text:
I2P dev meeting, February 12, 2013 @ 20:00 UTC
Quick recap
- Present:
asdfsdafsdafsd, christoph3, dg, eche|on, h2ik, hottuna, inscrutus, lillith, Mathiasdm, Meeh, orion, Shinobiwan, str4d, suhr, unresolved, user, weltende, zzz
- Next Meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 19 @ 20:00 UTC (8:00PM)
Log IRC completo
20:00:38 <hottuna> dg, meetingtime?
20:03:06 <dg> uh.. through tor?
20:03:06 <dg> was just pulling the mtg topic ;)
20:03:06 <dg> ok, hi!
20:03:06 <dg> Today's agenda:
20:03:09 <dg> (0) - hi
20:03:15 <dg> (1) - Domain vote
20:03:18 <dg> (2) - Website transition
20:03:25 <dg> (3) - IPv6 .. I hope
20:03:28 <dg> (4) - Crypto .. I hope
20:03:43 <dg> str4d KillYourTV eche|on zzz
20:03:54 <str4d> Hi!
20:03:57 <dg> sponge meeh
20:03:57 <hottuna> Hi!
20:04:04 <dg> Hi! :-)
20:04:07 <exoshell> dg: Looks like I need to edit my .pac file and update the regex. The connect was going through 127.0.0.1:4444 Thanks! :)
20:04:25 <dg> exoshell: No problem. Better to be that problem than being censored for real, right?
20:04:34 <dg> Ok, how many people do we need to vote?
20:04:45 <exoshell> no kidding.
20:04:48 <str4d> weltende
20:04:52 <str4d> (ping)
20:05:06 <hottuna> Mathiasdm postman badger
20:05:19 <hottuna> domain vote is coming up
20:05:22 <dg> \o/
20:05:41 <dg> h2ik bpb psi
20:05:49 <dg> .. wakey wakey?
20:06:23 <dg> Everyone's sleepy
20:06:36 <dg> We could do with more than three people >.>
20:06:51 <hottuna> 3 ppl isnt enought.
20:06:58 <str4d> Nope
20:07:16 <hottuna> Could we start a zzz.i2p thread for it and have #i2p-dev topic point ppl to it.
20:07:20 <str4d> And there are two votes needed - what we would change it to, and if we are going to change it at all.
20:07:31 <hottuna> and just have people vote for one of the alternatives
20:07:38 <str4d> (Can and should be independent)
20:07:41 <dg> RN, Shinobiwan
20:07:49 <hottuna> agreed
20:08:00 <dg> might be an idea
20:08:07 <dg> I was going for $OPTIONS/"I don't want a change"
20:08:28 <hottuna> dg, makes sense to me
20:08:45 <dg> I mean.. we did post this a week ago
20:08:45 <zzz> dont even bother if weltende isnt here
20:08:48 <str4d> With two votes, even those who don't want a change can contribute an idea as to what they would change to if they had to.
20:09:22 <dg> They could anyway? We've had the topic up for a week and there's been no new suggestions.
20:09:22 <hottuna> str4d, so $OPTIONS/"I don't want a change" is not good enough?
20:09:37 <dg> "You can abstain (to say I don't want us to change) but it's preferable if you'd bring it up first so we could discuss why.. but not necessary."
20:09:40 <Shinobiwan> o/
20:10:26 <iRelay> <weltende@freenode> zzz: well.. I don't *really* care
20:10:51 <str4d> hottuna: that doesn't give the right statistics.
20:10:51 <dg> Does that mean you'll go with the majority or.. what?
20:10:55 <dg> Not caring isn't a great stance.
20:11:02 <hottuna> weltende, as long as you know that there is a vote
20:11:21 <zzz> ok, but presumably work would fall on you if we switch, so you kinda have to agree to a switch
20:11:21 <dg> We've said there's a vote, people are able to vote for - with a choice or against
20:12:11 <str4d> weltende, how much work do you see for yourself in the event of a switch?
20:12:22 <hottuna> alright, are we enough ppl around for the vote "Do you want to change the domain?" ?
20:12:29 <dg> I'm trying to think of things you can't do with a quick sed.
20:13:03 <dg> hottuna: hottuna, str4d, zzz, Shinobiwan, welt, dg
20:13:03 <dg> that's 6
20:13:03 <dg> is that enough?
20:13:10 <dg> I'm not sure.
20:13:10 <hottuna> yes?
20:13:22 * asdfsdafsdafsd runs in the room
20:13:29 <asdfsdafsdafsd> I'm here.... 7
20:13:29 <dg> :o
20:13:32 <dg> make that 7
20:13:47 <zzz> dns updates, ssl certs, transfers (if somebody else has the new domain now) .. .among others
20:13:47 <hottuna> so let's do the vote?
20:13:54 <dg> it's not lik we have ssl certs anyway
20:13:57 <dg> let's do it
20:13:57 <inscrutus> i'm just a civvie, is my opinion worth anything ?
20:14:04 <dg> yes
20:14:11 <hottuna> inscrutus, yes :)
20:14:14 <zzz> dg, yes we do have certs
20:14:21 <dg> zzz: none valid afaik
20:14:28 <hottuna> zzz, the cacert cert?
20:14:28 <dg> hottuna: say "I"? deal?
20:14:30 <inscrutus> cool :)
20:15:00 <hottuna> \me says votes "I"
20:15:03 <asdfsdafsdafsd> so, what are the alternate domain choices?
20:15:06 <zzz> dg the choice of CA is a different issue. don't confuse things by saying we dont have certs.
20:15:17 <hottuna> "I"
20:15:17 <Shinobiwan> i2p2.de ?
20:15:17 <dg> zzz: meh. same diff for the most part. for another time, anyway.
20:15:24 <dg> Those in favor of a domain change (doesn't matter what to), say I!
20:15:35 <hottuna> asdfsdafsdafsd, that is the next vote, first we decide if we want to change
20:15:42 <zzz> no, its not the same at all. It's work to be done, don't discount it.
20:15:42 * dg votes "I"
20:15:44 <iRelay> <weltende@freenode> str4d: not sure.. but not gonna do anything before 1.3
20:15:52 * hottuna votes "I"
20:15:59 <zzz> do you guys mean "aye" ?
20:16:06 <zzz> ffs
20:16:07 <dg> ...
20:16:07 <dg> yes
20:16:10 <hottuna> yes :P
20:16:13 <hottuna> damnit
20:16:13 <dg> LOL
20:16:16 * inscrutus says aye (FWIW)
20:16:16 <asdfsdafsdafsd> hottune, ah ok
20:16:19 <dg> .. aye
20:16:26 <asdfsdafsdafsd> edit.... tuna lol
20:17:20 <hottuna> 3 for - 0 against, this far.
20:17:46 <Shinobiwan> i2p2.de ? ?_?
20:17:49 <zzz> do we have volunteers to do all the other work required? docs, website, router console, etc?
20:17:52 <Shinobiwan> if so, aye
20:18:03 <dg> Shinobiwan: Moving from i2p2.de -> anything
20:18:19 <dg> (we'll have another vote to determine what "anything" is)
20:18:26 <Shinobiwan> yea then... definitely.
20:18:29 <hottuna> zzz, ill take responsibility if works needs to be done (that is server specific)
20:18:35 * asdfsdafsdafsd confers with his greater and lesser demons....
20:18:46 <dg> Website doesn't need anything doing.
20:18:46 <asdfsdafsdafsd> aye
20:19:01 <str4d> zzz: the work will get done, but the 301 server redirect will solve that.
20:19:01 <hottuna> 5 for - 0 against
20:19:04 <dg> well, a redirect.
20:19:07 <dg> 4 for - 0 against.
20:19:09 <iRelay> <user@kytv> abstention here
20:19:09 <dg> oops
20:19:12 <str4d> Website, has nothing (aside from tweaking the mirror links in the footer)
20:19:31 <str4d> Ah, and aye
20:19:34 <dg> so.. no?
20:19:37 <hottuna> ok
20:19:43 <str4d> dg: abstention. Difference.
20:19:47 <eche|on> count me as a no, it is absolutly unneeded and unneeded work and confuses the users
20:20:00 <asdfsdafsdafsd> I guess this means I'll have to edit my posters....
20:20:00 <dg> str4d: No, I said something in the topic due to the previous model we were going for.
20:20:02 <iRelay> <user@kytv> my English is bad. I mean I am indifferent
20:20:12 <dg> str4d: "You can abstain (to say I don't want us to change) but it's preferable if you'd bring it up first so we could discuss why.. but not necessary."
20:20:12 <eche|on> but as I do not have to do anything, who cares
20:20:15 <dg> ah ok
20:20:18 <dg> 6 for - 1 against
20:20:21 <lillith> FWIW, my vote is no change. i like i2p2.de with the other urls pointing at it
20:20:34 <str4d> lillith: other urls?
20:20:34 <dg> 2 against.
20:21:01 <lillith> geti2p.net etc
20:21:04 <str4d> You mean the mirrors? They aren't pointing at it (that would be a 301 redirect) - at present they are full mirrors.
20:21:19 <dg> geti2p.net is a mirror iirc.
20:21:22 <lillith> ahh okay :D
20:21:26 <dg> so.. yes or no?
20:21:45 <zzz> I'll give a contingent aye, dependent on the result of the 2nd vote. If I don't like the new one I will switch to nay.
20:21:52 <lillith> no - keep i2p2 as primary url
20:21:59 <hottuna> sponge, Mathiasdm, Meeh, RN: Domain votes?
20:22:06 <dg> 7 for - 2 against.
20:22:25 <str4d> (That's why I wanted to do the second vote first =P)
20:22:33 <dg> .. oh.
20:22:38 <dg> That makes snese.
20:22:45 <asdfsdafsdafsd> can zzz setup a poll on the dev forum?
20:22:56 <dg> don't know if polls are possible
20:22:59 <zzz> no, because if the 1st vote loses you dont need a 2nd.
20:23:13 <inscrutus> lillith: that hints at another question: keep i2p2 as a secondary domain?
20:23:20 <str4d> inscrutus: of course.
20:23:20 <inscrutus> i2p2.de*
20:23:26 <dg> That's a yes.
20:23:33 <dg> We're keeping it for SEO purposes and to stop evil.
