Saheli*: The Gathering

Stepping Forward

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:44:32 -0800

I liked this part from one of Matthew Yglesias's posts regarding Barack Obama's win of the Democratic nomination:

Relative to Clinton, you see two people with similar policy agendas. But Clinton comes from a school of politics that says liberalism can't really win on the questions of war and peace, identity and authenticity, crime and punishment. It says that we live in a fundamentally conservative nation, and that the savvy progressive politician kind of burrows in and tries to make the best of a bad situation. It's an attitude very much borne of the brutally difficult experience of organizing for McGovern in Texas and running for governor in Arkansas at the height of Reaganism. Relative to McCain, Obama thinks it's possible to accomplish things in the world. He thinks the United States faces a lot of serious international challenges, but doesn't see them as primarily driven by menacing and implacable foes. Obama thinks that a combination of visionary leadership and shrewd bargaining can greatly improve our ability to tackle key priorities without any great expenditure of our resources.

(Emphases mine.) If the 90s were an era of hope, then the generation formed during that era--my generation--may very well have a fundamental and unshakable belief in our ability to fix the future. As we come of operational age--not just the age to cast votes, but the age to move and shake--we may demand a sea change in liberal attitudes. I have a friend whose physicist father likes to note that knowing a solution is possible is a huge help to finding that solution. In an arena as complex as, oh, fixing the world, finding future "solutions" requires both a healthy attachment to facts and evidence and a healthy ability to guess and approximate, to dare, to insist. Can we balance these demands, dramatically changing our future course without succumbing to either foolhardy risk or mind-numbing caution? I think the answer is yes, yes we can.

Happy 522

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:44:29 -0800

A few hours ago a glorious full moon rose over the land of Nadia, greeted with bugling conches and the sweet thunder of beating drums. The joyful noise is following it across the globe, in many town and villages, and soon enough it will be here. It's Gaur Purnima, the start of Gaurabda 522, and for all of you I wish a new year and a new season of kindness and good works. If you are so inclined, accepted my obeisances and wishes for a weekend of singing and dancing and feasting---otherwise, Happy Holi as well!

WANTED: Carpooling Application

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:18:47 -0800

Either this exists or someone should make it. Now! Pretty please? (I.e. please tell me what it is so I can get my sys-admin to set it up/install it or please build it.) It's very common for workplaces to have commuting employees who commute from clusters in the surrounding areas. If employees have very set routines, then its easy for them to form carpooling teams. If, however, there's a fair bit of variety in their routine--when they want to arrive, when they want to leave, how much room they'll have in their car b/c they might have to bring something big to work---then it becomes hard to form regular carpooling teams. Many such workers might not really settle on what the next day is going to look like until shortly before bedtime the previous day (having checked evening email, finished their dayplanning, consulted with significant others or family). At that point it's very impractical to go down the roster of uncommitted but interested proximate commuters, cold-calling to find a match, hoping to avoid waking early sleepers or babies. What would be really useful would be the ability to simply notify some central database of carpooling irregulars with one's particulars (location, earliest leave-the-house time, desired arrival time, earliest-leave-work time, desired end-time, willingness to drive, available seats), go to bed, wake up, and check one's phone for match results and instructions. (I.e. "yes, you drive, pick up Yvette (address) then Kumar (address), Kumar must leave work by 5pm)" or "no, sorry, no one can carpool with you today.") Is this really too much to hope for? The future is now! Realistically this probably isn't going to do much for me, b/c my workplace isn't big enough, but it might help, and the probability of it helping would increase with the size of the workplace and the number of its neighbors. What I've found so far are a website called Ridesearch.com and a Facebook application called Zimride, which I think is commendable. However, I think these are the wrong venues for a lot of people. They're not focused enough. I know that my fellow employees are unlikely to register for either of these. They'd be particularly warying of giving Facebook their cell phone number. But they might go for somethig sponsored and hosted by our employer. Also, I'm slightly wary of using Facebook or the web to vet whose car I'm getting into, and these just search too wide a field. It's true that Zimride recognizes the need for one-time carpool matching. But it appears it doesn't quite do the geography matching/morning text-message one-time on-demand arrangement I'm talking about.(Maybe I'm just bitter because neither of these found a match for me--so I can't really test them. But that' my point!) There are plenty of ways to arrange steady, long-term carpools. I'm looking for a tool for the commitment-phobic. Maybe Ridesearch.com or Zimride could provide company-specific version, much like Google produces Google Apps for companies to use internally? I also found a webpage for an Australian server-side program that sounds more geared towards long-term arrangements. Anyway, pointers/wholesale creation would be much appreciated. Please pass on to your faorite Web 2.0 experts or engineers in case they can find it or build it.

