Day of Honor - Memory Alpha, the Star Trek Wiki
maj batjaj!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Friday, March 09, 2007
Crime
If you live in South Africa and possess a working set of eyes and/or ears of late, you have doubtlessly been privy to the news media’s current campaign against the crime crisis.
I would like to state upfront that I believe that crime is out of control in South Africa. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. I would even go so far as to accept that it could be considered a “crisis”.
However, I feel that there is more fuss being made about all of it that there really should be. The amount of media coverage the problem receives is not proportional to the actual size of the problem.
I can certainly understand why a lot of people feel that our government is not doing enough about crime. Our president and other government officials seldom do much more than pay lip-service to the problem. Some measures are taken (like setting aside additional funds for improving the salaries of police, hiring more police and building more prisons), but they seem to be offset by more problems (mismanagement of funds, corruption in government and the police beaurocracy and the Correctional Services policy of releasing prisoners so as to make room for new ones). The perception is that the government is spinning its wheels, and not making any significant impact on the problem.
I may be giving our government too much credit, but I think they’re doing plenty about crime. It seems to me that they’re doing a pretty good job of strengthening our economy. The stronger the economy, the more jobs become available, the more money there is for police, the more people can make a decent living without resorting to crime, the crime-rate drops, the economy improves even more… and so it goes. It’s an upward spiral effect that resolves the crime problem in a long-term, sustainable fashion.
They’re seeing crime for what it is: a symptom of a bigger problem. They’re taking a sensible “medical” approach and treating the virus, not the fever.
With that said, they may be missing the boat a bit in the short-term by not properly addressing the problem right now. The worse it gets in the short term, the worse the brain-drain becomes, the less foreign investors look to SA as a viable investment, the more difficult it becomes to strengthen the economy and the whole plan goes down the toilet.
To extend the metaphor: the fever is approaching (if not already past) the point where it is becoming a threat in itself. Sometimes it is necessary to bring a fever down for the patient’s sake. Without decent crime statistics, it’s very difficult to know whether or not we’ve reached that point.
A story that is very prevalent in the media right now is the Sheldean Human case. Today is “Pink T-shirt Day” upon which we’re all supposed to wear blue jeans and a pink T-shirt (the clothes Sheldean was wearing when she was abducted) in a show of silent protest… to tell the government that we’re mad about crime!
Don’t get me wrong, what happened to little Sheldean was really terrible. My heart goes out to her family… it’s a horrible, horrible thing that no-one should ever have to live through.
However, let’s put a little perspective on this. Sheldean wasn’t murdered by some random hijacker. She was abducted and murdered by a friend of the family… the kindly oom who was going to take her to play in the park. There isn’t a police force in the world (with the possible exceptions of Tom Cruise or Sylvia Browne) that could have done anything to prevent it.
Secondly, what possible purpose could wearing a pink T-shirt have, as far as protest is concerned? I’m all for mass action and the power of the people… but who thinks that wearing different clothes will have any impact whatsoever on the powers that be? Likewise, the “Lights on Against Crime” campaign. Driving with your lights on has no impact on anyone, and won’t make anybody sit up and take notice.
If you want to make your point stage a march (okay, yet another march), have a mass hunger-strike, stage a sit-in at government offices… we have some very experienced and effective protesters in this country, lets learn their lessons!
But let’s not get carried away on this whole crime idea either. Yes, it’s a problem… but is it the biggest problem we have? No it isn’t.
AIDS kills fifty times as many people in South Africa as crime. Yes, fifty times as many. What are the government doing about that? Well, they’re allowing some ARVs to be distributed, but mostly they’re banging on about vegetables and vitamins being the cure for HIV.
When it comes to HIV, our government are presiding over genocide. Our murderously incompetent minister of health is so wrapped up in her own agendas that she’s turning a blind eye to the millions (yes, millions) of South Africans that are dying from this incurable, but easily preventable, disease!
If you want a cause to protest about, there it is. I’m not saying we shouldn’t talk about the crime problem, but let’s keep things in perspective. Okay?
I would like to state upfront that I believe that crime is out of control in South Africa. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. I would even go so far as to accept that it could be considered a “crisis”.
However, I feel that there is more fuss being made about all of it that there really should be. The amount of media coverage the problem receives is not proportional to the actual size of the problem.
