http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suugn-p5C1M
A pretty clear example of why traffic jams happen where there is no reason.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
OkTrends
http://blog.okcupid.com/
OkTrends is a blog where they analyze the data from dating site OkCupid. It's pretty interesting.
OkTrends is a blog where they analyze the data from dating site OkCupid. It's pretty interesting.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Glenn Beck Loses Dispute Over Parody Domain
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/11/10/1432232/Glenn-Beck-Loses-Dispute-Over-Parody-Domain?art_pos=10
"Glenn Beck fought the law and the law won. Parody website DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com attacked Beck using the same straw man arguments Beck himself is famous for: 'We're not accusing Glenn Beck of raping and murdering a young girl in 1990 — in fact, we think he didn't! But we can't help but wonder ... Why won't he deny that he raped and killed a young girl in 1990?' Beck didn't see the humour and tried to have the site shut down. He sued the creator on the grounds the site 'violated his name as a trademark.' But in a sudden outbreak of common sense, WIPO rejected Beck's complaint finding the site 'can be said to be making a political statement,' which is a 'legitimate non-commercial use' of Beck's name. But after winning, the owner voluntarily handed Beck the domain anyway. Still, it's comforting to know that satire — the only weapon politicians and talking heads fear — is still safely in the hands of the public where it belongs."
"Glenn Beck fought the law and the law won. Parody website DidGlennBeckRapeAndMurderAYoungGirlIn1990.com attacked Beck using the same straw man arguments Beck himself is famous for: 'We're not accusing Glenn Beck of raping and murdering a young girl in 1990 — in fact, we think he didn't! But we can't help but wonder ... Why won't he deny that he raped and killed a young girl in 1990?' Beck didn't see the humour and tried to have the site shut down. He sued the creator on the grounds the site 'violated his name as a trademark.' But in a sudden outbreak of common sense, WIPO rejected Beck's complaint finding the site 'can be said to be making a political statement,' which is a 'legitimate non-commercial use' of Beck's name. But after winning, the owner voluntarily handed Beck the domain anyway. Still, it's comforting to know that satire — the only weapon politicians and talking heads fear — is still safely in the hands of the public where it belongs."
Monday, November 9, 2009
3 Inches of Blood - Goatriders Horde
This is probably the most metal thing to ever exist on the Earth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUd4Cbc49mg
Feeling the march of the fury unleashed
Impaling the soldiers of God
Smell of sulphur hot on the wind
Left by the Goatrider's Horde
The thundering roar
Of the cloven hoof
The Goatrider's Horde
Descends with the storm
I am eternal
I walk the night
I am the reaper of souls
Cold iron blades
They cannot stop me
Where I am from no one knows
I am in command
Impervious to fire
Impervious to steel
Merciless vengeance
Dealt by their strike
Treachery stalking
Evil command
Cloven hoofed steed I ride
Armies of horns descend on the gates
Hatred burns their eyes
Impervious to fire
Impervious to steel
Merciless vengeance
Dealt by their strike
Impervious to fire
Impervious to steel
Walls of stone cannot stop them
Too weak are the spells of old
At the sound of their banshee cry
The hearts of all grow cold
Impervious to fire
Impervious to steel
Merciless vengeance
Dealt by their strike
Impervious to fire
Impervious to steel
Merciless vengeance
Dealt by their strike
Fueled by the fears of man
To slake the unquenchable thirst
I'm in command
I'm in command
The Goatrider's Horde
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUd4Cbc49mg
Feeling the march of the fury unleashed
Impaling the soldiers of God
Smell of sulphur hot on the wind
Left by the Goatrider's Horde
The thundering roar
Of the cloven hoof
The Goatrider's Horde
Descends with the storm
I am eternal
I walk the night
I am the reaper of souls
Cold iron blades
They cannot stop me
Where I am from no one knows
I am in command
Impervious to fire
Impervious to steel
Merciless vengeance
Dealt by their strike
Treachery stalking
Evil command
Cloven hoofed steed I ride
Armies of horns descend on the gates
Hatred burns their eyes
Impervious to fire
Impervious to steel
Merciless vengeance
Dealt by their strike
Impervious to fire
Impervious to steel
Walls of stone cannot stop them
Too weak are the spells of old
At the sound of their banshee cry
The hearts of all grow cold
Impervious to fire
Impervious to steel
Merciless vengeance
Dealt by their strike
Impervious to fire
Impervious to steel
Merciless vengeance
Dealt by their strike
Fueled by the fears of man
To slake the unquenchable thirst
I'm in command
I'm in command
The Goatrider's Horde
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Pandora Internet Radio
So a few months ago I heard about Pandora internet radio for the first time. I mostly ignored it because I have a pretty good music collection and didn't really have much interest in it. However, recently I decided to try it out for no real reason. I like it quite a bit. It is pretty easy to set up and then does a good job of playing music you'll like.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora_%28music_service%29
http://www.pandora.com/
