Reaching out on marriage

Maybe progressives should reach out to Mormons and propose a Religious Freedom in Marriage Act legalizing both same-sex and plural marriage. Would some of them get behind it? It seems they've largely distanced themselves from that part of their faith, in an effort to be more accepted by the rest of americans and the world, but I'm sure some number of them would love to be open about their families or expand the ones they have. And there are other faiths and sects that could get behind it as well.

Does anyone know of a list of faiths, sects, denominations, congregations, etc. that welcome same-sex and/or plural marriages? I think such a list could help make the case that this is in fact an issue of religious freedom.

In the case of plural marriage, I think it would be a reasonable restriction to require the consent of all current spouses for someone to marry another. Maybe require all current spouses to sign the license. (Would other witnesses be required? I'm inclined to say yes, but I suppose all the licensing details would be left to the states.)

Follow up: It would be tempting to try to get an endorsement for this from Clint Eastwood, since with his support for same-sex marriage and work in Paint Your Wagon he'd be a natural, but in light of recent events I think he's a bit too risky.

Birth Control Coverage - Missing The Point on Religious Freedom

There is a very important point about the controversial decision to require that employees, even working for religious organizations, receive coverage for birth control.

Many opponents criticize it as trampling on religious freedom, when it actually does nothing of the sort. What it does is prioritize the religious freedom of the individual over that of the organization. To do the opposite would actually endanger the freedom of religion we hold so dear in this country.

Voting & Legislative Reform Ideas: Weighted Ballots & Conditional Automatic Repeal

Weighted Ballots
First let me say this: this idea will never work.

Second let me say this: I'd like to be proven wrong.

Here's the idea...

1. Somehow track what and who a voter has voted for in the past.
2. Objectively measure how well the winners that voter has voted for have worked out.
3. Weight the value of that voter's current vote accordingly.

Ideally, the weighting would reflect the voter's votes on similar issues and in similar circumstances more than dissimilar.

The difficulties are fairly obvious. There's the privacy issue of tracking votes, and the big hairy problem of coming up with sufficient agreement on an objective measure of past winning votes' outcomes. Vote tracking is the big issue. It would be simple to do, but the secret ballot is an important institution, its primary and critical-to-freedom purpose being to prevent people from being coerced into voting one way or another. As for the performance measuring, I may have another idea that could maybe possibly serve as a partial/proxy measure well enough for some cases.

Anyway, if someone can solve the privacy issue, that would be swell.


Conditional Automatic Repeal
Okay, now this one may never happen, but it could maybe work.

Here's the idea...

Pass a constitutional amendment (it would have to be, I think) to the effect that...

1. Any act (or referendum, hereafter referred to as an "act") must include measurable intended goals for the act, to be reached within a stated time frame, possibly including negative effects to be avoided.
2. If the goals are not met or unwanted effects occur within the time given, the act is automatically repealed.
3. The legislative body may then override the automatic repeal as it might for an executive veto, with the same vote margin requirement.
4. The legislative body is, of course, free to repeal the act at any time as normal, so if it becomes obvious that an act is not working they don't have to wait for the auto-repeal.

I think this would maybe help reduce the hyperbole surrounding much of the big legislation that gets passed, by forcing a bill's proponents to make clear enforceable claims about what it will actually accomplish. If the act doesn't do what they say it will do, it's out, unless a supermajority then agrees that we're still better off with the legislation than without. I think it could help reduce bundling of unrelated issues in single bills. I think it could also give voters a tool for measuring the candidates in an election.

It could also serve as a measure for the weighted ballot scheme mentioned above. It would only apply to referendums and such, with the voter's weighting determined by the auto-repeal track record of their winning votes. (I suppose it could also serve as a measure for votes for office as well, with the weight flowing from the legislative votes of the people the voter has gotten into office.) That still leaves the vote-tracking privacy issue, of course.
Again, this one would be difficult to get passed. Too many legislators know too well that there are things they vote for that, while helping a few folks, don't otherwise work as advertised. I'd still like to see this debated.

Air Swimmers - Now this is just too cool

My father sent me a link to this video for a couple of fish and shark shaped balloons with attached remote-controlled moving tail fins and ballast. You can actually make these things swim through the air by remote control. You have to see the video to believe it.

They have two versions available: shark and clownfish.



Man, I wish I'd come up with this.

On Instructional Videos

There seems to be a trend these days in instructions on the web: videos.

Videos? Really? Ugh!

I don't know about you, but usually when I look for instructions on how to do something I either just need to find out what tools or utilities I need to use to do it, or to refer to the instructions as I go through the task. Videos are good for neither; you can't effectively skim a video for the important parts, or go through it at your own pace as your task progresses.