20:23:37 <str4d> If a change goes ahead, www.i2p2.de will be 301-ed to the new one
20:24:10 <str4d> I.e. it wouldn't be a full mirror, it would redirect to the new URL (which ensures that the old SEO/linkage/etc. gets transferred to the new URL)
20:24:28 <inscrutus> Right, that makes sense
20:24:37 <eche|on> ..at some point I cannot read/hear/... this buzzwor SEO anymore,...
20:24:47 <asdfsdafsdafsd> I guess a forum vote is maybe a bad idea, because you could get people voting multiple times too
20:24:54 <zzz> my vote and any change is also contingent on weltende agreeing to do the work
20:24:54 <dg> SEO is real, lol.
20:26:05 <str4d> zzz: my sugggestion (if a domain change is agreed on) is that the site revamp be put up at the new URL, and then once tested the old one is put on redirect. So weltende would be killing two birds with a slightly larger stone.
20:26:43 <hottuna> Is the first vote over and done?
20:26:49 <iRelay> <user@kytv> don't kill innocent birds!!
20:26:49 <dg> Believe so.
20:26:59 <h2ik> hi back dg
20:26:59 <dg> So.. 7 for - 2 against.
20:27:02 <dg> oh!
20:27:02 <dg> hi!
20:27:02 <h2ik> sorry, working :-)
20:27:06 <dg> np :-)
20:27:10 <dg> got enough time to say yay or nay?
20:27:13 <asdfsdafsdafsd> I don't think anyone else is coming...
20:27:36 <asdfsdafsdafsd> we could wait until 8:30 UTC though
20:27:51 <dg> I'll wait for h2ik's answer
20:28:18 * h2ik is reading up on the domain vote
20:28:38 <dg> the vote right now is actually "Do you think we should change?" - not what to
20:29:01 <dg> if the result is yes, I will post a forum topic for voting.
20:29:04 <dg> if no..: pass
20:29:16 <h2ik> We've had the .de for a long time and I'm not opposed to it. So pass.
20:29:31 <h2ik> sorry, obstain
20:29:31 <dg> 7 for - 3 against.
20:29:34 <dg> oh
20:29:34 <h2ik> I'm ok either way
20:29:41 <dg> so not against, not for
20:29:44 <dg> ok
20:29:44 * unresolved waves
20:29:47 <h2ik> 7 - 1 - 3
20:29:50 <dg> 7 for - 2 against.
20:30:15 <dg> 7 - 2 - 3
20:30:15 * h2ik eagerly awaits the ipv6 topic :-)
20:30:19 <dg> Okay, that's done then! :D
20:30:37 <dg> str4d: Your time to shine.
20:30:47 <dg> topic = transition to new website design
20:30:50 <str4d> We can always update this vote if more people come in, but there's enough for the second vote.
20:31:08 <str4d> dg: are we not having the second vote right now? Or are we doing that in a thread?
20:31:22 <dg> str4d: I was thinking of a thread.. we can do it now if you want?
20:31:25 <dg> We have enough to do it.
20:31:35 <dg> It's not worth waiting another week IMO but I didn't want to upset anyone
20:31:54 <hottuna> Let's do it now?
20:31:57 <zzz> cant do polls on zzz.i2p. use forum.i2p if you want a poll
20:31:57 <dg> hell, let's do it
20:32:07 <asdfsdafsdafsd> we need a catchy domain name...
20:32:10 <hottuna> enumerate the options and we'll all pick one
20:32:17 <dg> The new domain candidates are:
20:32:17 <dg> - i2p.io
20:32:17 <dg> - i2p.int
20:32:17 <dg> - i2p.me
20:32:17 <dg> - geti2p.net
20:32:38 <h2ik> geti2p.net would follow suit with other FOSS projects
20:32:38 <Meeh> i2p.int was kind of fancy
20:32:41 <Meeh> or io
20:32:43 <hottuna> ** other (specify) **
20:32:51 <dg> (and make sure it's available)
20:33:05 * hottuna votes for geti2p.net (since we already have it and it's pretty good)
20:33:17 * dg votes for geti2p.net. ditto on the reasons.
20:33:23 <zzz> who owns those 4 now?
20:33:29 <asdfsdafsdafsd> i2p4.me? lol
20:33:36 <dg> N/A, N/A, N/A, hottuna. AFAIK.
20:34:00 <hottuna> i dont own geti2p.net
20:34:04 <dg> oh?
20:34:15 <hottuna> weltende/welterde owns geti2p.net
20:34:18 <dg> ah ok
20:35:03 <zzz> um, if we don't know who owns a proposed domain, then there's no f-ing use talking about it. Unless it's available.
20:35:10 <lillith> would it be counterproductive to go for i2p-projekt.de?
20:35:10 <lillith> that's my vote if it's an option
20:35:21 <hottuna> zzz, the above ones are available
20:35:36 <hottuna> lillith, you can vote for whatever you like :)
20:35:44 <zzz> ok.
20:35:47 <asdfsdafsdafsd> i2phides.me
20:35:58 <zzz> yet another reason why we need welt's agreement.
20:36:09 <lillith> hottuna: good. just checking the point isn't to move away from a .de domain :)
20:36:17 <dg> it was for some of us ;)
20:36:24 <dg> well.. actually.. overall, it was.
20:36:31 <dg> but you can vote for whatever
20:36:36 <Shinobiwan> geti2p.net is good, i2p.me is good too IMO
20:36:39 <Shinobiwan> if need to get new one, i2p.me
20:36:46 <str4d> dg: not overall
20:36:57 <dg> it does not have to be new
20:37:03 * zzz again raises the significant issue of moving to a US-controlled TLD
20:37:12 <iRelay> <user@kytv> and there was silence .....
20:37:13 <iRelay> <user@kytv> I don't like the .me and .io - they're very unknown here
20:37:15 <iRelay> <user@kytv> maybe cheaper, I dunno, but people here would be like "WTF is that?"
20:37:15 <dg> I don't think it's the time to.
20:37:35 <hottuna> when you've decided what ytou'd like to vote for, please denote it with a /me or something easily distinguishable
20:37:35 <dg> The vote was in +, not -
20:37:49 <asdfsdafsdafsd> I don't like the '.io'
20:37:52 <Shinobiwan> yea the country bit is important :/
20:38:11 <dg> I felt that if the $GOV wanted rid of us, they could anyway. Tor Project does fine.
20:38:17 <zzz> agreed. you arent picking 2 letters, you're picking a legal domain
20:38:19 <iRelay> <user@kytv> oh, it was the relay lagging.
20:38:19 * Mad reads silently, thinking this is quiet an important descision.
20:38:22 <dg> We have bigger problems than our domain if they want us shut down so badly.
20:38:31 <iRelay> <user@kytv> IMHO short is better than i2p-project.whatever
20:38:43 <unresolved> i2.p
20:38:46 <unresolved> :P
20:39:25 <zzz> dg, the fact that $X hasn't yet been shut down is not much of an argument. The issue is who a particular government _has_ shutdown and why, and the legal process required.
20:42:48 <asdfsdafsdafsd> that's pretty good unresolved -> i2.p
20:44:24 <inscrutus> Are we worried about the .net having censorship issues?
20:44:27 <dg> zzz: It is? I don't think the US government would come after us, but if they were to, they'd likely go after TPO at the same time, or not long after. TPO didn't see it as much of an issue and I don't either.
20:44:27 <dg> I'm not, some are.
20:44:30 <lillith> semi related to zzz's point, is there an i2p .onion? will there ever be?
20:44:33 <zzz> to handwave and say all TLDs are equivalent is naive
20:44:33 <unresolved> ty :P
20:44:33 <dg> lillith: I can get on that but AFAIK, right now, no.
20:44:33 <str4d> lillith: that IS a valid point; but that would be work for weltende
20:44:33 <str4d> (There isn't one now)
20:44:33 <lillith> also a freesite - if censorship is/may be an issue there are other ways of getting round it than just changing the url
20:44:33 <inscrutus> Well there _are_ backup domains in case geti2p.net gets shut down
20:44:33 * inscrutus votes geti2p.net
20:44:33 <inscrutus> And getting shut down would be good media coverage :D
20:44:35 <asdfsdafsdafsd> hehe
20:44:35 <zzz> again, the fact that t.p.o or anybody else hasn't yet had a problem, or your theory that they wouldn't shutdown us unless thy also shutdown $X and they'd never do that, is irrelevant
20:44:35 <lillith> also re: people talking about tor, tor dosent allow file sharing, so they have more protection in US
20:44:35 <lillith> i2p does allow filesharing so is more likely to be a target
20:44:35 <zzz> it's the established procedures and due process or lack thereof.
20:46:13 <dg> inscrutus: mm, yeah. I doubt we'd be censored without some noise.
20:46:19 <str4d> lillith: it's not that they forbid filesharing for legal reasons, it's that they encourage people to not fileshare for technical reasons.
20:46:19 <dg> In any case, you can still use Tor for filesharing.
20:46:19 <dg> You just shouldn't.
20:46:22 <dg> So..
20:46:22 <dg> Back on topic?
20:46:22 <lillith> str4d: whatever the reason, it will almost certainly be a plus when it comes to not being shut down
20:46:33 <lillith> sorry, dg. yes
20:46:50 <dg> Right now, I believe it's geti2p.net - 2
20:46:53 * lillith wishes to officially register a vote for i2p-projekt.de
20:46:56 <dg> Shinobiwan: You never decided ;)
20:46:56 <dg> ok
20:46:59 <zzz> presumably i2p2.de etc remains a mirror for many years
20:47:02 <dg> yes
20:47:05 <Shinobiwan> I pinged out, must have missed something
20:47:19 <dg> Shinobiwan: ah. Doesn't have to be a new domain. Your vote?
20:47:57 <Shinobiwan> geti2p.net
20:48:15 <dg> that's 4 so far..
20:48:15 <Shinobiwan> if welterde say OK, or w/e needs to happen for that.
20:48:27 <zzz> .io, .me, and .int are worse than what we have now and not worthy. i2p-projekt.net is better but hyphens are terrible for many reasons, an the english spelling is problematic. that leaves only geti2p.net imho
20:48:41 <inscrutus> dg: am I counted among those 4? I think I'm lagging
20:49:13 <asdfsdafsdafsd> I agree with zzz.... out of the 4 geti2p.net is the best
20:49:32 <Shinobiwan> yeah, haha, exactly.
