Month: July 2004

Kim

Bright traces of blood on the
crags of Jangbaek still gleam,
Still the Amnok carries along
signs of blood in its stream.
Still do those hallowed traces
shine resplendently
Over Korea ever flourishing
and free.

Tell, blizzards that rage in the wild
Manchurian plains,
Tell, you nights in forests deep
where the silence reigns,
Who is the partisan whose deeds
are unsurpassed?
Who is the patriot whose fame
shall ever last?

So dear to all our hearts is
our General’s glorious name,
Our own beloved Kim Il Sung
of undying fame.

TV? Stereo?

What was interesting about our discussion – which was echoed by some friends packing their kids off to school this weekend – was their data showing college students now arriving at school with 2 things, dominantly. First, a cell phone. Second, a laptop. In that order. Stereo? Nope. TV? No. Did you bring a phone to school? I’m embarrassed to identify the model I used. Or stereo. Everyone had them. No more.
What do college kids do with their laptops? Shoot at each other. Play movies. Listen to music. Write papers. Chat. TV? Stereo? Why bother. They’re focused – just like the rest of us – on interactive communications and entertainment. Things have changed. Ask a college kid which they’d be less likely to give up: their mobile or their laptop. Interesting.

roger that, except why bother with a cell phone?

xforms toggles

i hope this solution helps someone.. it took me some time until i “got it”. basically, if you have have a form with tabs and a sidebar that change dynamically, put the tabs and the sidebar each into a xforms:switch element and define 2 triggers to switch between them like so:

<xforms:trigger id="tab-trigger-selectTemplate">
<xforms:label>Select Template</xforms:label>
<xforms:action id="action-selectTemplate">
<xforms:revalidate-switch-case xforms:model="letter" xforms:instance="package_instance" xforms:switch="switch"/>
<xforms:toggle id="toggle-selectTemplate" xforms:case="case-selectTemplate"/>
<xforms:toggle id="toggle-selectTemplateSide" xforms:case="case-selectTemplateSide"/>
</xforms:action>
</xforms:trigger>

Beyond malthus

michael lind asserts that yes, 9bn people can subsist on a lifestyle only the rich can afford today. his article has it all: wildscapes, cowless steaks and hover cars. choice quotes include:

Farm sprawl is a far greater threat to the environment than urban sprawl.
The environmentalists who argue that the affluent countries should revert to the unhealthy peasant diet are wrong.
Those worried that genetic engineering will create biological monsters should be reminded that it already has: just look at the degraded creatures that haunt any farm or ranch.
It makes no sense to counsel individuals and nations to adopt austerity in cases in which there are technological solutions to problems created by technology.

Uptake

The classic adoption theory segments us like this:

  • Innovators account for 2.5% of individuals in a system.
  • Early Adopters account for 13.5%.
  • The Early Majority account for 34%.
  • The Late Majority also accounts for 34%.
  • Laggards make up the remaining 16%.

via rob paterson