Listen to Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin was both the first best-selling novel in the US, and the book that made the Civil War inevitable. I recently found an excellent public domain recording of it, and can report that despite its reputation as a classic, it's a surprisingly good book, one that every every high school age kid in the US can and should read.

For those of us whose high school education was lacking, and have more spare time in the car than spare time with the Kindle, I unreservedly recommend this recording by John Greenman which you can download and put on your iPod or burn to CD. It is at least as good as many I've paid for at Audible:
http://librivox.org/uncle-toms-cabin-by-harriet-beecher-stowe/

What does the Tea Party Want?

The Tea Party doesn't care about the costs of what they want.  As far as I can tell, belief in arithmetic is a sign of submission to the Devil, like belief in Evolution, or belief that half of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were slave owners.

What is Greece?

Greece isn't a European style welfare state like the major EU countries.  It's an odd little middle eastern country that happens, due to its location on the European side of the Bosporus and the historical accident that it's Christian rather than Muslim (unlike some other countries physically closer to the rest of Europe), to be technically European. This Vanity Fair article by Michael Lewis is the best explanation I've seen of the utter dysfunction of Greek society:

http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/10/greeks-bearing-bonds-201010

At the moment I am in southern France, an actual European-style welfare state, where they have been doing whatever the French do for at least 40,000 years and have the art to prove it.  The day to day medical care, 

according to the Americans who own the place we're staying and spend half  of their time in Palo Alto, is so much better than US care that it's not funny.  The food is fabulous, at least if you're not a vegetarian. The roads are paved, the trains run at 200 mph, the schools teach their kids. It's not perfect, but one could do a lot worse.

The 90 - 90 rule of project management

The first 90% of the work takes the first 90% of the time.

Then, the other 90% of the work takes the other 90% of the time.

IPv4 Is No Longer Available in New York

Details now available here: http://jl.ly/2011/06/27#nomorev4

Content farm: How to Open a Jar of Applesauce

1. Check the label on the jar, to ensure that it says Applesauce.
   NOTE: If the jar does not say applesauce, you can still open it, but it may contain something else.
2. Place the jar securely on a table or counter
   NOTE: A water-resistant non-slip surface is preferred.
3. Grasp the jar firmly with your right hand.
   NOTE: If you are left handed, you may instead grasp it with your left hand.
4. Inspect the lid to ensure that the jar is still sealed, and that its security dimple has not popped up.
   NOTE: If you or another person have opened the same jar on a previous occasion, you may skip this step.
5. Grasp the lid firmly with your left hand.
   NOTE: If you have grasped the jar with your left hand, you may grasp the lid with your right hand.
6. In a smooth motion, use the pressure of both hands to rotate the lid counterclockwise while keeping the jar motionless..
   NOTE: If you have grasped the jar with your left hand and the lid with your right hand, you may find it difficult to exert enough pressure in a counterclockwise direction. If that happens, you may release the jar and lid, grasp the jar with your right hand, grasp the lid with your left hand, and repeat this step.
7. Continue rotating the lid to the left until it is free of the jar.
8. When the lid is free of the jar, stop rotating, lift the lid off the jar, and place it upside down on the table or counter.
   NOTE: Placing the lid upside down lessens the chance of spilling applesauce on the table or counter.
9. When the lid is securely on the table or counter, let go of it.
10. Let go of the jar.
11. You may now use a spoon or other utensil to serve the applesauce. See Content farm: How to Serve Applesauce from a Jar

May Day

Did you celebrate May Day by
a) dancing around the may pole?
b) singing the Internationale ?
c) singing the Internationale while dancing around the may pole ?
d) something else?