20:49:55 <str4d> Of the available choices, my vote is for geti2p.net (and for http://geti2p.net/ rather than http://www.geti2p.net/ as it currently is)
20:50:06 <iRelay> Title: I2P Anonymous Network - I2P (at geti2p.net)
20:50:34 <dg> geti2p.net - 7 - hottuna, dg, inscrutus, zzz, asdfsdafsdafsd, Shinobiwan, str4d
20:50:34 <dg> i2p-projekt.de - 1 - lillith
20:51:34 <unresolved> ill go for geti2p.net
20:51:53 <Meeh> geti2p.net + meeh
20:52:55 <Meeh> In case you didn't get it , I vote for geti2p.net too
20:53:09 <dg> aye
20:53:12 <dg> geti2p.net - 9 - hottuna, dg, inscrutus, zzz, asdfsdafsdafsd, Shinobiwan, str4d, unresolved, meeh
20:53:15 <dg> i2p-projekt.de - 1 - lillith
20:53:18 <dg> Are we done?
20:53:21 <zzz> ech has a couple others too. i2pprojekt.net maybe? too bad those didnt get added to the list last week.
20:53:25 <orion> Vote?
20:53:28 <orion> What are we voting on?
20:53:32 <dg> zzz: if anybody cared to, they could have suggested it
20:53:39 <dg> orion: new project domain (official, main one used)
20:53:46 <zzz> in fact, step one, a couple of weeks ago, should have been to list all the domains we already have.
20:53:49 <orion> What are the choices?
20:54:00 <dg> orion:
20:54:00 <dg> - i2p.io
20:54:00 <dg> - i2p.int
20:54:00 <dg> - i2p.me
20:54:00 <dg> - geti2p.net
20:54:10 <iRelay> <user@kytv> re i2pprojekt.net - I have the same issue as zzz: the k instead of c
20:54:10 <dg> (or one you know of that is available!)
20:54:25 <str4d> - i2pproject.net
20:54:32 <str4d> - i2p-projekt.de
20:54:57 <str4d> (We have those two alongside geti2p.net and i2p2.de)
20:55:00 <lillith> i just think it should be a little different than the typical get[name].[com|net|org]
20:55:08 <suhr> i2p-project.org is avalible?
20:55:15 <dg> "-"s suck.
20:56:12 <iRelay> <user@kytv> I think geti2p.net and i2pproject.net are best, despite the double p
20:56:37 <iRelay> <user@kytv> but I'd go with the geti2p.net one
20:57:18 <str4d> AFK 5 mins
20:58:25 <Mathiasdm> 21:22 < hottuna> sponge, Mathiasdm, Meeh, RN: Domain votes?
20:58:28 <Mathiasdm> hm?
20:58:35 <orion> What about i2p.sg, i2p.vc, or i2p.mn?
20:58:56 <Mathiasdm> I won't vote, I haven't been active enough to contribute anything useful
20:59:07 <Meeh> ok, is there some simple webutility where we just can create a fast vote thing, and vote and be finished with it? :P
20:59:10 <hottuna> We're voting to change our official domain away from i2p2.de
20:59:17 <hottuna> every opinion is valuable Mathiasdm
20:59:24 <Mathiasdm> thanks for asking :)
20:59:42 <Mathiasdm> yes, but I'm someone with an uninformed opinion :) so I'll pass this one
20:59:45 <dg> I'm keeping note.
20:59:48 <Mathiasdm> I need to go afk again, I'm afraid
20:59:51 * Mathiasdm waves
20:59:55 <hottuna> bye
21:00:10 <dg> bye
21:00:21 <dg> be nice if we could see you again soon, Mathiasdm!
21:00:21 <Meeh> bye
21:00:24 <orion> What's the legal status on these TLDs?
21:00:57 <dg> AFK for 10 minutes or so. As str4d is gone and he's leading the next topic, feel free to talk about domains or whatever.
21:01:03 <dg> geti2p.net is winning, will likely be our decision.
21:01:28 <iRelay> <user@kytv> bye Mathiasdm!
21:03:28 <orion> Can we have the website be geti2p.net and have personal emails be directed to email@example.com?
21:03:35 <orion> Like, email@example.com
21:04:11 <hottuna> i dont think we've ever hade personal email
21:04:22 <hottuna> not that it is a bad idea, it would be nice
21:04:29 <lillith> orion: why?
21:04:51 <hottuna> having them separated makes little sense in my mind
21:05:07 <iRelay> <user@kytv> I don't even know what .io stands for. input output?
21:05:11 <Meeh> personal email for active developers/contributors could be usefull
21:05:22 <Meeh> exceptly when it comes to PR etc
21:05:33 <lillith> i agree but surely email@example.com
21:05:36 <Meeh> postman's service is nice... but great with imap and stuff
21:05:55 <lillith> a site with different email screams out scam to me
21:06:06 <suhr> i2p.io is nice, but we've got i2pmail.org...
21:06:23 <inscrutus> kytv: yeah input/output
21:06:30 <asdfsdafsdafsd> haha my thoughts too user....
21:06:41 <lillith> suhr: it's not official. i agree there should be official emails for devs etc though
21:06:59 <unresolved> i2pmail ? :/
21:07:06 <unresolved> is that really a good idea
21:07:13 <suhr> It should be avalibe in i2p.
21:07:23 <lillith> unresolved: it already exists
21:07:30 <Meeh> yea, but sure we can have two mail domains inside i2p
21:07:34 <unresolved> :/
21:07:37 <suhr> (www.i2p2.i2p is a terrible address, anyway)
21:07:40 <inscrutus> isn't i2pmail.org already the postman mail gateway?
21:08:03 <str4d> Back
21:08:16 <iRelay> <user@kytv> inscrutus, it is
21:08:24 <hottuna> Do we have any other voters?
21:08:39 <asdfsdafsdafsd> so jrandom took i2p.i2p too when he went awol?
21:09:04 <lillith> str4d: the meeting was handed over to you :)
21:09:30 <str4d> K. I have to depart in the next ten mins anyway, so I'll be brief:
21:10:10 <str4d> The website is ready for transition (or at least, as ready as I can see)
21:10:30 <str4d> Translations are underway.
21:10:41 <lillith> str4d: how is the mobile site?
21:10:45 <str4d> The structure, urls etc. is set.
21:10:54 <str4d> lillith: I *haven't* worked on that, no.
21:11:05 <str4d> It's better than the current site, but the menu CSS still needs work.
21:11:44 <str4d> As does the desktop CSS
21:12:02 <str4d> So designers are more than welcome to get stuck in.
21:12:09 <str4d> But we decided previously that the theme is not a blocker.
21:12:46 <str4d> Currently, the redirects from the old URLs to the new ones (e.g. /how_threatmodel.html -> /en/docs/how/threat-model) are done with 302 redirects.
21:13:20 <hottuna> Ok
21:13:20 <str4d> I'm going to leave them like that until the site is live, so the URL redirects can be properly tested
21:13:27 <str4d> (But switching to a 301 is a simple addition of a parameter)
21:13:31 <hottuna> Have you heard anytinhg from echelon or weltende about deploying the site?
21:13:49 <str4d> weltende has said no website work before March
21:14:15 <str4d> (He said 2 weeks last week, but earlier in the meeting he said 1/3 which I assume means March)
21:15:33 <str4d> So there is still time for design work, more translations, and any other suggestions
21:15:36 <hottuna> ok
21:15:54 <Meeh> maybe a bit late, but I got a topic for the meeting.. we now got mailing list... should we start using them?
21:16:05 <Meeh> I've done setup the server at lists.i2p2.de
21:16:15 <hottuna> dg, are you back?
21:16:42 <hottuna> we've had no new
21:16:49 <hottuna> votes
21:16:56 <hottuna> wait, thats not true
21:16:59 <hottuna> geti2p.net - 9 - hottuna, dg, inscrutus, zzz, asdfsdafsdafsd, Shinobiwan, str4d, unresolved, meeh, user
21:17:09 <zzz> I dont know what 1/3 meant. But w/o him agreeing and doing the work for the site, or a new domain, or anything else we have nothing.
21:17:28 <hottuna> i2p-projekt.de - 1 - lillith
21:18:03 <Meeh> another question, who got access to geti2p.net, and what if that person goes awol?
21:18:09 <inscrutus> zzz: is it possible for others to pitch in to lessen the load on weltende?
21:18:27 <Meeh> witch load?
21:18:46 <zzz> dont know
21:18:56 <hottuna> Meeh, welterde/weltende
21:18:59 <lillith> Meeh: are we leaving the mailing list topic to the end?
21:19:06 <dg> I'm back.
21:19:14 <hottuna> how does shared dns-ownership work?
21:19:25 <hottuna> maybe shared access to a registrar account?
21:19:35 <iRelay> <user@kytv> Meeh: is this lists.i2p2.de reachable from withing i2p?
21:19:55 <dg> Not yet.
21:20:09 <iRelay> <weltende@freenode> can give you access to the relevant VM
21:20:38 <Meeh> lillith: we can leave it to the end yes.
21:20:52 <dg> So, website
21:21:03 <dg> Are we waiting on welt to be able to help us deploy?
21:21:20 <hottuna> I think we are
21:21:39 <Meeh> weltende, I can ssh into it and portforward the console and fix it if you want?
21:21:58 * dg nods
21:22:13 <hottuna> but we've reached a decision?
21:22:28 <dg> yes, geti2p.net
21:22:35 <dg> that is the majority
21:23:46 <iRelay> <weltende@freenode> Meeh: hmm? fix what?
21:24:25 <str4d> Last point about the website revamp - http://vekw35szhzysfq7cwsly37coegsnb4rrsggy5k4wtasa6c34gy5a.b32.i2p/ has the latest, suggestions welcome.
