Month: April 2010

Facebook and Privacy: A Critical Thought

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Recently, I’ve seen a whole bunch of folks (via status messages and the like) indicate that they are deleting this information or that information from Facebook in order to protect their privacy. While I’ll agree that Facebook is horrible with respect to privacy settings (especially the defaults whenever they change an interface or introduce a new feature), a little critical thinking is in order…

Jobs. For those concerned about your employer being public, ask yourself: Is that information elsewere? Ever published a paper or contributed an article that listed your employer? Posted your resume? Been on a conference committee or program review committee? Had a profile up on LinkedIn or Plaxo? Odds are, if you have, your employment history is already out there.

Schools. As for schools: Most likely, you’ve already been sharing that stuff: finding schoolmates seems to be a purpose of Facebook. But it’s out there in other ways: such as the schools list on LiveJournal, or stuff up on Classmates.Com, or the numerous reunion websites.

Interests and Favorite Things. First, don’t ever list an interest if you don’t want it to be public. Yes, we probably all like sex, but there’s no reason to list it in your profile. That said, your interests are probably already well known. Have an LJ profile? Your interests are public. Write anything about anything? You’re probably talking about stuff that interests you. Communicating your likes and dislikes is a large part of internet discourse.

Is privacy important? Yes. But use common sense. Things like your name and address are already out in the public, as are many other facts about you. It used to be hard to pull them together, but then G-d invented G–gle. So do be cautions, yes. Don’t answer all those quizzes that go around (they are much more fearful, privacy-wise). Don’t post your SSN. Consider being cautious about talking about when you’re leaving your house empty. But have a critical mind as well, and be aware that much of what Facebook makes public you’ve probably already made public.

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Reminder: Looking for Timeshare Occupant, Maui, 8/22-9/3

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

A week ago, I posted information on our Maui timeshare. This is a reminder that I’m looking for someone to rent the unit. So please, check with your friends, relatives, etc. and see if anyone might be interested. My next step is to go with their rental agency. As a reminder:

The timeshare is at The Whaler on Kaanapali Beach.

The dates are approximately 8/22 to 9/3 (last two weeks of August). I’ll confirm the end date.

The unit is a 1 bedroom, 2 bath, with pull-out sofa in living room (floorplan)

In terms of amenities, just look at the Whaler Website: http://kaanapaliwhaler.com/ . The unit has a full kitchen, and DSL internet connection via modem and cable provided in the apartment. There are all sorts of recreational opportunities in the area, and of course it is on the beach.

In terms of price, my assessment was roughly $2,700. I’d love to break even on that, but I’m open to negotiations. I think the only other cost would be $12/day parking. I’d also be open to a trade for someplace the last two weeks of June.

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Pasadena Playhouse News

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Because I’m sorta obsessed on this, being a subscriber who’s been treated poorly:

  • From the “So Why Couldn’t You Give Me That Donation Letter…” Department: It looks like the Playhouse is moving closer to filing for bankruptcy (nice to keep the subscribers informed… oh, you didn’t). What’s interesting here is the bit about how they only want large donors: “Eric Andrist, co-founder of the Musical Theatre Guild, is one of those who stepped forward to help raise money for the Playhouse, setting up a Facebook account and raising what he said was $18,000 in pledges. Now he’s suspended fundraising and has called off plans for an online auction, critical of what he called “hurdles” put in his way. Andrist said he and others believe the playhouse is snubbing small-scale supporters and is unwilling to try anything new, including his idea for online links allowing people to donate with credit and debit cards. When the playhouse closed, Eich [the Executive Director] said they were touched by many offers of help, but small- scale fundraising wouldn’t solve the problem.” As for the subscribers, Eich said, “We’ll find some way to take care of the subscribers who gave us their loyalty and confidence … and I’m pretty sure they won’t be disappointed.” Hint: This subscriber already is, due to the lack of communication, and has subscribed elsewhere.
  • From the “So What is Sheldon Doing?” Department: What originally prompted this post was an article in Playbill today about Sheldon Epps mounting a Ray Charles musical on Broadway (the one that had disappointing reviews when it played the Playhouse in 2007). Now, the Playhouse has done some great new musicals over its years. Some came close to Broadway (“Vanities”), some have gone to London but surprisingly not to Broadway (“Sister Act”), and some should have gone to Broadway but didn’t (“Mask”). But the last thing Broadway needs is another jukebox musical.
  • From the “And What About The Building?” Department: At least the building is getting some use. The facility itself is being rented out for some performing arts events, but bringing in precious little to the Playhouse itself. At least the restaurant there (“Elements”) got a good review.
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Cabrillo Season Announcement