Seriously, people, I really don't have the time, and in any case don't want, to slog through your introductions or sit through your "um"s and "uh"s just to find out what to use to get my blog fed to a facebook page. Save the videos for tasks, or parts of tasks, where that kind of demonstration of technique or effect is useful. And add good old text and graphics to your toolbox along with that video hammer; it ain't all nails out there.

The Finger Factor

Just wondering: has the recent proliferation of touch screen devices had any impact on the popularity of messy finger foods?

The Land of Painted Caves - Finally

Well it's finally coming out, nine years after the previous book, "The Shelters of Stone". I started reading the series back in the late 1980s, if I recall correctly, when my mother and I were staying with my grandparents after my grandfather had a heart attack. They lived in a small town and the biggest selection of science fiction available was in Wal Mart.

I've always been more into hard science fiction, but after reading the novelization of Back To The Future I was willing to branch out a little. I bought the first three books in a paperback boxed set.

It's not a bad series. The author, Jean Auel, has reportedly done lots of research into actual prehistoric sites and artifacts, working them into her stories. No doubt some of the ideas included in the earlier books in the series have been displaced by subsequent research over the past three decades, but that is understandable; Arthur C. Clarke had similar issues with his Space Odyssey books. What's harder to swallow is the concentration of human innovations within the lives of the two main characters: animal domestication, tool invention, etc. But for a (Pre-)historical fiction one can easily suspend disbelief in this convergence enough to enjoy it. What's more off-putting is the apparent psychic phenomena and the practically Lamarckian race memory portrayed in the Neanderthals. If one approaches it as just being the characters' interpretations of drug-induced halucinations, it becomes tolerable enough to not get in the way of an otherwise interesting story.

I subsequently bought & read the next two books in hardcover, the first while in college, and the second after getting married and moving over 1000 miles away.

I've read the first three chapters of the new book at the Random House web site, and it looks to be setting up a few external and internal conflicts, and possibly a love triangle but that may be a red herring. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of lengthy re-exposition, thankfully, so if you haven't read the previous books there's a lot that won't make sense to you.

I've added it to my wish list. See all Jean M Auel's books, including several translations.

Belated Thoughts on The Kyle XY Final Episode

Okay, it's been a while since the series ended so abruptly. I meant to post a review a while back, but just never got around to it; either I was too busy to do it or too bitter. Mostly the former. Mostly.

Anyway, it's been a while since I watched it and don't remember everything (I guess I could watch it again on Hulu, but frankly I'm more into reruns of Enterprise these days, sci-fi wise) but I do remember this thought: I'm not so sure Jessi's clone-mom is really dead. She had some of the same abilities as Jessi, and one thing Jessi did was fake her own death by slowing down her heart to an apparent stop - precisely what she heard her clone-mom's heart do. It wouldn't have surprised me at all to have seen her make a reappearance in the next or subsequent season, had the series not been canceled.

Yes, I know the final season DVD includes a special section on what would have happened. I don't have it; I'm holding out hope for someone to some day pick up the series. It was really out of place on that network.

A Way To Catch Those Special Moments?

This looks interesting. It's a bluetooth earpiece with a built-in always-on video camera. It buffers the last few hours of video, and has a button to save the last 30 seconds as a clip. There's editing software to pull clips from the larger buffer. Apparently you can do it from certain smart phones as well, and post to various places.

It looks like just the sort of thing to capture those unexpected special moments. Just this morning my son was leaning back against the seat of the recliner while drinking from his sippy cup. He slipped (as he often does when leaning on furniture like that) and fell flat on his side, cup still in his mouth. It was cute and I recalled seeing this device. Maybe once the price comes down and the technology matures a little I'll get one.

Looxcie Wearable Bluetooth Camcorder System with White Camera Boom, Power Supply, Micro USB Cable, Ear Buds (Black)

A Thought: The Paradox of Freedom

What is freedom? The state of being free to do what you want, to make decisions, to act. Basically, it's having options. The more options you have, the freer you are.

But if all you do is try to maintain your freedom by keeping your options open, by not committing to an action or choice, you've effectively reduced your options to nothing. You've made yourself one of the least free people around.

Keeping your options open can be a valuable part of a strategy to reach a goal or maximize happiness, but only if the part it plays is to let you commit at the right time.

What Say The Post-Vroomers?

Driving home from dinner out today, wife & kid in the car, I got to thinking about kids and toy cars.

Back in the day it was, as I imagine it still is, inevitable that a kid playing with a toy car would make "vroom! vroom!" noises, or something to that effect, while pushing it around through maneuvers that would make any Hollywood stunt driver cringe. I'm pretty sure my kid will do the same.

