Notes

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  • : Function ereg() is deprecated in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/file.inc on line 646.
  • : Function ereg() is deprecated in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/file.inc on line 646.
  • : Function ereg() is deprecated in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/file.inc on line 646.
  • : Function ereg() is deprecated in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/file.inc on line 646.
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  • : Function ereg() is deprecated in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/file.inc on line 646.
  • : Function ereg() is deprecated in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/file.inc on line 646.
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  • : preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/unicode.inc on line 311.
  • : preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/unicode.inc on line 311.
  • : preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/unicode.inc on line 311.
  • : preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/unicode.inc on line 311.
  • : preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/unicode.inc on line 311.
  • : preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/unicode.inc on line 311.
  • : preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/unicode.inc on line 311.
  • : preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/unicode.inc on line 311.
  • : preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/unicode.inc on line 311.
  • : preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home2/melancon/public_html/includes/unicode.inc on line 311.

Made-up quotations

"Looking like a fool looks good on me."

"Please don't eat the ornamental grass." [to Zelda]

"My mother told me if i didn't have anything nice to say not to say anything at all. I haven't spoken to her in years."

"There's no coincidences, except by accident."

Americans Vastly Underestimate Wealth Inequality, Support 'More Equal Distribution Of Wealth'

William Alder reports:

Americans vastly underestimate the degree of wealth inequality in America, and we believe that the distribution should be far more equitable than it actually is, according to a new study.

Or, as the study's authors put it: "All demographic groups -- even those not usually associated with wealth redistribution such as Republicans and the wealthy -- desired a more equal distribution of wealth than the status quo."

Potluck Experts

Stephen Cataldo's idea.

Proposed names:
Dinner Theory
Dinner Discussions

Broccoli and navy bean pasta

Spaghetti rigati, al dente
1 Onion, chopped
2 heads Brocolli, sliced for the stems and long divided florets for the rest
Pureed/ground/extremely finely chopped carrot (a failed attempt at juicing carrots, rescued by this recipe)
Fresh jalepeño and that small long skinny orange pepper.
Can of navy beans (used Goya easy-open 15 ounce).

Stems go in first, at the same time as the onions, in a wok in a little bit of olive oil.

Add some salt. Some celery seed. A little poultry seasoning (coriander, mostly).

Start the pasta.

Bad people happen to good things (cartoon idea)

A toy or robot reading "Why Bad People Happen to Good Things"

Insane media and political environment: How'd we lose Van Jones

So i'm about a year behind on this, but i hadn't heard the details before... Van Jones resigned so that his presence would not distract from getting health care and clean energy legislation passed (where the Republicans are trying to block everything anyway). His controversy? Having signed a petition asking for an investigation into the Sept 11 2001 attacks to include looking at what some U.S. officials may have known in advance. Asking for an investigation. And apparently at some other point he said something mean about Republicans.

On resolutions against genocide and killing aid activists

On the day the ADL's opposition to a mosque near the site of the World Trade Center came under widespread condemnation, i saw a reference to their opposition to the U.S. Congress recognizing the 85-year-old genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman (Turkish) empire. Given that apparent right-wing goal in Israel and the U.S.

Get Rich Quickly scheme: Don't-Wait Cyrogenics

I've finally found a plan that combines getting rich with saving the world.

Melançon Enterprises will offer a cyrogenic service– this isn't original, but we will convince people to freeze themselves now, while they are still mentally healthy and alert and able to to enjoy and adapt to the glorious future when thawed out and given cyborg enhancements. Because this will be quite an expensive service, we expect our clients to be very rich. No discrimination, that's just how things work out.

Advertising indicates insufficient information availability

The existence of advertising indicates that systems for the flow and filtering of information are insufficient.

In software terms, it is a bug.

Companies and organizations that paid for advertising would be at a disadvantage in a world of good enough information availability.

Gaming and saving the world

I am not a gamer, this is not the perspective that i'm coming from at all, but key parts of Jane McGonigal's vision unites well with the aims of Visions Unite.

