DennisBlog

Do you believe in God?

2011-04-10T09:31:00.000-04:00

I believe in something higher than God. I believe in the good that God ought to represent in your soul. By your soul, I don’t mean something mystical. I mean the hard reality of your actions across time, across the span of your life.

Any rotter can (and often does) say he believes in God. Spare me the noise. Show me the good.

However, consider this – the good? By what standard? My standard is man’s life, man’s life as a rational animal, a life spanning decades with a perspective spanning centuries.

For more information, visit the Ayn Rand Lexicon, for starters.

Charice

2010-09-23T06:05:00.002-04:00

If you haven't already heard of Charice, check this out. My introduction to her was via Glee (yes, I am a fan). I couldn't believe her voice—dubbed? The answer I found turned out to be—no, hell no!

This teenager is fantastic. More than just a powerful, artistic voice, she's a dynamic stage presence. God bless YouTube for bringing her to the world's attention.

Charice is, in short, wow!

Administrative note

2010-07-17T10:17:00.000-04:00

I updated the comments settings in an effort to block a new spate of spam. Anonymous visitor comments are, unfortunately, effectively blocked.

Obama taxes America's patience as well...

2010-04-06T05:59:00.004-04:00

...as the Washington Post reports here.

The incident is revealing. You can cut some slack for a misspoken word, a verbal hiccup here and there. Verbal diarrhea is another matter altogether. In this case, it seemed necessary, to protect the speaker as well as the listeners from the actual answer—You're over-taxed as it is? So what?

The Washington Post's report just reaffirmed this—I so look forward to this fall and using my vote to send as many Democrats as possible home. Republicans and Independents, pack your bags for a long stay in Washington, there's much to do and to undo.

Let's roll!

Raw Milk

2009-08-30T16:01:00.003-04:00

Mary & I recently decided to try raw milk at a local farm—Deerfield Farm. It's delicious!

I'm still learning about the benefits of raw milk vs. non-fat milk. Of course, whole raw milk has more calories than the non-fat milk I had been drinking. However, that's offset by my regular exercise regimen. As long as I'm not gaining weight (unless it's muscle) while remaining healthy and strong for my uphill runs, I'm good.

Caveat: I'm not trying out raw milk because of any affection for "going green" nonsense. In my hierarchy of values, man is first; bugs, critters, vegetation, etc. are much lower values.

The Undercurrent

2009-07-15T21:51:00.003-04:00

A friend suggested I take a look at this Objectivist student newspaper. I like what I see so far. Happily, no blips on the Libertarian radar showed up.

Check it out. If you see anything noteworthy, especially good things to report, please do!

Art as a Concretization of Metaphysics

2009-07-12T19:53:00.005-04:00

Last week, I had the special pleasure of attending my friend Barry's seminar entitled "Art as a Concretization of Metaphysics". The distance he traveled to deliver this seminar was far greater than the thousands of miles between Istanbul and Boston. The distance is also measured in years poured into maturing his understanding of Objectivism, of art, of beauty, of cultures, of the languages used to express them, of so much more—in short, of life itself.

Among the measures of success of his seminar were the many positive comments I witnessed as one student after another approached him after each class. Another measure included Mary, who, as a non-Objectivist with sharp disagreements with much of the philosophy, enjoyed Barry's seminar very much. That fact spoke well of the universality of his themes and how well he covered them.

One of those themes was to speak to this question: "What is it in the nature of man that gives rise to art, to his need for it across all times spanning all cultures?" Ayn Rand touches on this question in the Romantic Manifesto. Her description of the function of art can be read here. Barry's seminar did a solid job of fleshing out this idea, of showing how your metaphysical value-judgments affect your choices in things as simple as what to eat for breakfast to career decisions.

A critical point his seminar highlighted was this—man cannot not generalize. His interactions with the world over the course of his life covers countless details. Try to hold them all in your conscious awareness at once. You'll fail, of course. Generalization satisfies man's conceptual faculty, his need to sum up not only what he sees, but also his evaluations of what he sees.

Of course, summing up means leaving out some details. If you try to retain everything, you're back to the original problem—i.e., that you can't hold it all in your conscious awareness. What to leave out necessarily implies what to leave in—i.e., a selective recreation of reality.

There's much more to this topic, of course. Later, I'll refer you to Barry's seminar which should be available on CD some time soon. For now, I just want to make a note of something.

During the seminar, someone asked whether or not an exceptional personality could go without art to fuel his soul in his pursuit of some great value. Barry answered it well, though I don't have good notes on exactly what he said. As I thought more about the question, it dawned on me later that one way to respond would be to make this observation: can you pursue a great value without food or sleep? Yes, for a short time, in an emergency. But, barring an emergency, why would you want to?

Incidentally, this question, too, can give some insight to your metaphysical value-judgments—e.g., do you possess a malevolent universe premise or a benevolent universe premise? For example, do you think emergencies are the norm of life or the exception? Your answer will determine your answers to many concrete specifics—e.g., what career choices you make or what to have for breakfast?

Personally, I was moved by the way Barry ended his seminar. Being deeply reality oriented, he had to share with his class examples of the rubbish that passes for art today. Being deeply reality oriented, he also had to share with his class the hope for the future in romantic art via the romanticism upheld by Ayn Rand's powerhouse ideals. To put it another way, he showed things not only as they are but as they can and ought to be. It was inspiring.

Kindle & Victor Hugo

2009-07-09T21:57:00.004-04:00

Just taking a moment to geek out about Kindle. Specifically, I just bought the Works of Victor Hugo. Among other things, it includes The Man Who Laughs.

For years, The Man Who Laughs was out of print. I was pleased by and grateful for the work of those who brought it back into print. Having read it several times, I'm thrilled now to have a copy of it in my Kindle, where I can search on keywords for passages that are important to me.

For example, I mentioned to Mary how someone I met recently reminded me of Barkilphedro, a vile, hateful, little man who manipulated his way into some degree of power. With some important details lost in a foggy memory, my Kindle copy of The Man Who Laughs can now quickly dispel the fog.

And that's just my current focal point! The Works of Victor Hugo collection includes Toilers of the Sea, Les Miserables, Hugo's poems, his non-fiction, and more. And all this for less than $5!!

Un-freakin'-believable! Man, I love capitalism. Even as the knee of this mighty Atlas buckles under the growing weight of a socialist world, it still produces gems like this.

Virtual Museum Online

2009-06-02T19:06:00.003-04:00

My friend, Barry, introduced me to a German web site that presents sculptures in 3-D (thank you QuickTime!). I don't understand a word of German but I know what 360° means. And that's enough in this case.

Specifically, when you visit the site, just click a thumbnail picture. Then, look for 360° beneath the picture. Click it. Then, drag the picture left or right to see it rotate 360°.

Very cool. Enjoy.

Amazing Gymnast

2009-05-30T16:33:00.002-04:00

Check this out. Whoa!

LoseIt!

2009-05-10T15:12:00.004-04:00

One of the wonderful things about my new iTouch is this—LoseIt!. I started using this free app on March 13. With its simple assistance, in the space of almost 2 months, I've lost 15 pounds!

As with any tool, you get out of it what you put into it. The tool itself is not magic. If there's any magic, it's the wonder of asserting your free will—i.e., I'm gonna do this: period. In my case, "do this" refers to my goal to lose 20 pounds.

Being very conservative, I gave myself all summer to reach that goal. I'm simply amazed to see myself 75% of the way toward my goal within 8 weeks. So, I gave myself the summer and spring is not even over yet. Not too shabby.

In my case, I haven't been simply watching what I eat. I've also been working out. In particular, I've been taking advantage of a local hill. For weeks, all I did was walk up and down. Lately, I've advanced to jogging down the hill and walking back up as quickly as I can. I slow down to keep my heart rate between 150 and 160 bpm. It's easy on my aging joints. I burn a helluva lot more calories more quickly than just walking up and down a level street.

Long story short: LoseIt! has inspired me to cut down on sweets significantly, eat far more fruits and veges, and simplify the challenge of counting calories day to day. The end result is not just weighing less, but improving my quality of life in many, many ways.

Amtrak

2009-05-01T15:32:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, Mary and I paid another visit to Philadelphia. This time, we went by train. Our last visit was by car. That was a high stress option. The train proved to be a very comfortable, decidedly low-stress option. As such, the price—about $50 one-way—was a bargain.

Among other things, it meant shunning one of the busiest traffic corridors in the nation—i.e., through NYC. You can navigate around that, of course. But it adds hours and miles to the drive. For my money, being able to sit back in a comfy chair, listening to my music, reading a good book, enjoying the views out the window once in a while while someone else drives is worth every penny.

Also, Amtrak features something called a "quiet car". What that means is no gabbing on cell phones or loud talking. Take it to another car if that's what you want. And, happily, fellow passengers are not shy about enforcing the quiet car rules. We enjoyed one of these quiet cars all the way from New Haven to Philly. Ahhhh.

HDTV <> PC Connection

2009-03-26T20:08:00.003-04:00

Today, I was happy to find that for a mere $13 I could hook up my laptop to my HDTV!

Sound and picture work seamlessly. Specifically, instead of the sound coming though the laptop's built in speakers, it's transmitted to the HDTV via the earphone plug. The picture connection is via the laptop's built in monitor plug.

The connection is via a product called an HD15 (SVGA) Male + 3.5 Stereo Male at both ends. I bought it via Amazon.com.