In case you haven't heard of it, Pandora is a pretty simple website where you can enter bands or songs you like and it'll play those bands and other music it thinks you'll like. You don't even have to sign up, just go there and enter a band name and it starts. I registered because it was painless and I wanted to be able to save my preferences. It did want to know my birth year and zip code, but luckily it had no way of knowing if I was telling the truth. After that I just had to start entering bands. You only have to enter a single band, but I wanted variety. I entered about 50 bands that have the highest play counts in my media player. It's a pretty wide spectrum of music, from prog rock to hardcore, but I generally like a variety in genres of music while I'm listening to it. If you want to hear my station you can at this link:
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh151689049517756381
However, I recommend you just make your own station with bands you like. Once you create a station there's a link to add variety... If you click that it lets you type in a band name and within a few letters usually knows who you want. It's pretty easy, although there didn't seem to be any way to mass import a list of bands. I just put them in a spreadsheet and copy and pasted the names.
As for how the playback works, it very good. It has played some pretty obscure stuff like Math The Band and Defiance, Ohio. Most of what it plays though is not the bands you enter, but similar bands. Even with 50 bands entered only about 1 out of 5 will be a band I've ever heard of. That's good though as finding new bands is the main reason I'm using it. Already I've heard quite a few bands that were really good. It apparently analyzes songs based on a few hundred criteria and then finds songs that are similar to ones you like to play. When you hear a song you like you can click a thumbs up, and if you don't like it you can click thumbs down. If you click on a song that played there is an option called 'why was this song selected?' If you click that it tells you the criteria that match your preferences. For example here are some songs it's played and why:
Hot Water Music - The Bitter End
punk roots, a subtle use of vocal harmony, mild rhythmic syncopation, mixed minor & major key tonaility and a vocal-centric aesthetic
Apocalyptica - Path
hard rock roots, minor key tonality, melodic string accompaniment, mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation and mallet percussion
Metallica - Jump In The Fire
hard rock roots, a subtle use of vocal harmony, mild rhythmic syncopation, repetive melodic phrasing and minor key tonality
As far as genres goes it clearly tends to play similar songs in a row, but still plays very different stuff. Generally it has played 4 or 5 songs that fit into one category then jumps to a new one. Again this is exactly what I would want it to do. If you only wanted to listen to one type of music at a time you could make different radio stations for the different types.
It does have some negatives though. First despite what I was told it does have audio ads. They are quite reasonable though. There is only even one ad played at a time, and they are about 10-30 seconds long. It seems to go about 6 songs between ads. I'm sure this will increase as it become more popular, but even one 30 second ad per song would be fine with me. My biggest problem with the ads now is that I've only heard about 5 different ads, and they are just repeated. I don't see any visual ads on the page itself, although I'm using Adblock+.
The next two limitations I've not experienced first hand yet, but read them on Wikipedia. First off you only get 12 skips per 24 hours. So you can't be super picky about what it plays. If you want to hear one specific band or song you should just be listening to your media play anyway. The next limit though is a big downfall. Wikipedia claims you only get 40 hours per month for free. 40 hours is ridiculous short for a month. I'll listen to 40 hours of music in 3 days easily. I suppose for someone with less free time than me (read: everyone) this would last longer, still I'm sure most people will reach this limit before the end of the month. I'll have to see if I actually reach this limit. If so I guess I'll still use it just to find some new bands every month.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora_%28music_service%29
http://www.pandora.com/
In case you haven't heard of it, Pandora is a pretty simple website where you can enter bands or songs you like and it'll play those bands and other music it thinks you'll like. You don't even have to sign up, just go there and enter a band name and it starts. I registered because it was painless and I wanted to be able to save my preferences. It did want to know my birth year and zip code, but luckily it had no way of knowing if I was telling the truth. After that I just had to start entering bands. You only have to enter a single band, but I wanted variety. I entered about 50 bands that have the highest play counts in my media player. It's a pretty wide spectrum of music, from prog rock to hardcore, but I generally like a variety in genres of music while I'm listening to it. If you want to hear my station you can at this link:
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh151689049517756381
However, I recommend you just make your own station with bands you like. Once you create a station there's a link to add variety... If you click that it lets you type in a band name and within a few letters usually knows who you want. It's pretty easy, although there didn't seem to be any way to mass import a list of bands. I just put them in a spreadsheet and copy and pasted the names.