Specifically:

  • Always being able to give a person something they, personally, can do
  • Making the possible believable.
  • Achieving that epic win after great individual effort and collaboration with others.

All of those mean connecting people (both into smaller dream teams of compatible, complementary talents and into a large number of supporters).

I'm more interested in bringing what makes games satisfying to self-organizing to make things better, than to making games a vehicle to saving the world, which is the direction she goes in, but please, watch:

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/799

Recipes of Udupi South Indian Vegetarian Cuisine Onion Rava Masala Dasa with Chutney

Recipes of Udupi South Indian Vegetarian Cuisine's frozen Onion Rava Masala Dasa ("Rava Style Onion with Crepes, Stuffed With Flavorful Potatoes & Onions") with Chutney is quite good, and can be bought at the Natick Indian Grocery store on route 9 just beyond the Oak Street crossing (towards Wellesley).

This I Believe, maybe the original book published on the series started by Edward R. Murrow

I failed to put the link to what i transcribed and put online ages ago, pre-CMS, pre my using Drupal, but here it is now:

http://mlncn.com/lib/rev/thisibelieve/index.html

The project has since been revived with new interviews and i think you can buy the original book, too: http://thisibelieve.org

Viva Mi Arepa

Venezuelan food in West Roxbury, we arrived just after they closed (at 7 p.m. on Sunday) and the woman apologized, but then, as we left, asked if we had come far. On learning that A was up from New York City and we had come from an event in Boston to come eat there, she told us to wait, and went in back and got some leftover empanadas, which were not vegan but i was told were excellent.

5197 Washington Street at the corner of Grove Street
West Roxbury, MA 2132
Phone: 617 323 7844

See also this review http://www.wickedgood.info/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=39607

Save the economy discussion with Grandpa and K

K: India is operating off of the microfinance

Grandpa: I believe in […] the radical

principle in Egypt is you have to have some sort of

"gives them the work ethic"

What alternative?

I blame the government, what industry do we have?

K: (will have to ask her to repeat her awesome monologue)

Grandpa:
I am very much involved - for 25 years i was involved in educational system
said we don't need schools, we need teachers and equipment

Apple replaced the hard drive when it died (at twice the size) and the top case / keyboard for free 2010 May 13

Quite nice. They try to identify things that are their responsibility and fix them for free. This is out of Apple Care time but were known problems.

My take on scrambled tofu breakfast

Ingredients

purple onion
carrots
tofu, firm, de-sogged, crumbled
red pepper
yellow squash, zucchini
spinach leaves
lots of oil

Then the kicker:

garlic
ginger
hot peppers of various kinds
raw pumpkin seeds
sweet potato (raw)
oil

served with rice

Letter to IKEA

Dear IKEA co-workers,

After trying every office supply store and DIY home construction store in the area, we finally made the pilgrimage to IKEA.

The Impact of Television: Kasey Understands Why Dan is How He Is

Paraphrase: Raised primarily on MacGyver and A-Team? That explains Dan completely.

And Sesame Street, 321 Contact...

Throw in some Dukes of Hazzard

... and that covers everything.

NBC fail. Should redo NBC.com in Drupal. A LiveJournal account would be an improvement

I am trying to find exactly when Paralympic recap coverage is today, and if it is possible to watch online to share the link with people, and a site-wide search for paralympics turns up nothing and your schedule lists nothing before 8pm!

Very disappointed with NBC.com.

Fortunately you can read that the time that the Paralympics recap is being shown today is 3pm EST (yes, on NBC) at
http://usparalympics.org/news/2010/03/09/nbc-sports-and-universal-sports...

My first vegan banana muffins

My take on these instructions: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/veganmuffinrecipes/r/bananamuffins.htm

* 3 + .5 + .4 overripe bananas
* remains of vegan smart balance, close to 1/4 cup, and some canola oil
* 1 cup sugar. A little confectioners sugar thrown in.
* 2 cups flour, a little extra
* 1 tsp salt, approximately, shaken in
* 1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
* some walnuts (already out of shell), crushed by hand, and some pecan pieces

Preparation:
Pre-heat toaster oven to 360 degrees.