Off the Mark

Drinking with the Troops
From a local blog, Urbanagora, comes “Drinks with a Soldier.” I just love how some jackass commentor tries to hide behind the shield of anonymity and call the post author a liar. Certainly there are all sorts of views on this war, including those of the troops fighting it.
Perhaps if you ever [...]

[Read more →]

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung
Would you hear my voice come through the music?
Would you hold it near, as it were your own?
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken
Perhaps they’re better left unsung
…
Grateful Dead ¤ Ripple ¤ American Beauty
As some of you [...]

[Read more →]

Let me begin by saying that I had a wonderful “Christmas.”
I put Christmas in quotes because, as it has been for a long time, Christmas is really a couple to a bunch of Christmases at different places over what may be a several week period (only 6 days this year).
It was great to see almost [...]

[Read more →]

  No Reading in the Bar!    Originally uploaded by broken thoughts.
See the Springfield Public Library flickr group.

[Read more →]

…I never saw this one coming.
Went to visit a friend in Chicago yesterday and hung out and watched the Illinois - Louisville game.  His family is from Louisville so he was back-and-forth on the phone trash talking.
I actually enjoyed the game.  It was well played, the level of sportsmanship was quite high, and I was [...]

[Read more →]

CEA ANNOUNCES DECLARATION OF INNOVATION INDEPENDENCE
Presents Six Principles to Guide Intellectual Property Debate
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) issued today [Mar 16] a Declaration
of Innovation Independence. The document provides a series of
principles to ensure that fair use, home recording rights and
innovation are protected in legislative, judicial and regulatory
debates regarding the protection of intellectual property (IP)).
"For too [...]

[Read more →]

   Ellul says that "the better adapted man is, the more tolerant and liberal the system can act toward him.  The more he conforms, the less constraint has to be used." (Ellul, 1980, 109) He makes this claim while discussing flexibility as a feature of the technological system.  Ellul says that as long as man [...]

[Read more →]