To be precise, this cable doesn't work as is for my laptop. It works for Mary's laptop. The reason is this—the sound connection is part of the picture connection; to put it another way, they're on the same cable. As such, it requires that the distance from your laptop's earplug connection to its monitor connection be about 12". On my laptop, that's not the case (at least not cleanly). On Mary's it is.

That said, I can remedy it easily by buying an extension cord for the earplug connection. No biggie.

The payoff for this effort is this—now we can watch Netflix and Hulu.com on TV instead of exclusively on a laptop monitor. Nice!

Man vs Shark: Man Wins

2009-03-11T19:54:00.005-04:00

Check this out. Dramatic photos included.

Greenspan is no friend of capitalism, no friend of freedom

2009-02-20T18:51:00.009-05:00

Alan Greenspan effectively renounced his standing as capitalist, let alone as an Objectivist, in his years as the Fed chairman. He made his renunciation explicit by blaming the semi-free economy on which he inflicted himself for years at the Fed helm for its current state. He went the distance recently by adding his voice to calls to nationalize banks.

”It may be necessary to temporarily nationalise some banks in order to facilitate a swift and orderly restructuring,” he said. “I understand that once in a hundred years this is what you do.”

This remarkable confession demonstrates what it means to fail to grasp the concept principle—i.e., either we're free or not. Greenspan is saying, in effect, "Yeah, freedom is important, but not now; not after my policies and those of the US government across decades spawned this historic mess."

Granted, Bush confessed the same thing when he said:"I've abandoned free-market principles in order to save the free-market system." But the bar is set real low for him. I don't expect much from him.

Greenspan, on the other hand, should know better. It's literally his job to know better. For him to come out for nationalizing anything, let alone the banks, is no different, in principle, from saying this: "It may be necessary to temporarily bring back slavery in order to facilitate a swift and orderly return to prosperity." It's a deeply offensive idea and should be met with moral outrage.

Istanbul Cafe

2009-01-04T20:47:00.003-05:00

This evening, I treated Mary to a good Turkish meal at Istanbul Cafe in New Haven. The food was very good.

I had Kuzu Şiş Kebab—"Lean cubes of lamb marinated and grilled over a charcoal fire. Its simple preparation allows you to savor the exquisite, smoky flavor of the coal-fired lamb." True to its word, it was simply prepared and simply delicious.

Mary had Patlican Musakka—"A dish of pan-fried eggplant laden with a rich meat sauce decked with potato, tomato and sautéed onion and then smothered with melted kasar cheese." Yummy.

With the meal, I was delighted to indulge in a rare glass of Kavaklidere white wine. Of course, I'm a bit biased, having enjoyed the wine first at Barry's wonderful wedding in Istanbul. The taste of this excellent wine brought back those sweet memories as well as pleasing me in the here and now with Mary.

With dessert, I enjoyed a cup of apple tea, a simple, delightful beverage I enjoyed often in Istanbul.

The Istanbul Cafe is has a large parking lot right next to it. I took advantage of that, not wanting to waste time searching for a parking spot on the busy New Haven streets.

To sum it up, Mary and I will be back...with friends!

Amazing street performer

2008-12-21T20:02:00.001-05:00

Check this out. Simply amazing.

Siberian Ice Cream

2008-12-02T18:58:00.001-05:00

Among the last things in the world I'd anticipate is this. I love being happily surprised.

Kay Thompson

2008-11-22T10:33:00.002-05:00

Last night, I enjoyed watching again one of my favorite movies—Funny Face. Besides the big names of Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn, Kay Parker shines. This is the only movie in which I recall seeing her perform. She's wonderful. For a fun sample, check out "Clap 'Yo Hands".

Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights

2008-11-02T19:16:00.003-05:00

Yep, the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights is a new link I've added to my favorites here. It's a breath of fresh air needed desperately in Washington, D.C.

For example, breathe this in. Objectivist or not, consider this excerpt:

And as a historical fact, the U.S. economy during the period 1870 - 1913 grew significantly faster than it did after the Fed was established. True, there were many bank failures in this period, but there were also many business failures in general: banks were actually less likely to fail than were other businesses. The number of bank failures speaks to the dynamism of the period, not to anything fragile in the financial system. Precisely because market mechanisms were permitted to work, depositors, creditors and counterparties all kept a close eye on banks, monitoring leverage and withdrawing funds at the first sign of problems....

So pre-Fed we had runs on banks, some undoubtedly severe--but with the Fed we’ve had the Great Depression, the S&L meltdown and now perhaps the greatest worldwide credit crisis ever.

Think about it. Think about it as the Fed pours billions more into a black hole of irresponsible failures it fostered. Think about it as you listen again to Alan Greenspan blame a country of victims for the results of his actions on behalf of the Fed.

More on the US govt engineered economic crisis

2008-09-29T07:12:00.002-04:00

This brief article provides some background on how the US govt engineered the current economic crisis. It includes a prescient forecast from 1999. Check it out.

Nationalizing American Business

2008-09-22T06:02:00.002-04:00

Time magazine gave the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights some air time on the government-caused turmoil on Wall Street. For details, click here.

Real life 007

2008-09-07T19:20:00.002-04:00

Check this out. It's a story of a real life 007—Tommy Sneum.

Among other things,

He filmed German radar installations, often under the noses of the German guards, with a camera provided by MI6. He flew to Britain with his films in a Hornet Moth biplane he had found minus its wings in a barn. He and a friend, Kjeld Pedersen, rebuilt it and took off from a field.

Halfway across the North Sea Sneum had to venture out on the wing in thick fog to refuel the plane from a can of petrol while Pedersen tried to keep it steady.

How long before someone writes a screenplay for this, please?

Iran "Arrests" Squirrels

2008-09-01T10:27:00.004-04:00

In the "Oh come on!" category, check this out.

Rumor has it that a moose whose name starts with Bull (no pun intended but I enjoy it nonetheless) put up bail money and then, with suspect Rocky in tow, skipped town. Now, Boris and Natasha are on the hunt.

Another rumor has it, according to what I can recall from a Wait Wait Don't Tell Me show, that Dick Cheney turned to the President and said: "Ok, we tried your idea. Now let me get back to work."

The Plough

2008-08-30T12:04:00.002-04:00

If you're ever visiting Philadelphia, consider dining at The Plough. Mary and I came across it quite by happy accident on a warm August afternoon. The food and service were good. I'm not sure how to describe the restaurant's ambiance other than I liked it. To see for yourself, check out the pictures at their site.

How you know vs. what you know

2008-08-27T21:29:00.004-04:00

At a recent job interview, I was asked to rate myself on a certain skill needed for the job. Without hesitation, I said 10. The heat was turned up from there. Later, I wondered aloud if I even ranked as a 5, smiling as I asked the question.

Fortunately, my humor was not lost on the interviewer. I got the job. Evidently, I had impressed him enough with my actual knowledge on the subject at hand.

Later, it dawned on me to question his question—e.g., do you mean how much I can retain in my head at any given time or my work ethic in hunting down answers needed to get the job done? Had I done that, I could have given him a two-part answer—7 in terms of conscious retention and 10 in the relentless pursuit of answers.

Philosophically, this takes on a common error—the fallacy of omniscience. Few, if any, will tell you flat out: I know everything! Yet, too many act that way. It's an easy error to fall into, especially if you don't pay conscious attention to the fact that reason is man's means of knowledge.

Today, something important dawned on me—that I pride myself more on how I know than what I know. I have learned an enormous amount about IT methods and operations over the past decade. However, more important than that is how I learned so much. Simple hard work is part of it, of course. Not spending hours daily idling away on the Internet or gabbing/grousing with colleagues is part of it. But, fundamentally, the how is this—looking beyond countless distractions in my field of vision to the core reality at hand, guided by the power of reason and the moral code it upholds.

An analogy that comes to mind is a picture I see often of a common moment in professional basketball games—the back of a basketball player as he faces a tiny net, preparing for his foul shot, while hundreds of fans for the opposing team wave all manner of distractions behind it. What looks daunting is the player's opportunity to literally stand and deliver. The focus he needs to summon from within himself is intense, tossing out what is unimportant and tuning in to what matters most to him.

In pattern, this is what I do in IT...not for a few seconds or minutes, but across days, months, years. Of course, to keep it natural, to remain a well-rounded human, this is a cultivated habit, integrated with the need to exchange ideas constructively with others who are not technical (of course) and those who are technical but too often get caught up in one or more countless distractions.

Practically, this distinction is critical. That is, I'm walking into a new job soon, knowing a lot but needing to know a helluva lot more. I can do this confidently because I know precisely how to gain more knowledge, gain it quickly and put it to practical use quickly...and have fun doing it.

287 Loop Around NYC

2008-08-25T17:38:00.002-04:00

Note to self: When traveling to New Haven, CT from Philly, blow past NYC/NJ traffic jams by jumping off I-95 onto 287. It's less than 50 miles out of the way and stress-free. Also, it completely bypasses the very heavily traveled George Washington Bridge in favor of the easy-to-cross Tappan Zee bridge.

Usain Bolt

2008-08-21T18:18:00.003-04:00

If you've been watching this summer's Olympics, you had to notice a marvel named Usain Bolt. After his world-record wins, IOC president Jacques Rogge took it upon himself to single Bolt out for criticism.

Why? In Rogge's words: "I understand the joy. He might have interpreted it in another way but the way it was perceived was 'catch me if you can’. You don’t do that. But he’ll learn. He’s still a young man."

