Do you like ideologies? Do you like screaming political arguments? Then "education" is the subject for you!
Why is education so fraught? I seriously have somewhere from little to no idea. In the USA, education takes up a very large amount of tax money. The strange thing is that the taxes are almost all local -- usually in the form of real estate taxes. The Federal government spends a relatively small amount of the money which is spent.
The percentage of GDP the US spends on education seems fairly average. But that's a wack way of describing spending. One might intuit, for instance, that poorer countries would spend a larger portion of their GDP on education. And except for Cuba that doesn't seem to be the case.
A better way might be looking at the percentage of education spending of the GDP/capita. Although honestly I can't even read the charts.
Much of the fights in the US has to do with class sizes. Nobody argues that smaller class sizes aren't better. They clearly are. But the question is do we want to spend that much money on education?
To me it's kind of stunning that the answer many people have to that question is "no".
What would be in the interest of preventing an otherwise formidable instance without the means.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Vinniegenius!
Vincent Marano in Clonehunter |
Vincent Marano and David Ian Lee (with Angela Funk just visible) in Clonehunter. |
Buy your tickets now!
Exactly
Editor J. Blake Fichera interviews Steve Cropper.
Blender 3D has a motion tracker! It does not look easy to use. One day I'm sure it will be. But having a built-in motion tracker is super tres awesome.
This is a pretty good list of 6 Things About Shooting Fight Scenes from the Angry Nun.
Blender 3D has a motion tracker! It does not look easy to use. One day I'm sure it will be. But having a built-in motion tracker is super tres awesome.
This is a pretty good list of 6 Things About Shooting Fight Scenes from the Angry Nun.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Nat Cassidy
Nat Cassidy won the IT Award for being awesome his solo performance of Things at the Doorstep. Here he is with Basil Twist.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Outstanding Stage Manager
Who won the Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Stage Manager in 2011?
Why it was Laura Schlachtmeyer! Nominated for two (!) shows she was an amazing recipient who had to follow three actors: Greg Bodine, Nat Cassidy, and Rob Neill giving her props before they called her up.
Then it was all red carpet treatment for the Queen of Mars.
Laura Schlachtmeyer with her 2011 Outstanding Stage Manager Award |
Then it was all red carpet treatment for the Queen of Mars.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Biggest Brother
Here's mah bigger brother David. He's all retired now.
I really like this picture. Taken at magic hour at my parent's in Princeton. I realize his eyes are dark. And yes, that is his travel coffee mug to scale.
But I think we've persuaded him to keep his hair (this) long rather than getting a buzz cut just 'cause it looks so nice.
I really like this picture. Taken at magic hour at my parent's in Princeton. I realize his eyes are dark. And yes, that is his travel coffee mug to scale.
But I think we've persuaded him to keep his hair (this) long rather than getting a buzz cut just 'cause it looks so nice.
Speaking of Computers
Or: Drew was wrong.
My parents had the worst Internet connection of anyone I knew. "Had". My eldest brother Dave, with whom I've been wrong before, bought our dad a new router for his birthday. I said that "no way is that going to work."
Well, it worked smashingly. YouTube videos come right up. You can surf anywhere and do anything at any time.
I have no idea. I guess that really was the bottleneck. Oddly, my dad's computer was actually hard-wired into the router and still was slow as molasses.
In furtherance of the demonstration of my ignorance:
Video cards confuse me to no end. The numbering and nomenclature of the things just... well it seems random and insane.
Find the Best has a comparison chart of graphics cards. Tom's Hardware, of course, probably has the definitive comparison.
The thing about Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul is that nobody cares about your soul. It has no value whatsoever. Which is actually more than your movie is worth. Ha! The only examples of movies which make a little bit of money are documentaries that hit up some under-served demographic.
My parents had the worst Internet connection of anyone I knew. "Had". My eldest brother Dave, with whom I've been wrong before, bought our dad a new router for his birthday. I said that "no way is that going to work."
Well, it worked smashingly. YouTube videos come right up. You can surf anywhere and do anything at any time.
I have no idea. I guess that really was the bottleneck. Oddly, my dad's computer was actually hard-wired into the router and still was slow as molasses.
In furtherance of the demonstration of my ignorance:
Video cards confuse me to no end. The numbering and nomenclature of the things just... well it seems random and insane.
Find the Best has a comparison chart of graphics cards. Tom's Hardware, of course, probably has the definitive comparison.
The thing about Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul is that nobody cares about your soul. It has no value whatsoever. Which is actually more than your movie is worth. Ha! The only examples of movies which make a little bit of money are documentaries that hit up some under-served demographic.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Post 2500
Erf. So I'm at my home with all my siblings and they insisted on watching our new movie. Of course, nobody can understand the movie. And ergads. The mix has what we might call problems.
This is from the DVD I just got from Amazon.
I don't know exactly what's wrong. At first I thought the surrounds were up way too loud. But it's only a stereo mix.
So now I'm thinking that we're hearing both the main stereo mix and the M&E mix at the same time. I've heard that sound in my life. And this is what that sounds like.
