Standard Time Blues

We're back to standard time today. It's 5:30PM and it's pitch black outside. And, it's only going to get darker, sooner, as we approach the winter solstice. Hey, at least we have good coffee.

Seattle Voting Guide: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Votes

Recently, The Believer published short book reviews based on one sentence selected at random from the book in question. Why limit this system to book reviews? What if we, say, look at people's pictures published in election guides, and use those to decide who to vote for? Great idea!

King County Executive
Both Ron Sims and David Irons look friendly enough, almost to the point of being neighborly. But, I don't know; being the Executive of King County requires more charisma. A higher level of poise and self-assurance, perhaps. An ability to enchant someone into going your way, one could say. That's why my vote goes with Gentry Lange. He's got that movie-star look of confidence, and that ability to hold your gaze while he tells you about his policy ideas on voting transparency. Pretty soon you'll forget what the topic at hand is, while you instead compliment Gentry on his well-tailored look.

Sheriff
Sheriffs are supposed to keep the peace. Most sheriffs I've seen (well, technically, they're Rangers) wear cowboy hats. Walker is a great example (played by that tirelessly obtuse actor, Chuck Norris). Now, who would look better in a cowboy hat, keeping the peace in King County? Sue Rahr, hands down. Greg Schmidt looks a bit too much like a television evangelist to garner my vote.

King County Council - District 1
Gosh, this is a tough one. Both Bob Ferguson and Steven Pyeatt look like high school science teachers. On that metric, I think Bob wins out on the techy/nerdy look. We need someone familiar with quarks on the council, after all.

King County Council - District 2
Larry Gossett is the clear winner in this photo race. He looks like a guy as comfortable sitting on the council deciding on policy as he does sitting in your backyard, enjoying a beer at a cookout. Brian Thomas looks downright angry at you, and Morgan Catha looks like he's fifteen.

King County Council - District 3
Well, Kathy Lambert is running unopposed. I think that's why she looks so happy. And confident. I mean, talk about the comfort of knowing that you're pretty much guaranteed another term. Has to be nice.

King County Council - District 4
Wow, more happiness here. Both Larry Phillips and Ed Pottharst are just so happy to have the chance to be elected. This is a toughie...can I vote for Kathy again?

King County Council - District 8
Ah! A competitor to Kathy's happiness - John Potter. So, my first impression of Dow Constantine is he has the slick and finesse of a lawyer (indeed, he received a law degree from UW). That may serve him well in front of a jury, convincing people that it wasn't actually the defendant, dressed in a chicken costume, who robbed that convenience store while doing the chicken dance. But this King County Council spot needs someone a bit more casual. More friendly. More "chummy". Thankfully, John Potter fills that role quite well. I mean, c'mon: he's bursting with happiness and is ready to buy you and your kid a present for Christmas just for you considering a vote for him.

King County Council - District 9
While I admit my first inclination was to vote for Reagan Dunn (so much finesse!), on second glance he looks a little too polished. District 9 needs someone who isn't afraid to get in there and get his or her hands dirty. Shirley A. Gaunt-Smith's got the edge here. Reagan's suit is just too clean.

Port of Seattle - Commissioner - Positions 1, 3, and 4
If you're a Port Commissioner, you better have some sea legs. A sailor's life have ye, maybe with a tinge of pirate, to be able to control what comes in and what goes out of our ports. To that effect, Lawrence Molloy trumps John Creighton, Richard "Rich" Berkowitz beats Lloyd Hara (nice mustache, Rich!), and Patricia "Pat" Davis is ahead of Jack Jolley (I'll give you that Pat needs a sailor's hat to complete the image).

City of Seattle - Mayor
Al Runte has that laser-like, no-BS look in his eye. Like a hungry tiger, he's ready to pounce on the issues facing Seattle and tackle them to the ground. To Al, Greg Nickels must look like a gazelle.

City of Seattle - City Attorney
Come on, Tom Carr. Could you find no other lawyer in Seattle to spar with on the field of election battle? This is why you look so bored. Stop dealing with the issues and start looking for an opponent!

Federal Way Fire Department - Commissioner - Position 1
Mark L. Thompson. I'm severely disappointed in you. Much more so than Tom Carr, see. You couldn't find one picture to submit to the election guide? What gives? I'm writing myself in for this one, despite the fact I don't live in Federal Way.

Seattle Popular Monorail Authority - Board Member - Position 8
The Monorail is in trouble. If voters pass the revised plan, we'll need someone intimately familiar with all facets of the project to make progress. Cindi Laws looks decent enough...but wait, there's something about Beth Goldberg.... Ah! She's outdoors, which is exactly where the monorail will be! Beth is in her natural element here; she has to know what's she's doing with stuff that's out of doors.

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You know, on a serious note, I bet these images actually do play a part in how people vote. If that's true, that's sad. Read up on your candidates and go vote, people.