Yarn Squid

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:04:36 -0800

Asad sent me this, and I thought it was awesome. Happy Holidays everyone!

The Birth on the Eighth Day of the Moon

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:15:56 -0800

Vasudhaiva Kutumbukam. The whole universe is one family. The half moon is hurtling over the surface of the planet, and just as each earthly meridian loses complete sight of the sun, a joyous noise rises up in commemorative greeting--a dark dungeon, a trek through the midnight rain, and so much moonlit joy at the arrival of that Sweetest Little Prince, . . ..if it so pleases you, please have a very Happy Shri Krishna Janmastami!

Octosquid!

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 05:09:29 -0800

This is kind of old news now, but better late than never: A new species of squid has been found off the coast of Hawaii that has eight arms. The discoverers called it an "octosquid". [Honolulu Star Bulletin article] It isn't actually a cross between an octopus and a squid. Rather, it's a member of the squid genus Mastigoteuthis, but of a previously unknown species. Wikipedia now has an octosquid article which explains that most squid have eight arms and two tentacles, but this one does not have the tentacles. (I never knew that there was a difference between arms and tentacles! I just thought that squid had ten tentacles.) The Wikipedia article also points out that this is actually not so unprecedented. Squid in the family Octopoteuthidae also have eight arms and no tentacles. In fact, there are already a couple of species called the Ruppell's Octopus Squid and the Dana Octopus Squid. But it's still fun. :)

Cthulhu the Wifi Hub

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:59:55 -0800

I went to see Live Free or Die Hard last night, and the bad guys hack the computer systems of the country. The problem with computer hacker villains, though, is that they just don't present the kind of visceral sense of danger that an action movie needs.

So here's my attempt to depict my networking hardware with a sense of menace. :P

(More thoughts about the movie in my flickr post.)

Octopus As Bottle-Opener

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:58:17 -0800

One like this would be handy to have around the house.

John Edwards Tells Us: Your Country Needs You

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 12:06:27 -0800

When Saheli told me our little brother Ben Brandzel had chosen to work for John Edwards's campaign, I knew I wanted to learn more about Edwards. I was impressed by reading and viewing his speeches, and by his efforts to urge Congress to stand firm in ending the war on Iraq. On Thursday I attended Edwards's Small Change For Big Change event at San José State University. We generally expect politicians to tell us what they will do for us. What moved me most was not what John Edwards promised us, but what he asked of us. John F. Kennedy famously said: "Ask not what your country can do for you---ask what you can do for your country." It's been a long time since I've heard a public call to sacrifice, yet this is precisely what constitutes leadership. John Edwards OneCorps is not just a campaign organization, but also puts these ideals into action: "John Edwards One Corps members aren't waiting until the election to help build the one America we all believe in - we also engage in local service projects and issue advocacy to start transforming America today." For instance, the Orlando One Corps is holding a Canned Food Drive today. When Edwards called us to action against poverty and disease, in America and around the world, he said we could not just stand by: "We're better than this." The beauty of this statement is that if, looking through the jaundiced eyes of cynicism, we evaluate it as a vote-getting strategy, we can only conclude that he wouldn't think it is a vote-getting strategy unless he actually believed that we are better, or aspire to be. I was particularly heartened when Edwards said, "Instead of spending 500 billion dollars in Iraq, ...suppose America led an international effort to make sanitation and clean drinking water available in the Third World." This is a cause that is dear to my heart, as Saheli noted when she mentioned my frequent touting of WaterPartners International. Improving sanitation and access to clean drinking water has enormous leverage in the effort to eradicate global poverty and disease. It doesn't require new ideas or technology, simply our will to make it happen. As Peter Singer wrote in the New York Times Magazine last December, we can achieve not only this but all the Millennium Development Goals, with little hardship to any of us. I hope that Edwards's vision will catalyze this movement. Afterward I met Edwards briefly and asked him about maintaining America's scientific and technical leadership, specifically through the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He said that funding for these agencies should be "significantly enhanced", and apologized that he wasn't able to give me more specifics right at that moment. I look forward to learning more about what he proposes from his campaign. ToastyKen saw Edwards speak on Wednesday, and blogged about it. Crossposted to Mind Without Borders.

Let Us Remember

Mon, 28 May 2007 14:48:19 -0800

The 3731 soldiers who will not come home from Iraq, and the 583 who will not come home from Afghanistan.