Dude, it's a foot race...literally! "Catch me if you can"? That's the point! Bolt can do that, did do that (gloriously, thank you very much), and, most of all, should do that.

Yes, Bolt is still a young man and he should learn...to dismiss the likes of Rogge.

Specifically, dismiss that ugly idea that deems it important to hide your pride. What made Bolt a joy to watch was his joy, his wonderfully unabashed joy in discovering just how great he really is at running. To watch him marveling at his own extreme ability, to see him have the time to do that before he even finished the freakin' sub-10 second race was a, well, marvel, a joyous one. God bless him.

Bolt, in the name of the best within you, to hell with Rogge. Keep running incredibly fast as long as you can. But most of all, keep beaming with unrestrained pride every time you win. You earned it!

Underground Grammarian

2008-07-25T08:21:00.004-04:00

While cleaning out some ancient files, I came across my subscription copies of the Underground Grammarian. Having spent literally years working to recover from my lousy grade school education, especially as it pertained to my grammar, I loved Richard Mitchell's passion for this subject expressed via the Underground Grammarian.

Naturally, this being the 21st century rich with internet resources, I decided to see if Mr. Mitchell was remembered anywhere. Happily, he is. More, this site has copies of his work! What a treat!

Here's a quote from John Simon at this site about Mr. Mitchell:

There exists in every age, in every society, a small, still choir of reason emanating from a few scattered thinkers ignored by the mainstream. Their collective voices, when duly discovered a century or so too late, reveal what was wrong with that society and age, and how it could have been corrected if only people had listened and acted accordingly. Richard Mitchell's is such a voice. It could help make a better life for you or, if it is too late for that, at least for your children. Ignore it at your and their peril.

Another site paying homage to Mr. Mitchell exists here.

MIT Pranks

2008-07-06T10:47:00.004-04:00

Barry's comment in my previous post warrants this separate post. To my delight, I checked out the link he mentioned and laughed out loud early and often.

Among my favorites is the MIT fire truck on the Great Dome. Obviously, it echoes the 50 year old prank mentioned earlier.

The "In Case of Zombie Attack, Break Glass" bit is priceless.

The programmer geek in me loves this one.

While I had heard of rickrolling, this MIT example was the most inspired application I've seen of it so far. Kudos!

Got a favorite of your own? Lemme know!

One of Greatest Prank of All Time

2008-06-29T20:22:00.003-04:00

Check this out. I tip my hat to them. Well done!

Tim Russert

2008-06-18T19:06:00.003-04:00

Just taking a moment to say I'll miss Tim Russert. He was a good man. A measure of how good he was is how solid his son is in this interview.

God bless him.

Consistency

2008-06-15T15:28:00.002-04:00

This is just a quick note to myself to give more thought to something Ayn Rand said in regard to conservatives (which I am decidedly not!): "consistency is a requirement of reason, not of faith".

Food for thought. I need to chew on this observation.

Open It!

2008-06-11T20:44:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, the little things in life make such a difference. In this case, I am referring to a gadget named "Open It!".

I bought it last Christmas for about $10 at Home Depot. The purpose for which I bought it was to make it easier to open goodies sealed in tough plastic covers. Too often, those damned things are a bear to break open. This handy tool does a great job of slicing through them much more effectively than normal scissors.

Well, this week, I've been wrestling with installing stick and peel tiles in my closet. The stick and peel part was easy. The hard part was lining them up neatly and, toughest of all, cutting them to fit well around a large water heater.

Yup, you guessed it, Open It! was a perfect tool for this job. Wherever I had to do precision cutting of this heavy, sturdy plastic tile, Open It! was a hero. I especially appreciated it when I had to cut a slight curve. Try doing that with a straight edged cutting knife (and as safely as Open It! does).

This ends our commitment to our sponsor. Now, we return you to your regularly scheduled program. ;^)

The Lives of Others

2008-06-08T23:27:00.003-04:00

Mary introduced me to an excellent movie entitled The Lives of Others. Justly, it earned an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Check it out.

Nifty

2008-06-07T05:29:00.001-04:00

Check this out.

Coffee: black as hell, strong as death, sweet as love

2008-06-01T08:36:00.002-04:00

The title of this post refers to Turkish coffee. I'm not a big coffee drinker but I love this proverb; it's short, memorable, and, from what I recall of tasting Turkish coffee, true.

If you're interested in making some Turkish coffee, check out CoffeeGeek.com.

Tent Rocks

2008-05-27T06:35:00.023-04:00

For my annual birthday trip (April/May), Mary and I flew out to New Mexico. We were lucky enough to stay with friends in Albuquerque.

A highlight of the trip was hike through the canyon at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. Some pictures follow. As always, remember to click a pic to see it expanded into a larger view.

Get this: We were in a truly isolated location, miles away from the highway. The road to the canyon itself as a long dirt road, a "washboard" ride. So, pretty remote, eh? No. Three busloads of school kids plus a caravan of parents and/or teachers arrived moments after we did! In mock terror, we bolted for the bathrooms before they were lost to us forever!

Pic	Comments
	The start of our hike into the canyon. I should have zoomed in on this one. At the top is a giant boulder perched precariously on an outcropping.
	Once inside the canyon, we quickly had a camera shootout—these 2 guys shooting us while we shot them.
	I was fascinated by this tree not only framed by the canyon walls but also with its huge trunks exposed. Most likely, the dirt they used to be buried in was washed away during the rare flash floods through the canyon.
	I welcomed seeing man streak across the sky while I inched my way through the canyon.
	I like the contrast of dark and light here combined with proximity and distance.
	Life sprouting up at the first opportunity amidst the immovable.
	Sights like this make me wonder what it'd be like to see nature at her furious work during rare Southwest rain storms. Of course, to be there personally would be dangerous!
	Mary is framed here as we hustle between the canyon walls closing in on us and crowds of loud children catching up with us from the buses.
	Majestic and exotic.
	Fortunately, the temperature was uncharacteristically cool. That made it easier to keep trekking all the way to the top.
	At certain points, I half expected a film crew to pop up amid the rocks shooting a scene for the Star Trek series: "Jim, I'm a doctor, not a geologist! Ask Spock about these rock formations, dammit!"
	So, Spock, what can you tell me about these formations?
	Having covered the canyon floor, we now begin a long, slow ascent. By the way, the canyon floor was often very sandy, like a beach, a gentle reminder of the danger of being in the canyon while it's raining.
	Catching my breath on the way to the top...
	Sometimes it's good to look down...
	It's even better to look out at the distance...
	Here's another look at looking down, at looking at the stairway to heaven; well, to a heavenly view...
	Ahhh...
	I love this shot. It's my laptop's new wallpaper image.
	Drinking in the view...
	On the way out, more jets passing by. Thanks, guys, for bringing me to this wonderful place!

72 Degrees

2008-05-26T07:51:00.005-04:00

Obama recently stated the following: "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK...."

Break out the charts because we'll need 'em to break down just how much is wrong with this statement. In essence, it boils down to is this: They won't like us. And? What's your point? What's your argument?

Won't like us!? By what standard?

The standard of judgment of "other countries" matters. If you care about what the death-worshippers, the dictators, the statists and their ilk think, if you embrace their standard of judgment, you're doomed spiritually let alone existentially. If you care what the best among them think—i.e., the freest, the bravest, if you embrace their standard of judgment, then you embrace man's life qua rational animal, you value the highest degree of comfort man's reason can afford you—e.g., 72 degrees all the time, all the food you need, etc.

As a contrast to the feeble ideas (or lack thereof) behind Obama's statement, Objectivist philosopher Harry Binswanger reminded me via his email list of the spirit of another era, an era we ought to emulate—the era that gave birth to Cyrano de Bergerac. In particular, he cited Cyrano's famous "No thank you" speech. While I could not find a transcription, I found this excellent rendition of the scene.

Note: I made a point of finding a scene that is based on Brian Hooker's translation. I've never seen another other translation that is anywhere near the poetry of Hooker's fine work. If you know of one, please let me know.

In the meantime, keep the spirit of Cyrano alive in your mind and your heart.

Wedding

2008-05-19T19:04:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, I attended my first Jewish wedding. It was wonderful! It was a perfect blending of setting and people.

The setting was the Whispering Pines Conference Center in Rhode Island. The wedding day, Saturday, was awash in perfect May sunshine. It seemed as if the bride and groom had supernatural connections since the day was sandwiched between two rainy storms. Nature itself blessed the day.

The people were all very friendly to me even though I was a stranger among them. That is, Mary is the ex-girlfriend of the father, Ilan, of the bride. I was with Mary, of course. Though I was a stranger, I felt right at home.

While I've always liked Ilan, I like him all the more now. I enjoyed watching him revel in his role as grandfather as well as father of the bride. The genuine affection returned to him spoke volumes about him—all good.

In that lives one of my measures of a man—how good he acts toward those he professes to love speaks far more to me than his explicit ideas. This is consistent with my comments earlier about excellence.

Speaking of excellence, Ilan's toast to the new couple after the ceremony was both outrageously funny and touching at the same time. When he sat down, he positively beamed with happiness. I turned to Mary and told her that I liked him before and liked him all the more now, adding playfully: "What did you ever see in this guy!?"

107 year old light bulb

2008-05-16T22:19:00.001-04:00

Now, this is cool. Check it out.