Podcast Class?

This article on Purdue podcasting class lectures has me split. On the one hand, it's a great convenience in case you need to miss a class. On the other hand, it's one step closer to virtualizing the whole classroom experience. If you have the podcast, plus the class lecture powerpoint, plus online practice questions, plus IM/video chat with your TA...then, well, why are you physically on campus?

Maybe that's the point...it is, after all, cheaper for the institution. I still feel it's a suboptimal way to learn. Maybe I'm just an old hat, though. Still, I wouldn't feel like I was getting my money's worth unless I could actually interact (physically or virtually) with a professor, ask questions, get feedback, and so on.

Halloween Costumes

We spent this weekend going from costume ideas to actual costumes for next weekend's Halloween party. The results?

- Traci's going to be Rosie the Riveter, complete with blue coveralls, red bandana, boots, and a "Rosie" name tag.
- Yours truly will be Jesus, complete with robe, sash, crown of thorns, sandals, and stigmata on the hands and feet. I'll also wear my hair down for the occasion (hey, Irwin always thought I was Jesus back in college, when I walked out of the shower in a towel).

Should be fun. And, judging by others' costume ideas, the above are pretty tame in comparison. Fun times indeed.

Bird Flu Arrives in Greece

Well, it's happened. Bird flu has arrived on the island of Inousses, near the island of Chios, Greece (for reference, that's here). Articles state that testing of birds in areas near Turkey led to the discovery.

That's the bad news. The further bad news is that we don't know whether this is a trailing discovery of sorts, meaning that other birds (or people) have been contaminated and have moved to other islands.

The good news is that it should be relatively easy to contain this infection, given the nature of an island. The tough part, naturally, will be to control transports of birds into and out of the island, as well as the testing of local villagers to ensure they're not infected.

As some say, it's a "lottery" whether the flu will mutate into a form that transmits easily to and between humans. Better safe than sorry in this case, as our story on a preventive vaccine is not that great.

New Commerce Arrivals

I'm not big on malls, or shopping for that matter. But one of the better bath & body retailers (Lush) and tea purveyors (Teavana) have arrived in the 'burbs (Bellevue Square Mall, to be exact). Too bad they're not within walking distance, but hey, not having to drive 3 hours or order by mail is kind of nice.

Georgia Tech Gets A Bomb

This news report is pretty scary. I didn't expect Georgia Tech to be the center of any "terrorist act", whatever its motivation. I guess I was wrong.

I used to live in the Glenn dorm my freshman year, along with Scott and Irwin. I remember spending many a time in that courtyard between Glenn and Cloudman.

I'm eager to hear what the leads turn up, in terms of both a perpetrator and a motive.

Gillette Fusion: More Blades, Less Interest

Gillette, in pursuit of "a better way to shave", has announced plans for their Fusion line of razors. The big news? 5 blades.

Hard to contain your excitement, isn't it? I mean, 5 whole blades "spaced 30 percent closer together than MACH3 blades". Wow. I can't wait to try out that "5 blade Shaving Surface(tm)". I mean, it's got to be, what...2-blade-units better than the MACH3, right? Sign me up!

I'm seriously considering switching to a Merkur "Classic" Safety Razor. Nice write up here, courtesy of Cool Tools. $26 for the shaver & 1 blade, but then replacement blades are much cheaper than most other cartridge-based razors.

Seattle Monorail: Piñata, Anyone?

I'm sick and tired of the Seattle Monorail. The plan to build an elevated transit system in Seattle, approved on November 2002, has suffered piss-poor planning from the beginning. Some interesting background here, here, and, amusingly, here.

• In June, the Seattle Monorail board revealed the project would cost $11 billion dollars over 50 years, including $9 billion in bond interest. That's four times the initial estimated cost.
• The revised financial plan assumes car tab taxes will grow faster than most experts predict, according to Mayor Nickels.
• The "shortened" line that's currently being put to voters is, in my opinion, a hastily-drawn compromise that doesn't have clear cost/benefit numbers, and doesn't reflect any qualities of a well-planned, financed, and sustainable public project.

So, instead, I propose the following: let's cut the Monorail, and instead use the money we've collected to date from the car tab tax to throw a big party.

• We'll have an entire weekend of free food and fun in different parts of the city that the monorail could have (but won't) serve - Seattle Center, Ballard, Queen Anne, Alki.
• We'll have information about Sound Transit's light rail plans (which is actually being built) and alternatives to driving in the city.
• We'll buy a bike for everyone who needs it. No excuses for leaving your car at home for a quick errand, people.
• And, best of all, we'll make a humongous, life size, piñata of a monorail. Then, we'll hand everyone large sticks, and then tell everyone to beat the living crap out of the piñata.

Come on, Seattle: what better way to release some aggression over this most mis-planned, mis-handled, and embarrassing public project in recent memory?