As for how the playback works, it very good. It has played some pretty obscure stuff like Math The Band and Defiance, Ohio. Most of what it plays though is not the bands you enter, but similar bands. Even with 50 bands entered only about 1 out of 5 will be a band I've ever heard of. That's good though as finding new bands is the main reason I'm using it. Already I've heard quite a few bands that were really good. It apparently analyzes songs based on a few hundred criteria and then finds songs that are similar to ones you like to play. When you hear a song you like you can click a thumbs up, and if you don't like it you can click thumbs down. If you click on a song that played there is an option called 'why was this song selected?' If you click that it tells you the criteria that match your preferences. For example here are some songs it's played and why:
Hot Water Music - The Bitter End
punk roots, a subtle use of vocal harmony, mild rhythmic syncopation, mixed minor & major key tonaility and a vocal-centric aesthetic
Apocalyptica - Path
hard rock roots, minor key tonality, melodic string accompaniment, mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation and mallet percussion
Metallica - Jump In The Fire
hard rock roots, a subtle use of vocal harmony, mild rhythmic syncopation, repetive melodic phrasing and minor key tonality
As far as genres goes it clearly tends to play similar songs in a row, but still plays very different stuff. Generally it has played 4 or 5 songs that fit into one category then jumps to a new one. Again this is exactly what I would want it to do. If you only wanted to listen to one type of music at a time you could make different radio stations for the different types.
It does have some negatives though. First despite what I was told it does have audio ads. They are quite reasonable though. There is only even one ad played at a time, and they are about 10-30 seconds long. It seems to go about 6 songs between ads. I'm sure this will increase as it become more popular, but even one 30 second ad per song would be fine with me. My biggest problem with the ads now is that I've only heard about 5 different ads, and they are just repeated. I don't see any visual ads on the page itself, although I'm using Adblock+.
The next two limitations I've not experienced first hand yet, but read them on Wikipedia. First off you only get 12 skips per 24 hours. So you can't be super picky about what it plays. If you want to hear one specific band or song you should just be listening to your media play anyway. The next limit though is a big downfall. Wikipedia claims you only get 40 hours per month for free. 40 hours is ridiculous short for a month. I'll listen to 40 hours of music in 3 days easily. I suppose for someone with less free time than me (read: everyone) this would last longer, still I'm sure most people will reach this limit before the end of the month. I'll have to see if I actually reach this limit. If so I guess I'll still use it just to find some new bands every month.
Secret Copyright Treaty Leaks. It's Bad. Very Bad.
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/11/04/144240/Secret-Copyright-Treaty-Leaks-Its-Bad-Very-Bad?art_pos=1
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/11/03/1943237/Anti-Counterfeiting-Deal-Aims-For-Global-DMCA?art_pos=15
Jamie found a Boing Boing story that will probably get your blood to at least a simmer. It says "The internet chapter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a secret copyright treaty whose text Obama's administration refused to disclose due to 'national security' concerns, has leaked. It's bad." You can read the original leaked document or the summary. If passed, the internet will never be the same. Thank goodness it's hidden from public scrutiny for National Security
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/11/03/1943237/Anti-Counterfeiting-Deal-Aims-For-Global-DMCA?art_pos=15
Jamie found a Boing Boing story that will probably get your blood to at least a simmer. It says "The internet chapter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a secret copyright treaty whose text Obama's administration refused to disclose due to 'national security' concerns, has leaked. It's bad." You can read the original leaked document or the summary. If passed, the internet will never be the same. Thank goodness it's hidden from public scrutiny for National Security
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Someone Else Is Using My Oracal Program
Clearly someone else is using my oracal program.
http://piratepasta.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/12yearoldboy.jpg
In case you were wondering here is what Oracal has to say about this:
Should an 8 year old be playing Halo 3?
