Jeremey's Weblog

Hello, 2009

I love the holidays, but I'm always a little relieved when they're over, too. 2009 should be a very interesting year, I'm looking forward to it!

To welcome 2009, here's a shot of Gabriel at the park on New Year's Day:

Definitely click through and then click the "Better Large" link. It is much better large.

The Olympics

Never before have I (or my whole family) been so captivated by the Olympic games. This year's was really special.

From the astonishing and awe-inspiring opening ceremonies to the incredible efforts of many athletes to the glimpse into the heart of the Chinese people, this Olympics feels like a bit of real history. The venues were historic, and the fact that they were in Beijing was historic. The ceremonies were off-the-chart amazing and unlikely to ever be equaled. There is something very universal, very recognizable, and very inspiring in seeing the pinnacle of human achievement in any form, humans at the very top of their game. I felt like we were seeing that over and over throughout the games, including the ceremonies and the army of Chinese who made the whole thing work, as well as the athletes.

There were so many great stories of heroic athleticism, not just Phelps (though that was amazing) and Bolt (though that was amazing too). The Kenyan who finally won the Olympic marathon for Kenya and obliterated the Olympic record by several minutes in very unfavorable conditions. The Chinese domination of diving, especially the women. The Russian pole-vaulter who had already clinched the gold medal, but went on and broke her own world record at the Olympics. The North Korean swimmer who won gold and North Korea's first swimming medal. The sheer number of world records set in swimming. The last 100m of the women's 4x400m final where Sanya Richards came from behind to win gold for the US.

Those are just a few... in every event we watched, it was clear that the athletes had focused most or all of their lives on this one event. Obscure events like table tennis and team synchronized swimming demonstrated athletes that were absolute masters. They weren't just pretty good, nearly everyone was amazing.

All in all, there was a sense of dignity, of sanctity of human endeavor, and of wonder, about the games as a whole. It was really fun to watch, and I don't think my boys are likely to ever forget it. Their heroes are now Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, Michael Phelps and Jeremy Wariner. And China. Gabriel was so intrigued by China that he wants to learn Mandarin... so he's taking Mandarin once a week on Saturdays (it doesn't hurt that we frequent a number of Chinese restaurants).

I'm looking forward to London, but with the expectation that it probably won't be quite the same. This one was special.

Technorati Tags:
olympics, 2008

The Story of Stuff

Please visit The Story of Stuff and watch the video and then do at least something about it, even if it's small right now.

Technorati Tags:
storyofstuff, pollution, green, environment

iRack

This is awesome. I cried.

Online Gambling

Techdirt has a blurb about the amusing online gambling law and its interesting exceptions. My favorite explanation comes from Jon Stewart at the end of his segment on Ted Stevens' Internet tubes.

You Might Live In Texas If...

...a concerned local legislator introduces a new bill to legalize hunting for blind people. Err... hunting by blind people. As Jay Leno remarked, "what could possibly go wrong?" :)

OK, actually hunting by the blind is already legal (with a sighted aid), and this new bill would legalize the use of laser sights because it's pretty hard to gauge a rifle shot looking over someone's shoulder. But it's much funnier to spin it as legalizing blind hunting. Sorta like pin the tail on Bambi.

They Will Know Us By Our... Board Games?

Your holiday shopping just got so easy: get the Joel Osteen board game for everyone on your list! Oy.

In Futility We Trust

Local news has picked up on the stupidity that is Real ID. The worst of it, though, is exemplified by the quote from "a Texas driver" at the end:

"The standing in line part is going to be difficult but I think as long as we have secruity [sic], we can't have enough security"

Huh? Can't have enough security? Whatever happened to freedom and liberty and all that we supposedly stand for as a nation? Whatever happened to thinking?

Oh, but we do have freedom, don't we... I could watch CSI or I could watch Lost... wow... now that's freedom.

Technorati Tags: security

More Wiretapping Without Warrants

Though Wired is hardly an unbiased source, this is worth reading and doing some further research on one's own (like reading the bill in question, etc.): http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71778-0.html?tw=rss.index

Reading proposed amendments is always tricky because it's difficult to tell exactly what the sum result will be. But in any case, this is a worrisome change, as is the move for a unanimous consent motion. One is naturally given to wonder why, if this bill is reasonable and necessary for the defense of our nation against terrorism, Congress would vote on it in such a way as to leave no record of the vote.

This administration would have a lot more credibility if it just said what it thought and then did exactly that, in public. When you got straight A's in 3rd grade, did you hide the report card? No... but C's and D's... that would be worth hiding and misrepresenting. If the administration thinks it needs expanded domestic wiretapping powers, then why doesn't it just say so? Make the case to the people. Hiding it just feeds the conspiracy theorist in us all (there's very interesting psychology research that suggests we all have one living in us somewhere).

Refuse to be Terrorized (Wired)

Another great commentary from Bruce Schneier on the sad state of our coping with 9/11 and the threat of terrorism in general.