That means the dialog is about 6dB quieter than it ought to be.
Oof.
This is from the DVD I just got from Amazon.
I don't know exactly what's wrong. At first I thought the surrounds were up way too loud. But it's only a stereo mix.
So now I'm thinking that we're hearing both the main stereo mix and the M&E mix at the same time. I've heard that sound in my life. And this is what that sounds like.
That means the dialog is about 6dB quieter than it ought to be.
Oof.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Email Wages and Watches
Alex Epstein mentions the "one point per email" thing. Some people can seriously only handle you making one point in an email. They can only respond to one point. I'm not one of those people. That being said, I try to only hit those kinds of people (if I can identify them) with only one point in an email. It's just one of the multitudinous ways in which all of mankind is different. Ahh... the Xanax is kicking in...
Here are wage-and-hour resources for employers. I can't fathom why any commercial employer would want to have a lower minimum wage. Every employer I know of needs people to have money to buy whatever they're selling. So, uh, yeah. The Quaaludes are just now kicking in...
Mitchell, who is the king of the new and the cool, has a couple of these LunaTik watches. Mmm... the opium is kicking in...
Here are wage-and-hour resources for employers. I can't fathom why any commercial employer would want to have a lower minimum wage. Every employer I know of needs people to have money to buy whatever they're selling. So, uh, yeah. The Quaaludes are just now kicking in...
Mitchell, who is the king of the new and the cool, has a couple of these LunaTik watches. Mmm... the opium is kicking in...
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
A Dark Day Indeed
Rebecca Kush went to get chocolate today. Only to find this:
The horrors. Varsano's is closed today.
I have to wait like 20 hours just to get some chocolate.
Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. I'm not sure how I'll make it overnight, but I'll manage. Somehow.
The horrors. Varsano's is closed today.
I have to wait like 20 hours just to get some chocolate.
Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. I'm not sure how I'll make it overnight, but I'll manage. Somehow.
Monday, September 12, 2011
"That's like a lame sub-species of vampire."
Stacy Shirley's Monster Hunt.
It's a vampire - hunter reality TV show. Awesome.
It's a vampire - hunter reality TV show. Awesome.
Friday, September 09, 2011
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Banta Pudu!
From David Ian Lee, via rawrimagoat. Maybe that's the other way 'round. Anyway, this composite looks better than what they did in the movie.
I love how the ears pop up above the letterbox.
Also, man, they got the eye lines right. Ha!
I love how the ears pop up above the letterbox.
Also, man, they got the eye lines right. Ha!
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Monday, September 05, 2011
Friday, September 02, 2011
Classic Science Fiction

The Classic Science Fiction Channel.
The new Blogger interface has found drafts of things for me.
I may have already published duplicate copies.
I don't know. I may never know.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Real Numbers
Kameron Hurley writes some real numbers regarding the advance and sales of her book.
The bugs are yukky but I dig her novels. Or at least the one I read. The second one ain't come out yet.
If this blog were a book it'd be 880 pages long. Or thereabouts. I mean, if it were laid out as a book-from-a-blog using BookSmart or some such.
The bugs are yukky but I dig her novels. Or at least the one I read. The second one ain't come out yet.
If this blog were a book it'd be 880 pages long. Or thereabouts. I mean, if it were laid out as a book-from-a-blog using BookSmart or some such.
Red Bleeds

Here you can see the smearing in the background and in the hanging thread. Still, it's a beautiful effect.
There are less-saturated reds one can get away with on video and film.
I love the eye makeup in this image.
From http://incredimazing.com/page/Amazing_Female_Body_Art
Did I publish this post a long time ago? It's been saved as a "draft" in my blogger.
Ninite. For Windows and Linux. It's a multi-installer for a whole batch of useful programs.
I've been reading some labor-law blogs. They're pretty much all universally anti-union. They seem anti-union even when... there's no reason to be.
Labor Board delivers a three-punch knockout for Unions.
Um. Don't you have to do that anyway? If you have a company that big, don't you have an HR department? I mean, really? Isn't negotiating pay your job?
It seems that a lot of management-oriented folks are knee-jerk anti-union. I don't really see the purpose to being anti-union just for the sake of being anti-union.
I've been reading some labor-law blogs. They're pretty much all universally anti-union. They seem anti-union even when... there's no reason to be.
Labor Board delivers a three-punch knockout for Unions.
- if an employer voluntarily recognizes a union as a collective bargaining representative for a particular unit of the workforce, then employees in that bargaining unit must wait at least six months to file a decertification petition.
- an existing union will have at least six months after the parties' first bargaining session and no more than one year after the start of bargaining to bargain with the successor company.
- this decision now clears the way for unions "to organize sub-units of an employer -- such as employees of one department -- as opposed to an entire facility." Imagine having to negotiate with ten different micro-bargaining units. Oy!
Um. Don't you have to do that anyway? If you have a company that big, don't you have an HR department? I mean, really? Isn't negotiating pay your job?
It seems that a lot of management-oriented folks are knee-jerk anti-union. I don't really see the purpose to being anti-union just for the sake of being anti-union.
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