We went to Buca’s in Maple Grove. I’ve never been particularly fond of their food–it’s ok, but it’s a great place when you have young children. It’s loud and there’s lot to look at. While waiting for a table I took Ashby into the bar (non-smoking) and sat at the bar and had a drink while waiting for Tara and her folks to park the car. The place was totally packed and it was the only place I could sit down and keep Ashby somewhat sheltered from the throng. I got some disapproving looks, which I thought was odd. So, what’s the protocol now that most places disallow smoking? Who cares if I take my daughter into a non-smoking bar? Does she soak the sin of drinkers by way of osmosis? It’s not like I’m tying one on nor was I driving. She certainly enjoyed it.
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Ashby, as always when she is on the go, had a blast. I believe she’s been to Buca’s at least five times since being born. The chain started here in Minneapolis. As an uninteresting side note many many years ago I opened a 350+ seat restaurant that was a total Buca’s rip-off. It was called Bella Vita. I didn’t know it at the time being I had not been to a Buca’s (I think there was only a couple around back then). Anyhow, I guess that’s another reason I like it. I had opened Bella Vita just months after meeting Tara (over 10 years ago). I started out as Soux Chef and then about 6 months later took over as executive chef. The former chef was a complete moron. Then 6 months later Tara and I took off and backpacked Europe for several months having very quickly saved enough money. It was kind of a funny thing. I remember I had just been promoted to Executive Chef and was making really good money (for how young I was and where I lived). Tara and I were talking outside of Bella Vita, smoking of course. And somehow we got on this conversation about how we should go to Africa. So, we decided we would save for the next 5-6 months and split to Africa. After a little research we discovered Europe would be lots cheaper to fly to. At that time I made it a practice of working for no longer than a year before splitting into the woods or on a road trip for a prolonged period of time. I miss that. I can’t believe I’ve lived in MN for just over two years now and I only made it into the BWCA once and only did one white water canoe trip (which Tommy and Brenda still swear they’ll never canoe with us again since that trip–gooood times). Lame.
I can’t wait to take Ashby abroad. I’ll never forget that American fellow we met in Pompeii. He was there with his wife and ~5 year old son. I believe he was a gemologist, or diamond merchant, or something odd like that, but related to gems. I remember thinking how damn cool it was that he was able to just take off and travel Europe for several weeks with his wife and son. With two kids this would be really hard, I think. If not impossible. I think we’ll stick with one child.
Aaron Fulkerson 