Get out the vote

Wed, 23 May 2007 18:25:14 -0800

Much like voting on the backsides of the quarters that fill one's pockets, MUNI is soliciting feedback regarding new bus shelters that will dot San Francisco's streets. Until I saw this page, I had not idea that MUNI was also called the SFMTA. We have an MTA? That sounds soooooo Boston or New York. As for my opinion, I think 1H and 2D1/2D2 tie as the biggest sight blights. I'm also a bit disheartened by the use of glass throughout the proposals. Isn't there some other transparent material they can use, since the current Muni shelters seems to have unfortunate encounters with ruffians toting baseball bats?

Mother's Day for Peace

Sat, 12 May 2007 18:22:43 -0800

Now here's something I didn't know: During the Civil War, a woman named Ann Jarvis mobilized women to help tend to the wounded, and she campaigned for a "Mother's Day for Peace". Julia Ward Howe, author of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, was inspired by Jarvis and wrote the Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870, a call for disarmament. They wanted mothers everywhere to raise their voices and speak out against the violence that was killing all their sons.

So maybe this Mother's Day, instead of sending your mom a card, you should tell her to get off her lazy ass and go war protesting! ;) Okay, I'm just kidding. In fact, Ann Jarvis had a daughter, Anna Jarvis. After her own mother's death, Anna Jarvis campaigned for a Mother's Day to celebrate our mothers. She succeeded in making Mother's Day a national holiday in 1914.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the holiday to become commercialized, and she quickly became disillusioned. Starting only a few years after its national recognition, Anna Jarvis actually spent the rest of her life campaigning against her creation.

So this Mother's Day, let's try to express our respect for our mothers with more than just a greeting card. And when soldiers die, let's think about the people that the violence hurts the most: their loving mothers.

Training Camp for Rookies

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:56:03 -0800

I don't do cute. I don't do crying babies. But every once in a while, the fantasticness of cute, crying babies infiltrates my cold cold heart. (Link via BoingBoing.)

Playing Chopsticks

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 10:43:34 -0800

In belated celebration of Earth Day, I want to add this item to my environmental to-do list: Carry around a pair of chopsticks, to conserve wood by avoiding the use of disposable chopsticks. China, a country that uses 45 billion pairs of chopsticks a year (that 35 pairs/person in China per year), placed a tax on them last year. Though, this has been on my radar for years, in terms of conservation, Zha Jianying's essay from last week's New Yorker brought forth the human rights concerns, as well. The essay focuses on the author's brother, a political prisoner in China. I realized that there was a good chance that each time I use disposable chopsticks, I support China's prison labor system, when she wrote, "[My brother] has also refused to take part in the manual work that all prisoners in his unit are supposed to do: packing disposable chopsticks and similar chores."

Blame Canada?

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:48:42 -0800

The Virginia Tech Massacre has caused a lot of people to debate issues of gun control, campus security, and, in some cases, foreign students in America. I was particularly appalled, however, by this attempt to blame the shootings on the teaching of evolution and the legalization of abortion. Yes, that's right the Virginia shootings are the product of "bann[ing] God from science classes" and "the killing of the unborn". I gave it a bit of thought though, and I wonder - is this any different than using the VT massacre to justify your position on gun control, or the need for more psych services, or whatever you think can be done to prevent horrible tragedies like this from occurring in the future? Of course, we need to base our policy decisions on events in the real world, and particularly salient events can be the catalyst for major policy changes. But how soon is too soon to start the discussion? And is there any discussion that is so far afield (Prayer in public schools? The war in Iraq? Illegal immigration?) that it becomes pandering to use the VT situation (or any tragedy) to bring awareness to it? How far is "too far afield"? PS. I am sure it goes without saying that my heart goes out to the many people that have been affected by this tragedy. And yes, I may be guilty of what I am accusing others of, above, using the VT situation to start my own discussion. Is it the same, or different?

God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:20:57 -0800

I just noticed that several of my friends have as their away message farewells to Kurt Vonnegut. "Oh no!" was my immediate reaction. "So it goes," said Rishi. Indeed. So sad. that I never met him. At the end of 8th grade my English teacher, Neil Davis, gave me a copy of Cat's Cradle as a "graduation" gift. It totally blew my mind, and I consider it my introduction to contemporary literature. Years later, Slaughter-House Five reads and rereads so painfully well. I believe it was Freeman Dyson who said it's the only book anyone needs to read about the firebombing of Dresden, and others have gone so far as to say it's the only book anyone needs to read about war. I doubt Vonnegut would have accepted that, but what a work! I'll never forget the earnest mother's cry in the beginning--you were only babies!--and the Tralfamadorian gospel: He will punish horribly anybody who torments a bum who has no connections. But my favorite book of his will probably long be Bluebeard---such a visually magnificent plot. Aaieee. I cannot even think of something to say, and am simply becoming watery-eyed. Why haven't I read more of his books? Why didn't I go find him? Such a clever, creative man, who provided insight and inspiration to all us like-minded weirdos. God bless you, Mr. Vonnegut. Rest in peace.

