WWVB : What Would Vannevar Blog?

Joe Magarac and the Fountain at Point State Park

2013-04-23T21:32:00.002-04:00

Riding my bike, enjoying a magnificent morning, very pleasantly surprised to see the fountain in "Pittsburgh's front yard" on a test run. As seen from the Carnegie Science Center, And as seen from near Station Square, They've done a wonderful job restoring the fountain, and a park ranger explained there's some technology for multicolor effects at night. Also cool that there's restrooms at the Point that will be open from 0700 to 2300, will which be much appreciated by the bicyclists coming in from DC.

But it didn't have to be this way. It might have been quite different.

Later in the day, I found myself at the Rivers of Steel museum at the Bost Building in Homestead, looking at a design proposal for the fountain at the Point developed by Frank Vittor for the 1951 design competition that would produce the fountain we know today.

The placard read,

As a part of Pittsburgh's Renaissance I urban renewal project, artists were asked to submit designs for a new fountain at Point State Park.
Noted sculptor Frank Vittor created this model for a proposed 100-foot tall stainless steel statue of local folk hero Joe Magarac pouring steel from two ladles into an ingot - a symbol for the joining of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers to form the Ohio River.
Vittor made at least two plaster models; the other known piece is in the collections of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. The winning fountain design, which did not open at the Point until 1974, is notably subdued compared with Vittor's elaborate vision.

That would have been very different indeed.

Burgh Optics 2013: Musical Chairs and Body Language

2013-03-31T21:32:00.000-04:00

From the Post-Gazette, another great visual on the 2013 Mayoral evolution in Pittsburgh.

In every situation, there's winners and losers, champions and goats, and my hero is the unknown worthy who arranged these chairs. Take-away for untold staffers: make sure your guy's chair is generously spaced, possibly with wooden blocks or paperbacks between them. Because the photo-ops always come down to the little things, and do you think some of these demigods would prefer to not be squished if there was a Control-Z button? (that's Undo for you Mac folks who'll be voting Peduto)

Especially compared to the optics of Wagner's previous lineup of Angry No-Neck White Men, this is just a tremendous photo and happily it looks like what a Democratic slate is supposed to look like, instead of that bunch of Romney-Zombies that Wagner lined up to hold their hands crossed over their zippers.

Also, it's an appropriate setting because this is a season of Musical Chairs and probably next time, we won't see all these folks still sitting down together; the number of chairs will dwindle.

What I find fascinating is the body language in the photo. It's subjective, I'm no expert, and I'm probably just projecting; your opinion may vary, and you're welcome to contribute in the comments. But going Right to Left, here's what I see:

Mike Lamb will not look over at any of these other people; he will only look straight ahead and. he. is. not. amused. He looks like he's got a lemon wedge stuck in an unlikely place. He doesn't like being there, and he doesn't like this situation. (minus)
Bill Peduto looks like a plump staff-wonk but he's managing to smile into the room and he's confident that he belongs. He's uncomfortable at his proximity to the people on either side of him and he's holding his perimeter with the hand-knee boundary. (even)
AJ Richardson is damn happy; something might come out of this downstream. (even)
Jack Wagner is doing his Yinzer George Hamilton imitation, showing the polish of an experienced politico with the easy smile and uncrumpled demeanor as he sits wedged between the two big men; he looks old in contrast. (even)
Jake Wheatley looks comfortable, confident, and amused. He's not there to be mayor; he's there to advance his cause and his constituency, and he's doing well. (plus)

The Post-Gazette was right when they headlined how the unexpected Luke withdrawal throws racial factors into play, and (as always) Nullspace has the most trenchant data-based, historical analysis on that front.

Speaking of Jack Wagner, his staff put out this tweet which must mean that

they're still not prepared for this
they're still shooting from the hip
nobody's vetting their messaging
VietNam Jack is in his first SocialMedia campaign

Joint Anger Management and Cultural Diversity Training Class

2013-03-29T00:30:00.000-04:00

Demonstrating some of his promised "out-of-the-box" thinking, Mayoral candidate Jack Wagner poses in front of a joint anger management and cultural diversity training class. A spokesman said this sort of dual training saves time and money while bringing key personnel together for isometric forearm conditioning.