actually ive played both, they r both actually really good games. ;)Even then the gameplay looks so-so I like other 3rd persons better. When I don't feel like I have hard deadlines, I try to participate. But goodness, can people be pricks. Remember when they used to make a Halo game with a single player campaign that lasted at least 20 hours, and everybody that owned an X-Box had a copy? Now it appears the single player is a pee-on now. halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo. if you like to play online its worth it but if u just want the sigleplayer campaign its not worth it, jus give it a rent. CP: I generally play to have fun and attempt to do stupid action hero style moves that generally result in spectacular deaths. Always look for help and resources. you can take the gore and strong language of of gears 2. I'm just saying...I don't play games on Xbox Live because I hate most of the random players I get put into games with, I rarely have a problem with random people on the Playstation Network.
http://piratepasta.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/12yearoldboy.jpg
In case you were wondering here is what Oracal has to say about this:
Should an 8 year old be playing Halo 3?
actually ive played both, they r both actually really good games. ;)Even then the gameplay looks so-so I like other 3rd persons better. When I don't feel like I have hard deadlines, I try to participate. But goodness, can people be pricks. Remember when they used to make a Halo game with a single player campaign that lasted at least 20 hours, and everybody that owned an X-Box had a copy? Now it appears the single player is a pee-on now. halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo halo. if you like to play online its worth it but if u just want the sigleplayer campaign its not worth it, jus give it a rent. CP: I generally play to have fun and attempt to do stupid action hero style moves that generally result in spectacular deaths. Always look for help and resources. you can take the gore and strong language of of gears 2. I'm just saying...I don't play games on Xbox Live because I hate most of the random players I get put into games with, I rarely have a problem with random people on the Playstation Network.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Success
http://www.warehousecomic.com/comic_449.php
The only true indicator of success in life is a briefcase full of tacos and a frisbee.
The only true indicator of success in life is a briefcase full of tacos and a frisbee.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
State Budgets By Capita
State budget data was harder to find than I expect. As in I expected there to be a Wikipedia article for it. After some searching I found it on the census web page (this link claims to not work, but the URL is right). It is for the 2006-2007 year. The population data is the 2008 estimates from Wikipedia. The GDP per capita I've included just for fun is also from Wikipedia.
I have no idea how the census people qualify revenue and expenditures, but I'd guess they are the most compressive definitions possible. Note that not a single state has greater expenditures than revenue (which isn't true). Because of this I decided to go with expenditures, as I think they are probably more realistic. Revenue probably includes things like federal aid. I guess in theory they have to spend less than they take in, it would be impossible to spend money they didn't have. It is just that they borrow the money to spend, and that would increase their revenue.
I sorted the chart by expenditures per capita. Number one is Alaska at $13,393.32 per person. Last is Texas at $3,725.24 per person.
Here's what the census people had to say about all this:
I have no idea how the census people qualify revenue and expenditures, but I'd guess they are the most compressive definitions possible. Note that not a single state has greater expenditures than revenue (which isn't true). Because of this I decided to go with expenditures, as I think they are probably more realistic. Revenue probably includes things like federal aid. I guess in theory they have to spend less than they take in, it would be impossible to spend money they didn't have. It is just that they borrow the money to spend, and that would increase their revenue.
I sorted the chart by expenditures per capita. Number one is Alaska at $13,393.32 per person. Last is Texas at $3,725.24 per person.
