Subtle Iconoclast

I have an iPhone

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:29:53 GMT

So here is the request post to test the app for it. We are well.

New Twitter Account

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:34:44 GMT

I've been very busy with moving, family, and starting a new job.

However, I've found the time to create a second Twitter account: @ProfShonle. This one is aimed at my students. Anna made my awesome profile picture there.

1901 - Phoenix

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:33:44 GMT

I heard this on 91.X on the way home from Pet People. When it was over, I switched to 94.9... which was also playing it.

Counting all different ideas drifting away
Past and present -- they don't matter.
Now the future's sorted out
Watch, you're moving in elliptical pattern
Think it's not what you say
What you say is way too complicated
For a minute thought I couldn't tell how to fall out.

Getting Hooded

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:08:36 GMT

From earlier today...

Facebook killed the LiveJournal Star

Thu, 21 May 2009 02:36:44 GMT

Of course, most of you are also following me on Facebook, so you have an idea of what's been going on. (Confidential to TR: Why are you dragging your feet on this?)

But, those of you not on Facebook can now follow "the best of" my Facebook status updates on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mshonle.

Recommendations?

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:26:37 GMT

Later this year, I'll be looking to buy a new tablet PC and a large monitor. Do any of you have recommendations or counter recommendations? I'm looking on the mid- to high-end in terms of pricing.

News

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:36:50 GMT

The chair of the computer science department at UTSA has recommended to the dean that I be hired as an assistant professor. When I receive the offer, I will accept it.

My start date is August 18th, and I'll be teaching an object-oriented systems course.

Review: Save the World on Your Own Time

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:56:46 GMT

You may not agree with all of Stanley Fish's viewpoints, but it's well-worth reading Save the World on Your Own Time. Fish says that the duty of an academic is to only teach the direct subject of study.

This view is nicely encapsulated on page 81:

"The moment a teacher tries to promote a political or social agenda, mold the character of students, produce civic virtue or institute a regime of tolerance, he or she has stepped away from the immanent rationality of the enterprise and performed an action in relation to which there is no academic freedom protection because there's nothing academic going on."

Here is another good quote:

"A university's obligation is to choose things worthy of study, not to study only things that it finds worthy" (p. 37).

This new book has some timely references that may not hold the test of time, so read it sooner rather than later. I particularly agreed with his discussion on censorship, which echoes what I've felt all along:

"No one is silenced because a single outlet declines to publish him; silencing occurs when that outlet (or any other) is forbidden by the state to publish him on pain of legal sanction; and that is also what censorship is" (p. 89).

Fish's discussion on how the far-right has hijacked the left-wing rhetoric on political correctness (forming their own "intellectual diversity") is spot on. There is also a particularly pointed attack on the nuts who want to promote "intelligent design."

One Season Wonders

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 04:49:47 GMT

Let us mourn the loss of some science-fiction one-season-wonders that aren't Firefly. In chronological order:

Space: Above and Beyond (1995). Known as the "stay alive, I will find you!" show, this had the elements for great space drama: Humans fighting a strange alien race ("Chigs"), robots that have turned on humans ("The Silicates"), replicants ("In Vitroes"), and psychic abilities ("anomalous intuition").

Missing would be: time travel, ancient alien species, hybrid species, terraforming, and forces so powerful they could only be described as God-like-- We'll call this the Star Trek Space Drama set. And we'll never know what happened after the cliffhanger ending, but this show, like most such space dramas, could have made a fine five season arc with a satisfying ending.

Crusade (1999). Being a spin-off of Babylon 5, this show automatically inherits the full Star Trek Space Drama set. (It was a major credit to Firefly that it came far short of anything near this set, containing only psychic abilities and terraforming-- and not even having FTL travel!)

Babylon creator J. Michael Straczynski got a raw deal from this one, as the network aired the shows out of order and required several overhauls in the process. The show was supposed to follow a five season arc, which would have been great. However, given the episodes of Babylon 5 taking place in the far future, we already know that our heroes ultimately won.

Surface (2005). This short lived show managed to lay out all of its cards on the table, revealing almost everything in the last episode. Wishy-washy writing (can he communicate with his missing brother, or is he dreaming?) and a large set of characters you couldn't care about doomed this one. It involves a "perfect" water creature (was it "evolution" in the incorrect Heroes abuse of the term, or was it genetically engineered?) rising from seeming nowhere and taking over the planet.

