Stonekite

Via the Stranger, the entirety of Seattle City Hall’s elected leadership signed a letter in support of SB 5073 yesterday.

So this is where it stands now: Washington in general appears to be generally ready to do this at every other level, but Gregoire in particular may veto in order to grab a cushy federal job after election.

Either way I think we can put Medical Marijuana in the same stack of political issues as Women’s Rights (by which I mean child prevention in it’s many forms) and Gay Rights: Things that are definitely going to be OK in the long run, but may not be in a good way or may need support at any particular moment.

That leaves… Prison Reform, Net Neutrality, Copyright Reform, Government Reform (electoral reform, lobbying reform), and the Culture Wars, as the top political issues that I see as needing advocacy. And out of those, Net Neutrality and Copyright Reform probably are the issues with the most possibility of falling into an unfavorable Nash Equilibrium worldwide for centuries.

Incidentally, I just realized it’s 4/20 today. I’m not impressed if this was timed. The partial legalization of pot should stand or fall on its own merits. Theming the issue allows it to be dismissed as a minority issue rather than an issue of rights and effects.

I was walking and saw a man walking faster than other people on the sidewalk. “He must feel awkward” I thought as I caught up to him. Moments later a young woman passed us both at speed.

She achieved this by walking between the curb and the various sidewalk structures.

This made the rounds a few weeks ago. I lost track of it, and then I started remembering it recently, so I tracked it down.

It’s automatically hypnotic to many viewers. Beyond that deeply ingrained appeal though, it’s a celebration of some of the culture and movements that are symbiotic with that way of viewing. That’s something interesting and worthy of study, beyond the shallow and sometimes oppressive appeal of sexuality.

It reminds me—and makes me feel a little better about enjoying—this video:

LOOk | Mrzyk & Moriceau for Sébastien Tellier

I’m reminded of when a slightly embarrassed woman performed what I might describe as a traditional African ass-jiggling dance in the small western community I grew up in. In one sense it’s a traditional dance, in another sense it’s incredibly interesting and fascinating culturally, and finally it’s just visually stimulating.

This guy had a TED talk too, can’t remember if it’s better or worse.

Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5. (book)

Tedious.
Except once,
When a scene
dramatically reversed some tedium.

Terry Pratchett’s Unseen Academicals. (book)

Decent,
sort of.
Not as good
as other recent books.

The Social Network. (movie)

Good
It fails
the Bechdel Test
But I wonder if
that is inherent to programming?