Patriots for a Smarter America

I think the following video is very important. If you agree, please pass it on.

Thanks!

Click here (Safari users control-click and download) for a small MPEG-4 version of the movie, which will play on all computers that have Apple's free QuickTime Player installed.

Larger, higher-quality versions of the movie will be available soon.

Bam

Bill Gates on the future of Windows.

I try very hard to avoid saying "I told you so," but I don't feel compelled to give that courtesy to Mr. Gates. Check out what I wrote in March about Microsoft's Longhorn "vaporware," and also refer to a lot of my July writing on the subject.

Again, this is not about me being right- it's about Microsoft being very, very wrong.

Please pay attention to China

Please. The NYT has an interesting piece on their economic ascendancy.

Talking about the big strike

Lightning strike, that is.

Windows is shattering...

...right on schedule.

Some progress

in the war to modernize intellectual property laws.

Garden State

I've been thinking a lot about the movie Garden State, which I saw a few days ago. Seeing it was one of those rare experiences where, as I sat there watching it, I felt an extremely close and powerful connection with the filmmaker. As the scenes and characters unfolded, it was as though I was slipping in and out of a dream- it felt like my subconscious was up on screen, in the form of people, places, and music.

If you see the movie, listen to the song Caring Is Creepy, and feel something that's more than the sum of its parts, we've got a lot in common.

Does this make Garden State a great movie? Sure, for me. Many people who love movies could list a few that have specially touched them in very strong, personal ways. Being able to make that connection is evidence of an effective and powerful film, but not necessarily indicative of a film with broad appeal. And such an emotional reaction to a film is also often the result of an audience member being willing and able to proactively make a strong emotional investment in the movie- an investment that cuts the filmmakers significant slack if and when needed.

Many of my closest friends' favorite films are really boring and inaccessible to me. I would imagine that Garden State will provide many people with a similar reaction, but to me, I walked out having been touched.

Two great and similar-yet-different-movies

Today I watched The Game, which I liked all right when it first came out in 1997 but which I now realize is a pitch-perfect homage to the joy of being alive.

And then I saw Garden State, which I would describe in exactly the same terms.

I highly recommend both movies- and as a double-feature, they pack quite the unconventional one-two punch.

Apple's filing some interesting patents

Check it out.

Liberals vs. Conservatives re: civil liberties

Bill O'Reilly has correctly pointed out that a key difference between liberals and conservatives is that conservatives are realists with regard to law enforcement re: terrorism, while liberals are idealists.

The argument goes that a conservative would rather give authorities additional liberties to use their power, with the understanding that we as Americans have to trust them to use it appropriately. Liberals, on the other hand, fundamentally distrust the concept of giving additional liberties to authorities, on the theory that the best way to preserve the liberties of all is to make sure the authorities have as little legal power over us as citizens as possible.

This is an interesting and completely valid argument, and brings out one of the best, most honest differences in philosophy between conservatives and liberals.

My view is that what has made America strong has been our strong dedication to preserving the liberties of our citizens, at any cost. Exceptions and circumstances may dictate deviations from such liberties, but such deviations need be made with as much consensus from citizens and the government as possible. These days, we have little such consensus- and I do not believe it's purely because we're so polarized politically.

We are in a war against people who hate America and want to destroy it. It has never been more important to remember and reinforce what America is. Doing so will make us safer in the long term.

Political Play with Potential

A fellow Horace Greeley High School graduate is starring as Margaret Bosch (the First Lady) in a play that's going up at the Fringe Festival. It sounds great, and I plan to see it.

Apple's motion

A moving review.

Hot Action Cop

In an age of great songs, here's a great album that happens to contain a bunch of great songs.

Here's a link for those who do not have iTunes.

From CNN

Via my wife.

Was Apple's biggest mistake not licensing their operating system?

I don't think so. This blog entry clearly states a POV I agree with.

This is your dog.

This is your dog smoking.

Why is the Boeing 747 still used?

Airliners.net has a thread on this topic.

The current terrorist threat

Newsweek sums it up pretty well.

Open Water

Great movie.

Cool iPod remote functionality

Check it out.

Thanks

Trev

From my bud Trevor

http://kintera.sitestream.com/ferrell_qt_hi.mov

Makes sense...

From http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000590.html

So...

...that shirt you're wearing with a picture of a semi-topless woman is offensive, so take off the shirt and make yourself topless to address the problem?

Huh?

Extremism

I think the biggest challenge facing our nation these days is extremism. Extremism in many forms- religious (including all religions), political, social...

This is not necessarily a bad thing per se, but we need to understand this, and understand all the implications of living in extreme times, and need to make sure we take this understanding seriously and try as hard as we can to apply it to our feelings and our actions.

The greater good can be enhanced by extremism, but it can also be harmed by it.