myStrangerFace Achieve the Four Modernizations.

Sterno

Refresh

May 17 Sterno commented on Kay Smith-Blum Won't Seek Second Term on School Board.

Very sorry to hear this. She's been a calm, supportive voice for our schools, and a great board member. On a couple of occasions she responded to my emails with a phone call (!), and even if I didn't agree with her on everything, she has been a responsive public servant with a really hard job.

School Board Members should be paid. It is not reasonable to expect that someone volunteer for such a critical job when it could (and should) easily consume a 40 hour week. Pay someone, and they will be focused without having to necessarily suffer economic hardships. It's not the PTA potluck chairperson; it's the governance body for our entire school district!

May 14 Sterno commented on Good Morning, Television!.

Bummer about Bill Hader. He's good in everything. Either they find a lot of new, good people, or I fear a few down years for SNL. It's been really good in the last couple of years.

May 10 Sterno commented on Hansen Ups Offer for Sacramento Kings. Again..

Ever been to an elementary school auction? This is similar to the "bidding war" that arises for, say, a weekend in a Leavenworth cabin or something. Except there are many other zeros added, and the money goes to a bunch of super wealthy egomaniacs and super tall people who are really good at throwing a ball through a hoop. And those citizens who can afford to spend $50+ a ticket can watch these tall people throw the ball through a hoop. At least with the school auction, a bunch of kids get, oh, let's say some more classroom supplies, or perhaps a part-time art teacher.

It should be part of the constitution that we never get involved in the pissing matches of the super wealthy. We should, however, force them to resolve their issues in a reality TV show that is available on over-the-air television networks. It's the only true enjoyment most of us will ever get from this spectacle.

Apr 25 Sterno commented on Tis the Season....

*Love* the trailer...

Mar 28 Sterno commented on Would You Stand on the Tracks to Block Coal Trains?.

My nine-year old son just said he and his friends were talking about this very thing in school. How can I not?

Mar 26 Sterno commented on Reinforce Your Passwords, People.

#1, this kind of letter/number substitution is mentioned in the article. A lot of people apparently do this, and while it take a lot of brute force to break long passwords with multiple substitutions, the common ones like zero for the letter "o" and one for the letter "l" are known quanitites.

Mar 13 Sterno commented on The Death of Google Reader.

I guess there's just no advertising revenue to be made off of Reader, and in fact, we mostly by-pass it if we don't go to the actual posting. This really is how I read most things on the Internet. The alternatives pale in comparison - they try to do too many things, or they just aren't simple enough. And simplicity is what Reader is all about. It just works, it isn't annoying, and it allows you to browse a lot of information quickly and find things that you are interested in reading. I think my experience using the Internet is going to really change if I don't find a good substitute. I'll definitely spend less time in the Google "ecosystem"...

Mar 7 Sterno commented on Facebook Will Try to Stave Off Mortality Today.

I used to be able to figure out the privacy settings, so I know who is getting what and what I'm keeping from everyone else. Now, I can't. I have to go read a bunch of blogs to figure it out. I'm not a dummy. Facebook is just trying to monetize me, so they make it difficult for me (and people like me) to maintain some privacy. Their business model is based on me sharing everything, and since I can't figure out how not to do this (or rather, it changes every few months with an inevitable announcement about changes to "make privacy settings more transparent"), I hardly use it anymore.

Mar 7 Sterno commented on Mercer Island to Distribute iPads to All High Schoolers.

#10, is there evidence that kids at your school are learning as well or better than with physical books (and without having these machines on their desks)?