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

As I’ve been passing on announcements of theatre seasons, here’s the one for Cabrillo Music Theatre in Thousand Oaks. I don’t know if they are continuing the pricing from last year, but if they do, this is a bargain that can’t be beat: 2-for-1 balacony seats, meaning subscriptions were incredibly affordable. In any case, the season is:

  • HAPPY DAYS: THE MUSICAL – October 22-31, 2010
  • THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES – February 4-13, 2011
  • THE PRODUCERS – April 8-17, 2011
  • THE SOUND OF MUSIC – July 22-31, 2011
  • *SPECIAL HOLIDAY SHOW TBA

My thoughts: I’m pleased to see Happy Days: I’ve got the CD, and it has nice music and is supposedly quite good. I’ve seen the other three. It is interesting their Winter musical is again a Roger Bean import—it will be interesting to see who they cast (and who I know in the cast). The Spring and Fall musicals I’ve seen before, but Erin hasn’t… so that’s good (plus the Spring musical misses the AP exams). I’ll note we last saw Sound of Music during our first season at Cabrillo in 2000-2001. The other shows are all new to Cabrillo.

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News Chum to Chew Upon

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

It’s been a while since I’ve done a news chum, but today’s lunchtime reading has identified a few, ahem, bullet points of interest:

  • From the “That Insidious Microsoft” Department: The Department of Defense has identified a new enemy in the war in Afghanistan: Powerpoint Charts. Quoting the NY Times, “Like an insurgency, PowerPoint has crept into the daily lives of military commanders and reached the level of near obsession. The amount of time expended on PowerPoint, the Microsoft presentation program of computer-generated charts, graphs and bullet points, has made it a running joke in the Pentagon and in Iraq and Afghanistan.” Or, to quote Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander: “PowerPoint makes us stupid”. In other words, complex offensive and defensive interrrelationship cannot be boiled down to 7 +/- 2 bullet points. Does this come to any surprise to those that work with the DOD?
  • From the “Should I or Shouldn’t I?” Department: The Los Angles Times/Chicago Tribune has an interesting ethical question: Should you Facebook-friend your doctor?. Its an interesting question: although it might give them insight into your life, it might give you too much insight into theirs. Where do you draw the line? I just faced the question the other day when I was trying to decide whether to friend a financial advisor. Doing it would give them more insight into what I do (and how funds are spent), but it might give me more insight into them as well. Quite a large number of ethical questions: the article is an interesting read.
  • From the “Restuarants Past and Gone, or perhaps not…” Department: The LA Times magazine has a nice article on Orhan Arli, who has preserved the memory and the dishes of famous Los Angeles restaurant, Chasens. I never ate there (I always percieved it as too expensive and hard to get into), but I found this article interesting for the description of the dishes, and how such a “fancy” restaurant really had down-home cooking.
  • From the “Pop Goes The Bubble” Department: Many many years ago, Tom Paxton sang a song of a scourge that couldn’t be stopped: Too many lawyers. Turns out he was quite prescient: it looks like there’s a bubble forming in the value of a law degree. In other words, tuition hikes in law schools, combined with the number of lawyers out of work is creating a situation where it is no longer the guaranteed high-paying career to go into law. I’d argue this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is still people we are talking about.
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Birthday Wishes for six_gun_samurai

