December 2011

There were 32 posts published in December 2011 (this is page 2 of 4).

Louis CK tops $1 million in downloads

Comedian Louis CK filmed his standup act and, rather than putting it into the Hollywood distribution system, posted it on his website for a $5 download. This weekend he surpassed $1 million in sales, just 12 days after he posted it. He’s tripled the money he put into it and the money’s still flowing in. The best part is that he gets to decide how to divvy it up, not Hollywood with its shady accounting!

It’s a great example of an artist connecting directly with his fans, cutting out the middleman. No wonder those Hollywood suits are pushing for dictatorial control over the Internet with the SOPA bill. They’re losing control and they know it.

hi. So it’s been about 12 days since the thing started and yesterday we hit the crazy number. One million dollars. That’s a lot of money. Really too much money. I’ve never had a million dollars all of a sudden. and since we’re all sharing this experience and since it’s really your money, I wanted to let you know what I’m doing with it. People are paying attention to what’s going on with this thing. So I guess I want to set an example of what you can do if you all of a sudden have a million dollars that people just gave to you directly because you told jokes.

via Louis CK: Live at the Beacon Theater.

Give in to the minivan already

Courtesy of Rudolf Stricker

A friend recently posted this on Facebook:

Hey guys! Who has an SUV that they love – with a third row? Do you have a V6 or a V8 and how much does it cost to fill up the tank when you’re on E? Make and Model, please. 🙂

I know my friend is a parent, and I had a hunch about what this post means. I responded with this:

Hey, maybe you should check out a minivan!

To which my friend eventually came back with this:
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Steve Jobs bio

I finally got my hands on Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. Expect light blogging until I work my way through it!

Vaclav Havel

Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic who helped steer that country through it’s Velvet Revolution, has died at the age of 75. I will always remember the historic revolutions that swept the world in 1989, including the one that created the Czech Republic.

I learned last week that Havel was a huge Frank Zappa fan, too, and appointed Zappa to be a cultural consultant in 1990.

Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) — Czechs mourned the death of Vaclav Havel as world leaders lionized the former president and dissident who endured years of jail to become the first leader of post-Communist Czechoslovakia.

Black flags fluttered under gray skies at Prague’s Hradcany Castle, the seat of the president’s offices overlooking the capital, as government officials began planning the country’s biggest state funeral in decades.

via Czechs Mourn ‘Symbol’ Havel as Leaders Gather to Plan Funeral – Businessweek.

U.S. Restricts Firm for Web Filter Sale to Syria – WSJ.com

I saw this story and it reminded me of an opportunity I recently turned down to help sell Internet-monitoring gear to a friendly Arab country. The folks involved were nice and the deal was said to be brokered by the Department of State. Among other things, I had reservations about my work possibly preventing an “Arab Spring”-type event, preventing a people from obtaining their rights.

The Department of Commerce is placing restrictions on a person and a company in the United Arab Emirates for supplying Syria with Internet-filtering devices made by California-based Blue Coat Systems Inc.

On Thursday, Commerce said it put Waseem Jawad and the Ras Al Khaimah-based company Info Tech, also known as Infotec, on a list of people and institutions determined to “have engaged in activities contrary to U.S. national security and/or foreign policy interests.”

The measure restricts Mr. Jawad and Info Tech from receiving or transferring items that fall under U.S. export controls.

via U.S. Restricts Firm for Web Filter Sale to Syria – WSJ.com.

Visit from a shipmate

Orlando with his ambitious daughter, Leah


Through the magic of Facebook, I connected recently with a shipmate who now lives in North Carolina. Orlando Brown and I served together in OZ Division on the USS Elliot (DD-967) from 1989 until 1992 (though he left a few months before I did). While I served only one enlistment, Orlando stayed in to retire as a Chief Petty Officer.

As division mates we went through a lot together, including a few questionable division officers and division chiefs. You get to know people really well when you’re around them almost constantly for three years. He and the other shipmates in our division are like brothers to me. Always will be.
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Dear Congress, It’s No Longer OK To Not Know How The Internet Works

The House tried to pass the “Stop Online Internet Piracy” bill out of committee today, only to run out of time. It wasn’t due to the lack of trying on the part of Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC). Rep. Watt acknowledges that he doesn’t understand the ramifications of the bill he is sponsoring, yet feels the need to press on, regardless.

It’s quite embarrassing, especially as a North Carolinian. As one commenter put it, Congress trying to regulate the Internet is like trying to build a bridge without an engineer. This misguided attack on America’s First Amendment must be stopped.

It’s of course perfectly standard for members of Congress to not be exceptionally proficient in technological matters. But for some committee members, the issue did not stop at mere ignorance. Rather, it seemed there was in many cases an outright refusal to understand what is undoubtedly a complex issue dealing with highly-sensitive technologies.

When the security issue was brought up, Rep. Mel Watt of North Carolina seemed particularly comfortable about his own lack of understanding. Grinningly admitting “I’m not a nerd” before the committee, he nevertheless went on to dismiss without facts or justification the very evidence he didn’t understand and then downplay the need for a panel of experts. Rep. Maxine Waters of California followed up by saying that any discussion of security concerns is “wasting time” and that the bill should move forward without question, busted internets be damned.

via Dear Congress, It’s No Longer OK To Not Know How The Internet Works | Motherboard.

Proof that good things come back to you

That looks familiar . . .


At tonight’s meeting of Raleigh’s Parks board, we were given nice Tervis plastic mugs as a token of the city’s gratitude for our service. As I was leaving tonight’s holiday meeting, I burst out laughing to discover that the picture adorning the mug is my public domain picture of Raleigh!

Out of all the unexpected places to see my photo, this one really cracked me up! I never expected to be handed my own photograph as a gift!

The mug has the North Carolina League of Municipalities’s name on it. I’m guessing the League asked cities to submit photographs of their city for their respective mugs, because the photo on the mug is apparently the one that Raleigh’s public affairs department has retouched to remove a street lamp and a crane.

It gave me a good laugh!

Jupiter the cat

Jupiter the cat

For the past few months, I’d been seeing a streak of orange darting among the neighborhood flowerbeds. This mysterious creature kept well away from people, though. After chasing it out of our backyard one day, I became curious and decided to find out more about this kitten.

I sent a few emails to the neighbors, asking if anyone claimed it. When I got responses back, telling me my neighbors were also feeding this stray cat, I hatched a plan to get the cat neutered and vaccinated.
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