| State | Population | GDP/Capita | Total Revenue | Total Expenditure | Rev/Capita | Exp/Capita |
| Alaska | 686,293 | $43,321.00 | $12,477,998,000.00 | $9,191,744,000.00 | $18,181.74 | $13,393.32 |
| Wyoming | 532,668 | $49,719.00 | $5,844,703,000.00 | $4,536,373,000.00 | $10,972.51 | $8,516.32 |
| Vermont | 621,270 | $38,880.00 | $5,437,494,000.00 | $4,993,860,000.00 | $8,752.22 | $8,038.15 |
| New York | 19,490,297 | $48,076.00 | $178,908,359,000.00 | $151,338,991,000.00 | $9,179.36 | $7,764.84 |
| Delaware | 873,092 | $40,852.00 | $7,432,535,000.00 | $6,751,452,000.00 | $8,512.89 | $7,732.81 |
| Hawaii | 1,288,198 | $40,490.00 | $11,176,293,000.00 | $9,848,210,000.00 | $8,675.91 | $7,644.95 |
| New Mexico | 1,984,356 | $32,091.00 | $16,781,588,000.00 | $14,907,060,000.00 | $8,456.94 | $7,512.29 |
| Massachusetts | 6,497,967 | $50,735.00 | $49,425,934,000.00 | $44,048,424,000.00 | $7,606.37 | $6,778.80 |
| Rhode Island | 1,050,788 | $41,008.00 | $8,417,797,000.00 | $7,071,396,000.00 | $8,010.94 | $6,729.61 |
| New Jersey | 8,682,661 | $50,919.00 | $65,495,222,000.00 | $56,076,165,000.00 | $7,543.22 | $6,458.41 |
| California | 36,756,666 | $42,696.00 | $299,948,562,000.00 | $233,578,021,000.00 | $8,160.39 | $6,354.71 |
| Mississippi | 2,938,618 | $29,569.00 | $22,398,649,000.00 | $18,628,639,000.00 | $7,622.17 | $6,339.25 |
| Connecticut | 3,501,252 | $56,248.00 | $25,492,170,000.00 | $22,115,190,000.00 | $7,280.87 | $6,316.37 |
| Louisiana | 4,410,796 | $36,271.00 | $33,286,017,000.00 | $27,855,931,000.00 | $7,546.49 | $6,315.40 |
| Minnesota | 5,220,393 | $42,772.00 | $38,745,022,000.00 | $31,880,478,000.00 | $7,421.86 | $6,106.91 |
| Maine | 1,316,456 | $35,381.00 | $9,434,179,000.00 | $7,935,673,000.00 | $7,166.35 | $6,028.06 |
| North Dakota | 641,481 | $39,321.00 | $4,786,348,000.00 | $3,777,523,000.00 | $7,461.40 | $5,888.75 |
| Ohio | 11,485,910 | $35,511.00 | $86,429,629,000.00 | $66,207,138,000.00 | $7,524.84 | $5,764.20 |
| Montana | 967,440 | $34,256.00 | $7,129,303,000.00 | $5,554,244,000.00 | $7,369.25 | $5,741.18 |
| Washington | 6,549,224 | $42,356.00 | $47,030,140,000.00 | $37,116,177,000.00 | $7,181.02 | $5,667.26 |
| Maryland | 5,633,597 | $48,091.00 | $34,848,081,000.00 | $31,610,548,000.00 | $6,185.76 | $5,611.08 |
| Kentucky | 4,269,245 | $31,826.00 | $25,425,381,000.00 | $23,680,419,000.00 | $5,955.47 | $5,546.75 |
| South Carolina | 4,479,800 | $31,884.00 | $27,530,567,000.00 | $24,824,628,000.00 | $6,145.49 | $5,541.46 |
| Wisconsin | 5,627,967 | $37,314.00 | $40,164,298,000.00 | $30,895,963,000.00 | $7,136.56 | $5,489.72 |
| Michigan | 10,003,422 | $35,299.00 | $63,070,866,000.00 | $54,745,355,000.00 | $6,304.93 | $5,472.66 |
| Pennsylvania | 12,488,279 | $40,265.00 | $83,384,773,000.00 | $68,292,746,000.00 | $6,677.04 | $5,468.55 |
| Oregon | 3,790,060 | $35,956.00 | $30,587,369,000.00 | $20,605,597,000.00 | $8,070.42 | $5,436.75 |
| West Virginia | 1,814,468 | $30,831.00 | $11,945,313,000.00 | $9,766,972,000.00 | $6,583.37 | $5,382.83 |
| United States | 304,059,724 | $39,751.00 | $1,992,826,296,000.00 | $1,634,801,176,000.00 | $6,554.06 | $5,376.58 |
| Arkansas | 2,855,390 | $31,266.00 | $18,175,873,000.00 | $14,948,566,000.00 | $6,365.46 | $5,235.21 |
| Iowa | 3,002,555 | $36,680.00 | $19,053,312,000.00 | $15,461,766,000.00 | $6,345.70 | $5,149.54 |
| Alabama | 4,661,900 | $33,643.00 | $27,536,360,000.00 | $23,192,507,000.00 | $5,906.68 | $4,974.90 |