I can certainly understand why a lot of people feel that our government is not doing enough about crime. Our president and other government officials seldom do much more than pay lip-service to the problem. Some measures are taken (like setting aside additional funds for improving the salaries of police, hiring more police and building more prisons), but they seem to be offset by more problems (mismanagement of funds, corruption in government and the police beaurocracy and the Correctional Services policy of releasing prisoners so as to make room for new ones). The perception is that the government is spinning its wheels, and not making any significant impact on the problem.
I may be giving our government too much credit, but I think they’re doing plenty about crime. It seems to me that they’re doing a pretty good job of strengthening our economy. The stronger the economy, the more jobs become available, the more money there is for police, the more people can make a decent living without resorting to crime, the crime-rate drops, the economy improves even more… and so it goes. It’s an upward spiral effect that resolves the crime problem in a long-term, sustainable fashion.
They’re seeing crime for what it is: a symptom of a bigger problem. They’re taking a sensible “medical” approach and treating the virus, not the fever.
With that said, they may be missing the boat a bit in the short-term by not properly addressing the problem right now. The worse it gets in the short term, the worse the brain-drain becomes, the less foreign investors look to SA as a viable investment, the more difficult it becomes to strengthen the economy and the whole plan goes down the toilet.
To extend the metaphor: the fever is approaching (if not already past) the point where it is becoming a threat in itself. Sometimes it is necessary to bring a fever down for the patient’s sake. Without decent crime statistics, it’s very difficult to know whether or not we’ve reached that point.
A story that is very prevalent in the media right now is the Sheldean Human case. Today is “Pink T-shirt Day” upon which we’re all supposed to wear blue jeans and a pink T-shirt (the clothes Sheldean was wearing when she was abducted) in a show of silent protest… to tell the government that we’re mad about crime!
Don’t get me wrong, what happened to little Sheldean was really terrible. My heart goes out to her family… it’s a horrible, horrible thing that no-one should ever have to live through.
However, let’s put a little perspective on this. Sheldean wasn’t murdered by some random hijacker. She was abducted and murdered by a friend of the family… the kindly oom who was going to take her to play in the park. There isn’t a police force in the world (with the possible exceptions of Tom Cruise or Sylvia Browne) that could have done anything to prevent it.
Secondly, what possible purpose could wearing a pink T-shirt have, as far as protest is concerned? I’m all for mass action and the power of the people… but who thinks that wearing different clothes will have any impact whatsoever on the powers that be? Likewise, the “Lights on Against Crime” campaign. Driving with your lights on has no impact on anyone, and won’t make anybody sit up and take notice.
If you want to make your point stage a march (okay, yet another march), have a mass hunger-strike, stage a sit-in at government offices… we have some very experienced and effective protesters in this country, lets learn their lessons!
But let’s not get carried away on this whole crime idea either. Yes, it’s a problem… but is it the biggest problem we have? No it isn’t.
AIDS kills fifty times as many people in South Africa as crime. Yes, fifty times as many. What are the government doing about that? Well, they’re allowing some ARVs to be distributed, but mostly they’re banging on about vegetables and vitamins being the cure for HIV.
When it comes to HIV, our government are presiding over genocide. Our murderously incompetent minister of health is so wrapped up in her own agendas that she’s turning a blind eye to the millions (yes, millions) of South Africans that are dying from this incurable, but easily preventable, disease!
If you want a cause to protest about, there it is. I’m not saying we shouldn’t talk about the crime problem, but let’s keep things in perspective. Okay?
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Technology makes you feel stupid
My mother has said on a number of occasions something to the effect of how stupid technology makes her feel. I can certainly understand why she might say that, given how much she struggles on a daily basis using her cellphone, laptop and television.
As someone who grew up with this technology, it’s virtually intuitive for me to use it. I can pick up an unfamiliar cellular phone or other electronic device and literally within seconds I will already have mastered its basic operation. It frustrates me that she, and people of her generation, struggle so much to use these “simple” things.
But there is one piece of technology that allows me to relate to her. A machine that makes me feel stupid: restroom paper towel dispensers. It’s a device I have yet to master. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!