Tips for Older IT Workers

2008-05-14T18:41:00.002-04:00

Fellow 50+ IT folks, check this out. While it includes what should be obvious to any good IT worker ("Never stop learning"), it makes some suggestions I hadn't considered ("Teach a course").

This article includes a link to a couple of techie blogs, one of which is adorned with a cute subtitle—"News for nerds".

Food for thought...and action.

Excellence

2008-05-08T19:18:00.003-04:00

As my blog's welcome states: "It's not who I am underneath but what I do that defines me." Today, a work colleague had tagged to the end of an e-mail this quote from Aristotle: "Excellence is not an act but a habit." It echoes that line I like so much from the movie Batman Begins.

The full quote follows:

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.

This, in turn, is echoed by Ayn Rand's definition of virtue.

The emphasis, then, is on action. To be good one must do good. Pardon the expression, but this perspective cuts through a lot of bullshit. Most people know all too well the types who talk the talk (and talk and talk and talk...) but fail to walk it.

That said, the far more complex issue is this question: what is good?

Contrary to common belief, it's not a question hopelessly lost in a messy mass of subjectivity and/or out-of-context absolutes. Answering that question objectively is possible. Critical to answering it sanely is being cognizant of the fact that before you can answer "what is good?" you must ask yourself "Good? By what standard?"

For details, please see the corpus of the works of Ayn Rand.

Albuquerque Museums

2008-05-04T17:32:00.002-04:00

I'm back from a good trip to the Southwest—specifically, Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'm happy to report that it has several interesting museums within walking distance of each other. Rather than list them all here, I'll refer you to the town's cultural services site.

However, I didn't notice at that site two museums I found especially interesting...

The latter is moving to the outskirts of town soon. It'll be near the Balloon Museum.

More on these and my trip later. :^)

Subprime Mess: Statist Policy Does It Again

2008-04-22T18:57:00.002-04:00

Don't Blame The Markets is a good article by the New York Sun on the subprime debacle. Properly, it lays the blame at the feet of a "small army of hard left political hustlers who spent the early 1990s pushing risky mortgages on home lenders."

Conflate

2008-04-21T18:07:00.005-04:00

Wiktionary's definition of "simplistic" includes this usage note: "This is not to be conflated with “simple”. simplistic implies simplicity to excess, whereas simple does not. The phrase “overly simplistic” is therefore a tautology."

Conflate is a good word to keep in one's vocabulary, one's mental toolbelt. Merriam-Webster defines it as follows:

1 a: to bring together : fuse b: confuse
2: to combine (as two readings of a text) into a composite whole

In the case of simple vs. "simplistic", it's an error, of course. At the same time, it echoes Ayn Rand's reminder about the importance of the precise use of language—the primary purpose of which is precise understanding, the growth of your own personal knowledge. It aids communication, of course; but first and foremost, understand well what it is you wish to communicate.

The precise use of language is aided by knowing about something Rand called package-dealing". The arch example of a package-deal is the word selfishness, how it is commonly used. Ayn Rand writes of it as follows (from her nonfiction book, The Virtue of Selfishness):

The title of this book may evoke the kind of question that I hear once in a while: "Why do you use the word 'selfishness' to denote virtuous qualities of character, when that word antagonizes so many people to whom it does not mean the things you mean?" To those who ask it, my answer is: "For the reason that makes you afraid of it." But there are others, who would not ask that question, sensing the moral cowardice it implies, yet who are unable to formulate my actual reason or to identify the profound moral issue involved. It is to them that I will give a more explicit answer.

It is not a mere semantic issue nor a matter of arbitrary choice. The meaning ascribed in popular usage to the word "selfishness" is not merely wrong: it represents a devastating intellectual "package-deal," which is responsible, more than any other single factor, for the arrested moral development of mankind. In popular usage, the word "selfishness" is a synonym of evil; the image it conjures is of a murderous brute who tramples over piles of corpses to achieve his own ends, who cares for no living being and pursues nothing but the gratification of the mindless whims of any immediate moment. Yet the exact meaning and dictionary definition of the word "selfishness" is: concern with one's own interests. This concept does not include a moral evaluation; it does not tell us whether concern with one's own interests is good or evil; nor does it tell us what constitutes man's actual interests. It is the task of ethics to answer such questions.

The lesson I take from that is this—precision matters, not just in my particular profession, but most particularly in my personal life, in all my relationships from casual to intimate. The precise use of words helps me to enjoy and honor those relationships at the same time. When I call or regard someone as either selfless or selfish, I use those words with absolute precision. Paradoxically, that razor sharp mental focus makes it all the easier for me to enjoy my emotions, my happy responses to those closest to me. For more details, for now, I refer you to the corpus of Ayn Rand's works.

The Leningrad Cowboys...

2008-04-20T20:05:00.002-04:00

...a Finnish rock band and the Red Army Choir sing, in English, "Sweet Home Alabama". Too funny. Must see.

Simplistic

2008-04-18T08:37:00.004-04:00

An interesting skirmish is afoot at The Detroit Free Press. It includes the charge that Ayn Rand's philosophy is "simplistic". The skirmish includes an excellent response from HBinswanger, which is provided below in toto:

As a professional philosopher, I'm responding to the charge that Objectivism is "simplistic." That term exemplifies what Ayn Rand termed an "anti-concept": "an unnecessary[sp] and rationally unusable term designed to replace and obliterate some legitimate concept."

"Simplistic" obliterates the concepts of "clarity" and "fundamentality." Ayn Rand is remarkably clear and deals in fundamentals. E.g., her basic axiom is "Existence exists." Simple, but clear and absolutely fundamental.

Or, take her definition of reason: "the faculty that identifies and integrates the material provided by man's senses." It's simple, but eliminates the pervasive false alternative of empiricism vs. rationalism.

In ethics, she holds that one's life is one's ultimate value. Again, it is clear and fundamental--also revolutionary.

For more technical issues, e.g., her new theory of concepts, see Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology. Those who smear Objectivism, as "simplistic" should consult it.

Polemically, I'll add this observation: if you grant the premise of a notion like "simplistic", you open yourself up to the same charge. For example, those who dismiss Ayn Rand's philosophy as "simplistic" are, themselves, being "simplistic".

Note: This also echoes a point I made earlier about the fallacy of self-exclusion.

This is one of the things I don't like about polemics—it's too easy for it to devolve into "I'm rubber you're glue..." nonsense. I prefer HBinswanger response above. It elevates the entire dialogue, keeping the focus on ideas and fundamentals.

Atlas Shrugged movie

2008-04-14T20:03:00.002-04:00

51 years ago, Ayn Rand's great novel Atlas Shrugged was published. For years, a movie has been "in development". The latest incarnation on this effort can be read here.

Interestingly, this report includes this confession:

What's most interesting is that Perelman managed this even though he isn't much of an Ayn Rand fan. "It's not very good literature," he and I agreed, "but I have respect for her."

It's one thing not to be a fan of Ayn Rand's ideas or her writing. It's quite another to posture as if you know what you're talking about when you claim Atlas Shrugged is not great literature.

Facets of Ayn Rand

2008-04-03T22:19:00.002-04:00

For some wonderful personal insights into Ayn Rand's personality, visit facetsofaynrand.com. Enjoy.

Atlas Shrugged

2008-04-03T15:57:00.002-04:00

My favorite novel is now featured at atlasshrugged.com. I can't say enough good things about this truly great adventure story. The philosophy behind and within it challenges, among other things, the core ethical assumptions of centuries. As such, it is radical—radical in the truest sense of that word. At the same time, it's a breath of fresh air, giving depth to a lighthearted appreciation of all that is good in this fascinating world.

Telemarketers: Optional Responses

2008-03-29T18:11:00.002-04:00

Jerry Seinfeld showed a classic response to a telemarketer once on his show. Today, I came across another response to a telemarketer. Check it out.

Cold Comfort Farm

2008-03-29T17:30:00.002-04:00

Last night, Mary and I enjoyed watching Cold Comfort Farm. Not having heard of it in any way before, I went in with no expectations.

I came away loving it. Its sense of life is delightfully benevolent. The sprightly center of the story is played by Kate Beckinsale. Her performance in this film was the best I've seen in her films so far. My evaluation may be colored by the cheerfully unsinkable nature of the character she played.

If you get a chance, check it out and let me know what you think of it.

Ideals vs Self-Interest: A False Dichotomy

2008-02-23T11:37:00.008-05:00

Near the end of His Excellency, Ellis writes

The second long-term pattern in his thinking about slavery was a relentlessly realistic insistence that ideals per se must never define his agenda; indeed, he associated an idealistic agenda with sentimental illusions, like the belief that American virtue was sufficient to defeat Great Britain in the war....

Try to reconcile that with this—Washington setting an historic precedent in surrendering his sword.

The fact is the American Revolution was not just political. It included an implicit moral revolution. The new moral code implied was that of rational selfishness. As such, Washington was wise to reject the idealism that kept the world in slavery and darkness for centuries. America's practice of slavery was part of that ancient legacy that had to be addressed and Washington struggled with it, as Ellis reports.

In the end, American virtue did defeat the British. A new ideal—the virtue of rational selfishness—drove the American force. It is secondary that not all Americans shared that ideal. What was crucial was that the leading thinkers —the Founding Fathers—embraced the ideal, with Washington chief among them, literally and figuratively.

So, although I disagree with Ellis' ethical orientation, I admire and appreciate his work in his biography of Washington. I got to see Washington as the great, real man he was, not just some impassive face perched on a mountain. I got to see how fitting it is that he is the father of our country—a deeply principled, intelligent, moral man of action.