Pittsburgh Film Office executive director Dawn Keezer was pleased to announce that the remake of Twelve Angry Men was filming at the City-County Building today in spite of the expiration of tax credits. Keezer credits the local foundation community with helping to bridge the funding gap.
Making "EDs and Meds" more of an action phrase than a metaphor, key politicians and labor leaders announced they were participating in a groundbreaking study of erectile disfunction syndrome in a UPMC research study in which they will be eligible for an unlimited supply of Viagra to see if there is any decreasing benefit over time. In a separate announcement, the Ravenstahl administration has announced they are withdrawing their objection to UPMC's non-profit status.

Zeke's Coffee Bike in East Liberty

2013-03-28T18:14:00.002-04:00

As much as I love coffee and bicycling, I never thought of a coffee-bicycle, which is what the folks at East Liberty's small-batch coffee roaster Zeke's Coffee will be rolling out on Monday, April 1, delivering hot coffee to local businesses and construction sites.

Via new Burgh blog Rise and Tide.

Drive to Work Week

2013-03-27T17:25:00.001-04:00

One of the things I love is the way various cities celebrate springtime. For instance, there's Drive to Work Week.

From Baltimore Velo.

Saint Patrick and Rand Paul

2013-03-17T09:46:00.001-04:00

I am happy to remember Patrick Moynihan, particularly so on this tenth anniversary of "boots on the ground" in Afghanistan and Iraq. On his deathbed at the time, when told of the rush to invade Moynihan told his daughter Maura, "It's a ten day war and a ten year occupation, and then what are you going to do with it?"

That, and he's possibly the last person who said anything about the black family that made sense.

RIP Saint Patrick. I wish that we had you on Drones, privacy, and civil liberties instead of Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell.

Current Events Quiz: Consol Energy and Rich Fitzgerald's Fracking Decision

2013-03-16T11:59:00.000-04:00

Consol Energy is the energy extraction company that is:

Pouring millions of gallons of water into holes in the ground trying to extinguish an underground fire they've started. Although they're not exactly sure where it is.

The company that Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald picked to frack the PIT airport.

All of the above.

RandyLand is Open for 2013

2013-03-11T21:52:00.001-04:00

My father knew it was spring time when the Mallomars became scarce on store shelves in New York.

I know it's spring time when RandyLand is open. (1501 Arch Street, Northside; cross street is Jacksonia)

@randylandpgh Randylands open after 12 pm on nice days, stop bye with a camera and have fun, Peace and Love Randyland Pittsburgh
— Randy Gilson (@RandylandPgh) March 11, 2013

It's as close as Pittsburgh gets to a Willy Wonka garden of magical delights.

The Week Ahead: College Acceptance Letters and Furlough Letters

2013-03-10T00:18:00.001-05:00

This is a week where the US Postal Service will deliver some very important letters to many US households. To some they will deliver college acceptance letters forcing a final period of hard choices and financial decisions. To others they will deliver letters of furlough notice to federal employees.

Tragically, some households will receive both college letters and furlough letters and for them, life just got really harsh.

We've all heard stories of Bosses Behaving Badly - treating people like machines, being indifferent to the implications of their decisions, acting like rat weasel bastards - and in general most people think, Man if I was in charge, I'd do things differently. I'd treat my employees decently. If I owned a factory and a manager treated anybody that way, the manager would be gone not the employee.

Curiously, when you look at this month's contrived disaster facing federal employees, the owners and the Capital are - You, my friend, and You and You and Me. The people we've selected to run the outfit are the Congressmen and the President. We're the bosses, we select these people to run things, and - guess what - look at the way you're treating your employees. Not a pretty picture.

Let's examine this from both partisan positions, and then from the employee position.

The Republicans believe that less government is a good thing, that less government funding is a good thing, and that starving government is a good thing. To the Republicans, the sequester cuts offer a certain path to lower government spending and therefore less government. Win-win.

The Republicans aren't stupid; they don't want ineffective cuts. But they want cuts for certain, and they believe that if dumb blunt cuts are required, eventually the D's and the institutions will seek to make the cuts most efficient. If they can extract concessions out of that agreement, more Win. If the cuts remain stupid and public frustration with government grows, that advances their agenda and more Win. Maybe that's the Red definition of balance; they win either way.

I disagree with the R goals but their situation and technique are very effective.

The Democrats believe that the current level of government is appropriate if not insufficient - witness the non-existent regulation of energy and financial industries - and that the wealthiest Americans, who are increasing their share of American wealth more than ever before, are not paying their fair share. They would say, America's not broke, it's just that the rich aren't paying their share.