21:24:36 <iRelay> Title: I2P Anonymous Network (at vekw35szhzysfq7cwsly37coegsnb4rrsggy5k4wtasa6c34gy5a.b32.i2p)
21:24:36 <Meeh> tunnel, lists.i2p2.i2p or whatever
21:24:36 <Meeh> since it's not inside i2p yet
21:26:12 <inscrutus> str4d: very nice
21:26:33 <iRelay> <user@kytv> looks pretty good, str4d
21:27:02 <str4d> Thanks =)
21:27:20 <str4d> Post any suggestions in ticket #807
21:27:24 * str4d is off now o/
21:27:26 <iRelay> <weltende@freenode> Meeh: ah.. good point
21:27:26 <dg> o/
21:27:29 <dg> So, IPv6?
21:27:32 <iRelay> http://trac.i2p2.i2p/ticket/807 - (accepted enhancement) - Revamp of website
21:27:35 <SkinSyste> thats awesome, should make the i22p.de homepage
21:28:06 <asdfsdafsdafsd> I like the color scheme str4d...
21:28:35 <asdfsdafsdafsd> are we doing away with the light or dark color scheme?
21:28:53 <inscrutus> dg: Is there an IPv6 + i2p summary I could read up on?
21:29:15 <dg> inscrutus: Yeah, hang on.
21:29:22 <Meeh> there is a IPv6 topic or two on zzz.i2p
21:29:37 <dg> http://zzz.i2p/topics/109 http://zzz.i2p/topics/594
21:29:37 <hottuna> inscrutus, http://zzz.i2p/topics/109
21:29:52 <iRelay> Title: zzz.i2p: I2P vs. IPv6: A bad joke (at zzz.i2p)
21:29:56 <iRelay> Title: zzz.i2p: IPV6 TODO (at zzz.i2p)
21:31:30 <suhr> How to get to "How does I2P work" page on that site?
21:31:33 <suhr> Menu isn't clickable.
21:32:15 <suhr> Ah, that's "Documentation index"
21:33:19 <suhr> It's a bit unintuitive.
21:34:01 <dg> Hm. That's for str4d for a ticket.
21:34:04 <dg> *or
21:34:16 <dg> IPv6..
21:34:34 <dg> welt was the last (only?) dev to work on IPv6 + I2P
21:34:46 <dg> I don't know if anyone is willing to take it up aside from zzz (and he needs a box, ssh thru i2p in that case)
21:34:53 <dg> hottuna? Meeh?
21:34:55 <Meeh> yea, is someone interesting in a ipv6 hackfest?
21:35:13 <Meeh> I provide server
21:35:13 <hottuna> A hackfest seems like a nice idea
21:35:20 <Meeh> and help testing on other locations as well
21:35:46 <zzz> no, this is not time for a hackfest. We need an analysisfest and a decisionfest.
21:36:05 <Meeh> ok, well, do you want to lead that zzz?
21:36:27 <Meeh> and do you want a ssh account to a ipv6 server you can play with?
21:38:18 <zzz> yes to both. however probably not before April.
21:39:14 <Meeh> ok, why not before April?
21:39:21 <Meeh> and
21:39:40 <Meeh> how do we analyse what's needed to be analyzed?
21:39:55 <Meeh> IMO we should get i2p on ipv6 asap
21:40:21 <zzz> I'm probably about to lose a whole bunch of time but I have nothing more to say about it yet.
21:40:32 <Meeh> ah ok
21:40:44 <dg> hopefully won't be the case but :(
21:41:09 <zzz> for analysis, read and understand every work in thread 109 and then keep going and come up with a recommendation and reasoning
21:42:42 <zzz> s/work/word/
21:42:45 <iRelay> zzz meant: for analysis, read and understand every word in thread 109 and then keep going and come up with a recommendation and reasoning
21:42:56 <Meeh> I support your option #3, from my limited experience with ipv6
21:43:10 <Meeh> and I've read the thread
21:43:25 <zzz> it's mostly about how what change fits best into our code, not about ipv6 itself.
21:44:16 <zzz> it could also be about how to do NTCP/SSU with pigeons.
21:45:37 <suhr> Is there a big difference between ipv4 and ipv6 in java?
21:48:13 * suhr don't know I2P code.
21:52:54 <christoph4> I doubt the problem is the direct networking code
21:52:54 <zzz> no
21:53:28 <zzz> it's really a datastructure issue.
21:54:32 <christoph4> + there might be some fun with privacy extension and multiple valid addresses adround where you want to switch from time to time. And how you do a "one node per /16" on IPv6 address space
21:54:43 <zzz> do you want to organize by hi-level protocol NTCP/SSU, or low-level IPv4/v6, or both or neither
21:56:12 <zzz> right. the various places where we assume v4 all have to be fixed too, but that's just grunt work
21:57:07 <inscrutus> grunt work would be good for new devs to help get familiar with the code
21:57:10 <zzz> dg are we done I hope?
21:57:21 <dg> yeah
21:57:28 <dg> we've got nobody else
21:57:31 <dg> so.. yeah.
21:57:38 <hottuna> alright!
21:57:38 * zzz hands dg the *baffer
21:57:53 <dg> I'll cut down on what we have per-meeting next time, or maybe more poking? ;-)
21:57:56 * dg takes
21:57:56 <lillith> dg: so are crypto and mailing list rolling over to next week?
21:57:59 * dg *baf*s the meeting closed
21:58:02 <dg> lillith: Yup.
21:58:17 <hottuna> alright, you've managed to get us all to decide on a new domain
21:58:20 <hottuna> not bad at all :)
21:58:40 <dg> :)
21:58:51 <lillith> hottuna: it was a fairly unanimous decision ;)
21:59:08 <hottuna> getting us to make is the hard part
21:59:23 <inscrutus> dg: i think it's reasonable to not wait as long for stragglers
21:59:51 <lillith> inscrutus: or start earlier for stragglers
22:00:06 <lillith> ie start poking from half 7 ish
22:00:29 <inscrutus> lillith: that too
22:00:33 <dg> Perhaps trivial, non dev topics should be erlier
22:00:44 <dg> (Mailing list for example)
22:01:26 <inscrutus> dg: a good idea so to not scare off the non-devs :)
22:01:29 <dg> I need to know good times for zzz .. and whoever the other crypto/ipv6 guys are. Most of us can't contribute to discussion at all.
22:04:44 <zzz> dg, I don't know when the good times are either. str4d and tuna seemed to be making a little progress.
22:07:47 <zzz> dg I'm guessing 6-12 months will be required to come up with a solid plan.
22:08:13 <dg> zzz: That's resonable. Better late than never, and I'd rather us be planning than nothing at all.
22:09:25 <zzz> it's been on the list for years already. pushing more might help or might not.


text:
What were the experiences of those who participated in the Great War – in the fighting and behind the lines?
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Back in the 1990s, the Nissan Maxima was ideally positioned as a bridge between midsize family sedans and out-of-reach European sport sedans thanks to its powerful V6, upscale interior and catchy "Four-Door Sports Car" marketing tagline. These traits, along with Nissan's continual improvements, ensured the Maxima loyal followers and strong name recognition.
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The Nissan Maxima is a midsize sedan that packs a 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine. Sending the engine's power to the front wheels is a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
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Used Nissan Maximas
The current, seventh-generation Maxima debuted for the 2009 model year. Other than slight styling tweaks and variations in standard and optional equipment, it's effectively been unchanged since.
The previous, sixth-generation model spanned 2004-'08. This Maxima was longer, wider and more powerful than earlier models, though it struggled to stand out against the competition.
Two trim levels were offered during this generation: SE and SL. With a slightly stiffer suspension, the SE was the sportier of the two. Standard features included 18-inch wheels, an eight-speaker CD stereo, keyless entry and one-touch up-down front windows. The more luxury-oriented SL offered 17-inch wheels, softer tuning, wood interior trim, heated leather seats, HID headlights and a 320-watt Bose audio system.
Changes were minimal throughout this model's run, so interested shoppers needn't fixate on a particular year. There was a transmission change, however. Maximas from 2007 and 2008 featured a CVT, while earlier models came with either a five-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual. Earlier Nissan CVTs were disappointing, but the Maxima's CVT worked quite well. The V6 offered by the more recent models in this generation boasts 255 hp, while older models list a higher rating (265). This is the result of a new power rating procedure enacted in 2007. Actual engine performance was unchanged.
In our reviews, we determined that the sixth-generation Nissan Maxima offered better power, comfort and interior space compared to other V6-powered, front-drive midsize sedans. This generation Maxima's driving dynamics didn't impress like some other competitors, though. Fit and finish and materials quality were also hit and miss. If you're shopping for a used car in this age range, the Maxima might be worth a look. But we'd also recommend the Acura TSX and VW Passat.
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Cars built for the 1995-'99 model years constitute the fourth generation. For this Maxima, Nissan added length, improved the quality of the interior and introduced a new 190-hp all-aluminum V6 for all trim levels, which was arguably the gold standard in its day for responsiveness and refinement. Its handling wasn't quite as responsive as the previous version and its styling wasn't very well received, but it was still very popular given its desirable combination of utility, performance and luxury.
The third-generation car was built for the 1989-'94 model years. Nissan was enjoying a product renaissance at the time, and this was the first Nissan Maxima with true sporting credentials. Unlike other Japanese midsize sedans, the Maxima came with a V6 only and an optional manual transmission. Early versions had a 160-hp V6; a 190-hp engine became available in 1992 for the Maxima SE. A second-gen Maxima was available from 1985-'88.
The Maxima is one of Nissan's most historic vehicles in the U.S. market. Known originally as the Datsun 810, it officially became Maxima in 1982 -- also the year that the Datsun brand began its metamorphosis into Nissan.


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text:
Michigan got off to another notoriously slow start Sunday afternoon at home against unranked Iowa. While it didn't ultimately didn't cost them their perfect record, the Wolverines have made a habit of playing from behind in the early stages of games.
That's a trend that surely cannot continue.
While it's easy to overlook against the likes of Binghamton or Eastern Michigan, top-tier Big Ten teams won't be as forgiving as many of Michigan's non-conference opponents.
Michigan spotted the Hawkeyes an early 7-0 lead Sunday, finding itself in dogfight through much of the first half.
The Wolverines didn't claim their first lead until the 10:05 mark in the first half against an unranked Hawkeye team that nearly upended Indiana less than a week prior. While Michigan showed flashes of brilliance- namely the entire second half- they can ill afford to have repeat performances of the first half of Sunday's game.