At the same time, I am grateful to Ayn Rand for arming me with the ideas necessary to navigate around the kind of conventional errors Ellis makes in his review and analysis of Washington's life. My respect and admiration for Washington is all the richer and more personal.

Hamiltonian Power and "Behaving Responsibly"

2008-02-22T23:15:00.002-05:00

A light went on when I made a connection between Ellis' comments on force being used to get "both individuals and sovereign states...to behave responsibly" and his report of Alexander Hamilton's dangerous quest for power.

Ellis reports on page 250...

In collusion with disaffected and disloyal members of Adams's cabinet, Hamilton had hatched a scheme to transform the Provisional army into a permanent military establishment and an instrument for his expanded power within the Federalist Party. To be fair, Hamilton had convinced himself that Napoleon's imperial ambitions did include North America....[H]e envisioned marching his army through Virginia, thereby intimidating the Republican leadership in its major sanctuary, then launching a preemptive invasion of Florida and the Louisiana Territory....

He goes on to report that "Washington was unwittingly providing the imprimatur of his name to this wild scheme...playing directly into Hamilton's hands....At any rate, the moment exposed the dangerous tendencies of Hamilton's genius once released from Washington's control."

Whoa. Hold up. The dangerous tendencies of Hamilton's genius? More like the dangerous logic of the idea of forcing people to "behave responsibly". Hamilton's scheme strikes me as terribly consistent with that premise.

I ain't lion!

2008-02-21T21:47:00.002-05:00

Check out this amazing video.

Touching as it is...still...as a form of urging caution, I'll just say two words: Siegfried and Roy!

A Unified American Nation...for freedom

2008-02-18T22:48:00.006-05:00

On page 202 of His Excellency, Ellis describes a 1790 attempt to end slavery. "Whatever [Washington's] personal views on slavery may have been, his highest priority was the creation of a unified American nation."

This formulation does not do justice to the magnitude of the deeper issue. A "unified American nation"? For what purpose?

America wasn't just a new nation. It was the first nation in history dedicated expressly to the idea of individual rights. It was radical. It still is, given how many are willing to give it up at the first sign of pressure.

But the point here is that it was fragile at its birth, as cited in Ellis' book. To be precise, protecting his own and his country's fragile freedom was Washington's highest priority and a unified American nation was the means to that end.

Did everyone understand that freedom? No. Was it universally applied immediately after millenniums of slavery across the world? No. The revolution had just started. Slavery was a horrible, "in your face" contradiction and the Founding Fathers knew it. Tragically, resolving that contradiction took time and rivers of blood.

Balance of Power

2008-02-18T22:19:00.003-05:00

In my 2/7/08 post, I cited Ellis as follows:

Both individual citizens and sovereign states often required coercion to behave responsibly, which meant that the federal government required expanded powers of taxation and ultimate control over fiscal policy.

Among the problems with this claim, notice this core assumption: the federal government will "behave responsibly" in its use of coercion.

How right the Founding Fathers were to do everything in their power to assure a balance of power in our government. Too much power in one group's or one man's grasp is dangerous.

Check your premises.

Dilbert

2008-02-10T16:38:00.001-05:00

Today, while doing some technical housekeeping, I decided to add a link to the Dilbert homepage.

Being fuzzy on how to use HTML to display on my blog both a free Dilbert graphic and a link to the Dilbert home page, this site gave me the necessary guidance. That assistance combined with the Blogger wizard engine (which makes so much of blogging a joy) gave me the result I wanted, which you can see on the right side of my blog now.

Incidentally, I love that I can do that—just plug a search into Google to get an instant answer to a technical point that is not second nature to me. Man, the Internet rocks!

I added the Dilbert link because Scott Adams is so well in touch with the nutty patterns of behavior that afflict life in most large organizations.

Sacrifice: A romantic delusion

2008-02-07T18:18:00.000-05:00

"Making voluntary sacrifice the operative principle of republican government had proved to be a romantic delusion." So writes Joseph Ellis on page 168 of His Excellency at the beginning of the section named Infant Empire in chapter 5.

Here, there is certainly a romantic delusion. Ironically, the delusion is the notion that sacrifice—voluntary or not—is romantic.

Ellis adds: "Both individual citizens and sovereign states often required coercion to behave responsibly, which meant that the federal government required expanded powers of taxation and ultimate control over fiscal policy."

The only proper role of government is to manage the use of force to protect us from force (and fraud)—be it from abroad, from our neighbors, and especially from the biggest force wielder of all: our own government. As Washington himself apparently wrote or said: "Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." Damn straight.

So, when Ellis associates, in effect, "behaving responsibly" with "sacrifice", he's in dangerous territory.

Sacrifice means to surrender a higher value for a lower value. Given this, Washington was certainly not sacrificing when he risked his life for years to defend everything he loved about America as it was and as it could become. He was gloriously selfish.

The greatest man in the world

2008-02-04T21:01:00.000-05:00

Though I knew Washington had earned King George's awe (calling him "the greatest man in the world") when he surrendered his sword after winning America's independence from Great Britain, I did not know that he did so fully aware of the fates of the Roman and English republics at key points, that they fell to military dictatorships.

Ellis also reports that Washington's opinion of America's government, which, at the time, was only the weak Congress operating under the Article of Confederation.

So, while how America was going to work was not yet evident and not looking good under the Articles, one thing for Washington was crystal clear—how America was not going to work—i.e., under a dictatorship, not while he lived.

Not only did Washington lay down his sword, he stopped his officers from raising theirs. On this critical moment in history, Ellis writes: "Whereas Cromwell and later Napoleon made themselves synonymous with the revolution in order to justify the assumption of dictatorial power, Washington made himself synonymous with the American Revolution in order to declare that it was incompatible with dictatorial power.

This and all it implies is one of the most moving moments in history for me. It has earned from me an emotion that does not and cannot come lightly—reverence.

God bless George Washington.

Gasp!

2008-02-04T07:20:00.000-05:00

Yup, the Patriots perfect football season came to a crashing halt in the final game. Ouch.

But the opposing team, the New York Giants, was too much for them. They earned the win, playing especially well on defense. They kept Brady, one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, off balance for most of the game.

So, I tip my cyber hat to them. Well done, dammit! ;^)

A hero of the first degree

2008-01-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

His Excellency continues to be fascinating and enjoyable. Ellis' is a good storyteller.

In his coverage of Washington, he necessarily touches on Nathanael Greene, who armed Washington with excellent counsel time and time again. While I am familiar with him, Ellis' work has given me a much closer look at him. I admire what I see, enough to put him high on my list of important figures to study. If anyone has a good biography to recommend, please leave a comment.

At a critical juncture, when Washington's competence is being questioned (with cause) and he was spoiling for an all-or-nothing battle, Greene reminded him that he had no choice but to fight a protracted defensive war. "Your Excellency," Greene advised, "has the choice of but two things, to fight the Enemy without the least Prospect of Success...or remain inactive, & be the subject of Censure of an ignorant & impatient populace."

Greene added that not only would Washington risk a defeat with another attempt to repeat the Trenton-Princeton successes of the previous winter in the current winter, but it would also "expose the weakness of the militia to the enemy and not only them but to all europe who now consider them much more formidable than they really are."

Washington accepts Greene's counsel even though its wisdom runs against his grain personally. Ellis writes that Washington's decision not to act "completed his transformation into a public figure whose personal convictions must be suppressed and rendered subordinate to his higher calling as an agent of history, which in this case meant that winning the war was more important than being himself."

While I agree with Ellis that this occasion merits special recognition, I don't share his summation in this case. I hold that there is no higher calling than this—to keep clear the distinction between the "I wish" and the "it is"; that is, to keep clear the difference between your emotions and your rational lock on reality. Washington does that in spades here, fighting through his personal emotions, his past conclusions to see the reality immediately before him, demanding a new approach to solve life and death problems on an historic scale.

In my book, this makes him a hero of the first degree, not because he suppressed his convictions but because he held mightily to his reason, to his ruthless objectivity to serve his admirably selfish interest in winning the war.

God bless him.

The American Cause

2008-01-22T19:57:00.000-05:00

In His Excellency, Ellis reports that

widespread support for what Washington described as the "American Cause" was in fact cresting, and would never again reach the height it achieved during the Boston siege. "The spirit of '76" should more accurately (if less lyrically) be called "the spirit of late '75 and early '76," because patriotic fervor began to erode just as the war became politically official and militarily threatening.

Ellis goes on to report the following:

The mythological rendition of dedicated citizen-soliders united for eight years in the fight for American libery was, in fact, a romantic fiction designed by later generations to conceal the deep divisions and widespread apathy within the patriot camp.

Interesting. Among other things, this reinforces in my mind the importance of ideas as opposed to trying to accomplish very difficult (to put it gently) goals across time primarily on emotion. An emotion can carry you only so far. An idea can carry you forever, gaining momentum as you continue to feed it daily with your choice to honor it.

"A race of Amazons in America"

2008-01-22T19:35:00.000-05:00

In His Excellency, I came across a particularly enjoyable slice of history.

The context is Washington putting his entire army at risk in the battle in New York during July 1776. Though I'm familiar with how narrowly Washington escaped the British here, I didn't know this—Abigail Adams, upon hearing from husband John that Howe was poised to close the trap utterly to destroy Washington's army, declared "even if all America's brave men were killed or captured...the British army would find itself opposed by 'a race of Amazons in America'".