The Obama administration could have responded to the sequester trigger in several ways. Here's a response they didn't choose to make:

President Obama: On Sept.11th, America's air traffic controllers were our first responders. Before the fighter jets got in the air, before most of us understood what was going on, the air traffic controllers were putting all the planes on the ground in an unprecedented display of skill.
We have a budget crisis in Washington, and entrenched parties are prioritizing their political agenda over the nation's needs. As Commander-in-Chief, I will not allow our operational capability to be degraded by short-sighted positioning.
I have today directed the Secretary of Transportation to make budget cuts as he sees fit to meet the financial goals of sequestration without sacrificing our hardworking aviation professionals. Future research and development, demonstration programs, and implementing new technologies are all vitally important, but they are not so important that we would gut our skilled workforce first. Good people come first.
And that's part of the Republican folly. We've nipped the deficit rates. The budget is important, and we need to correct it with balance. But the key issue facing America today is jobs, and the Republicans contriving a forced layoff program in the middle of a jobs crisis, in order to ensure that the richest Americans don't pay their fair share is something that I don't understand."

Notably, the President didn't say that. What he did say was: Close the Federal Contract Towers. Furlough the FAA controllers. Let's be clear: the Obama administration chose these furloughs and closings as their preferred course of action.

Why would they do such a thing? Team-Obama isn't stupid; by widely advertising expected impact, constraining the system, and closing facilities and limiting operational staffing, they're causing pain in every single Congressional district. The pain for the employees is only a means to the end; the goal is pain for the (Republican) Congressmen.

For instance, if they'd played games with the 787 return-to-service, they'd only be generating pain for a small slice of Congress; that's not what they want.

So it's a contest between two strategies.

The Republican strategy is to force budget cuts and advance the R agenda while diminishing the D record for 2016. The expected pain and drama fit within the R view of acceptable, and they're good at playing mean.
The Democratic hope is they can cause so much public pain by furloughing their own constituents that the Republican's will holler Uncle before the D's employees decide they don't like the strategy.
In my own analysis (and you may have yours) the R's are in a position of strength and have very little to lose. The D's are going to try to outlast the R's in a war of suffering and attrition, penalizing the D-base to make the R's give in. I think the R's win this exercise in game theory.

A few more thoughts about this situation.

Public employees are so screwed that the Democrat's best strategy consists of furloughing public employees, and the D's are the employee's only friend.
It's not about 11 furlough days this year. It's about the next ten years.
NATCA and the other federal unions are complicit in the Obama strategy, and they're complicit in their members being furloughed. Seen any labor types criticizing the Obama implementation decision?

So in a curious twist, the Administration is about to run an ATC slowdown. A very smart man once taught me, the way to run a slowdown is to never put an individual at risk; just put out the scuttlebutt that delays are going to happen because of policy disagreements. Then, when the normal operational events happen - and they always do - people will convert the noise into signal all by themselves, and you won't be able to convince them otherwise.

There's going to be TSA and ATC delays in April sprinkled all around the system. People will take normal sick leave, and overtime staffing may not be available. Which major metroplex will be the flash point? New York's had their spirit broken; Atlanta has no sense of labor; if it happens it's going to be Chicago. And Team-O owns Chicago.

So, three points:

Both the Republicans and Democrats are good with the furloughs.
Team-Obama picked the furloughs as strategy.
Employee unions are complicit in the furlough strategy.
I wouldn't be booking connections in the Windy City.

Just Saying.

Addenda:

Pawn Foreplay: ATC Furloughs with Intent

2013-03-08T20:02:00.001-05:00

If (if) you truly wanted to avoid furloughing air traffic controllers in April, you would take these steps:

Reduce future R&D funding to a point where present funding is sufficient to cover present operational requirements.
Cancel ERAM program. It's over budget, over schedule, and not delivering.
Close Federal Contract Towers unless state/local government is willing to pay 50% of the cost.
Cancel program where FAA pays for NextGen cockpit instrumentation for airlines. If airlines want the new gadgets, let them buy them - not the taxpayers. This is a Sen. Schumer gift to JetBlue on the taxpayer's dime via the FAA budget.
Cancel the Metroplex initiative. The cost savings are an illusion. For instance, the cost savings projections from PCT were never realized. Cancelling the Crystal Palace (the NY-Philly Metroplex) alone will save a billion.
Downsize the ATCSCC (Central Flow). It's a bloated non-functional backwater that really only needs about 20% of current staffing. Similarly, reduce the TM staff in the enroute facilities by 50% for the same reason.
Reduce non-operational managerial overhead. Remember the notion of one manager or supervisor per eleven subordinates? Check today's ration of overhead to controllers; don't forget the Service Areas, Regions, and ATCSCC.
Disband the AOV (Aviation OVersight) AOV is a duplicate internal QA organization introduced solely to bring the FAA up to Euro-ICAO standards. Not to be xenophobic, but seriously?
Disband the ATO. (Air Traffic Organization) At one time there were 13 FAA Regions providing Air Traffic oversight. Now there are Three ATO zones each with EnRoute and Terminal (six). The public conceit was they'd remove Air Traffic from the legacy structure and make a nimble responsive operational unit capable of a just culture. The reality was union busting; they wanted to redesign AT so the chain of command no longer mirrored the NATCA organization to reduce union effectiveness. The problem is, they've still got 13 regions providing HR, legal, and medical plus six ATO layers, and now we've got a multi-matrix organization (MMO) and interlocking stakeholders to the degree that any progress is unlikely.
Cancel FAA funded diversity training, and FAA partial funding of training at diversity group sponsored events.
Stop sending newly hired controllers to complex first facilities where they consume valuable /expensive training resources and wash out. Send them to initial low-activity training facilities and let the strong candidates bid up.

It is extremely unlikely that any of the above will occur, because it suits both the R's and the D's to furlough air traffic controllers along with other government servants. It is, in fact, the mutual intent of both parties, although for different reasons. The effects on the ~~people~~ ~~families~~ pawns will be the same.

Check.

Killing Me Softly

2013-03-08T08:08:00.002-05:00

Jedi Mind Meld and Sequestration: Not a mistake?

2013-03-02T17:02:00.002-05:00

On Friday, President Obama was speaking about the sequestration and his ability to impose his will and he said, I can't do a Jedi-mind-meld and force them to do what I want.

Critics and fan-bois were falling over each other trying to explain that President Obama had mixed his sci-fi metaphor. How could he get that wrong?

How, indeed? Isn't a President that's hosted Nichelle Nichols at the White House unlikely to make such a stupid mistake?

Could it be that he's actually describing a new technique that he's hoping to apply - combining his own Spock-like discipline, intellect and self-control with the techniques used by the Jedi to sway the simple minded creatures?

What would that look like? If Jedi's are the good guys, who are the storm troopers? What is President Obama suggesting?

Now More Than Ever

2013-03-01T19:46:00.001-05:00

Tanned rested ready & empirical: Chris Briem 4 temp PghMayor. @nateharper . @race4pgh @cpotterpgh @bram_r @jondelano @keystonepol @bobmayo
— Vannevar Bush (@VannevarB) March 2, 2013

Deterrence: Theoria vs. Praxis in Sequestration

2013-02-28T22:58:00.000-05:00

Deterrence in modern usage is the certain use of blunt force to produce an overwhelming, devastating outcome in order to prevent an undesirable activity. Deterrence theory was the basis of the Cold War's Mutually Assured Destruction policies, and one could argue that it kept us from nuclear war for fifty years. I might suggest that Vasili Arkhipov (in 1962), Stanislav Petrov (in 1983), and others not recognized had more to do with avoiding nuclear war than the game theorists would like to admit.

Deterrence has two main requirements: (1) the key personnel on both sides must be rational actors, and (2) the promised response must be both credible and unacceptable to the opponent.

The self-imposed financial sequestration agreement between the House, the Senate, and the Executive seems a legitimate deterrent on the face of it; it's a blunt-force dumb program, cutting the prime and the waste without discernment or judgment. The conceptual framework was that sequestration would be so painful and odious that nobody would let it happen.

And yet, here they are on the Eve of Sequestration.

An unexpected outcome calls for a review of the initial assumptions, and so we might review the two requirements given above.

Could it be that Congress is not an intelligent rational actors? That would certainly explain the present situation.
Could it be that the Administration has miscalculated, believing that sequestration was an effective deterrent to the Party of Newt, who shut the government down in 1995? Was the threat acceptable if not desireable to Team Red?

The thing about betting the house on deterrence theory is: if the deterrent doesn't work you're screwed. There's really very little new under the sun (VLNUS), and this tension between theory and practice was all covered by Aristotle and Plotinus. But I suspect that doesn't mean much to a federal employee who just got a furlough notice.