The Hoosiers or Buckeyes likely wouldn't let them off the hook, especially when Michigan takes to the road.
Ignoring the perpetual cynic within, the Wolverines played a beautiful brand of basketball over the final 20 minutes. It was highlight-play after highlight-play as they used a 21-8 run to open the half, to put to bed any thoughts of an upset. At least for the immediate future, Michigan put the sluggish start out of mind.
Though count on, with the high acclaim and the newly-found target on their back, the Wolverines will be tested. Nothing against the likes of upset-minded Iowa, but hosting the unranked Hawkeyes in the second conference game of the year carries quite a bit less weight than the looming showdown with the Buckeyes in Columbus next Sunday and another in Minnesota on Jan. 17.
While what Michigan was able to to do Sunday might have silenced the alarms to any concern of their inability to start strong out of the gate, that will be a point of emphasis for its future opponents.
The solution is simple enough. Start with fundamentals.
Rather than try to answer in emphatic, highlight-reel caliber fashion- as was often the case during their dry spell early on Sunday- keep running the basic offense. Michigan has an abundance of playmakers on its roster, and will have mismatches somewhere on the floor against any team they'll face the rest of the way.
The task facing the coaching staff over the next few weeks is making sure Michigan doesn't allow a higher caliber opponent to repeat what the Iowa did early on. An emphasis on defensive rotation, eliminating the opposition's offensive rebounds and improving early-game shot selection would turn an already nearly-unbeatable team into a juggernaut heading into the meat of its conference schedule.
Michigan spent much of Sunday the way it has the rest of the regular season; like one of, if not the, nation's top team. To have a chance to earn top billing, it would behoove them to find a way to put 40 minutes of that brand of basketball together in the near future.
With a pair of top-10 teams on the docket over the next two week's, now's as good a time as any.


text:
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Wineke Review: Two Shakespeare plays, one by Shakespeare
APT condenses Cleopatra but lets Verona shine in all its ambiguity
SPRING GREEN — It has to be something of a daunting task to take a Shakespeare play made contemporary by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and adapt it to a tiny stage in rural Wisconsin. But Kate Buckley and James DeVita do just that in the current American Players Theatre production of "Antony and Cleopatra."
Buckley explained the challenge in her Director's Notes: "Our assignment was to adapt Shakespeare's 'Antony and Cleopatra' for the Touchstone Theatre using minimal design and no more than seven actors. My co-writer, James DeVita, fearless man that he is, plunged in without taking a breath. I paused, saying to myself, 'one of the world's greatest romantic relationships, sea battles, four suicides, fall of the Egyptian Empire and solidification of the Roman, on a small stage with a small cast…where to begin?'"
Well, it is a problem but the result is a wonderful — and in some ways disturbing — production.
DeVita not only wrote the adaptation, he stars in it. His Mark Antony pairs with Cleopatra, played by Tracy Michelle Arnold — another APT legend. The play strips away virtually everything nonessential to the Shakespeare tale and concentrates on the love/lust story of two of history's most compelling figures.
They do a really good job — and that's what makes the production a little disturbing to APT regulars.
The thing is, we know DeVita. He's been on stage for 19 years. He's a friend, a brother. We also know Arnold. She's been on stage for 14 years. She, too, is a friend, a sister. We, actors and audience, are a family.
So why are DeVita, who in real life is married to APT artistic director-designate Brenda DeVita, and Arnold, who, in real life, is married to APT actor Marcus Truschinski, making out like mad on the stage, only a few feet from our very eyes? Because they are actors, of course. They are good actors. They are convincing actors.
But I heard more than one audience member say during intermission, "I just couldn't watch."
Speaking of Truschinski, which, I admit, we weren't, Marcus is one of the gentlemen in the APT production of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona." He plays the role of Proteus. Travis Knight plays Valentine, the other gentleman.
This is classic Shakespeare with 24 roles (a few actors double up), women dressing as men, intrigue and subplots galore. There's even a German shepherd, Tim, a resident of the Spring Green Pet Resort, who plays the role of Crab. Tim is better trained than most of our dogs and, as I suspect Shakespeare intended, steals the show.
It's well worth seeing and worth taking your kids to see, especially if they like dogs.


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0 items
Quadrajet carburetors.
Discontinued and hard to find USED Quadrajet lever.
This is a used part and may require cleaning.
Rochester products part # 31221 (stamped on lever)
Used item.
Quantity: 1 Lever & 1 roll pin.
Quantities are limited.
This lever is located between the secondary air flaps on the air horn assembly, it raises the secondary hanger/rods as the secondary air flaps open. The scondary hanger is attached to this lever via a small screw and held in place to the air horn with a .100" diameter roll pin.


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You read that right: S&P just revised its US outlook to negative. EURUSD surges on what can be seen as revolutionary news...
From S&P:
We have affirmed our 'AAA/A-1+' sovereign credit rating on the United States of America.
- The economy of the U.S. is flexible and highly diversified, the country's effective monetary policies have supported output growth while containing inflationary pressures, and a consistent global preference for the U.S. dollar over all other currencies gives the country unique external liquidity.
- Because the U.S. has, relative to its 'AAA' peers, what we consider to be very large budget deficits and rising government indebtedness and the path to addressing these is not clear to us, we have revised our outlook on the long-term rating to negative from stable.
- We believe there is a material risk that U.S. policymakers might not reach an agreement on how to address medium- and long-term budgetary challenges by 2013; if an agreement is not reached and meaningful implementation does not begin by then, this would in our view render the U.S. fiscal profile meaningfully weaker than that of peer 'AAA' sovereigns.
Rating Action
On April 18, 2011, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services affirmed its 'AAA' long-term and 'A-1+' short-term sovereign credit ratings on the United States of America and revised its outlook on the long-term rating to negative from stable.
Our ratings on the U.S. rest on its high-income, highly diversified, and flexible economy, backed by a strong track record of prudent and credible monetary policy. The ratings also reflect our view of the unique advantages stemming from the dollar's preeminent place among world currencies. Although we believe these strengths currently outweigh what we consider to be the
U.S.'s meaningful economic and fiscal risks and large external debtor position, we now believe that they might not fully offset the credit risks over the next two years at the 'AAA' level.
The U.S. is among the most flexible high-income nations, with both adaptable labor markets and a long track record of openness to capital flows. In addition, its public sector uses a smaller share of national income than those of most 'AAA' rated countries--including its closest peers, the U.K., France, Germany, and Canada (all AAA/Stable/A-1+)--which implies greater
revenue flexibility.
Furthermore, the U.S. dollar is the world's most used currency, which provides the U.S. with unique external flexibility; the vast majority of U.S. trade flows and external liabilities are denominated in its own dollars. Recent depreciation of the currency has not materially affected this position, and we do not expect this to change in the medium term (see "Après Le Déluge, The U.S. Dollar Remains The Key International Currency," March 10, 2010, RatingsDirect).
Despite these exceptional strengths, we note the U.S.'s fiscal profile has deteriorated steadily during the past decade and, in our view, has worsened further as a result of the recent financial crisis and ensuing recession. Moreover, more than two years after the beginning of the recent crisis, U.S. policymakers have still not agreed on a strategy to reverse recent fiscal deterioration or address longer-term fiscal pressures.
In 2003-2008, the U.S.'s general (total) government deficit fluctuated between 2% and 5% of GDP. Already noticeably larger than that of most 'AAA' rated sovereigns, it ballooned to more than 11% in 2009 and has yet to recover.
On April 13, President Barack Obama laid out his Administration's medium-term fiscal consolidation plan, aimed at reducing the cumulative unified federal deficit by US$4 trillion in 12 years or less. A key component of the Administration's strategy is to work with Congressional leaders over the next two months to develop a commonly agreed upon program to reach this target. The President's proposals envision reducing the deficit via both spending cuts and revenue increases, and the adoption of a "debt failsafe" legislative mechanism that would trigger an across-the-board spending reduction if, by 2014, budget projections show that federal debt to GDP has not yet stabilized and is not expected to decline in the second half of the current decade.
The Obama Administration's proposed spending cuts include reducing non-security discretionary spending to levels similar to those proposed by the Fiscal Commission in December 2010, holding growth in base security (excluding war expenditure) spending below inflation, and further cost-control measures related to health care programs. Revenue would be increased via both tax reform and allowing the 2001 and 2003 income and estate tax cuts to expire in 2012 as currently scheduled--though only for high-income households. We note that the President advocated the latter proposal last year before agreeing with Republicans to extend the cuts beyond their previously scheduled 2011 expiration. The compromise agreed upon in December likely provides short-term support for the economic recovery, but we believe it also weakens the U.S.'s fiscal outlook and, in our view, reduces the likelihood that Congress will allow these tax cuts to expire in the near future. We also note that previously enacted legislative mechanisms meant to enforce budgetary discipline on future Congresses have not always succeeded.
Key members in the U.S. House of Representatives have also advocated fiscal tightening of a similar magnitude, US$4.4 trillion, during the coming 10 years, but via different methods. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's plan seeks to balance the federal budget by 2040, in part by cutting non-defense spending. The plan also includes significantly reducing the scope
of Medicare and Medicaid, while bringing top individual and corporate tax rates lower than those under the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.
We view President Obama's and Congressman Ryan's proposals as the starting point of a process aimed at broader engagement, which could result in substantial and lasting U.S. government fiscal consolidation. That said, we see the path to agreement as challenging because the gap between the parties remains wide. We believe there is a significant risk that Congressional negotiations could result in no agreement on a medium-term fiscal strategy until after the fall 2012 Congressional and Presidential elections. If so, the first budget proposal that could include related measures would be Budget 2014 (for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2013), and we believe a delay beyond that time is possible.
Standard & Poor's takes no position on the mix of spending and revenue measures the Congress and the Administration might conclude are appropriate. But for any plan to be credible, we believe that it would need to secure support from a cross-section of leaders in both political parties.
If U.S. policymakers do agree on a fiscal consolidation strategy, we believe the experience of other countries highlights that implementation could take time. It could also generate significant political controversy, not just within Congress or between Congress and the Administration, but throughout the country. We therefore think that, assuming an agreement between Congress and the President, there is a reasonable chance that it would still take a number of years before the government reaches a fiscal position that stabilizes its debt burden. In addition, even if such measures are eventually put in place, the initiating policymakers or subsequently elected ones could decide to at least partially reverse fiscal consolidation.