Man, how I do like Abigail! I admired her when I first got to see her via McCullough's biography of John Adams. But the spirit of that statement sums up so much that is good, all I can say is "Wow!".

Patriots: 18 down and 1 whopper to go

2008-01-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

38 year old Junior Seau is one of the solid players who got the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl. Here's hoping the Patriots can pull off one more win to make NFL history!

Bellini's

2008-01-19T13:24:00.001-05:00

During the holidays, I enjoyed a very nice dinner at Bellini's Italian Eatery in Clifton Park, NY. It was a pleasant surprise because this fine restaurant was in a strip mall. It seemed oddly out of place. But there it thrives as if it were situated in midtown Manhattan.

Since that's quite a hike, I can't return there regularly, of course. However, I was pleased to find that Bellini's has a location at The Shops at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor, CT. That's close to the expansive Buckland Hills Mall, which means it's close to me!

Is Objectivism Winning?

2008-01-19T11:18:00.000-05:00

Some friends recently said that they felt Objectivism wasn't winning.

Winning? By what standard?

My standard of judgment is how this philosophy of reason helps and has helped me personally. By that standard, it has already "won". I put that in quotes because I don't embrace the idea of intrinsicism—the view that things can hold value apart from a valuer. To put it precisely, I won, putting these rational ideas to work for my happiness across decades.

What about the rest of the world? Follow my example. Save your own personal world. The more people who focus first on saving their own world, their own life in it, the better off the world as a whole will be.

That said, the critical question "By what standard?" still applies. "Save your own personal world"? Does that mean I can do whatever the hell I want, stepping all over people in the process? Certainly not—that's a Nietzschean view, not an Objectivist view. The standard of judgment here is man's life, man qua man as a rational animal with a life normally spanning decades.

A full exposition of standards and Objectivism is well outside the scope of this post. For starters, visit the Ayn Rand Institute.

I just wanted to write enough to convey this idea: when you ask a question like that be prepared to state your standards.

Grammar Blogs

2008-01-19T10:53:00.000-05:00

I was happy to stumble across, of all things, grammar blogs. My happy stumble started with a Google search on "moot point". That brought me to a site named "Language Rules!".

During and after college, I invested long stretches of time in learning English grammar. My elementary education on the subject sucked. So, I had tons of work to do overcome the deficiency. I've been told that the hard work is evident in my writing here and elsewhere. While I welcome the compliment, I find that I'm still learning. Precision of thought as well as its expression is a lifelong challenge.

So, it's no surprise that I welcome finding grammar resources on the net. Thank you, virtual grammar community!

Bobby Fischer

2008-01-18T20:17:00.000-05:00

Bobby Fischer has passed away. Growing up during the Cold War era, I regarded him as one of my heroes. His epic chess battles against Soviet Boris Spassky was an integral part of that experience. But his amazing success at such an early age was also one my first experiences seeing a superlative mind in action.

That said, he did not remain one of my heroes.

It's not that I "grew up", which is a rationalization too many use to give up on their values. It's the fact that Fischer turned about to be as nutty as he was brilliant at chess. Check out the Globe article referenced above.

In effect, he was my first exposure to a common phenomenon—a compartmentalized mind, one which applies reason to a very narrow range of human activity but not nearly enough to practical matters, including and especially simple justice to other human beings.

Speaking of justice, that's why I took some time to write about his passing here—to take a moment to remember the best within him. His best was simply amazing and a pleasure to behold.

Computer Incantations For World Peace

2008-01-08T21:40:00.000-05:00

Computer Incantations For World Peace is an upbeat jazz instrumental by Jean-Luc Ponty on his album Individual Choice. It's one of my favorite tunes.

The title makes me smile because it's a silly, sweet sentiment. I don't care what he calls it; I just like it. :^)

16-0!

2007-12-30T10:21:00.000-05:00

In perfect fashion, the New England Patriots finished a perfect regular season.

Now, call me greedy but...if they could just win 3 more.... That is, they need to win their 3 post-season games, including the Super Bowl to complete the magic they've accomplished thus far.

His Excellency

2007-12-29T13:10:00.000-05:00

Mary surprised me with a gift perfect for me—a biography of George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis entitled His Excellency. While I've learned a great deal about Jefferson, Madison, and Adams, Washington has always been on the periphery of my knowledge. Now is a very good time to learn about him in a focused fashion.

The preface has given me a good feeling about Mr. Ellis, who is new to me.

For example, "[George Washington] is in our wallets but not in our hearts." Ellis cites Richard Brookhiser as the source of this quote. This immediately reminded of my friend's observation on how Turks commemorate Atatürk in contrast to how Americans remember Washington.

Well, as much as I admire Washington, I look forward to learning more about him, to anchor him deeper into my heart. I especially look forward to Ellis' scholarship in light of the context in which he writes. For example, in his preface, he reports:

...the reigning orthodoxy in the academy regards Washington as either taboo or an inappropriate subject, and any aspiring doctoral candidate who declares an interest in, say, Washington's career as a commander in chief, or president, has inadvertently confessed intellectual bankruptcy.

Properly, Ellis criticizes this orthodoxy as "thoroughly ahistorical and presentistic." At the same, Ellis writes that he seeks to avoid portraying Washington as a cartoon hero. In short, he says he seeks to portray Washington, the man free of myth.

To this end, he closes his preface with this astute observation:

It seemed to me that Benjamin Franklin was wiser than Washington; Alexander Hamilton was more brilliant; John Adams was better read; Thomas Jefferson was more intellectually sophisticated; James Madison was more politically astute. Yet each and all of these prominent figures acknowledged that Washington was their unquestioned superior. Within the gallery of greats so often mythologized and capitalized as Founding Fathers, Washington was recognized as primus inter pares, The Foundingest Father of them all. Why was that?

I look forward to seeing how Mr. Ellis tackles this question.

New Template

2007-12-29T09:39:00.000-05:00

A couple of days ago, I tried out a new template. Now, I'm trying another one. This one gives me more choices for adding new elements. Also, it includes a widget from Amazon.com. Very cool.

Amazon's widget gives you the option of making some money for referrals to its site. I passed on that for now. The pennies I might make weren't worth the work of reviewing the contract Amazon understandably requires. The cool widget is enough value for me.

If you want to add this widget to your blog, just click the "Get Widget" button. That will take you to a very simple Amazon wizard. All you need to do is make choices.

Technology rocks!

One Chance

2007-12-28T13:09:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to report that I now have a copy of One Chance, Paul Potts' first album following his remarkable performance on the British version of American Idol.

Thank you, Mary!

Force Over Football

2007-12-26T23:20:00.000-05:00

As a New England Patriots fan, I was excited to hear that their upcoming game was going to be broadcast on CBS and NBC. My excitement turned to horror when I learned that this event was happening because our government pointed a gun at the head of the NFL.

The "smoking gun" in this case is the threat of revoking the NFL's "antitrust exemption". That threat confesses the antitrust laws' inherently capricious, arbitrary nature.

As such, they allow the arbitrary use of force for whatever a bureaucrat and/or politician wishes. In this case, it happens to be something as small as a football game. Yes, it's a big game for fans of football. However, our government has made it a far bigger game for anyone who values freedom and hates seeing it slip away.

No Country for Old Men

2007-12-25T09:52:00.000-05:00

No Country for Old Men is the best movie I haven't liked in a while. By that I mean this—evil is cast a potent while the good is feeble. Ayn Rand called this the malevolent universe premise.

No spoilers here. I'll just say that it was interesting to read a Time magazine article about the Coen brothers collaboration with Cormac McCarthy. The Time picture contrasting the brothers with McCarthy told a story in itself. The story in the film ends up being a fusion of gripping story-telling (thank you, Coen brothers, for the screenplay) and the aforementioned malevolent universe premise (no thank you, Mr. McCarthy).

The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog

2007-12-24T16:53:00.000-05:00

On a search for new art work to adorn my newly renovated walls, this candidate (by Caspar Friedrich) caught my eye. The subject appeals to me because of my lifetime of philosophic travel, forging through thousands of years of fog. I stress candidate because this painting is new to me. I'm still digesting it.

What I don't like is that the man is looking down into the fog from his vantage point. It's as if he still has questions lingering in the fog. I'd like to see his head lifted upward toward sunlight and new heights to climb, emphasizing leaving the fog behind forever.

Love seat & chair

2007-12-19T21:05:00.001-05:00

The two final pieces of my new living room furniture arrived today. It blends in perfectly with the color scheme Mary recommended.

My neighbors' playful envy made the delivery fun. They were trying to leave when the furniture truck arrived, blocking their path. Since there were only two pieces to deliver, they waited. While they waited, they ooh'ed and ahh'ed the love seat and said playful stuff like "You shouldn't have gone to such lengths to buy us Christmas presents! Hey, why are they bringing that stuff into your place? Our condo is over here!"

Covet away, good neighbor. Just keep yer paws off! ;^)

Of course, I called Mary right away, not only to tell her how happy I was about how it all looked together but to call her a genius. Her excellent judgment hit another homerun.

Must Be Jelly

2007-12-18T21:32:00.000-05:00

Gotta take a moment out of my chores to sing the praises of Must Be Jelly by William Clarke. The xylophone woven with the mean harmonica and the rest of the arrangement makes it complete for me. Damn, I love this song!

My thanks to Pandora.com for introducing me to his music.

