February, 17, 2003 archives

paul graham's why nerds are unpopular has been making the rounds. i apparently went to a strange high school that didn't rise to the level of feral locker-stuffing horror that seems to be the more common experience. or i was just totally oblivious to it. paul seems to presume a universal desire for popularity that i guess i never really bought into. this bit is pure gold, though:

In general, people outside some very demanding field don't realize the extent to which success depends on constant (though often unconscious) effort. For example, most people seem to consider the ability to draw as some kind of innate quality, like being tall. In fact, most people who "can draw" like drawing, and have spent many hours doing it; that's why they're good at it.

jobs at mysql ab: web developer

this article from the seattle times explains why portland and vancouver have healthy and growing downtowns. key bit of wisdom:

"The streetcar was first a development tool and only second a mode of transportation," says former Portland councilor Charlie Hales, who championed it. The line wasn't built to get to the Pearl District, it was built to create the Pearl District.

i was just commenting yesterday on how odd i find it that the red line's north hollywood stop is a few blocks removed from anything of any possible interest. the three adjacent corners are empty lots.

i'll almost certainly be visiting portland for oscon 2003. i'm more excited about doing so after having read this article.

very late this month. c'est la vie. once i've hit the one year mark (this is month eight), i'll probably cut it back to one charity a month instead of splitting the donation three ways. finding three worthy charities i want to donate to each month (with the international/national/local distinction) has been tough.

• international: save the rhino (inspired by douglas adams)
• national: national disaster search dog foundation (with the donation matched by small dog electronics)
• local: children's museum of los angeles

i got the newsletter from the california wildlife center, with it's honor roll of donors. i was in the same category as ed begley, jr. and cathy guisewite, but drew barrymore kicked our asses. and kelsey grammar put us all to shame.