But what about the kids of the next generation, or, more accurately, the kids of the first generation to know only electric cars or whatever ultimately replaces cars powered by internal combustion? Will "vroom! vroom!" continue to be passed on from generation to generation like the many nursery rhymes that still get recited after outlasting all cultural context? Or like the "tick-tock" of clocks of yesteryear? Or will the youths of that future generation coin their own onomatopoeia?

Seth Godin's Got It Wrong About Secret Ballots

I subscribe to the RSS feed of Seth Godin's blog. He's a bright guy, but he doesn't always get things right.

He says in his blog entry (When technology and tradition diverge) today:

"When the secret ballot was introduced, it just wasn't possible to count the votes in less than a few days. So a tradition was established, driven by the technology, not because it was the best way. Now, of course, the technology doesn't need that tradition any longer, but it's still here."

He's totally wrong about the purpose of secret ballots.

The purpose of secret ballots is to ensure that voters can vote their conscience without fear of repercussions from those who would coerce them to vote one way or another. It has nothing to do with any inability to have a running count. (Godin may simply be confused about what "secret ballot" means.) Even small groups who could easily have a running total using nothing more than their fingers use secret ballots too when they feel the need. Other groups specifically avoid secret ballots, particularly when those who are voting are representing groups of constituents and need to be held accountable for their votes.

I'm The Cat In The Hat, Baby

My son, who is now 15 months old, insists I wear my hat all the time, even at home.

I know I shouldn't take offense at that, and I'm really not sensitive about my baldness at all, but part of me wonders about what he's thinking.

I guess he probably just associates it with going-out fun-times dad. Or maybe he just thinks it's amusing that I have this thing on my head.

Anyway, I need a haircut and plan to do it tonight, so we'll see if that's it.

Trading Places Fisher Price Style

For his first birthday our son received a Fisher-Price Little People Build 'n Fun Jungle.

It's a bucket of building blocks with a couple Little People animals: a monkey and a zebra. The blocks include a couple pieces representing a stand of jungle vegetation and some tall grass, with a lion and tiger decal respectively. The lid serves as a base for the building blocks.

He enjoys it a lot, particularly the bucket which is rectangular and mostly transparent. He likes to put it on his head. It's okay, though; the bucket is irregularly shaped on the ends and has holes in the bottom so there's always a way for air to get in and out. And he never keeps it on for very long. The blocks seem to be easier for him to catch on to than the mega-blox he also got. I think the big shallow pegs and simple shapes help. He is starting to catch on to the mega-blox too now and I think the Fisher Price blocks contributed to that skill building.

They are not without flaws, however, as an astute reader may have already noted. The name of the toy implies a jungle theme, but two of the animals - the zebra and lion - are not jungle animals. And, as seen here, the lion and tiger have traded habitats.

Did It Not Occur To Them?

It just occurred to me: what exactly did Scooby Doo's teen gang think the circumstances were that led that caveman to be frozen in ice in such a nonchalant pose? It seems to me he would have been in a pose suggesting panic, struggle, or perhaps exhaustion. Or, more likely, shown evidence of dieing before being frozen.

It would have to be one hell of a cold snap to freeze him in place like that, and very unexpected seeing how he's dressed for summer weather.

I like to think I would have called shenanigans right away.

Anyway, the episode is "Scooby's Night with a Frozen Fright" and it's available in Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - The Complete First and Second Seasons.

What's All The Hubbub, Bub?

I've been thinking about all the folks shouting other people down at the health care reform townhall meetings this summer, and the stink some people bizarrely raised about President Obama addressing school children to tell them to take responsibility for their education.

It got me wondering - where was the outrage from these people when AOL gave its users internet and newsgroup access?

Oh... wait... nevermind.

Yep. There it is.

Again.

World's Cleanest Dime?

This has to be the sixth time this dime has run through the wash. I keep finding it in the washer, putting it in my otherwise empty pocket, and forgetting it's there, so it ends up going along for the ride in the next load the pants I'm wearing are in. Is this destined to go on forever?

Accidental Coke Nail

I clipped my nails the other day. I must have gotten distracted somehow, though. Today I noticed I have a "coke nail". :P

Fixing the Dryer

I fixed the dryer last week. For quite a while it had been squeaking a bit in the beginning of cycles with heavy loads, with the squeaking lessening or stopping altogether as the load dried. Recently, though, it started rumbling loudly. The squeaking pretty much stopped then, or at least wasn't audible.

After poking around at it without opening the thing up (I wasn't sure I wanted to do that initially) I saw that the drum was separating from the back panel at the bottom. After a bit of research I figured it was probably a problem with the drum support rollers.

