There are some interesting debates going on online right now.Quiltinmomi and Fugitiveare having a very interesting (and well balanced) discussion of women’s rights and Feminism that I am finding absolutely fascinating.I’m at a little bit of a disadvantage because I’m not a and therefore have fewer feminist experiences with which to comment, but I still recommend that everyone check them out.It’s some good stuff.
Also, in another corner of the Internet universe, a debate is raging about the proper relationship between Christians and the world.Cadency and Coroloroare the main sites to look for this discussion.The focus is mainly (given the times) on whether Christians ought to participate in Halloween, and how, and why, but they are also touching on broader issues of what it means to be separate from the world and what it means to be holy.Now, this is an issue I would love to jump into, and I have, a little bit, by commenting on those sites.I’d really like to stop with the poetry for a while now and take a day and post an essay on my feelings on the topic.Unfortunately, I have about two written assignments due two days ago and three research papers coming up, and the essay I really want to write would take a minimum of two hours.I don’t think I can warrant the two hours.It’s really got me upset.Alas.Nevertheless, it’s a good issue to think and talk about.
Lastly, I read last night on microcontent newsabout a few websites that everybody interested in libraries, liberty, Napsterand the internet should want to know about.The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on the constitutionality of Congress continually extending the copyright.This has sprung up a fountainhead of debate about copyright, trademarks, and the public domain.I’m not even going to try to sum it all up here, but I would recommend you check out Lawrence Lessig’s blog of the constitutional debate.It may be a little dry but it will at least lead you to thisarticle on the book mobile that’s driving across the country printing public domain books right off the internet, and perhaps you’ll learn about Project Gutenberg, which hopes to get every public domain book available right on the internet, ready to print. Perhaps you’ll even read thisarticle about the Internet Archive Wayback Machinethat has kept a working copy of the entire internet since the latter part of 1996.Anyway, reading has been far more fun than writing lately.
On a personal note, my heater/AC unit is very loud.It’s a single unit in a very old building, and it’s one of those classic set ups where the heating and AC is really run by the entire building, so that the unit is either a heater or an air conditioner, but you don’t really have any control over which it is.A few days ago it switched to being a heater.Plus, the thing is very loud.The thermostat and the unit itself are separate, so that if you want it to work at all, you have to manually adjust the fan setting and then adjust the thermostat.Even if the fan is off, the heater may go on, generating lots of noise but no heat.This is doubly a bad thing, because, not only are you getting no temperature change and a lot of noise, it’s still based on a thermostat, so until the temperature does change, the noise goes on, keeping you up all night.There are two solutions to this problem.The first is to turn the fan on, so that eventually the heater goes off.The second is to whip the thermostat either to 65 or 90 so that it no longer thinks the room is too cold or too hot.This shuts it off immediately.
Rewind to last night, about 3 am.The fan is off and the heater is making that blasted noise and it wakes me up.I sleep on the top bunk.I’m very tired and only half awake.My roommate is catching a cold and planning on driving to Atlanta in the morning.This is proof that my roommate is out of his mind, but that’s a subject of a different debate.Nevertheless, in my sleepless stupor, I decided to wake my roommate up and tell him to get up and turn off the heater.I don’t know why I did this.Apparently he only adjusted the thermostat a little, because about an hour later, it went on again.And he got up again and made whatever adjustment it was he made.In my stupor (again) I decided that he obviously wasn’t understanding the adjustments that needed to be made, so I decided to get up after he went into the bathroom and adjust it again.And I did so, as part of the dream I was having. I dreamt myself off of the bunkbed, to the thermostat, but I don’t think I ever dreamt my self back into bed.Judge of my surprise when I found myself back in bed this morning and realized that I never actually got up.I apologized to my roommate for kicking him out of bed.I felt so stupid.
Anyway, blessings on all.I hope you have more fun on your weekend than I am planning on having on mine…
KB
neumatikos 