In our baseline macroeconomic scenario of near 3% annual real growth, we expect the general government deficit to decline gradually but remain slightly higher than 6% of GDP in 2013. As a result, net general government debt would reach 84% of GDP by 2013. In our macroeconomic forecast's optimistic scenario (assuming near 4% annual real growth), the fiscal deficit would fall to 4.6% of GDP by 2013, but the U.S.'s net general government debt would still rise to almost 80% of GDP by 2013. In our pessimistic scenario (a mild, one-year double-dip recession in 2012), the deficit would be 9.1%, while net debt would surpass 90% by 2013. Even in our optimistic scenario, we believe the U.S.'s fiscal profile would be less robust than those of other 'AAA' rated sovereigns by 2013. (For all of the assumptions underpinning our three forecast scenarios, see "U.S. Risks To The Forecast: Oil We Have to Fear Is…," March 15, 2011, RatingsDirect.
Additional fiscal risks we see for the U.S. include the potential for further extraordinary official assistance to large players in the U.S. financial or other sectors, along with outlays related to various federal credit programs. We estimate that it could cost the U.S. government as much as 3.5% of GDP to appropriately capitalize and relaunch Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two financial institutions now under federal control, in addition to the 1% of GDP already invested (see "U.S. Government Cost To Resolve And Relaunch Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Could Approach $700 Billion," Nov. 4, 2010, RatingsDirect). The potential for losses on federal direct and guaranteed loans (such as student loans) is another material fiscal risk, in our view. Most importantly, we believe the risks from the U.S. financial sector are higher than we considered them to be before 2008, as our downward revisions of our Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment (BICRA) on the U.S. to Group 3 from Group 2 in December 2009 and to Group 2 from Group 1 in December 2008 reflect (see "Banking Industry Country Risk Assessments," March 8, 2011, and "Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment: United States of America," Feb. 1, 2010, both on RatingsDirect). In line with these views, we now estimate the maximum aggregate, up-front fiscal cost to the U.S. government of resolving potential financial sector asset impairment in a stress scenario at 34% of GDP compared with our estimate of 26% in 2007.
Beyond the short- and medium-term fiscal challenges, we view the U.S.'s unfunded entitlement programs (such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid) to be the main source of long-term fiscal pressure. These entitlements already account for almost half of federal spending (an estimated 42% in fiscal-year 2011), and we project that percentage to continue increasing as long as these entitlement programs remain as they currently exist (see "Global Aging 2010: In The U.S., Going Gray Will Cost A Lot More Green," Oct. 25, 2010, RatingsDirect). In addition, the U.S.'s net external debt level (as we narrowly define it), approaching 300% of current account receipts in 2011, demonstrates a high reliance on foreign financing. The U.S.'s external indebtedness by this measure is one of the highest of all the sovereigns we rate.
While thus far U.S. policymakers have been unable to agree on a fiscal consolidation strategy, the U.S.'s closest 'AAA' rated peers have already begun implementing theirs. The U.K., for example, suffered a recession almost twice as severe as that in the U.S. (U.K. GDP declined 4.9% in real terms in 2009, while the U.S.'s dropped 2.6%). In addition, the U.K.'s net general government indebtedness has risen in tandem with that of the U.S. since 2007. In June 2010, the U.K. began to implement a fiscal consolidation plan that we believe credibly sets the country's general government deficit on a medium-term downward path, retreating below 5% of GDP by 2013.
We also expect that by 2013, France's austerity program, which it is already implementing, will reduce that country's deficit, which never rose to the levels of the U.S. or U.K. during the recent recession, to slightly below the U.K. deficit. Germany, which suffered a recession of similar magnitude to that in the U.K. (but has enjoyed a much stronger recovery), enacted a constitutional limit on fiscal deficits in 2009 and we believe its general government deficit was already at 3% of GDP last year and will likely decrease further. Meanwhile, Canada, the only sovereign of the peer group to suffer no major financial institution failures requiring direct government assistance during the crisis, enjoys by far the lowest net general government debt of the five peers (we estimate it at 34% of GDP this year), largely because of an unbroken string of balanced-or-better general government budgetary outturns from 1997 through 2008. Canada's general government deficit never exceeded 4% of GDP during the recent recession, and we believe it will likely return to less than 0.5% of GDP by 2013.
The negative outlook on our rating on the U.S. sovereign signals that we believe there is at least a one-in-three likelihood that we could lower our long-term rating on the U.S. within two years. The outlook reflects our view of the increased risk that the political negotiations over when and how to address both the medium- and long-term fiscal challenges will persist until at least after national elections in 2012.
Some compromise that achieves agreement on a comprehensive budgetary consolidation program--containing deficit reduction measures in amounts near those recently proposed, and combined with meaningful steps toward implementation by 2013--is our baseline assumption and could lead us to revise the outlook back to stable. Alternatively, the lack of such an agreement or a significant further fiscal deterioration for any reason could lead us to lower the rating.
Standard & Poor's will hold a global teleconference call and Web cast today--April 18, 2011--at 11:30 a.m. New York time (4:30 p.m. London time). For dial-in and streaming audio details, please go to www.standardandpoors.com/cmlive.


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Where Apple's Boy Genius Went Wrong
Aug 9, 2012 5:00 AM PT
Apple produced a set of three terrible ads that ran on television for the first part of the Olympics.
They featured a cute and likeable Apple Genius boy/man out in public in his Apple Genius blue t-shirt helping hapless individuals. They didn't exactly resonate with me, but hey, any commercial that doesn't freakin' sing to me gets ignored. And it didn't take long to flip my ignore switch with these.
Then I noticed some chatter about other people thinking they were bad, plus a headline or two that jumped the gun and implied that Apple yanked them from the Olympics run because they were nowhere near medal contention.
So what the heck is going on here?
First of all, we're not sure that Apple yanked them, but you can be sure that Apple would have kept them around if there were performing fantastically. Apple knows how to spend money on great ads. The ad agency TBWA/Media/Arts Lab reportedly scheduled them to end quickly into their Olympic run. Hmmm.
What's Wrong With Genius Boy?
In any event, what's so wrong with these ads?
On the surface, they seem mildly humorous at best, cutesy at worst. There's nothing wrong with the kid who plays the main character Genius boy in the ads, and he seems likable enough. If you check out the ads on Apple's site, here's the basics that you'll find:
Mayday: The scene is on an airplane, and the captain calls out over the plane's speaker system asking if there's a Genius on board. The kid in the blue shirt looks up in surprise and wonder (actually pretty excellent acting here) and stammers out that he's a Genius. An attendant takes him up to seat 3B, where the Genius helps out an Apple user guy who is freaking out because he forgot his anniversary and wants to make his wife an iMovie. The Genius talks him through it. The attendant comes back and says gravely, "We have two minutes ... 21F is working on a keynote." And the Genius and anniversary guy immediately head off to go help.
Basically: In this one, a guy on the street with a brown shopping bag calls out the Genius boy and says that he basically just bought a Mac, implying that he's part of the Mac group now. Chums, so to speak. "Basically, it looks like a Mac," the guy says. The Genius is confused, so he asks if it came loaded with all of the great apps like iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand ... and then there's a cutaway to the "basically" genius salesperson across the street in one of those low-end electronic knock-off stores looking all sleazy. Then comes the slow realization that the guy who was happy didn't really buy a Mac.
Labor Day: A frazzled and frantic guy in a robe knocks on the apartment door -- "G" -- of the Genius at 4 a.m. The Genius, obviously sleeping in his blue t-shirt, throws on his Genius ID lanyard (off-screen) and answers the door. The frazzled guy is Mr. Green, his wife is having a baby (presumably right this minute) and he wants to make a photo card to announce the birth. The Genius says you can make cards with iPhoto, use themes, and shouldn't he call an ambulance? Yes. But what about photo albums for the grandparents? OK, you can make really neat coffee table books ... "and we can talk about all that on the way to the hospital," the Genius says, closing the door and guiding the soon-to-be father in the right direction.
Oh Boy - Are You Seeing What I'm Seeing?
For starters, these ads cast Apple users as idiots. Apple products are supposed to be so easy to use that they don't come with user manuals. These ads start off on the wrong foot immediately by implying that you need a Genius to help you do things. Sure, they are funny and all, plus they are obviously hyperbolic, but the core point remains: These ads, while purporting to talk about what you can do with a Mac, are the exact opposite of everything Apple users buy their Apple products for. You just don't shell out premium prices for fancy-pants products to freak out with them. (Or be so dumb as to think you're buying a Mac but really getting a fake -- nobody likes to be scammed.)
There's more that's wrong, though.
Most of Apple's best ads of recent years past have focused on the product, on what it does and what it can do, and by showing a close relationship of what those things bring to a person. These aren't so much anecdotes or cute little story scripts as they are about evoking emotions -- remember the dancing silhouette ads for the iPods? Edgy. Cool. Happy and fun. And the music was perfectly chosen to stoke the fire in a potential buyer.
Remember all the app ads? Many of them had quick musical scores while showing screens of games and of apps, of pins dropping down onto a map to find a restaurant. They had energy, emotion, and it wasn't something that tried to be too tangible. They were full of promise and possibility.
Even the Siri ads were about promise and possibility. Sure, I can't pronounce gazpacho like Samuel L. Jackson on "Date Night," but the ad is about a small moment in time, about capturing a feeling and essence through Siri. There's barely any story and there sure as heck isn't a skit.
Other Siri ads, like the one featuring a pink pajama-wearing Zooey Deschanel looking out at a rainy day and ordering in tomato soup. The ad isn't a story, it's about using your iPhone and Siri to go about your day -- a rainy day. And with a dancing Deschanel, you can't really go wrong.
And in fact, this is part of what's wrong with the Genius boy ads -- the kid is great, but the stories are wrong. Even if you're not a John Malkovich fan, his Siri ads fit the Malkovich persona he's created in various movies over the years. For non-Malkovich fans, the ads are boring, but they don't ask you to imagine that Apple buyers are frantic idiots. Even if you don't appreciate the ads, you sort of have to know there's a subtext going on with the mood of the ad ... and that's OK because Apple buyers are smart buyers (or so we all think).