Will Ferrell & the Landlord

2007-12-14T13:50:00.000-05:00

Now, I'm not a big fan of Will Ferrell, but why does this make me laugh?

Miata vs Maserati

2007-12-01T19:57:00.000-05:00

This summer, Mary and I paid a visit to her sister in Maine. While we were there, she let us drive one of her cars. Not big on cars, all I keyed in on was that it was sporty and close to the ground. I loved it. Later, relating it to friends, all I recalled was that its name started with M. I ended up confusing Maserati with Miata. I drove the latter not the former.

Later, I was duly corrected as to the magnitude of my gaffe. Yikes!

So, here's the evidence. Me in a...Miata!

Of course, we're in the driveway before take off. Unfortunately, Mary could not run fast enough in front of the car on the highway to catch me in action. (Come on, Honey! Put some effort into it!) ;^)

Ok, I'm ready to go, baybee!

Vrrrrroooom, Vrrrrroooom!

Tecnu

2007-11-26T20:40:00.000-05:00

This is more a reminder to myself than a plug to you for a product named Tecnu. I mention it because I'm now about 6 weeks into trying to get over a serious bout of poison ivy.

Yes, I've seen a doctor. Prednisone was part of my treatment. That got the worst out but more lingered. My doctor thinks it may have triggered shingles. Though I doubt that I can't argue with the success of the medication he prescribed: famciclovir; the remainder of the rash is retreating quickly now.

Phew!

Hence my advocacy of Tecnu. Had I used it within 8 hours of raking piles and piles of leaves for Mary, I could have been spared a lot of discomfort. The stuff is effective in removing the oils within poison ivy that bonds to your skin. It's even fairly good in mild cases of poison ivy once you get it.

Live and learn. :^)

Pacifica Space Saver

2007-11-24T16:17:00.001-05:00

I spotted this little number at Bed, Bath, and Beyond while shopping for other bathroom items. Now, as you can see, it's part of my new bathroom. To the right, you can see my new brushed nickel towel holders. All at affordable prices, thanks to the many genuine virtues of capitalism. Life is so very good.

Thanksgiving: Capitalism vs Communism aka Life vs Death

2007-11-24T09:41:00.000-05:00

John Stossel has an interesting and very short article posted at http://www.nysun.com/article/66843?page_no=1. Check it out. Its content gave rise to this post's title.

TV/DVD Stand

2007-11-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

Finally, here's a pic of the TV/DVD stand. The speakers on top are supposed to be surround sound but they don't work, at least not yet. I'm still trying to fathom that part.

If my struggle with the DVD player speakers continue, I'll just return the DVD set to the store and stick with a simpler system. Besides, the placement of the surround sound speakers requires more work than I'm willing to do for the space with which I'm working.

Not shown is my VCR. Can't get that to work yet either. It's heading to storage for now. More pressing tasks await. :^)

Coffee table

2007-11-21T10:03:00.001-05:00

Check out this coffee table we picked up at Pilgrim Furniture in Southington. It's an excellent space saver.

No company? No problem. Just leave the set as is.

Guests arrive? As needed, just roll out one or more of the four stools. Each has a soft, microfiber cover.

This coffee table is part of the set I purchased over the weekend. The set includes a long TV stand, love seat, and comfy chair. The love seat and chair set are on order with delivery scheduled for sometime in early January. The TV stand is not ready for a pic yet. Still messy in that area. Stay tuned.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-20T10:24:00.000-05:00

If you haven't already seen my post about Thanksgiving, you can view it here.

This year finds me especially thankful for my personal experience with a genuine producer, Mary. She's an attorney, a good mother, an office/operations manager, actively involved in her town, my personal general contractor and home improvement consultant, and much more. I count my many blessings.

While we're counting, here's a snapshot of the latest fruit of our labor.

Gone now is a 20 year old small metal medicine cabinet. This one is a foot wider and, as you can see, wood. It's loaded with space for my supplies and Mary's. This combined with the increased acreage in the vanity has gone a long way to boost my condo's eventual resale value as well as its value to me now.

Technical note: With just the two of us trying to mount this big, bulky thing to the wall as neatly as possible, I turned my attention to options for handling that. The thought of my arms shaking and tiring quickly while Mary, properly, took her time to get the positioning just right was solid motivation. The idea I came up with was scaffolding. Two plastic crates proved to be perfect foundations for this idea. We mounted them over the faucets and then added my drill case, a couple of one inch wood blocks, and, finally, a few shims to get everything perfectly level and positioned at precisely the right height. From there, all I had to do was to hold the cabinet steady while Mary drilled the holes and applied the toggle bolts into the dry wall.

The light fixture above it is new too. The previous light fixture was built into the old cabinet. It was a dusty mess. The electrician I hired on Mary's recommendation did an excellent job. He had to punch a hole in the wall to install a junction box and then snake a wire to handle the lights at the higher level you see here to make room for this healthy sized medicine cabinet.

While the electrician was here, I had him install an electrical outlet on the kitchen wall. Not having one there had been forcing me into having electrical cords straying across traffic paths. Things are much neater now...thanks to this particular producer—my electrician.

2007 has been a year of productive effort from the following crew:

Carpet installers (Lowe's)
Tile installers (Lowe's)
Painters (me and Mary, especially Mary's knowledge of patching all kinds of holes)
Ceiling scrapers (me and Mary)
Furniture movers/installers (me and Mary) and toilet remover/installer (me)
Plumbers (Lowe's dishwasher installation & Fletcher's rebuilding my washer/dryer pipes)
Washer/dryer mover—(me; This was one of my biggest coups. I found a set of heavy duty metal casters at Lowe's to deal with the substantial challenge of moving my large washer/dryer from a very tight space alone. It was a job for 2 young, fit men. Narrowly avoiding the loss of the tip of one of my fingers, I managed to perch (precariously) the washer/dryer onto the casters and then fought it past the old carpet tacking that was still under it. Once I got it clear of its narrow confines, I finished mounting the washer/dryer safely onto the casters with Mary's welcome assistance. The casters now sit permanently under the washer/dryer for easy maintenance—just roll that puppy out as if were in a drawer!
Town dump transporters (me and Mary)
Linoleum removers (me and Lowe's)
Wallpaper removers (me and Mary)
Wallpaper installers (Mary and her apprentice, me)

All this and more was a logical extension of my decades long integration of Ayn Rand's ideas (Objectivism) into the fabric of my life. Ideas are not mere words that float in conversations...if you take ideas seriously. Ideas are calls to action. Honoring an idea in action requires you to do something many don't do—hold context across time.

"Life is good" my friends often hear me say. Well, that fact is now vividly evident in the structure of my home, literally from floor to ceiling, wall to wall. The permanence of lovely tile states it clearly, calmly, and surely. The sturdy, reflective wallpaper echoes it lightly. The new ceiling fan and light fixtures echo it. My new furniture and high definition TV (pics forthcoming) reflect it.

Holding context across the decades of my life, I have passed by the disappointing spirits that gave up along the way, thinking that maturity consisted of abandoning the eternally youthful vision projected in Ayn Rand's writing. Few things are more immature than such a spiritual surrender.

So, here I am, 30 years after reading the introduction to the 25th anniversary edition of The Fountainhead, wrapping up condo renovations to set the stage for the next stage of my life and the welcome challenges it holds.

That said, let me give thanks to the most important passage of non-fiction I ever read:

The best of mankind’s youth start life with an undefined sense of enormous expectation, the sense that one’s life is important, that great achievements are within one’s capacity, and that great things lie ahead.

It is not in the nature of man—nor of any living entity—to start out by giving up, by spitting in one’s own face and damning existence; that requires a process of corruption whose rapidity differs from man to man. Some give up at the first touch of pressure; some sell out; some run down by imperceptible degrees and lose their fire, never knowing when or how they lose it. Then all of these vanish in the vast swamp of their elders who tell them persistently that maturity consists of abandoning one’s mind; security, of abandoning one’s values; practicality, of losing self-esteem. Yet a few hold on and move on, knowing that the fire is not to be betrayed, learning how to give it shape, purpose and reality. But whatever their future, at the dawn of their lives, men seek a noble vision of man’s nature and of life’s potential.

There are very few guideposts to find. The Fountainhead is one of them.

That is one of the cardinal reasons of The Fountainhead’s lasting appeal: it is the confirmation of the spirit of youth, proclaiming man’s glory, showing how much is possible.

Chicago Blues...

2007-11-19T11:45:00.000-05:00

...is one of the cool stations I was able to set as one of my favorites at Pandora.com. Mary and I enjoyed the blues during the renovations to my living room & kitchen.

Pandora

2007-11-14T22:30:00.000-05:00

Check out Pandora.com. It's basically a free, personalized radio station. You set it up to play music you like.

While doing that, the site takes into account what you've already played and starts playing similar music from other artists you may like. If you hear something you don't like, click the "thumbs up" to signal your pleasure. Otherwise, thumbs down or, if you're on the fence, ignore it. Thumbs down ends the song immediately and a new song starts playing.

Easy stuff.

I've found some nice tunes for my iPod using this site. For example, I created a Tangerine Dream station. Right now, Pandora is playing The Real Dream of Sails by Harold Budd. Never heard of him before but I like this soothing music in this context of late night typing, ending my broadcast day. :^)

Earth-rise, courtesy of Japan

2007-11-14T06:46:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this yet? It caught me unaware of Japan's space technology. Wonderful!

Growing up in the 60s, "Made in Japan" was a common joke. Talk about being light years away from that context!