Threshold (2005). Excellent casting, starting with Peter Dinklage, Carla Gugino, and Brent Spiner, this show was kind of like "Andromeda Strain: The Series." The premise of a fractal pattern taking over brains and computers was a bit weak in terms of the science, but it at least gave more plausible Monster of Weeks than The X-Files could have hoped for. Based on the DVD interviews with the shows producers and writers, they also were going to take it into some interesting areas.

The Dresden Files (2007). An amusing show about a magician detective and a quirky ghost that helps him. It was worth watching, but not a show that you end up missing. Given the premise, it could have extended for an indefinite number of seasons (as I believe it goes with all detective shows done right).

Journeyman (2007). A Quantum Leap for a post-9/11 world? Maybe. It was interesting how making changes to the past could have devastating consequences in the future, but each episode lacked tension. If the journeymen are to "follow their instincts" to solve the problem, where is the drama? We know it will work, or otherwise that mysterious force wouldn't be doing it.

Moonlight (2007). A rip-off of Angel, but with only vampires and no other kinds of demons. The vampires aren't inherently evil and instead are shades of gray.

Cavemen (2007). I was never a fan of the commercials, so I thought this show was a bad idea from conception. However, I watched it and found out why it worked so well: It's a show about nerdy people (graduate students, accountants) doing nerdy and pompous things (think "Frasier") but with the twist that they all have beards and thick foreheads. It did cover issues of racism, but always at the level appropriate for a sit-com. How this one got canceled and the lame "The Big Bang Theory" stuck on for another season is beyond me. (Nerds shouldn't like "The Big Bang Theory" because it makes fun of a rather outdated stereotype of nerds; and non-nerds shouldn't find it all appealing either, because it doesn't make fun of them in the right way, like "House" would with his clinic patients in the earlier seasons of that show.)

Bionic Woman (2007). A reboot of a franchise that looked great on paper. Any sci-fi about "women kicking ass" is already off to a great start: None of that militaryesque testosterone getting in the way, and it's satisfying to see her win. (This is why Joss Whedon shows are interesting.) Unfortunately, an "attractive but plain looking by TV standards"-female lead lead to sagging ratings.

New Amsterdam (2008). Think of this as "The Man from Earth: The Series." A non-vampire who has lived for centuries is now a street/culture/science smart cop. He will become a mortal once he finds his true love (in New York), and so it is a bit like "How I Met Your Mother" too: Will he ever find her? Was that her in the train? Naturally, we'll never know because the show was canceled. It was very promising; although, for someone so accomplished, he sure held a lot of uninteresting jobs in his past. (Coach driver? Really?)

My Own Worst Enemy (2008). Christian Slater plays an everyday man who just so happens to boot into a superspy when he believes he's on business trips. The premise never seemed quite so clear: Why exactly fabricate an "everyman" for this purpose? Why not just keep the spy undercover? Not experiencing anything at all can't be an improvement over being in some secure, undisclosed location? This one ended early and yet the writers could have neatly wrapped it up: Toward the end, his regular guy side and his spy side were rapidly switching, and each were coming to terms with the existence of the other. It could have ended with the team merging their personalities, into a superspy who loves his family, "and they lived happily ever after."

If fonts were programming languages

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:22:07 GMT

If fonts were programming languages, this is what they'd be...

Helvetica - The C Programming Language. It's completely overused, and yet also the best choice for many tasks.

Times - C++. This is also grossly overused, and is the second best choice for any large tasks.

Courier - Fortran. This font is old and reliable and we're going to be stuck with it for a long time.

Chicago - Lisp. It's quirky, old, and used in many surprising places.

Computer Modern - Fortress. A mathematical and beautiful font, but pedantic.

Garamond - Java. This font sure seems a lot like Times. Not used as much, and has some new flaws and quirks of its own.

Palatino - C#. This font is like Garamond, but some things like that uppercase-P just aren't connected. This makes it attractive for some users, and appalling to others.

New Century Schoolbook - Smalltalk. Initially, this font looks like it's for kids, but it's both serious and playful.

Comic Sans - Python. You wouldn't think that this font was serious, but it's used in a surprisingly large number of contexts. And it's a safer choice than it would at first appear.

