Jason's Log

Eshoo is listening to Eldred

From the looks of it, Anna Eshoo is aware of The Eldred Act, but has not committed to any specific position just yet. At least the letter I received in reply seemed relevant and timely.

Here's hoping something good comes of this!

Weekend Camping

I'm still recovering a bit from the Mount Madonna camping trip. On this trip, we learned once again that Taylor really doesn't like sleeping in unfamiliar surroundings. This point was made clear by the fact that neither Young nor I got more than a few hours of sleep each night. There was some improvement when we had Taylor sleep in the car with us, but those were some mightily cramped quarters.

So the question of whether or not we'll be taking Taylor on future camping trips remains unanswered, but his chances are looking slim. We probably passed the point of no return when we let Taylor claim the queen-sized bed in the guest room as his own. Why would anyone want to sleep on the floor of a tent after that?

"Holes" by Louis Sachar

Although I'm not exactly sure what the target reader age range is for Holes, I read it on the recommendation of my sister, a high school teacher. Although the character development was a bit light, the tying togeher of the two stories (of the main character and his great-great-great granfather) was very well done. It gave the book an almost parable-like feeling. The ending was very well done, and served to very effectively tie up all the loose ends.

Based on the generally positive reviews of the movie adaptation, I think this will be worth catching on DVD.

Finally Finished Potter #5

Stayed up a bit too late last night in order to power my way through the last hundred pages. The book certainly does not disappoint. Some of the reviews I've read have lamented the scarcity of light-hearted moments that made previous volumes so much fun. Although I think that is a fair characterization, I don't think it diminishes the enjoyability of the book at all.

I am franky amazed at how well Rowling can write realistic teenage characters. The sense of frustration that Harry carries with him through the course of the book is palpable. Towards the end, I was kinda hoping he would just go ahead and slug Dumbdledore for me. Another highlight was Harry's inability to understand women, especially his on-again off-again love interest Cho. Very well done.

I have to hand my copy over to Young now, but I think I just might re-read this one. Rowling is the master of dropping small, inoccuous hints in her text that turn out to be important plot elements in later volumes. I tend not to pick up on many of those in the first reading.

All family gathering in Vegas

This weekend Young and I will be heading down to Vegas for an all-family gathering. There will be all three nieces and nephews (all under age 2), both of my sisters, my two brothers-in-law, my mom, and two small dogs. And we will all be staying in one house.

I sometimes think that my father, who won't be able to make it, is the only sane one.

Benioff's 25th Hour

What is all the fuss over David Benioff's 25th Hour? I just don't get it. The amazon.com rating was 4.5 stars last time I checked, but I can't figure out the reason for it.

Perhaps I'm not sufficiently nostalgic about New York city, where the events take place. Or should I say 'lack of events'. The first 190 pages follow 5 characters going through the paces of their lives the day before one of them starts a 7-year prison sentence. Their lives are largely uneventful, although they were portrayed realistically. Then, in the last 4 pages, some activity occurs and the book ends. There was no real tension. The ending did not surprise me. I'm glad I only spent 3 days getting through it.

Bike Helmet Cam ideas

After today's bike outing with Mike, I think I really need to come up with a helmet-mounted bike camera for short video footage. I think I will be able to rig up my compact tripod, which includes a velcro strap and articulating camerage mount to do what I need it to. I could also strap the tripod to the handlebars, but I think the rattling would be more than the camera could handle. I'm gonna try it out next weekend and see how it goes.

Lefties are Intellectuals?

Huh? And I quote: "Politely -- we're all intellectuals. Not so polite -- eggheads, professor types, NPR listeners, lefties.", posted by Dave Winer earlier today.

I can only hope he meant 'left handed'. If he was using the term 'lefties' in the policitical sense, I believe he'd have a hard time proving the link between any person's political views and their level of intellectual achievement. Both sides of that political equation have their fair share of intelligent people. They also have plenty of adherents who operate at a slightly lower octane rating, so far as I can tell. That the statement was used as a passing generalization is what really bothered me. It's almost as if there is an inferred 'Duh!' at the end of that sentence.

Where inflation comes from

I'm now getting close to finishing up Friedman's "Free to Choose", and they have saved what I think is their best material for the closing: The sources of inflation. Not surprisingly, inflation has only one source: government control of the money supply.

When the money supply is increased at a rate that exceeds the actual growth rate of the domestic economy, inflation will follow several months later. To reverse inflation is as simple as decreasing the money supply.

Friedman exaplains at length that inflation could not possibly be caused by price increases in a particular industry or wage increases demanded by labor unions. Even large industrial groups do not command enough control over domestic cash flow into or out of the economy to sustain a widespread inflationary period. There is only one entity that can influence the money supply to an extent necessary to bring about inflation: The US Federal Government.

So how does the US Government increase the money supply? That's the tricky part. The easiest way is to just print more money. But other means exist, such as borrowing (and then spending) against credit backed by Treasury Notes. I didn't fully understand that part of Friedman's explanation, but it apparently does not require congressional oversight.

So the next time you complain about year-over-year rising costs, you know who to blame.

Foot, meet injury

Well, it's been nearly 7 weeks since I injured my right foot while hiking with Taylor at Mission Peak in the east bay. I've been through two doctor's visits, and 4 weeks of NSAIDS treatment, but no real progress to report. Going to see a podiatrist on Tuesday. Hopefully something interesting will come from that. I really need this foot to be 100% for the Australia and New Zealand trip in November.

So Mike and I are going riding tomorrow morning, even though I probably shouldn't. If 7 weeks of taking it easy hasn't yielded much improvement, one day of biking up hills probably won't kill it either.