joel's thoughts

I wasn’t planning on writing any more on the Terri Schiavo case, but in chatting with Andi about it over dinner tonight I think I finally hit on what bothers me the most about this whole episode. It’s not her husband, or the video clip, or the Congress suddenly acutely aware of the ‘values vote’, […]

The judge says no tube, and the clock starts to tick. But the more I read up on the case (like you should have done before you opened your big mouth, bonehead) the more I realize that yes, indeed, she is in a “persistent vegitative state”, brief aged home video clips (and forwarded emails) notwithstanding, […]

So, the astute among you will notice that there used to be a post here that isn’t anymore. If you missed it, too bad. It was basically a criticism of a local real estate agent’s web page (and her apparent approach to the web in general), and I decided the spirit of it wasn’t the […]

I haven’t posted much about this issue yet, but touch-screen voting is something that concerns me deeply. Much has been said in various media and such about the issue, but I recently came across a very good post by Bruce Schneier, a well-regarded expert in the areas of cryptography and computer security, so I thought […]

Waited an hour and ten minutes in line to vote this morning, and no sir, I would rather not use the optional touch-screen voting machine, thank you very much. Chatted with a few nice people in line while I waited, and had a great commute to work afterward. Listened to the radio on the way […]

…At least, that’s what SelectSmart.com says. I came across a link today (already forgotten where) to their Presidential Candidate Selector (epileptic ad alert), and figured I’d give it a go. The idea is similar to any of the myriad online quizzes that purport to help you figure out which Star Wars character/Sopranos character/operating system/celebrity/philosopher/rock/tree/fruit you […]

The weather and computers and education are all well and good, but I haven’t said much about politics. I tend to be a peacemaker, sometimes to a fault, and I tend to prefer engaging, ongoing discussion rather than polarizing polemics. So in politically mixed company I generally hesitate to clearly state my positions or thoughts […]

Bush’s future is looking up. The President has been catching some flak lately for his apparent personal inability to capture Saddam Hussein and/or Osama bin laden. The crowd of candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination have been sure to point out this flaw in Bush’s performance, his approval ratings have been suffering of late due […]