Zapf Dingbats - Perl. This font is useful for patching things together. If you need that special symbol to make your sub-sub-bulleted list, this is your ad hoc solution.

LED Marquee - Javascript. This font is the unsung hero. Many times it's used improperly, making things overly flashy and distracting, but it's also sometimes the only venue for transferring very important information.

A behavioral-based rating system for Netflix

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:17:41 GMT

Did you stop the movie before it finished? One star.
Did you stop the movie before the credits finished? Two stars.
Did you watch all of the deleted scenes? Four stars.
Did you see the all of the other bonus features? Five stars.

And there is a gap between two stars and three stars. How can it be hard to determine if you've liked something or not?

My first Star Wars memory

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:07:37 GMT

Me: "And then the white robots captured them"
Older Sister: "Those aren't robots, those are men in suits"
Me: "Well, I know that they aren't really robots"
Older Sister: "No, they aren't supposed to be robots"

We were talking about the storm troopers.

I might have thought Darth Vader was a robot too, but he wore the cape, and robots wouldn't wear clothes, right?

Autobio Slice of Life

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 03:15:44 GMT

I'm in the veterinary office, paying for the preliminary tests done to our cat.

The young Asian woman at the counter notices either the student ID in my cardholder or the credit union's name on my credit card. "Are you a UCSD student?"

"Yes," I say.

"Wow, you don't look like... like someone like me."

I feel old.

***
This conversation was also part of a recent trend, ranging from hair dressers to masseuses: "You're getting a PhD, you?" and "Wait, you want to advice PhD students?" and "You're a masters student, right?"

***
Bonus scene:

A mother and father are with their beautiful baby boy, who is bald, and wearing blue pants and a shirt with a firetruck on it. Enter woman: "Her eyes are beautiful!" She then looks at us. "They aren't like either of your eyes."

The Mentalist and Lie to Me

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:52:33 GMT

This new season of television has a lot of exciting things going on, in particular Dollhouse and the resolution of Battlestar Galactica.

We also got so tired of both Heroes and Lost that we've decided to call "a break," and wait until the DVDs on Netflix.

But amid all of the sci-fi geekery is a great detective show: The Mentalist. Simon Baker is good enough to carry the show alone, which was necessary for the first few episodes. (But, the supporting cast has gotten better and don't have the flaws that doomed Raines. For starters, you can actually care about the other characters.)

Another show with great potential is Lie to Me. Again, Tim Roth is good enough to carry the show on his own. And the supporting characters are also interesting, the best one being Monica Raymund's character.

People are already saying that Lie to Me is better than The Mentalist; but to that I say "slow down." It's like when people said Heroes was better than Lost. In terms of structure, there's a lot more interesting plot devices at the disposal of the Lie to Me writers. In contrast, The Mentalist seems stuck on the "let's explain why this case is in the jurisdiction of the CBI" thing (Writers: Can't we just skip that part?). But that restriction might help the writers in the end.

In the case of The Mentalist, it looks like it can stick to the highly dependable detective show formula. The main character is perceptive, clever, and has a few tricks up his sleeve. But in the case of Lie to Me, the main character's "trick" is telling if someone is lying. How long can that create a compelling story? Sure, they can have the story in any part of the world, involving governments, the military, or private companies, but in the end, if all he's doing is looking at faces, we can't really share the experience. We get much more pleasure out of solving a mystery as we watch it. (Yes, we like to feel clever.)

So, it's very promising, but Lie to Me might fall into the trap that Numb3rs did before it: A formulaic show that relies on a gimmick with limited potential, thus forcing the dramatic elements to focus more and more on the character's lives, and less on the actual mysteries.

And, as far as character's go, Simon Baker's backstory is dark, sad, and compelling. Hopefully they'll resolve the issue sooner rather than later, instead of never being resolved like the murder of Monk's wife (or did they resolve it? We stopped watching Monk after the shows got a little too dumb).

Conversation, over Facebook status messages

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:25:35 GMT

Macneil is excited about getting his fourth interview, and about going to his first on Monday.

Sxxxx at 2:14pm February 20
for?

Macneil at 2:49pm February 20
I'm on the academic job market...

Sxxxx at 2:53pm February 20
i didnt know you were abd

Macneil at 3:57pm February 20
I'm abd to the bone.

Conversation

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:31:36 GMT

Between two guys and one young woman.