I know that as far as hygiene is concerned, the paper towel is the best option for drying one’s hands. Cloth towels are breeding grounds for bacteria, and the hot-air blowers only serve to warm up an already moist area, thus turning it into a bacterial cesspool as well. A paper towel is dry, and is immediately discarded, thus eliminating all the nasties.
However, that is subject to the efficient use of the paper towel dispenser.
The more sophisticated ones are fine… the ones where you just wave your hand in front of it, and it spits a towel out. Brilliant. The ones I battle with are the ones when you actually have to pull the towel out.
It’s good in theory. If you pull the towel gently, the mechanism feeds a certain amount of towel from the roll, then usually automatically cuts it into a conveniently sized towelette: wipe and dispose, repeat if necessary.
What I can’t seem to get right is when I wash my hands with soap and water, they end up being pretty wet… hence the need to dry them. When I use my wet hands to pull on the dry towel, the towel soaks up the water from my hands and turns into grey mush. Grey mush isn’t very good for pulling on, as it tends to disintegrate. Thus, all the paper I can reach is turned into mush before I can pull any more of it off the roll.
Fortunately, most of these devices are fitted with a sort of manual override… a knob in the side that you can turn in order to force it to spew out more paper. Brilliant. Except for the fact that everyone else has obviously had to use the same manual override… it’s already wet, and had probably been wet all day. What do you have when you have some stagnant wetness? Bacterial growth. One touch of that knob, and I’m suddenly carrying more nasties than I was before I washed my hands!
Can someone please tell me the secret of the restroom paper towel dispenser? I try to follow the little pictures on the front of it, but I’m clearly missing something. What am I doing wrong!?!?
As someone who grew up with this technology, it’s virtually intuitive for me to use it. I can pick up an unfamiliar cellular phone or other electronic device and literally within seconds I will already have mastered its basic operation. It frustrates me that she, and people of her generation, struggle so much to use these “simple” things.
But there is one piece of technology that allows me to relate to her. A machine that makes me feel stupid: restroom paper towel dispensers. It’s a device I have yet to master. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!
I know that as far as hygiene is concerned, the paper towel is the best option for drying one’s hands. Cloth towels are breeding grounds for bacteria, and the hot-air blowers only serve to warm up an already moist area, thus turning it into a bacterial cesspool as well. A paper towel is dry, and is immediately discarded, thus eliminating all the nasties.
However, that is subject to the efficient use of the paper towel dispenser.
The more sophisticated ones are fine… the ones where you just wave your hand in front of it, and it spits a towel out. Brilliant. The ones I battle with are the ones when you actually have to pull the towel out.
It’s good in theory. If you pull the towel gently, the mechanism feeds a certain amount of towel from the roll, then usually automatically cuts it into a conveniently sized towelette: wipe and dispose, repeat if necessary.
What I can’t seem to get right is when I wash my hands with soap and water, they end up being pretty wet… hence the need to dry them. When I use my wet hands to pull on the dry towel, the towel soaks up the water from my hands and turns into grey mush. Grey mush isn’t very good for pulling on, as it tends to disintegrate. Thus, all the paper I can reach is turned into mush before I can pull any more of it off the roll.
Fortunately, most of these devices are fitted with a sort of manual override… a knob in the side that you can turn in order to force it to spew out more paper. Brilliant. Except for the fact that everyone else has obviously had to use the same manual override… it’s already wet, and had probably been wet all day. What do you have when you have some stagnant wetness? Bacterial growth. One touch of that knob, and I’m suddenly carrying more nasties than I was before I washed my hands!
Can someone please tell me the secret of the restroom paper towel dispenser? I try to follow the little pictures on the front of it, but I’m clearly missing something. What am I doing wrong!?!?
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
"Bless you"
You know, like when someone sneezes and you say "Bless you" as a virtually automatic response, because your mom drilled into you when you were knee-high to a grasshopper that that was the correct thing to say.
It's something that's bothered me of late.
I've always taken it to be short for "God bless you". Since I've recently taken to a more naturalistic and secular world-view that excludes the existence of a personal god, continuing to say that to people has seemed hypocritical. Why would I wish upon anyone the blessings of a creature I don't believe to exist?