Socially Acceptable, Pathological Violence Against Cyclists

2013-02-25T07:56:00.001-05:00

I believe there is a dark side, the sinful nature of man and the evil that we do. I've seen enough of it.

I'm sure that in the 1850's, northern anti-slavery advocates could not understand how supposedly decent Christian people (who would otherwise earn respect) supported and defended slavery, and yet loved their families and considered themselves righteous.

I don't understand how an otherwise non-violent American, who teaches their children to behave and is otherwise an honorable citizen, believes it's acceptable to trifle with the safety of another human being because they're defenseless on their bicycle.

If that other vehicle was a bulldozer, they wouldn't play games with it.
If that were a person riding a horse, they wouldn't do it.
If that were a policemen on the bicycle, they wouldn't do it.
They will, however, also do it to runners.

The conclusion would seem to be:

They do it because they're momentarily powerful and the other person is momentarily defenseless.
They do it because nobody's watching and nobody will know.
They do it because society says it's OK and there's no offense in it. Fair game, no shame.
They do it because the bicyclist isn't a human being on their own level.

How many of these drivers who intentionally use their vehicles to harass, intimidate, and hurt bicyclists would do the same thing to a homeless man, or a lost child, or a mentally challenged individual? I think very few of them would play "fun with a skell", and yet they'll do it to a cyclist without hesitation.

Timely and trenchant editorial from Sunday's Boston Globe:

DOES INTRINSIC bias against cyclists explain why a grand jury recently failed to hand up an indictment against a driver suspected of vehicular homicide in last summer’s death of 41-year-old rider Alexander Motsenigos? Bicycle advocates believe so — fervently. And Wellesley Police Chief Terrence Cunningham and Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey aren’t far behind.
Many accidents involving bicycles and motor vehicles can be traced to road design, inclement weather, or attention lapse. But law enforcement traced Motsenigos's death to truck driver Dana McCoomb, a man with an extensive history of driving infractions who fled the scene after striking the Wellesley cyclist from the side. Witness statements, video footage, and subsequent police analysis of the scene suggested that the deadly collision was more than an unavoidable accident.
Sharing the road with increasing numbers of cyclists can be frustrating for drivers. But disregard for the safety of cyclists has reached pathological levels among some drivers. And this contempt, whether conscious or subconscious, may well have played a role in the minds of grand jurors. There are widespread misconceptions that cyclists should ride on sidewalks — which is dangerous for pedestrians — or that it’s up to cyclists to stay out of motor vehicles' way.
No matter one’s opinion of cyclists or their riding habits, they are practically defenseless against the smallest sedan, never mind an SUV or a truck. Drivers simply have to take the high road — not only around cyclists who abide by the rules of the road, but even around selfish cyclists who don't. Shaving a few minutes along the way can’t possibly outweigh the risk of maiming or killing a fellow human being.
Police and prosecutors shouldn’t be dissuaded from pursuing similar cases. And cyclists shouldn’t lose heart. As disappointing as this case may be, it is an opportunity for public officials to review road engineering, enforcement policies, and public education campaigns that all play important safety roles. Planners may find that physical barriers between roadways and bike lanes are the best approach wherever feasible. But softer approaches, such as publicizing "best routes" for cyclists, also help drivers to stay alert or avoid such routes altogether.
Judges and attorneys who are exquisitely sensitive to the prejudices of prospective jurors should come to terms with a new problem — deep-seated bias based on mode of transport. Cycling, meanwhile, will continue to expand. The key question is whether public education and awareness can keep up.

Unforeseen Consequences: Two-Way Mayor's Race

2013-02-22T16:14:00.001-05:00

It's such a sad line, it should be a country music title: If they only knew then, what everybody knows now. To put it in geek terms: Where's the Undo Button?

Probably, if they knew then what people know now, they would never have let Young Luke sit in the Council President's Chair; none of the grownups could agree so they put the rookie in the big chair and planned on having a fun year. In retrospect, maybe that wasn't brilliant.

If they knew then what they know now, the wags would not have complained that a three-way race for Mayor was a very bad idea because Bill and Mike would split the ABL (anybody but Luke) vote. When Luke implodes (or, more to the point, when his handlers get tired of all the attention in about three weeks) then it'll be a Bill vs Mike election. Good thing we started with three.

Finally, if they knew then what they know now: Peduto probably would not have decided to skip the March Dem party committee vote. (edit) ~~May primary~~. With his earlier organization he might have taken the primary and had easy sailing to the coronation.