The iPad ads, like the "Do It All" ad gloriously shows off the iPad's display in action with just a series of phrases -- send a note, stay informed, catch a show, make your point, make a memory, make a masterpiece, read something, watch something, and learn something. These phrases, combined with the iPad screen action, evoke feelings, emotions, and imply that the viewer can do these things.
Of course, for non-Apple lovers, maybe these Genius ads are really funny. Maybe they are engaging. But for Apple fans, especially for those who know a little about Apple, they just invite all sorts of lines of thought that don't help sell products. For instance, Apple is almost psychotically controlling of how Apple Retail Store employees represent themselves, and I'm pretty damn sure they're not allowed to board airplanes in their blue shirts wearing their ID badges, much less help anyone outside of the pretty confines of the stores as if they are Geniuses. Apple Geniuses can be superheroes inside the Apple Store, but outside, they're Clark Kent. This can set up a vague disruption of a viewer's ability to suspend disbelief, which hampers their ability to enjoy the funny skit.
The Ads Futz With Your Identity
Last of all, the reason why these well-made Genius ads don't work is that they futz with your identity. I don't believe that many people want to be some slickly dressed guy in 3B who's frantic on the plane because he has too much video footage to make an iMovie for his wife as a lame anniversary present. We definitely don't want to be the guy who bought a Mac knockoff from a slimy sales guy, and we certainly don't want to be the guy who loses focus when his wife is about to deliver their child.
No, the very best Apple ads have always evoked a sense of who you are as a person and who you want to be. Do you want to enjoy your life? Enjoy books, movies, games? Do you want to create? Take video and make vacation videos that capture the very best parts of your life? Do you want to have the answers at business meetings? Play music? Share?
There are two reasons why Apple's famous "I'm a Mac and I'm a PC" ads were a raging success: First, the actors were pitch perfect all the time. This was lucky, just like T-Mobile was lucky in finding the insanely cute T-Mobile girl in the amazing pink dress. A different girl, a different dress and those ads might have fallen flat. There's magic and luck here, we have to admit that. Oh, and the second reason? The Mac and PC ads invited the viewer to be like a Mac, too -- to be cool, fun, hip, reliable, and while not without irony, to not to be snarky. To be a Mac person doesn't mean you have to be a pretentious ass.
And it all started back with the first 1984 ad, of course, the one where Anya Major throws the hammer at the massive TV screen: The best Apple ads invite the viewer to align themselves with an identity, and since we all can't be Apple Geniuses, we sure as heck don't want to be hapless idiots. And that, I believe, is why these ads just don't speak to us.


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Beaver Dams, Beavers, bibliophilia, Book Review, books, C.S. Lewis, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Children's Book, Christopher Lloyd, Film, film review, Hocus Pocus, imagination, J.K. Rowling, Jumanji, Leonard Nemoy, Libraries, Literature, Matilda, Mr. Dewey, Neil Gaiman, Novel, Roald Dahl, Speech, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Pagemaster, We're Back, Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming: The Reading Agency Lecture, 2013
Before I go any further, I need to confess that before I wanted to become a writer I really wanted to be a beaver.
Neil Gaiman has the wonderful ability to remind me how much I want to be a writer. My constant or at least steady reader may object, point to the one publication credit I have along with this site, and say I'm already a writer so perhaps I need to clarify. A writer is not just someone who writes and publishes work regularly, or irregularly, or prolifically, or never at all, or once and then never again. A writer to my mind is someone who through their writing creates a unique and unmistakable voice. A writer is also inspiring another person who reads their work and feels as if they are reading more than just a story or essay, but rather really experiencing the honest mind of another person. In my own mind Neil Gaiman has certainly accomplished this through his writing and more, because as I've practically devoured the essays and speeches found within The View From the Cheap Seats I've been left with a wonderful reinvigoration of spirit because it feels as if I'm reading the thoughts of a friend.
Where does the Beaver part come in? My reader asks. Well I'm getting to it. Please be patient and remember that I like long lead-ins.
When I was younger I had a fondness for building "clubhouses." These "clubhouses" were only in fact houses or clubs in the academic sense because they were really just furniture with a blanket thrown over it, and inside I created small world that was entirely my own. I would have my Pokémon action figures, a few Lego figures, and maybe an extra blanket to wrap around myself, and being completely honest here maybe a Playboy I might have stolen from my dad. The individual totems varied, but what was always present in those clubhouses was my stuffed tiger Hobbes and a few books. It didn't matter if they were my Calvin & Hobbes books which were really my moms, or else my Captain Underpants books; the reason I retreated into those often cramped spaces was to disappear from the world and exist entirely in my own world. I'm sure in hindsight that these pockets of refuge are created by children everywhere at some point in their development, but I mean it when I say, I escaped into those pockets sometimes really feeling as if I'd built a new world for myself or else a pocket in the larger world. And that's when beavers come in.
At the church I went to as a child there was one summer when Vacation Bible School was themed around C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. There was always a different "theme" every summer and for the record that was the last interesting one. Because I was around seven or eight my group were the beavers. I didn't really know much about beavers, in fact I knew didly squat about them. But still I wanted to learn more and damn it my mother was the kind of woman who made sure that when her child asked a question he received an answer. That answer came in the form of a visit to the library. It was there that I found books on animals and in those books I found information about beavers which were furry rodents that ate trees and made dams. These dams could only be accessed by swimming into the water and from there entering a special hole which lead directly into the water. After that, whenever I built my clubhouse there would always be a small, near impossible entrance that I only I knew about.
This beaver desire on my part, which is a rather horrible sentence when read out loud or of context, leads me back to my childhood and ultimately to the library. I've noted in a previous essay that my desire to work at the local library in my hometown is most assuredly influenced by some romanticism because the idea of being surrounded by books all day is not only pleasant it's a dream come true.
However, I am a realist.
Libraries are not simply about putting away books and introducing people to wonderful literature that will in turn lead them down a path to literacy that will make them become the next Neil Gaiman or J.K. Rowling. In fact, the roles and responsibilities of librarians are often similar to those who work in a service industry or public bureaucracy. Librarian patrons are often those one might observe in a customer service line of work, and while there are people who come to libraries for books, a great number of people are far more interested in books on mental health or the new James Patterson…we'll call them novels because the English language has yet to come up with a better word for monstrosity. This doesn't mean that libraries are not opportunities for magic, it just means that such moments will be more powerful for their serendipity.
I felt such a moment the other day when I bought The View from the Cheap Seats and read the first article Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming: The Reading Agency Lecture, 2013. This speech has profoundly affected me, for apart from making me weep, it brought back the idea of what a library can and should be. In one early passage Neil Gaiman lays out a beautiful philosophy for fostering literacy:
The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity. And that means, at its simplest, finding books that they enjoy, giving them access to those books, and letting them read them. (3).
This is a beautiful quote that has inspired countless memes, and lord knows it made me weak in the knees when I read it, but after this passage there was a bit that was more relevant to my reflections on the library:
I was lucky. I had an excellent local library growing up. I had the kind of parents who could be persuaded to drop me off in the library on their way to work in summer holidays, and the kind of librarians who did not mind a small, unaccompanied boy heading back into the children's library every morning and working his way through the card catalogue, looking for books with ghosts or magic or rockets in them, looking for vampires or detectives or witches or wonders. And when I had finished reading the children's' library I began on the adult books.
They were good librarians. They liked books and they liked the books being read. They taught me how to order books from other libraries on inter-library loans. They had no snobbery about anything I read. They just seemed to like that there was this wide-eyed little boy who loved to read, and would talk to me about the books I was reading, they would find me other books in a series, they would help. They treated me as another reader – nothing less or more – which meant they treated me with respect. I was not used to being treated with respect as an eight-year-old. (9-10).
Like Gaiman, I've been lucky to know a few amazing librarians. Virtually all of them have been women, one of them is a good friend, and what all of them have in common is a genuine interest in encouraging people to read, to find books that match their particular aesthetics. Since I was a kid creating his little beaver dams, the library became a space which seemed defined by its constant opportunity. Reading the stories, and renting the videos, and listening to librarians read stories to us kids there was always this wonderful sense that I could be whatever I wanted to be in the library. More importantly, the library fostered that feeling and in effect told me that I could be and read whatever I wanted to be. I could also meet whoever I wanted to.
Reflecting on this passage by Gaiman I thought immediately of two other works who also fostered this image of libraries and librarians as bastions of opportunity: Matilda by Roald Dahl and The Pagemaster. These were both 90s movies, and without sounding nostalgic it's something to acknowledge that that particular time for cinema was magical. It was magical because most of the children's movies in the early to mid 90s were usually centered in or around New England and usually dealt with children encountering the supernatural. Movies like Jumanji, Hocus Pocus, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and We're Back all seemed to create this wonderful magical realism that has yet to be replicated successfully in my estimation. The Pagemaster is really an entire essay unto itself, but the lingering impression of film is the introduction the librarian gives to Richard Tyler.
Christopher Lloyd will forever live on as the librarian I would want to be and his character, a man who I had no idea was named Mr. Dewey, emerges from the shelves pushing a cart of books. He spots Richard Tyler, played then by the young McCauley Caulkin, and gives a speech that possesses a spirit that, while it is hyperbolic and dramatic, catches the feel for that desire to instill in young people the desire to read. That's all a fancy-pants way of saying it's magical introduction to an unforgettable character.
Mr. Dewey: Welcome to the library, young man. Don't tell me. You're here for a special book.
Richard Tyler: Mister…
Mr. Dewey: Stop stop stop. Allow me to guess. I have a talent for guessing what people need. You're in need of a fantasy! Brave knights, mythical fairies, ferocious dragons!
Richard Tyler: Look, all I want is…
Mr. Dewey: Adventure! Of course! You're a boy who loves adventure, brimming with wicked demons, cutthroat pirates.
Richard Tyler: No, no, that's not it.
Mr. Dewey: Horror! Oh, horror! Evil demons, wicked monsters, haunted houses, graveyards. Yes, it's horror for you, boy. I'm sure of it. Your library card, please.
Richard Tyler: I don't have one.
Mr. Dewey: [pulls out a brand new one] You do now. Sign here.