I've considered alternatives. The Americans use the German "gezundheit"... an alternative that was also suggested by the Brights website. But after trying it a few times it didn't sit right. Perhaps the extra syllable made it seem cumbersome. Plus, the fact that it came from the Brights made it feel uncomfortable, since I can't seem to get past the perception of arrogance they engender.
I even tried the Klingon "DapIv" (be healthy), but for some reason I just couldn't get into the knee-jerk reflex of saying that instead of "Bless you".
But then it dawned on me... perhaps it doesn't have to be short for "God bless you" at all. Indeed, a quick glance at www.dictionary.com confirmed that it can be used "To confer well-being or prosperity". No imaginary sky-buddies need be invoked at all!
Perfect! Crisis averted. Once again I can, in good conscience, continue to wish people well when they sneeze.
It's something that's bothered me of late.
I've always taken it to be short for "God bless you". Since I've recently taken to a more naturalistic and secular world-view that excludes the existence of a personal god, continuing to say that to people has seemed hypocritical. Why would I wish upon anyone the blessings of a creature I don't believe to exist?
I've considered alternatives. The Americans use the German "gezundheit"... an alternative that was also suggested by the Brights website. But after trying it a few times it didn't sit right. Perhaps the extra syllable made it seem cumbersome. Plus, the fact that it came from the Brights made it feel uncomfortable, since I can't seem to get past the perception of arrogance they engender.
I even tried the Klingon "DapIv" (be healthy), but for some reason I just couldn't get into the knee-jerk reflex of saying that instead of "Bless you".
But then it dawned on me... perhaps it doesn't have to be short for "God bless you" at all. Indeed, a quick glance at www.dictionary.com confirmed that it can be used "To confer well-being or prosperity". No imaginary sky-buddies need be invoked at all!
Perfect! Crisis averted. Once again I can, in good conscience, continue to wish people well when they sneeze.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Mobility
I don't understand some humans.
With the advent of increasingly complex mobile devices finding their way into the pockets of average plebs, one would tend to think that this would be indicative of an encouraging trend: a trend of consciousness-raising, in which people in general are starting to embrace new forms of communication and novel ways of reaching out to one another across the formerly gaping chasm of the digital divide.
But that doesn't seem to be the case. Watching no more than a few minutes of prime-time TV (something I try to avoid) it appears that everyone in the world is using these devices for one thing: paying through the nose to download ridiculously idiotic video clips and annoying jingles.
I don't know why I'm suprised. I've met humans before.
Yet another reminder that our species is doomed. But then I'm fairly certain that when the end comes, most of them will be too preoccupied with the new Justin Timberlake polyphonic ringtone to notice.
With the advent of increasingly complex mobile devices finding their way into the pockets of average plebs, one would tend to think that this would be indicative of an encouraging trend: a trend of consciousness-raising, in which people in general are starting to embrace new forms of communication and novel ways of reaching out to one another across the formerly gaping chasm of the digital divide.
But that doesn't seem to be the case. Watching no more than a few minutes of prime-time TV (something I try to avoid) it appears that everyone in the world is using these devices for one thing: paying through the nose to download ridiculously idiotic video clips and annoying jingles.
I don't know why I'm suprised. I've met humans before.
Yet another reminder that our species is doomed. But then I'm fairly certain that when the end comes, most of them will be too preoccupied with the new Justin Timberlake polyphonic ringtone to notice.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Scientists Are Not Created Equal
Scientists Are Not Created Equal
This is one argument that sometimes trips me up: "But Dr So-and-so, a noted scientist says..."
My usual response is that either the person I'm arguing with is lying, or that the person who claims to be a scientist is lying about being one.
I tend to give special dispensation to people who really are scientists, and I often forget that scientists are just as prone to crazy or stupid as anyone else.
Take a read (or a listen)... this guy articulates that very well.
This is one argument that sometimes trips me up: "But Dr So-and-so, a noted scientist says..."
My usual response is that either the person I'm arguing with is lying, or that the person who claims to be a scientist is lying about being one.
I tend to give special dispensation to people who really are scientists, and I often forget that scientists are just as prone to crazy or stupid as anyone else.
Take a read (or a listen)... this guy articulates that very well.
Goddam global warming
I don’t care whose fault it is, I just need someone to do something about it!