Unwarranted Prediction: Luke's campaign folds/crashes before May, and it's a Bill vs. Mike election.

EBay Speculation: get all the Ravenstahl 2013 buttons and yard signs you can get your hands on, since they'll be valuable collector's items in a few years.

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

2013-02-20T22:56:00.000-05:00

Reconciling the Election: Cursing the G^ds 2.0

2013-02-19T22:13:00.001-05:00

Oh, the crazies.

There is a long-standing tradition among humans that when faced with a situation that our assumptions do not like, we consider that our Assumptions are Valid and that Reality is Fickle and we seek - well, we seek somebody (else) to blame. It could be a single individual but if a sole-source scapegoat is insufficient we willingly blame groups; we blame different groups at different times, but generally the Other, the people WhoDon'tLookLikeUs™ - Gypsies, Jews, Mexicans, Gays, whatev.

When teh crazies can't stretch their own cognitive dissonance around blaming a person or a group, then we need to level-up to a bigger scapegoat. It could be a philosophy (The Greens, The Unions) or it could be another country (Iraq), preferably something that fits in a simple, passionate phrase like Operation Iraqi Freedom or Wisconsin Right-to-Work.

When cultures and countries are insufficient to blame for our own situation, the spectrum of scapegoats escalates and narrows. We can blame natural forces like hurricanes, we can blame unexpected global events like global warming, but after a while there's only one ScapeGoatOfLastResort and then the distressed actually blame G^d for their troubles.

It's nothing new, we did this way back in the day:

Look now how mortals are blaming the gods,
for they say that evils come from us,
but in fact they themselves have woes beyond
their share because of their own follies.
Odyssey, by Homer

To a cynic, it might seem an ironic circle; people starting using scapegoats to appease the Gods, and when that failed they just got mad at the Almighty.

Even more ironic: in the political realm does a Party that presents itself as the party of moral virtue and religious belief forfeit the opportunity to blame G^d? It would be very difficult for the Moral Majority or Pat Robertson or NewtG and his TrueBelievers to start blaming the Deity, and so what do they do? How do they explain that the Omniscient dropped the ball, that He didn't read the memo and foolishly didn't see things their way?

People who can't imagine that G^d might not agree with them do what people have always done, but with a twist - except instead of building and worshiping a false G*d, they build-and-blame one. We see a perfect example of this in this week's RedState.org, in which the writer describes an omniscient Power that might have been a force for Good but went TheOtherWay, and now it's a force of darkness that explains our current predicament.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are presented with: Google, the Slayer of TrueBelievers. Mind you, we're not saying that these are the EndTimes; but be prudent and watchful.

The article is actually worth reading, if only to experience the state of mind. How could Team-Blue have done so much better that Mitt Romney's Business Intelligence system, honed with his years of boardroom experience? How could Obama be so in tune with what's happening in America?

It's simple, really. Google was reading everybody's email, datamining the issues by geo-location, and real-timing the keytrends via The Cloud to the White House. (Cloud references are obligatory these days, and perhaps the Google-Cloud duality appeals to polytheists.) Could the symbolism be more apparent? How did you miss this?

How else could Mitt Romney, a Mormon who wears special underwear, a rich financier who bankrupts businesses, a visionary that considers 47% of the country to be Moochers, and who ran on a platform of cancelling my kid's health insurance - how else could Mitt Romney have lost to these people?

The outcome of the last election was so unacceptable and unthinkable that it must have been the work of a malevalent, uncaring Being who had method, motive, and opportunity - why, it just has to be Google's fault. Couldn't be anything else. Has to be.

Damned Google.
Wait a minute.
Didn't Eric Schmidt just go to North Korea? Which is - gasp - part of the Axis of Evil?

Dark times. Update on FoxTV at 9pm.

Petty Officer Warren Lee Hill, USN

2013-02-15T19:49:00.001-05:00

From The Atlantic, the story of Georgia vs. Warren Lee Hill, a convicted murderer scheduled for execution next week.

There does not seem to be much question of Hill's guilt, but there is an issue about his execution since the Supreme Court has ruled against capital punishment of criminals who are mentally retarded. Originally, three state psychiatrists testified that Hill was not retarded and was instead a malingerer.

All three of those experts have since recanted their testimony and notified the court that their original finding was invalid. Nevertheless, the execution remains on schedule.