| Oklahoma | 3,642,361 | $36,899.00 | $22,329,933,000.00 | $18,104,268,000.00 | $6,130.62 | $4,970.48 |
| North Carolina | 9,222,414 | $34,439.00 | $51,841,493,000.00 | $44,009,293,000.00 | $5,621.25 | $4,771.99 |
| Virginia | 7,769,089 | $42,876.00 | $47,155,581,000.00 | $36,774,042,000.00 | $6,069.64 | $4,733.38 |
| New Hampshire | 1,315,809 | $42,830.00 | $7,171,927,000.00 | $6,226,121,000.00 | $5,450.58 | $4,731.78 |
| Kansas | 2,802,134 | $37,978.00 | $14,998,530,000.00 | $13,183,436,000.00 | $5,352.54 | $4,704.78 |
| Utah | 2,736,424 | $30,291.00 | $15,863,997,000.00 | $12,774,196,000.00 | $5,797.35 | $4,668.21 |
| Illinois | 12,901,563 | $42,397.00 | $71,255,039,000.00 | $59,302,221,000.00 | $5,522.98 | $4,596.51 |
| Idaho | 1,523,816 | $32,133.00 | $9,095,154,000.00 | $6,895,319,000.00 | $5,968.67 | $4,525.03 |
| Indiana | 6,376,792 | $34,103.00 | $32,429,387,000.00 | $28,809,586,000.00 | $5,085.53 | $4,517.88 |
| South Dakota | 804,194 | $37,375.00 | $4,920,193,000.00 | $3,571,741,000.00 | $6,118.17 | $4,441.39 |
| Nebraska | 1,783,432 | $37,730.00 | $9,986,412,000.00 | $7,829,584,000.00 | $5,599.55 | $4,390.18 |
| Arizona | 6,500,180 | $32,953.00 | $29,875,612,000.00 | $28,332,841,000.00 | $4,596.12 | $4,358.78 |
| Georgia | 9,685,744 | $33,975.00 | $45,067,031,000.00 | $41,843,352,000.00 | $4,652.92 | $4,320.10 |
| Colorado | 4,939,456 | $42,377.00 | $26,881,361,000.00 | $21,243,982,000.00 | $5,442.17 | $4,300.87 |
| Missouri | 5,911,605 | $35,228.00 | $32,728,288,000.00 | $25,318,686,000.00 | $5,536.28 | $4,282.88 |
| Nevada | 2,600,167 | $40,353.00 | $14,183,611,000.00 | $10,755,326,000.00 | $5,454.88 | $4,136.40 |
| Tennessee | 6,214,888 | $34,330.00 | $29,469,615,000.00 | $24,992,628,000.00 | $4,741.78 | $4,021.41 |
| Florida | 18,328,340 | $39,070.00 | $95,044,996,000.00 | $72,773,050,000.00 | $5,185.68 | $3,970.52 |
| Texas | 24,326,974 | $38,575.00 | $114,728,001,000.00 | $90,623,748,000.00 | $4,716.08 | $3,725.24 |
Here's what the census people had to say about all this:
No ranking table was produced for 2005 and onward. Ranking tables for previous years should be interpreted with caution. An analysis based on rankings or per capita statistics can be misleading and misinterpreted because of subtle yet important differences in state government organization and economic structure. For example, using total taxes or per capita taxes as a measure of tax burden on the citizens of that state can be misleading because different states use different approaches to taxation, comparing only the total taxes collected by each state is not enough to understand the economic impact of those states’ taxes – one must also understand how those taxes are collected. Comparing taxes across states can be difficult. The Census Bureau’s statistics on tax revenue reflect taxes a state collects from activity within the state, not necessarily from its people within a state. Alaska, for instance, does not have general sale taxes or individual income taxes, but it does collect severance taxes from companies that extract oil and natural gas. Like Alaska, Florida also does not collect individual income taxes, but unlike Alaska, Florida instead relies heavily on a general sales tax, which, because of its tourist industry, is partially supported by visitors from outside Florida. In that sense, both Alaska and Florida use “exported taxes” – taxes collected from people or organizations that may reside outside their state.