Bathroom Upgrade

2007-11-12T20:36:00.000-05:00

Well, at long last, I've finally found some time to report on major changes to my condo's bathroom. I opted not to collect before pics. It's sufficient that those who have seen it will appreciate the contrast.

Reminder: Click a pic to see it enlarged.

Vanity

First, check out this vanity. It's 36 inches wide vs. the old one's 24. For my taste, I had too much space on either side. I wanted to fill it with something attractive as well as gain drawers (none in the older one) and ample storage space to reduce counter clutter.

This pic also gives you the first view of my new wallpaper. I really like this pattern. I like how it catches the light as well as blending in with the other light colors of the room.

Sink

This pic is a closer look at the granite sink. It was on sale at Home Depot. It's quite a contrast to the cheap vinyl top of my previous counter top.

Wallpaper

This pic shows a corner of the bathroom to highlight the new wallpaper. However, looking at it now, I realize it needs something there to set it off well. The shopping continues!

Shower

This final pic is, of course, of my shower stall. Check out the tile about it. That space right under the shower nozzle was previously occupied by peeling, thin wallpaper. How the previous owner/builder thought it prudent to place wallpaper (not even wallpaper suitable to a heavy water area) directly underneath a shower nozzle escapes me. Worse, the wallpaper was affixed without first priming the drywall.

Now, as you can see, tile adorns the area above the shower. Sensible and pleasing to the eye, at least to my eye. This angle also shows the kind of look Mary and I were going for in our selections—wallpaper, tile, and tub juxtaposed. The new shower nozzle and its extension have been a welcome treat.

Missing here is a pic of the new nickle plated light fixture and the new towel rods. We're not done with those yet. More to follow.

I can't end without thanking Mary effusively for her relentless help in every detail, including installing the wallpaper. Productivity is a major Objectivist virtue. Mary owns that virtue in spades!

Red Sox 2007 World Champions!

2007-10-30T12:02:00.000-04:00

Yup, my beloved Red Sox have done it again. I've come out of blog hibernation to cheer their success. I've been watching or, more often lately, listening to them while I've been deep into renovating my condo, working & living atop a concrete floor for weeks.

My favorite quote on the Sox achievement comes from the Boston Globe: 2004 was an exorcism. 2007 is an exclamation point. Red Sox rule!

That said, unlike conventional Sox fans, I don't like the chant "Yankees suck!". I admire the storied Yankees history! I don't like Steinbrenner. Torre is a great manager and deserved better. That said, thanks Steinbrenner for making it a bit easier for the Sox to win the eastern division of the American League again...and again and...!

Wi-Fi Rookie

2007-07-26T19:53:00.000-04:00

I'm happy to report that I'm now on the Wi-Fi bandwagon. Mary already has it working at her place. I spent a tedious but ultimately fruitful afternoon getting it to work at my own place.

If you haven't already heard, Wi-Fi is an acronym for wireless fidelity. What it means to a techie homebody like me is this—no wires to connect to the internet!

Now, my place is not big. Still, I like the option of being able to watch a movie on my laptop in bed and quickly switch to IMDB.com to learn a little more about a particular actor or get a quick update on the Red Sox.

More importantly, my place can be much neater now that it's not dependent on the odd location (the middle of the kitchen wall!) of my internet connection. Instead, I can park my netgear there and have my computer elsewhere. Ahhhh.

Since I'm geeking out here, let me sing the praises of NetGear. This will include a discordant note about Linksys.

Today, I tried to use Linksys for the second time. The first time, over a year ago, the Linksys router simply died on me after less than a year. Back then, I had no interest in using it as a wireless device. I simply pulled cables into it.

This time, I tried to go wireless with it. It took me through a long installation process only to end up killing my internet connection.

Rubbing salt in the wound was Best Buy, from whom I had purchased the router. The salesman told me it would cost $50 to get it set up if I had any trouble. So, off I went to my home to do the set up. Wasted hours and another road trip later, the guy at the Geek Squad desk said help would cost me well over $150. I don't think it was a bait and switch but it felt like one. More likely, the sales guy just screwed up. In any event, I was not happy. End of sale. Gimme my money back.

On the way home, I decided to give Staples a try. It was a long shot, since local Staples help, especially on techie stuff can be spotty. But, then, it's spotty everywhere. Genuinely good techs are hard to find. Lo and behold, I found one!

Given my bad luck with Linksys, I opted for Netgear. This time, I got another failure message but immediately. This was, oddly enough, progress. This made it clear that the installation CD was messed up. Specifically, the message was "Ethernet card defective"—that is, the card with which I was able to connect to the internet successfully without Netgear.

So, on another long shot, I call the Netgear support line. Wonder of wonders, I got a live person in under 5 minutes! Her Indian accent was a little thick and hard to decipher at times but that was minor compared to this all important fact—she knew her stuff!

In short order, she had me toss out the CD. That was replaced with a Netgear site that worked directly with my Netgear router. She guided me expertly through the setup steps successfully.

As a bonus, she helped me secure the Wi-Fi network so my neighbors couldn't tap into it. For this, Best Buy was going to charge me $150...on top of the $100+ for the hardware. Instead, Netgear handed me the knowledge gratis, as an integal part of the router installation.

So, in my book, Netgear rocks! Linksys? Not so much. Best Buy? From now on, I'll give Staples the first shot.

P.S., For $25, I was able to connect an old, pre-Wi-Fi era computer to Mary's Wi-Fi network. This gadget the size of some new car keys plugs into a USB port and voilà—wireless internet connection! Nice!

Brendan's Bar & Grill

2007-07-23T21:43:00.000-04:00

If you're ever in NYC in the vicinity of Times Square and the Empire State Building, consider dining at Brendan's Bar & Grill. Mary and I had dinner there recently.

We were happily suprised. Our expectations were low because this establishment's appearance from the outside is plain, on a side street away from the heavy pedestrain traffic. This turns out to be a virtue; that is, if you're interested in a good meal in a pleasant, quiet setting in the midst of NYC's hustle and bustle.

Two thumbs up.

Tracking US Flights

2007-07-22T18:45:00.000-04:00

Did you know that you can track US flights at http://flightaware.com? I didn't until recently. I've found it handy to keep track of friends and family coming and going cross-country. And it's free.

Paul Potts Review

2007-07-09T08:39:00.000-04:00

For more on the Paul Potts story, check out this review.

Brooklyn Bridge

2007-07-07T08:58:00.001-04:00

This romantized view of the Brooklyn Bridge is a fitting image for my recommendation that you read The Great Bridge by David McCullough.

Like the bridge's web of suspension cables, rich human stories are woven into it as well, deeper than the cables' roots in the bedrock under the twin gothic towers. To really see the bridge, read this book. Look at the spirit of man in action.

By man, I don't just mean men, of course. A key player in this epic story is Emily Roebling, chief engineer Washington Roebling's wife. Without her, it's not the same bridge. Look at how she saved the day after her husband is striken with what we now know as the bends but was then a complete mystery. Look at how she is honored at the completion of the bridge.

Look at the fragile, dramatic nature of history as Washington Roebling survives the battle at Gettysburg and ends up as the bridge's chief engineer, effectively finishing the design from memory!

Look especially at the injustice hurled at Roebling by the press. Then, contrast that to the tepid reaction to the glaring fraud committed against Roebling and the cities of Brooklyn and New York. Then, consider who we honor today when we visit the bridge.

Look at the backdrop of the bridge's creation, featuring the rise and fall of Tammany Hall.

Look at the unknown heroes who contributed to the building of the bridge and, in effect, New York City's first skyscrapers.

Look at all this and more. Then, look again at the bridge. See not just the landmark but the spirit it represents, the spirit we need to embrace to build even greater achievements now and for the future.

The Best of Two Worlds?

2007-06-28T22:50:00.000-04:00

What, pray tell, was I shopping for in the mall, a friend asks? A computer, a laptop to be precise.

A long time Windows user (but not a Windows "bigot"), I wanted to see if I could reasonably straddle the technical fence between Windows and Mac. My interest has been piqued by news of Apple's Boot Camp and third-party software named Parallels.

So, I walked into West Farms Apple store to ask a salesman about it. He wanted to sell me a laptop, of course, but he steered me away with the report that Boot Camp is still in beta. He couldn't speak to Parallels. His main point was approach this option carefully, if at all. The concept is still new.

That's enough to put me off Mac for a while. My livelihood is based on the Windows world. I have no problem with the Mac world. In fact, I was sorely tempted by the excellent quality of the Mac Pro diplays.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I welcome them. In the meantime, it looks like I'll have to stick with the Windows world and buy a laptop suited to it.

Cafe Nordstrom

2007-06-28T21:08:00.000-04:00

This is a plug for Cafe Nordstrom in West Hartford, CT. It's tucked away in an out-of-the-way corner of Nordstroms, on it's second level. The salad I ordered was the best I've had in a long time. It was a tasty mix of goat cheese, chicken, greens, thin slices of green apples, apple chips, some kind of crunchy sweet nuts, and more. Very yummy and quite filling!

Its out-of-the-way location lent itself to this unusual mall event -- no teenagers. It may have been the hour (between 5 PM and 6 PM) and the day of the week (Thursday). Whatever the cause, the effect was pleasant and welcome.

Also, being in the corner of the mall, there were windows. Ahh, there's a world out there!

The price was a little more than an average salad but it was well worth it. I'll be back!