Here's why one of the doctors was sure that Hill couldn't be mildly retarded and just had to be faking it:

Finally, I simply found it difficult to believe that someone with mental retardation could function even minimally in the United States Navy as a petty officer, although I have never served in the military. Therefore, at the hearing in December 2000, I was unprepared to find that Mr. Hill met the criteria for mild mental retardation.

Having served in the United States Navy, I would like to confirm that there are many people with varying degrees of cognitive impairment that are minimally functional petty officers in the US Navy. I worked for several of them.

Getting executed because he made E-4 seems like the ultimate Navy "good deal".

Black and Blue : Jordan Miles and the Police Chief

2013-02-07T08:54:00.000-05:00

Article in the Post-Gazette about Police Chief Harper forming a business along with several subordinates: a civilian police clerk and three officers, including a sergeant he later promoted to commander.

Elizabeth Pittinger, executive director of the Citizen Police Review Board, however, questioned the arrangement involving officers and their superior and said it was irrelevant whether the business was currently operating. "I think it's an unethical relationship and I think it's completely inappropriate," she said.

In another matter, the P-G reports that a federal grand jury is investigating how a contract was awarded to a former friend of the chief.

Entrepreneur Art Bedway, his wife Colleen Bedway and Pittsburgh police Sgt. Gordon J. McDaniel, who oversees the bureau's vehicles, all appeared before the grand jury Tuesday. Former city employee Christine Ann Kebr, who has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in connection with the contract, appeared Wednesday before the grand jury.

Nothing unusual for Pittsburgh in any of this. But I'd like to raise a question about what light these events might shed on the recent civil trial in the Jordan Miles case.

To many, the key point of the trial was Police Chief Nate Harper's testimony. From KDKA:

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — For the second day, Jordan Miles’ attorneys were unsuccessful at getting Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper to testify Miles was improperly arrested and beaten in January 2010.
Chief Harper testified his officers didn’t do anything wrong when they threw away a pop bottle.
He said the bottle wasn’t relevant because it didn’t pertain directly to the charges police filed against Miles.

The key persuasive moment in the racially charged case of the three white officers charged with improperly arresting and beating the black youth was when the black police chief took the stand and said everything that the officers did was right.

Here's my question, and thank you for staying with it: Did Chief Harper have a conflict of interest in vouching for the three police officers in the Jordan Miles affair, if he was in business with other officers? Did he have a story he could not afford to have brought to light? If the Police Chief leaves office under a cloud, after his testimony swung the Jordan Miles case, does Miles get a do-over?

Justice for Jordan Miles.

Idiopathy SEO

2013-02-05T09:42:00.001-05:00

Brilliant.

RWB in Braddock and Arming All The Good Guys: An NRA Teachable Moment

2013-02-03T11:54:00.003-05:00

Recently the NRA (which is an industry marketing association) has been touting the notion that we need a lot more armed good guys to safeguard us from them.

Kind of an interesting story in Braddock, 4pm, Jan. 26th. It's very much like the Trayvon Martin killing, except that nobody got killed and so both participants are alive to tell their version. It's also informative to read the streams of comments from the different communities.

WTAE reports that Mayor John Fetterman heard gunshots, put his child into the house, came out and saw a suspect, chased the suspect down in his truck, then held the suspect with his shotgun until police arrived. Police determined that the suspect was not the shooter and released him.

Mr. Chris Miyares says he heard the same noises while jogging through Braddock on a very cold day, but then realized it was children setting off bottle rockets. He continued running until he heard a pickup truck behind him honking its horn. He took out his earphones to hear the driver yelling at him, stopped to see what was the matter, and the driver pointed a shotgun at his chest. The police arrived and let him go.

First, I'd like to point out (again) that the normal chain of events breaks down during the times of the week when the senior people are off-duty. I'd like to think that if this happened on a Wednesday morning, we'd have seen some newspaper coverage: eccentric white mayor threatens innocent black jogger with shotgun.

In the aftermath, the mayor is explaining that he never really loaded the shotgun, and he never really pointed it at the jogger. The jogger says it was pointed at his chest.

I try to wonder, what conclusion must Mr. Miyares draw from a Harvard graduate -slash- Mayor chasing him down and threatening his life with a shotgun? If it were me I'd be thinking "Some white people are crazy and dangerous."

So the standoff ended without casualty. I don't think Mr. Fetterman wanted to shoot anybody. He's a social activist, he's a liberally-oriented guy who identifies with his adopted town to a nigh-pathological degree, and he may be one of the few things Braddock has going for it. The people that I know, who know him, think very highly of him. Nobody got killed.

