Archive for Technical Crap
Let’s Change The World
Posted by: | CommentsGoogle is planning to launch an experiment that we hope will make Internet access better and faster for everyone. We plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the country. Our networks will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. – Google Fiber Initiative
I’ll post the whole thing here at some point, but for now take yourselves over to googleavl to read all about Asheville’s effort to invite Google to town.
“You all heard about the Information Superhighway of the internet back in the day. Compared to a superhighway, this network is like a teleportation device. It’s so far beyond what anyone else is using that it gives Asheville the opportunity to dream big.”
Opposable Thumbs
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If you’ve been paying attention to the site in the last few days, you’ll notice that some wacky little thumb buttons have appeared beneath each person’s post. Thumbs can be useful things: they’ve allowed humans to operate tools, like Playstation; they’re good for sticking in dykes and in pies; there’s a rule named after them; they show up in gladiator movies; they’re essential for hitchhiking; they hurt like hell when you whack them with a hammer; and, it’s really hard to blow up a balloon (much less tie off the end) without them.
But what do these buttons mean in the context of this site? Hell if we know. Do they indicate one’s agreement with a post or simply an appreciation for its quality? Are they informative at all…or merely useful for diffusing boredom and frustration — the blog equivalent of bubble wrap?
Green thumb, red thumb…Red thumb green. Green thumb, up thumb! Up thumb green! Red thumb, bad thumb…Thad thumb thad. Good thumb, Up thumb! Bad poem, bad.
We welcome your thoughts on this very important matter.
Well, Hello There
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{Hiya, Hooligans. An unexpected upgrade got the blog off-kilter for a while there, but we’re repaired now.
Ashvegas has an excellent series of Wordles for candidates who submitted questionnaire responses to WNC For Change. Check out the Wordles for Cecil Bothwell, Esther Manheimer, Carl Mumpower, Cesar Romero, Gordon Smith, Kelly Miller, Robin Cape, Shad Marsh. My responses to the questionnaire in full are here.
Saylor, Ash, Xty, and I got together for a blogtastic power lunch at City Bakery on Charlotte St. today to hatch some ideas for our annual BlogAsheville gala. More soon.
LAAFF was a lot of fun. I met hundreds of people, and the campaign vols were doing the same. The bicycle powered blender at the LAAFFter Party on London St. marked an impressive technological leap in Margarita mixing and pedal power.
Tonight I completed questionnaires for the Asheville Citizen-Times and Children First. You’ll be able to read them at the website before long. Let me know if you’d like a copy of either. Tomorrow I’m being interviewed at WWNC 570. That info will be on their website at some point.
I celebrated my 39th birthday on Saturday by heading to Hot Springs with Rachael. We hiked the Lovers’ Leap loop trail then went down to the spa for a massage and a soak. After checking in with the hard-at-work campaign team, I watched the USA-El Salvador World Cup Qualifying Match at Dirty Jack’s with over a hundred soccer enthusiasts. We won 2-1. Good times.
What have y’all been up to this Labor Day weekend?
MySQL, GIS, php
Posted by: | CommentsIf you know what anything in the title of this post means, you could be a great asset to my campaign for city council. My campaign manager says that these are going to make a voter-data-geospatial-something-wide-area-distribution-something-or-other. If any of you know what php, MySQL, or GIS means then you would be welcome with open arms to the team. Drop me a line through my Campaign Volunteer Contact Form here.
Anti-Progressive Troll Turns City Council Campaign Dirty
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Howdy Hooligans,
I wanted to let everyone know that there were some comments left here over the last few days that weren’t what they appeared.
You may have seen the commenter “Dave” in this virtual salon over the last little while. Well someone from his IP address left comments using the identities of Bruce Mulkey and Cecil Bothwell. The IP address has been banned, and the impersonating comments have been deleted.
There’s likely to be a lot more of this sort of thing over the next several months as the forces of the status quo go all out against the progressive candidates in this race. If there is more of it, we may have to turn to full comment moderation or even registration. We’re not ready to take that plunge yet, but we want you to know that it’s possible if the misrepresentations continue.
Here’s hoping it’s an isolated incident, but trolls ought to know we’re watching. IPs will be banned if people abuse this forum, and if we can figure out who the trolls are – we’ll make it public.
Know that a lot of folks are cooking up schemes to tear down this grassroots effort. If you want to give ‘em a poke in the eye, you can donate or volunteer for my campaign. I’ll let the trolls know how many of you were motivated by their actions. When folks stoop so low as to impersonate honorable people in an attempt to tear down their characters, they need to know we’ll use their hunched backs as a stepstool.
PC? Update Your Virus Protection Now
Posted by: | CommentsBig virus may hit tomorrow. Tips on what to do at AmericaBlog.
Get Your ScruHoo Via Twitter
Posted by: | CommentsClick here to go to Scrutiny Hooligans’ Twitter page, and then click “Follow”.
Overdue Routine Maintenance
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Just a warning – the site will be down (or at least acting funny) for a little while this morning and this afternoon this evening as I attempt to fix a few annoying behind-the-scenes glitches. In the meantime, ya’ll be good.
[Update: the file backup is taking longer than I anticipated... we'll shoot for this evening]
[Update the second: I think everything's working. Let us know in the comments if you encounter anything out of the ordinary.]
Friday Open Thread: ScruHoo 4.0
Posted by: | CommentsHooligans gathered last night at Chateau Arratik for some spicy chipotle hummus and talk of the next evolution of Scrutiny Hooligans. You’re looking at our third incarnation right now, and we’ve got some big ideas for the next one.
What we don’t have is your ideas. What would you like to see happen at Scrutiny Hooligans? What do you want from this blog?
This thread is open for all things – including your suggestions for ScruHoo 4.0.
Testing Some Stuff
Posted by: | CommentsLike the post slug says, we’re going to be testing some stuff over the next couple of hours. If some things start acting funny or stop working altogether, hopefully this will be a temporary condition. Bear with us.
In the meantime, here’s a video of John McCain taking Lindsey Graham out for sausage and fudge. Because, you know, Lindsey Graham enjoys sausage and fudge.