February is usually rain month on the highveld. We’re supposed to be dealing flood damage. But instead we’re in the middle of a fracking heat-wave!
Give me torrential downpours any day. I’d rather have to drive carefully because of reduced visibility than have to stress that my car’s engine will seize from being unable to vent its heat.
I can’t sleep, so I can’t concentrate, so I get behind on my work, so I stress, so I can’t sleep… and so it goes.
When are we going to get to the nuclear winter part of this whole “climate change” thing? Come on!
February is usually rain month on the highveld. We’re supposed to be dealing flood damage. But instead we’re in the middle of a fracking heat-wave!
Give me torrential downpours any day. I’d rather have to drive carefully because of reduced visibility than have to stress that my car’s engine will seize from being unable to vent its heat.
I can’t sleep, so I can’t concentrate, so I get behind on my work, so I stress, so I can’t sleep… and so it goes.
When are we going to get to the nuclear winter part of this whole “climate change” thing? Come on!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Chicken Little
Asteroid threat demands response, experts warn - space - 17 February 2007 - New Scientist Space
Man, we rock so hard it scares me. I love the way he puts it: "We can't prevent a hurricane, but we can prevent an asteroid impact by slightly reshaping the solar system to ensure the survival of life on Earth."
I didn't know we could do that! Did you? Sweet.
Mankind is the MAN!
Man, we rock so hard it scares me. I love the way he puts it: "We can't prevent a hurricane, but we can prevent an asteroid impact by slightly reshaping the solar system to ensure the survival of life on Earth."
I didn't know we could do that! Did you? Sweet.
Mankind is the MAN!
An army of robot ninjas?
With a view to the fact that we’ll be moving into our own home soon, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about home maintenance and stuff.
Since Hide and I both have pretty hectic jobs and relatively long working days, it’s pretty difficult for us to perform home maintenance tasks and still retain some semblance of sanity.
One option is that we can hire people to perform basic, time-consuming functions so as to minimise our workload: a maid to clean the house and do the ironing, a gardener to mow the lawn and weed the garden.
This option is somewhat problematic. From a security point of view, it’s unwise to allow strangers access to your property. Although I’m sure there are many trustworthy service providers around, it’s virtually impossible to know which are the good ones. And even the good ones are sometimes prone to temptation when required to work in the homes of people who make a lot more money than they do.
It’s also problematic for the dogs. Our dogs don’t get along well with strangers, which is usually a good thing. However when we have to provide access for a stranger, we have to manage the dogs accordingly which will require limiting their movements. That’s undesirable both for the mental health of the dogs, and the reduced security of confining them to the back yard.
The third problem is competence, or the lack thereof. We currently have a domestic who comes in once a week and does a really dodgy job: she routinely ruins our clothes by ironing them incorrectly and she spends the rest of her time moving things around so as to give the illusion that she cleaned them. We also have a garden service employed by our landlord: they only operate within working hours, which means one of us has to stay at home late in the morning to manage the dogs while they mow our lawn; and even then they seldom arrive.
So, what’s option 2?
One word: Robots.
That’s right, we’re in the 21st century. Why the hell can’t we use robots to perform our chores? The answer is we can!
The most obvious robot to use is the washing machine. No surprises there, it’s probably the most pervasive robot in the world. We already have two of them!
Next is the dishwasher. It’s been around for some time, and reduces the amount of time spent washing dishes substantially. You can buy a nice one these days for under R4 000.00.
Next on the list is the dryer. The tumble dryer is a pretty good one. If used correctly it can eliminate a large portion of the ironing that needs to happen. The down-side is that manual intervention is required at just the right moment so as to derive maximum benefit from it. If left to its own devices you end up having to iron all the stuff anyway. A possible alternative is the “Dribuddi”. Although I have yet to investigate it fully, it seems to have the same benefits of a tumble dryer, but without the need for human supervision.
What about cleaning the house itself? The iRobot Roomba, that’s what. A robot vacuum cleaner can be activated and left alone. It will navigate itself around your house without damaging any furniture and will politely inform you when it needs to be recharged. R 4 000.00 is a good price for an expensive vacuum cleaner... and one that pushes itself, it's a steal.