Suppose it ended a little bit differently. Suppose that either:

Fetterman pulled the trigger out of nerves. What would have been the story that the police, the media, and the mayor told?
Suppose Miyares pulled out a pistol he was licensed to carry, beat Fetterman to the trigger and killed the Mayor? Would he have acted in self-defense? Would he have survived the arrival of the police? Would he face any charges?
Suppose Miyares pulled out a pistol he was licensed to carry and they exchanged shots, killing each other? What would have been the Saturday night narrative that the police chose to write about the dead Mayor with the 15104-tattoo and the dead suspect?

It's really interesting to read the Twitter comments on Jasiri X's facebook post, and I can't figure out how to link directly to that specific post.

But let's kick it into meta. When the NRA sells everybody guns, we're going to have a lot more of this, and it's going to expose all the inherent fractures in society.

Because that's what the National Rifle Association wants. It's a gun-selling marketing corporation. They'd like everybody to buy a gun, and maybe a few. Think about it. What does the National Soup Association do? They want to persuade everybody to buy soup.

And so, when anything happens, the NRA's response is: You need to buy more guns. And that's how we get events like this, two apparently decent men with one pointing a shotgun at another, because somebody told him it was a good idea to have a shotgun, and it's a good idea if everybody has a few guns, too.

Justifying Trust, from Bikes to Jets

2013-01-17T14:50:00.002-05:00

Initially there were assumptions and assurances, and there were programs in place to make sure things were done right. Things were being done in a new way, new results were being generated, and they were breaking new ground. Some questions arose, the spokesfolks gave assurances, the public accepted them, and everybody moved forward. The naysayers were nattering nabobs.

Then there were more problems. Things were not as the experts promised. Things were not right. Schedules and records were changed. A complete review was called for, to ensure program integrity.

Some critics questioned: how can the organization investigate itself? It's a variation of the financial world's TB2F (Too Big To Fail). How does an organization police itself, investigate itself, review itself? Can an organization possibly do that?

And here's where the post goes down two different paths.

Path A: ~~Organized crime~~ Professional bicycling The UCI, the Tour de France, and the Olympics have implemented reviews that they have designed, funded, and staffed and that will answer only to them. Critics say, no meaningful review can come from organizations reviewing themselves. They may be right.

Path B. Boeing's 787 Dreamliner FAA have grounded the B787 for a complete program review - which was a great call, and if it's just the batteries it'll be fixed and forgotten in a year. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of people with the competence to complete this program review outside of Boeing and Airbus.

The 787 is a completely new kind of project; there just aren't any experts without a conflict of interest. Here's an interesting read, which also mentions that Boeing is in a union dispute with their technical experts.

It's a damn sticky problem. How can you build a truly new thing and introduce it into public use without using the public as test dummies for the first twenty years? How can public trust be established and earned, in an atmosphere where so many apparently trustworthy participants (Armstrong, Madoff, Milken, etc) are cheating?

And if the critic's argument in Path A is correct - that no organization can be expected to review and police itself - what does that mean in the 787 situation, when the only competent people are internal or competitors?

Some may recall a similar situation with the 737 rudders. There's very little new under the sun. In the face of all that, I really admire the FAA decision to ground the 787s. Let me go further and say: I admire the Obama Admnistration's decision to ground the 787's. I'm just not sure how they're possibly going to decide to release them.

Lance Armstrong to Oprah Winfrey: Hey Girl

2013-01-12T19:33:00.000-05:00

Faux Umbrage by the P-G Drama Merchants

2013-01-08T06:31:00.000-05:00

The Post-Gazette is shocked, shocked to discover:

unprecedented and unprofessonal behavior in an incident in which a woman called 911, the phone line went dead, police went to the house, a man told them not to worry and refused entry, and the police went away; the next day she was found dead
that the police department is connected to the Ravenstahl administration and accountable to an elected official.

What is most craven about the Post-Gazette's umbrage is that their faux-outrage is not over the death of the woman and not about the indifference to another 911 call but rather the fact that a PR flack for a politician forwarded their questions to other reporters... and ruined their presumed exclusive.

In other words, the Post-Gazette was about to gain an edge from the drama and tragedy until the Ravenstahl administration and the police department decided to teach them a small lesson.

In taking offense at the loss of their scoop rather than at the incompetent, systematic indifference to the loss of life, the P-G is no better than those they presume to sell stories about.