Similarly, ranking expenditures totals or comparing per capita expenditures are equally challenging since some states directly administer activities that, in other states, are undertaken by local governments, with or without state fiscal aid. The share of government sector financial totals contributed by a state government, therefore, differs materially from one state to another. For example, comparing a state’s direct expenditures on Cash Assistance Payments to Individuals in New York to Oregon may lead to an inaccurate conclusions since all cash assistance payments to individuals in New York State are made by local governments while in Oregon they are made by the state government only. Thus a strict ranking or per capita analysis that does not take into account these structural relationships between the state government and the local governments within each state can lead to an invalid analysis and incorrect conclusion.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
"Three Strikes" To Go Ahead In Britain
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/10/28/1344203/Three-Strikes-To-Go-Ahead-In-Britain?art_pos=10
"Lord Peter Mandelson has carefully ignored the Gowers Report and the Carter Report, instead taking the advice of his good friend David Geffen and announcing that 'three strikes and you're out' will become law in Britain. The Open Rights Group has, of course, hit the roof. Oh, and never mind MI5 and the police pointing out that widespread encryption will become normal, hampering their efforts to keep up with little things like impending terrorist atrocities. Still, worth it to stop a few Lily Allen tracks being shared, right?"
"Lord Peter Mandelson has carefully ignored the Gowers Report and the Carter Report, instead taking the advice of his good friend David Geffen and announcing that 'three strikes and you're out' will become law in Britain. The Open Rights Group has, of course, hit the roof. Oh, and never mind MI5 and the police pointing out that widespread encryption will become normal, hampering their efforts to keep up with little things like impending terrorist atrocities. Still, worth it to stop a few Lily Allen tracks being shared, right?"
EFF Launches "Takedown Hall of Shame"
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/10/27/2013250/EFF-Launches-Takedown-Hall-of-Shame
"Recognizing that public shame is a potent weapon, the Electronic Frontier Foundation today launched a new Web site — its Takedown Hall of Shame — that will shine an unflattering spotlight on those corporations and individuals who abuse copyright claims to stifle free speech. Among the early inductees are NPR, NBC, CBS, and Diebold."
"Recognizing that public shame is a potent weapon, the Electronic Frontier Foundation today launched a new Web site — its Takedown Hall of Shame — that will shine an unflattering spotlight on those corporations and individuals who abuse copyright claims to stifle free speech. Among the early inductees are NPR, NBC, CBS, and Diebold."
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Over 100%
The curtains produce their own light, and then block that too.
Save the Planet, Eat Your Dog
http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/10/26/0321245/Save-the-Planet-Eat-Your-Dog?art_pos=15
"New Zealand's Dominion Post reports on a new book just released, Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to sustainable living. In this book, they compare the environmental footprint of our housepets to other things that we own. Like that German Shepherd? It consumes more resources than two Toyota SUVs. Cats are a little less than a Volkswagen Golf. Two hamsters are about the same as a plasma TV. Their suggestions? Chickens, rabbits, and pigs. But only if you eat them."
"New Zealand's Dominion Post reports on a new book just released, Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to sustainable living. In this book, they compare the environmental footprint of our housepets to other things that we own. Like that German Shepherd? It consumes more resources than two Toyota SUVs. Cats are a little less than a Volkswagen Golf. Two hamsters are about the same as a plasma TV. Their suggestions? Chickens, rabbits, and pigs. But only if you eat them."
Sunday, October 25, 2009
This Is Why We Have The Internet
http://memegenerator.net/danny
In case you don't realize you can add whatever text you want in the boxes.
In case you don't realize you can add whatever text you want in the boxes.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Track Three Is The Best Song On The Album
On Math The Band's well known Imaginary Everything album they have a song called "The Very Best Song On The Whole Entire Album", which is track 3. The song is about how track 3 is often the best song on any album. In it he says, "Have you ever really actually taken a look at the songs you like on certain CDs? Look at the track numbers that they are, and usually, almost always, track number 3 is the best song on the album. Closely followed by 2, 7, and sometimes 12.".
The first time I heard this I wondered if this was true or not. I somewhat doubted it, as I thought of some of my favorite songs and what track they were. But I could never really be sure. I decided to take my playback statistics and find out. My statistics only cover about 6 months since the last time I reformatted. Out of 8268 songs there are 26,516 plays, an average of 3.2. There are 2350 songs which haven't been played, and 776 I don't have track numbers for, which are being discarded for this, raising the average to 4.83.
The cutoff point was a problem. In the chart I decided to cut off at track 26, since I have less than 10 songs with any track number above that. There is a clear favoring for tracks above 12. I think there are a number of reason for this. First high track numbers are often from best of CDs. Next they are indicative of short songs, which are more likely to be able to play enough to get counted.