Guy 1: "I want to be a barista for a summer."

Guy 2: "I think it's only called barista if you're a woman."

Guy 1: "So what's it called when you're a dude?"

Guy 2: "Then you're a barrister."

Girl: "No. That's a lawyer in England."

Guy 2: "Yeah, for the English it means you practice law. But in America, it means you serve hot beverages."

New word...

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:43:40 GMT

When new episodes of Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, and Terminator are all on? Geekgasm.

Spring cleaning bleg

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:51:57 GMT

I'm trying to sell a few items on Craigslist:

Trips

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:28:08 GMT

I've posted the beginnings of my interview schedule on my research page.

It's a tight job market this year, but fortunately many schools are looking for software engineers.

Slice of Life

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:20:10 GMT

I wait in line at the La Jolla Village Square Pet People. A short, middle-aged woman buys a large bag of dog food.

A hunky looking, mid-20s man rings up her order. His badge says "Manager." He says "Would you like help carrying this out to your car?"

"Oh that would be absolutely wonderful," she says.

The hunk closes his eyes and snarls a little when he says "NATALIE!"

A young woman with dark hair in a pixie cut looks up from stacking inventory, and approaches the manager.

"Never mind. If she's going to carry it out... I'll do it," the middle-aged woman says. She hefts the bag, and walks out.

The Supplements

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 04:51:35 GMT

My evening mixture:

Omega-3 DHA derived from algae - EFAs are something we get in our diets, but it's so important that you might as well play it safe. I will also supplement with EFAs from drinking flax oil or other seed oils (with my nose plugged).

Calcium and Magnesium Citrates + Vitamin D - Apparently in order to absorb the calcium properly, you need the other stuff. I take it at night because it also relaxes the muscles. (I also get calcium supplements from fortified OJ and soy milks.)

Zinc - Apparently with this one you need the right ratio of copper for it to be effective. Zinc is great for getting your digestion in order and is the first thing you should try. I also believe it helps the immune system.

Ester-C - This is a non-acidic form of vitamin C that is easily absorbed. When people get sick I tell them to take some vitamin C. When they say "yeah, I have some OJ," I tell them that's not enough. And then I recommend Ester-C. They read the label and say "woah man, that's 833% of the daily value!" and freak out. When, in fact, if they are sick, they should probably be taking 10 times that amount. It's just not something you can overdose.

Deva Vegan Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement - This one is least essential in my box, but I'm going to take it once a day until at least the bottle runs out. It contains iron, which you must be very careful not to take too much of. This is one I'll be taking on the road, when the local vegan options might not be so hot and I need to supplement the empty calories.

My morning mixture:

B-12 or B Complex - The sublingual forms are supposed to be the best. I take it anywhere from daily to weekly, depending on my mood. The body stores B-12 so well, it isn't much of a problem.

Some DHA again

Ginko Leaf - This is supposed to help with something, but I forget what.

Japanese mushroom (Lion's Mane) - This is supposed to improve focus. We'll have to see. I've also considered Flavay, does anyone know if that works?

GoodBelly Probiotic Fruit Drink - I believe this has helped my digestion. You want to take some kind of probiotics. In the future, I may take some homemade keifer instead.

Almonds - These probably give me the most benefit. I eat them instead of eating cookes, and I've lost 10 pounds in as many weeks.

Overall, the theme I see is improving the mind, the colon, and the immune system. Of course, they are integrated, so helping one can help the other.

I also have a morning and evening technique for stopping my craving of coffee, and yet getting some of coffee's nutritional benefits: Teccino. It's a pre-biotic too, which I guess helps give your probiotics a boost. It also brews like coffee, so many of the same aesthetics are there. It's delicsh, so do try it. You can get it at Whole Foods.

Turn to the left, Part II

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 22:22:36 GMT

It's been a real learning experience, digging into fashion.

Here are a few more things I've picked up since my last post:

If you are short, try pinstriped suits to create the illusion that you're taller. Well, it's either that, or they detract away from your shortness. For the super short, avoid mismatched top and bottoms (e.g., don't wear the navy blazer with the khaki pants). My assumption is that you can invert these tips if you feel too tall.