The Power of Beauty

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:01:08 -0800

If one of the world's best violinists was playing some of the masterpieces of classical music in a subway station, would you notice? Would anyone? That is the question that this piece from the Washington Post set out to answer. A part of me would like to say that yes, beauty can transcend the constant drone of the day to day. But a more realistic part of me recognizes that it is hard to appreciate beauty when you are late to work, still halfway through your first cup of coffee, and thinking about all the meetings you have that day. To truly appreciate the beautiful, your mind has to be primed to receive it. So, as you go out in to the world today, open your mind to the possibility of beauty. Take some time to really look at the sky, or that tree, or even the graffiti on the subway. And really listen as well - you might be hearing the greatest music ever played.

Brian

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 00:18:10 -0800

So first you have to watch this clip from the Life of Brian---even if you've already seen it, it's always worth watching again: Then you thank me for directing you to Tiny Revolution, where Jonathan Schwarz has important historical discoveries to share. Then in honor of Passover (Happy Passover, everyone!), raise your glass to dairy manufacturers of Jerusalem and also to the health of my friend Brian, whose birthday it was---may he always have access to tasty cheese.

Josh Wolf is Not Still in Jail

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 18:27:51 -0800

Update: In exchange for not having to identify anyone on the tape or testify about what people told him at the protest, Josh is turning it over and being released, according to news reports. He's also posted it. Josh Wolf is still in jail. You can read about his case on Wikipedia and at his own website. He's been in jail for over 200 days, held on civil contempt, for refusing to obey a federal subpoena to turn over tapes. Legal issues aside--the arguments about various interpretations of various shield laws are complex--he is steadfastly resisting the idea that the state should be able to rifle through his pockets on what, many agree, is a very flimsy pretext. In an age when we all have camera phones and email notes on each others' activities and opinions, I have to admire someone taking a stand against that trend. Civil disobedience, however, hinges on the hope that the rest of us will notice and pay attention to other people's principled stands, and that we will speak up when we think our Government is acting badly. In this age of irony and ostriches, it's easy to ignore or cynically dismiss a random stranger. But I've met Josh, he's a kind and thoughtful person, and so I ask you to try to put aside your apathy or cynicism, just for a minute. Consider that if someone is willing to stay in jail for over 200 days to make a point, that point might be worth paying attention to. Some of the groups calling for Josh's release are: the American Civil Liberties Union, the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Press Club, Newspaper Guild/Communications Workers of America, the National Lawyer�s Guild, the Northern California Media Workers Guild, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Center for Media and Democracy, Reporters Without Borders, the National Writers Union, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Bay Guardian, and the Contra Costa Times. There's a new U.S. attorney who might reconsider the case, and Josh has a mediation meeting on Monday.

Defeating the Dastardly Guinea Worm

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 22:54:32 -0800

Do you ever have nightmares about parasites growing and tunnelling in your body and then erupting through your skin? I've had a couple and I'm guessing they're fairly primal, because apparently Africa is still tormented by a horrible disease that's been traced as far back as the Pharaohs-the Guinea worm or Dracunculiasis. I guarantee this is going to give me nightmares tonight, so let me share the scientific pain. You drink water infested with tiny waterfleas. (Eww.) They are dissolved by your stomach acid, setting free thousands of little larvae of the Guinea worms. The larvae tunnel through your body, grow longer and mate. The males die, and the females migrate to your feet where they are now less like microscopic worms and more like two feet long strands of engorged spaghetti. The pregnant female incites a fiery burning immune reaction that drives you to seek fresh water to stick your feet in. Once splashed the female bursts through your skin and vomits her brood into the water, starting the wonderful cycle of life again. (CDC.) Okay, this is pretty horrible right? In the early 1980s around 3 million people suffered through this. That's like everyone in the Bronx and Manhattan having fiery pregnant worms bursting out of their skin and vomiting larvae into the water. Just meditate on that for a minute. Got it? Now, via the BBC, here's the good news--the numbers now are more like 25,000 annual victims. Slowly but surely efforts like giving people access to clean and filtered drinking water has whittled down the problem,and soon it may be eradicated. You can thank organizations like The Carter Center and WHO's Division of Neglected Tropical Diseases for addressing such nightmares. It's kind of sad that there is even such a thing as Neglected Tropical Diseases, but I'm glad someone is un-neglecting them. Next time you have a cringe about a parasitic horror story, consider dropping the Carter Center or WHO a tip in gratitude. Liya Kebede, WHO's Good Will Ambassador for maternal and child health, has started her Mother's Day 2007 fundraising drive. It will help put those nightmares to rest.