Okay, and the garden? The Robomow! A robot lawnmower in a variety of models. The top of the line can be configured to mow your lawn according to a predetermined schedule. Just lay down the border wire once, and activate the Robomow. It’ll mow your lawn while you’re at work and recharge itself when it’s done. You come home to a lawn mowed better than any push-mower. And there’s no need to dispose of the cuttings either: the Robomow automatically mulches and redistributes the cuttings as fertiliser for the grass. At R18 000.00, the big fella is not cheap… but can you really put a price on not having to mow the lawn yourself?
Okay, so there are still a few chores outstanding: weeding, tough-garment ironing, dusting and picking up the dogshit… but with all the rest of it out of the way there’s time for all that and some R&R between 3 and 4 in the morning! Science guys: I’m counting in you to hook us up with robots for the rest of that stuff too!
Since Hide and I both have pretty hectic jobs and relatively long working days, it’s pretty difficult for us to perform home maintenance tasks and still retain some semblance of sanity.
One option is that we can hire people to perform basic, time-consuming functions so as to minimise our workload: a maid to clean the house and do the ironing, a gardener to mow the lawn and weed the garden.
This option is somewhat problematic. From a security point of view, it’s unwise to allow strangers access to your property. Although I’m sure there are many trustworthy service providers around, it’s virtually impossible to know which are the good ones. And even the good ones are sometimes prone to temptation when required to work in the homes of people who make a lot more money than they do.
It’s also problematic for the dogs. Our dogs don’t get along well with strangers, which is usually a good thing. However when we have to provide access for a stranger, we have to manage the dogs accordingly which will require limiting their movements. That’s undesirable both for the mental health of the dogs, and the reduced security of confining them to the back yard.
The third problem is competence, or the lack thereof. We currently have a domestic who comes in once a week and does a really dodgy job: she routinely ruins our clothes by ironing them incorrectly and she spends the rest of her time moving things around so as to give the illusion that she cleaned them. We also have a garden service employed by our landlord: they only operate within working hours, which means one of us has to stay at home late in the morning to manage the dogs while they mow our lawn; and even then they seldom arrive.
So, what’s option 2?
One word: Robots.
That’s right, we’re in the 21st century. Why the hell can’t we use robots to perform our chores? The answer is we can!
The most obvious robot to use is the washing machine. No surprises there, it’s probably the most pervasive robot in the world. We already have two of them!
Next is the dishwasher. It’s been around for some time, and reduces the amount of time spent washing dishes substantially. You can buy a nice one these days for under R4 000.00.
Next on the list is the dryer. The tumble dryer is a pretty good one. If used correctly it can eliminate a large portion of the ironing that needs to happen. The down-side is that manual intervention is required at just the right moment so as to derive maximum benefit from it. If left to its own devices you end up having to iron all the stuff anyway. A possible alternative is the “Dribuddi”. Although I have yet to investigate it fully, it seems to have the same benefits of a tumble dryer, but without the need for human supervision.
What about cleaning the house itself? The iRobot Roomba, that’s what. A robot vacuum cleaner can be activated and left alone. It will navigate itself around your house without damaging any furniture and will politely inform you when it needs to be recharged. R 4 000.00 is a good price for an expensive vacuum cleaner... and one that pushes itself, it's a steal.
Okay, and the garden? The Robomow! A robot lawnmower in a variety of models. The top of the line can be configured to mow your lawn according to a predetermined schedule. Just lay down the border wire once, and activate the Robomow. It’ll mow your lawn while you’re at work and recharge itself when it’s done. You come home to a lawn mowed better than any push-mower. And there’s no need to dispose of the cuttings either: the Robomow automatically mulches and redistributes the cuttings as fertiliser for the grass. At R18 000.00, the big fella is not cheap… but can you really put a price on not having to mow the lawn yourself?
Okay, so there are still a few chores outstanding: weeding, tough-garment ironing, dusting and picking up the dogshit… but with all the rest of it out of the way there’s time for all that and some R&R between 3 and 4 in the morning! Science guys: I’m counting in you to hook us up with robots for the rest of that stuff too!
Monday, February 12, 2007
PvPonline.com · Hosted by SPEAKEASY.NET
Haha... going through webcomic archives is cool. And to think, when this one came out I probably wouldn't have got the joke. Man I used to be stupid!
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