Get a money clip. I always thought these were inferior to wallets, but they have advantages. First, get a card holder to keep your credit cards, driver's license, and insurance. I keep the card holder in one pocket, and the money clip in the other. It's less bulky, and I can actually sit and keep them in my pockets all day. (My wallet was too bulky to be comfortable.) This style also forces you to find a place for things like receipts. Finally, it's a nice accessory. I went to my credit union and asked for some $2 bills, which I keep on the outside of the money clip to give it a distinct, quirky look.

Apparently you're never supposed to button the bottom button of your suit jacket. I really had no idea. But now that I know, I see it everywhere.

You know? I've tried a maroon tie with a maroon pocket square, and it just didn't seem to work. I was wearing a white shirt, and it seemed like maybe I was working at a restaurant, wearing a uniform. I guess the "uniform" aspect is the keyword: I switched to the white pocket square and all was well. This could be why I think of non-solid ties as looking more "business like."

For particular brands, I recommend Gold Toe dress socks. You can get them at Macy's.

I also recommend the Banana Republic fitted crew shirts. They are on sale right now for $8. They can help whisk away sweat and avoid staining your shirts.

I really wish I met my current hair stylist sooner. His recommendation of Lucky Brand jeans was spot on. How have I not heard of them before?

25 random things about me

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 03:19:05 GMT

This one has been circling Facebook. Here's what I posted:

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I immediately wanted to make a comment about how this list is not "random" per se. But then I realized sticklering isn't cool. But then I thought it would be cool to start this list with something self-referential.

2. I needed to lookup "per se" to see if I spelled it correctly.

3. I initially misspelled "referential." I'm a child of the spell checker generation.

4. I can type much faster than I can write. That used to be a unique characteristic, but that probably describes most people in the reference set these days.

5. I'm vegan.

6. I feel more confident when I'm wearing my Members Only jacket, which I got from eBay. I outgrew my original Members Only jacket years and years ago.

7. I once shook Barack Obama's hand.

8. In the years 2007 and 2008, if I was wearing a T-shirt, it most likely had something to do with Barack Obama.

9. I drink bottled water. I avoid tap water as much as possible.

10. As soon as I learn something cool and new, I want to share it with others. Perhaps it's the natural educator in me, but I also fear that maybe I'm trying to show off.

11. My favorite cool fact of all time is that 0.999999...forever is equal to one.

12. I like Thai iced tea with boba, but haven't had it much lately. Maybe if they came in half servings.

13. I'm superstitious. When I bought an umbrella the other day, I played dumb and asked the salesperson how to open it.

14. I hope that maybe some of you notice that was my #13.

15. I feel far enough away from the 13 now to talk about other stuff.

16. I have one son. We named him Ansel. I love his laughs.

17. I list my favorite movies, books, and music on Facebook as another means to tell you about myself. I actually have many other favorites, but listing them all would prevent the real message from getting through.

18. I'm currently on the job market to be a professor.

19. From time to time, I get anxious. When flying, I'm more worried about making it to the airport on time than I am about the flying itself.

20. I once saw a $1 bill that had the serial number 123456789 (or something to that effect, maybe it only went up to 8). It was in a coin museum.

21. I've been to 49 of the states. The missing one is Arkansas, but I might have actually driven through it.

22. I do not know the rules to football, basketball, or baseball. It was only until 2004 that I found out what "bottom of the ninth" meant.

23. I don't like the taste of alcohol. I can drink one serving of it, but the second serving is so bad that I've never gotten drunk. I've been buzzed a couple of times, though.

24. I sometimes believe it's possible to fly. It's like we're missing something or doing something wrong.

25. I think this is a good place to stop.

Still haven't adjusted yet...

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:32:20 GMT

President Obama. I keep waiting to hear "President-elect" or "Presidential candidate."

It's been a week, and it still hasn't "set in."

Waiting for the DVD...

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:23:53 GMT

I'm a fan of the TV show Lost, but not so much, say, to list it on my favorite shows on my Facebook page. The first season was great, and then the show completely lost its bearings.

Note: Turns out? "Making it all up" as you "go along" is not such a great plan.

So, I'm going to sit out this season and wait for the DVD. I first got into lost by watching the first season on DVD. The show too often ends episodes with cliff hangers that get resolved within the next five minutes of the following show. So, being able to see the next episode right away might lead to a less frustrating viewing experience.

Oh yes, there are more flaws with the show, but if I were to post about something that lengthy, I think it would be more interesting to detail where Heroes went all wrong.