So I flipped off the circuit breaker, unplugged it, and opened it up.

At this point I'll mention that this is a Kenmore dryer, model 110.86672100 electric dryer. I mention this because I was able to find very little on this dryer in my searches and want to make this available for folks looking for help with this problem. The guide I used was an old copy of the Reader's Digest "New Fix-It-Yourself Manual", dated 1996. It was a housewarming gift from around 11 years ago. It's very visual, which helps, but sometimes sketchy and encyclopedic.

So, like I said, I opened it up. I didn't do it with a putty knife like all the dryer opening how-to guides out there tell you. That just didn't work for me. I was able to see the clips, though, and choose more capable tools: large and small flat-head screwdrivers. I pushed the large one into the slot to separate the top from the front panel a bit, the pushed in the center tab of the clip with the small one to release it. Repeat on each side. Oh, and I removed the lint trap and the screws under its cover first. Don't forget that step.

Let me interrupt here to mention that we have a magnetic vent cover we put on top of the lint trap handle. It's designed for heat & air vents, but does help if you get a bit of dust from your lint trap. Anyway, I put that on top of the water heater which is next to the dryer and it made a handy place to put removed screws.

After removing the top I removed the front panel with a box wrench. Then, after a good vacuuming, following the instructions in the book I removed the belt and drum. That's when I finally got a look at the guts.

These machines are pretty darn simple. Other than the heater, blower, and ductwork behind the back panel, and the electronics in the console, it's pretty much a motor, belt, drum, a couple wheels, and a belt tensioner.

There's a fabric ring around the back of the drum that meets up with the back panel to form a seal. Before tackling this I had described what was happening to my brother who then told me about his ring needing to be replaced when it started rumbling. The ring looked fine in ours, though, so I kept looking for the problem. (It's a good thing too, because I think replacing the ring would be a messier and longer job, with the glue involved.)

I poked around and discovered that the lower support roller was worn down so as to be visibly smaller than the right side roller, and it rocked on its shaft while the right side roller turned solidly and smoothly. So we went to the local appliance parts place to pick up a roller replacement kit. The kit included two rollers and four plastic triangular clips. When I took off the old parts, though, the bad roller had only one clip, but places for two. (I suspect the transition to rumbling may have happened when the missing clip finally broke off, and that it was picked up by the vacuum.)

Here you can see the old roller and the three remaining clips. You can see how much the one roller was worn, inside and out. The inside was worn more on one side than the other, and asymmetrically there. It was clearly the source of the rumbling, and the loss of support for the drum which caused it to drop away from the back panel. I suspect the lessening support also caused a loss of tension in the belt over time, which caused the squeaking. After I replaced the rollers the squeaking was gone too.

Here are the two new rollers in place around the back panel and motor. You can see the belt tensioner in front of the motor. I believe the motor also drives the blower behind the back panel. You can also see the wrench I used to remove the front panel and the bottom roller's support bracket, and the point of the small screwdriver. I also used that to pry the old clips off and to gently pry the new clips on. The roller clips fit into grooves around the shafts. The right roller clips are positioned farther apart, allowing the roller to move a bit as you remove and replace the drum. I suppose it gives it a bit of leeway in operation too. The bottom roller is fixed in one position, though, presumably to help hold the drum against the back panel.

And here is a closeup of the bottom roller. You can see where the plastic clip goes. There's one on the other side as well, which of course had to be put on before the roller. The bracket has a metal clip as well, which was also included in the kit. I put that back on by positioning the closed box wrench head over it and rapping it with the butt of the larger screwdriver handle.

After that I put back the drum and belt. A small box under the front of the drum was handy while putting the belt back on the tensioner and motor pully. Then I put the front panel back on. Opening the front door made it easier to support the drum while doing this. It probably would have been less awkward if I had some help, but it really wasn't all that bad.

Before closing the top I turned the drum a bit to make sure everything was fitting together. The fabric seal had gotten folded inside the drum around part of it, but that was easily fixed by pushing it back into place with a screwdriver from the inside of the drum.

I closed the lid, replaced the lint trap screws and the trap, plugged it in and closed the circuit breaker. I tested it and man did it run smooth! It hasn't rumbled since, and I think it's actually doing a better job. I suspect there have been gaps forming between the drum and pack panel that let cool air get in, reducing the drying power. Anyway, there you have it. I hope these illustrations help someone along the way. If you find yourself with the same repair to do and have any questions, feel free to post a comment. Most days I'll be alerted by email within the day, but I can only guarantee an honest answer, not an informed, accurate, timely, or useful one.