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

OK, Folks, you know the drill. Allright everyone, let’s gather in front of our large, 13″, Black and White TV set, and join Sheriff John in singing the Birthday Cake Polka for six_gun_samurai… but wait… the Sheriff’s not on today. Instead, we have a funny looking group of three guys, and they are singing:

Once a year we celebrate
With stupid hats and plastic plates
The fact that you were able to make
Another trip around the sun

And the whole clan gathers round
And gifts and laughter do abound
And we let out a joyful sound
And sing that stupid song

Happy birthday!
Now you’re one year older!
Happy birthday!
Your life still isn’t over!
Happy birthday!
You did not accomplish much
But you didn’t die this year
I guess that’s good enough

 So let’s drink to your fading health
And hope you don’t remind yourself
The chance of finding fame and wealth
Decrease with every year

Does it feel like you’re doing laps
And eating food and taking naps
And hoping that someday perhaps
Your life will hold some cheer

Happy birthday!
What have you done that matters?
Happy birthday!
You’re starting to get fatter
Happy birthday!
It’s downhill from now on
Try not to remind yourself
Your best years are all gone

 If cryogenics were all free
Then you could live like Walt Disney
And live for all eternity
Inside a block of ice

But instead your time is set
This is the only life you get
And though it hasn’t ended yet
Sometimes you wish it might

Happy birthday!
You wish you had more money
Happy birthday!
Your life’s so sad it’s funny
Happy birthday!
How much more can you take?
But your friends are hungry
So just cut the stupid cake

[Did you know you can pick which song the Sheriff sings for you on your birthday? It’s easy. Just visit the 6th Annual Birthday Poll on Livejournal or the parallel note on Facebook. Note that if you want the birdie to be able to inform the Sheriff about your birthday, you need to make sure your birth month and day is in your LJ or FB profile, and it is visible to your friends. Note that the Sheriff only sings a song if I know you personally or you’re a regular commenter. So don’t lurk!]

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A History “What If?”

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Last night, I was watching a miniseries on American History on The History Channel with my daughter. When they got to the founding of the Plymouth colony, they described the Puritans along the lines of “a group of people looking for religious freedom”. This got me to wondering: How would America be different if it was a community of Jews running to America for religious freedom and establishing the second colony?

How would this have affected America’s values and the quest for Justice? For all the claims this is a “Christian nation”, how different would America be if a non-Christian group had established a colony for religious freedom?

The question came back to me again when I read two articles in today’s paper:

  • St. Louis YMCA re-emphasizes Christian roots. This article discussed how some YMCAs are emphasizing the “C”. Now, this is their right, but I was always uncomfortable at the “Y” even with their non-sectarian claims (we don’t have YMHA’s out here in LA).
  • How many crosses make a church too “churchy?”. This article discussed the issue of holding public high school graduations in buildings that are heavy with Christian symbolism—which is a form of silent evangelism.

Both of these articles have a theme: evangelism, and the pushing of the Christian religion. I can only imagine how that would be if this were a true Christian nation (remember: we’ve seen it before in countries with official religions—just look at Spain in the 1400s and England in the 1700s). We’ve seen the effect in Islamic nations. I’ll note that Judaism has a “hands off” attitude with respect to conversion: it is not Jewish custom to prosletyze.

So, I’ll ask the question again: How would America’s values be affect had a bunch of Jews searching for religious freedom had established the second colony?

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Exercise Update

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

The good news: Rode my bike twice today. Once I went out Nordhoff all the way to Canoga, up to Owensmouth, then back along Lassen to Tampa. On the second, I went to TJs at Devonshire and Mason. The bad news is that on the second ride, I started to get a bit of occasional chain slip (at least that’s how I think to describe it… I’m pedalling and suddenly there’s a bit of a slip, and then things are fine again). So, I think I’ll take my bike into the local shop to have them look at it Wednesday evening. Hopefully I can get it back by the weekend.

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