[Richard signs it]
Mr. Dewey: Richard Tyler, consider this your passport to the wonderful and quite unpredictable world of books.
Now technically after this Richard tells Mr. Dewey that he doesn't want any books, and so there is nice blend of idealism from an old man and the cold cynicism that dawns on him after Richard has made his point. Still this scene, and the rest of the film which is a fantastic introduction to many classic works of literature (including an appearance of the voice of Leonard Nemoy for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) helped me establish the library as a place where my imagination could wander and I might dream up some new worlds of my own, or else find the imaginations of others.
The Pagemaster was a film that helped me establish the aesthetic of the physical library as a place to incubate imagination, but Matilda offered up something far more personal. I'll admit with some shame that I didn't actually read the novel by Roald Dahl till I was a teenager. I much preferred watching the film made by Danny DeVito, because like Matilda I often was a rather lonely child. I had friends, and while I would go to play dates and have a "best" friend here and there, I was often possessed by a firm conviction that I was a kind of oddity and that what I saw and appreciated was somehow different than my compatriots at school. I'm sure this is actually a common phenomenon for children, but watching and then reading Matilda years later I couldn't shake off the feeling that this girl and I were kindred spirits of some sort.
My concern is libraries though, so I should get back on point.
The novel Matilda is about a little girl in England who is born from parents who really don't care much about her. Her father is a used car salesman who often scams his customers and her mother is an empty headed woman who is often out playing bingo leaving Matilda home alone. Matilda develops an early fascination and love of reading, so much so that she one day dares to walk into the heart of the village in which she lives in order to find the Public Library. Once there she meets a woman by the name of Mrs. Phelps who opens her world up to new ideas. Matilda quickly reads all the books in the children's section and asks Mrs. Phelps for a book for adults. A famous grown-up book in fact.
Mrs. Phelps looked along the shelves, taking her time. She didn't quite know what to bring out. How, she asked herself, does one choose a famous grown-up book for a four-year-old girl? Her first thought was to pick up a young teenager's romance of the kind that is written for fifteen-year-old school-girls, but for some reason she found herself instinctively walking past that particular shelf.
"Try this," she said at last. "It's very famous and very good. If it's too long for you, just let me know and I'll find something shorter and a bit easier."
"Great Expectations," Matilda read, "by Charles Dickens. I'd love to try it."
I must be mad, Mrs. Phelps told herself, but to Matilda she said, "Of course you may try it." (15).
Because Dahl's book is a children's book, and because Matilda later turns out to possess magical powers we might refer to as telekinesis, the fact that Matilda being only four and able to read Charles Dickens is a little easier to swallow. To this day I remember the shock of hearing my father tell me that he was forced to read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in sixth grade. It's bad enough a teacher thought Hawthorne was a good idea, but the idea of giving sixth graders that kind of material is just absurd.
I've begun wondering if I'm not just a realist but also a cynic on some level.
Still this passage is a great reminder of the sentiment Gaiman expressed about the librarians who helped him find wonderful books. A good librarian offers up opportunity and recommendations not just so that a person will actually read a book, but because they recognize in the book their offering some intrinsic merit. I suspect on some level it might also be an attempt to bridge the gap that exists between people. Finding out that you love the same book as someone else can be a glorious sensation.
Mrs. Phelps doesn't just offer good books to Matilda however, she also imparts an important lesson about reading period. Mrs. Phelps eventually creates a list of books for Matilda to read and as the girl pours through them they begin to discuss the books:
"Mr. Hemingway says a lot of things I don't understand," Matilda said to her. "Especially about men and women. But I loved them all the same. The way he tells it I feel I am right there on the spot watching it all happen."
"A fine writer will always make you feel that," Mrs. Phelps said. "And don't worry about the bits you can't understand. Sit back and allow the words to wash around you, like music."
"I will, I will."
"Did you know", Mrs. Phelps said, "that public libraries allow you to borrow books and take them home?"
"I didn't know that," Matilda said. "Could I do it?"
"Of course," Mrs. Phelps said. "When you have chosen the book you want, bring it -to me so I can make a note of it and it's yours for two weeks. You can take more than one if you wish." (18-9).
My reader, patient as ever while resting in their red leather-bound arm chair and sipping their Scottish Breakfast Tea (they really shouldn't have drunk that at 11 PM, they'll be up all night) at lasts interjects and asks the important question. So what? What does this matter? Gaiman's speech is lovely with sentiment and Matilda and The Pagemaster paint just as idealistic portraits of libraries as bastions of creativity and bibliophilia. What relevance does this have to the real world? Why should I care?
To this dear reader, I go back to my beaver dams.
Those dams were always accessible by a hidden hole that could only be found in the water and I pictured the interior with fireplaces and arm chairs and beds, and always always always with books. It was in books (children's books, graphic novels, novels, books of poetry, etc.) that I managed to find some sense of purpose and identity, and considering my abstract imaginations of these dams they wouldn't have existed if I hadn't had librarians who had pointed me to those books where I learned about dams in the first place. I do believe that my desire to work in a library is to create that damn again, to find myself in a space where I might help build, organize, and help shape the world of the knowledge that exists in this new information age.
My childhood dream was living in a library because the people who worked there, and let's be honest when you're a kid you think adults who aren't your parents live in whatever place they work at, seemed to live in a clubhouse, in a beaver damn, that was full of books. They knew the titles of books and where to find them and so when I needed to check out Bootsy Barker Bites or George and Martha for the 30th time, they knew exactly where to direct me.
Libraries matter in our society because, even if it is an idealistic or romantic sentiment, there are some children who will come wanting to learn and to find books so that they can escape to other worlds or try to understand other human beings. Being a librarian can be the opportunity then to expose children to books and what they can do and what they can be. It's a way of helping the next generation discover imagination and solace in reading. And of course, it can be a great opportunity to help children learn about animals, like beavers for example.
I've given up hope of becoming a furry rodent who chews wood for a living, but there's still a chance to be the weird library guy who offers kids Charles Dickens books and points them to the pay phone when they're not interested. Though for the record my local library doesn't have a magic mural which transports children into the world of imagination and fiction through a creepy paint serpent. Too many parents complained.
*Writer's Note*
As with the previous essay, if you're interested in reading the entire speech of Why our Future Depends on Libraries I managed to find a website which transcribed it and published, it online. I should forewarn the reader that it is an edited version so it may be different than the version published in The View from the Cheap Seats. If you're interested just follow the link below:
**Writer's Note**
Shortly after beginning this essay a friend of mine confirmed that my volunteer paperwork was finally processed and so now I can say that I'm actually working for a library.
***Writer's Note***
Shortly after writing the previous note, and I swear I couldn't make this up if I tried, a man came into the library and actually bought a book about beavers. There are moments of serendipity which can be both heart-warming and truly frightening.
****Writer's FINAL Note****
In case the reader is at all interested here's a link to a video from the movie Matilda, specifically the early discovery of the library. I share this in hopes that the reader might remember their own love for libraries, and also might remember that they can't watch this scene without balling like a little punk. Enjoy.


text:
intro, played on piano. this repeats after every chorus.
G7 Cmin Cmin7
Watch out.. for your friends
F F7 Bb Bbsus4 Bb
Well they may lose in the end
G7 Cmin Cmin7
Sometimes they'll try to make you sin
F F7 Bb Bbsus4 Bb
But what is a man, without a friend?
G Cmin Cmin7
We all live within a game
F F7 Bb Bbsus4 Bb
The word "excuse" has many names
G7 Cmin Cmin7
Where true friends really come
F F7 Bb Bbsus4 Bb
You can't afford to lose one
Bb Fmin6 G7 Cmin F F7
If all men are truly brothers
Dm G7
Why then, do we hurt one another
Cmin F F7
Love, and peace, from ocean to ocean
Bb Bb Fmin6 G7
Somebody please, second my emotion
Cmin F F7
If all men were born to be free
Dmin G7
What about you? What about me?
Cmin Cmin Dmin Ebadd9
This world is filled with hate
There's nothing left
Dmin Cmin Bb
If you enslave me, you'll never rescue yourself
and the chords repeat.
that's basically it. here are the weird chords:
Ebadd9 Fmin6 Bbsus4
-3- -1- -1-
-4- -3- -4-
-3- -1- -3-
-1- -3- -3-
-1- -3- -1-
-1- -1- -1-


text:
China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it had appointed a special envoy for Afghanistan, underscoring Beijing's concerns that the withdrawal of NATO troops will leave a hotbed of militancy on its doorstep.
Sun Yuxi, a former ambassador to both Afghanistan and India, has been named to the new position and will have "close communication" with Afghanistan and other relevant parties, the ministry said in a statement.
"China and Afghanistan are traditional friendly neighbors. China pays great attention to developments in Afghanistan and is committed to deepening both countries' strategic partnership, and so decided to appoint a special envoy," it added.
The envoy's appointment will also help "ensure lasting peace, stability and development for Afghanistan and the region," the ministry said, without providing further details.
China and Afghanistan are connected by a narrow mountainous corridor that is almost impassable and Beijing has traditionally focused on mining and mineral deals in Afghanistan as Western forces battled Taliban insurgents. But officials say that China is emerging as a key strategic player.
One of China's chief worries is that Uighur militants who want a separate state in western China's Xinjiang region will step up their fight by exploiting the security vacuum left after the bulk of NATO forces withdraw by the end of the year.
Hundreds of Uighur fighters are believed to be holed up in rugged, lawless tribal areas straddling Afghanistan and Pakistan.
China has appointed special envoys for troubled regions before, to mixed results.
Its special envoys for Africa and Myanmar have played key roles in regional conflicts, but envoys for the Middle East, where China has less influence, have achieved little.


text:
Your Medical Treatment History Is For Sale
Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post
August 5, 2008
Health and life insurance companies have access to a powerful new tool for evaluating whether to cover individual consumers: a health "credit report" drawn from databases containing prescription drug records on more than 200 million Americans.
Collecting and analyzing personal health information in commercial databases is a fledgling industry, but one poised to take off as the nation enters the age of electronic medical records. While lawmakers debate how best to oversee the shift to computerized records, some insurers have already begun testing systems that tap into not only prescription drug information, but also data about patients held by clinical and pathological laboratories.


text:
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