There is another problem with using play counts as indicator of goodness. In my media player (Foobar2000) when one album is done playing the next album starts playing. The next album is usually the next album released by that band, but if it was their last album it'll be the first album by the next band in alphabetical order. Thus if an album has a strong lead in album it'll get unrealistically high track counts, particularly the first couple tracks. On the other hand, if an album is equally good throughout, the later track will be favored. This is because I often hit random track to find good music, when a good song comes on I let it play in normal order until I want to hear something different. This means that if an early track comes on in a CD that is good I'll likely listen to the whole thing, thus the later tracks will also get a play. On the other hand, if a late track comes on the early tracks won't get played.
Let's look at what the data tells us. There is more to be learned though from the lower track numbers. First off track 3 is not in fact the best song on the album. Even if we ignore the higher tracks, track 2 is solidly better. Then there is a clear drop off for the middle of the album, and it picks up somewhat towards the end.
I've already explained the late tracks being high. Track 1 being low is likely due to intros which tend to get skipped. The question is whether there is an actual tendency for better songs at the start of the album, or if it's due to what I wrote above about how songs get played? In summery we didn't really learn much, except that statistics are fun.
| Track | Count | Average |
| 1 | 589 | 4.88 |
| 2 | 601 | 4.98 |
| 3 | 583 | 4.93 |
| 4 | 556 | 4.78 |
| 5 | 535 | 4.55 |
| 6 | 508 | 4.52 |
| 7 | 481 | 4.55 |
| 8 | 466 | 4.67 |
| 9 | 434 | 4.73 |
| 10 | 394 | 4.67 |
| 11 | 327 | 4.64 |
| 12 | 256 | 4.98 |
| 13 | 210 | 5.14 |
| 14 | 156 | 5.21 |
| 15 | 126 | 4.99 |
| 16 | 101 | 5.64 |
| 17 | 76 | 5.6 |
| 18 | 65 | 6.06 |
| 19 | 53 | 5.07 |
| 20 | 44 | 4.89 |
| 21 | 32 | 5.52 |
| 22 | 29 | 5.73 |
| 23 | 25 | 6.58 |
| 24 | 21 | 6.23 |
| 25 | 15 | 6.11 |
| 26 | 14 | 5.89 |
Thursday, October 22, 2009
An Analysis Of Against Me! Lyrics With Respect To Their "Selling Out"
Let me preface this by saying I'm not really sure where I'm going to go with this. I have no real clear goal here. I've just been listening to a lot of Against Me! and want to rant about my thoughts on them. This won't be about whether or not Against Me! sold out, or what selling out really means. I may do a post later about that. "Selling out" here though represents the clear change in their music between The Disco Before the Breakdown, and Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy. This will simply be about what the lyrics of The Disco Before the Breakdown say about this "selling out".
I've been listening to a lot of Against Me! lately, more than usual. I looked up the lyrics to all the songs and actually read them for the first time ever. They are quite interesting. I was most surprised by the 3 song EP The Disco Before the Breakdown. I've listened to this EP countless times, and despite the somewhat understandable lyrics never really payed much attention to them. If you haven't heard the EP then you don't know me and thus aren't reading this. If you've never really read the lyrics read them now.
Before we dive into what The Disco Before the Breakdown has to say about Against Me!'s change in direction we must first go over what their ideals were to begin with. I'll try to keep this brief.
Against Me! self identified as "anarchists". I'll be putting any references to "anarchy" in quotes because it was anarchy in name only. Anarchy is actually pretty simple. It is the absence of government, or in other words total freedom. However, people rarely use it in this way. To many it has come to be a synonym for chaos. To others it has, oddly enough, come to mean an idealized lifestyle in which everyone cooperates. I find it particularly odd that "anarchy" has come to be associated with communism, when the two are polar opposites. Communism is a very strong government which controls everything, and a lack of businesses. Anarchy is the lack of government, which would inevitably lead to very strong businesses.
"Anarchists" seem to be under the impression that if we got rid of governments and businesses that people would just live together in little communities and work together for a common good. There are numerous problems with this, not the least of which is simply human nature. Also the concept of small communities is unlikely, at least not while there are 6 billion people to go around.
Don't get me wrong, it is certainly possible for a small group of people to live together in a tight knit community and produce everything they need internally. However, expecting that it would work on a large scale for an indefinite amount of time is just foolish.
A fact that "anarchists" always seem to overlook is that you can live like that now, concurrently with government and corporations. Get a group of like minded people together, sell all your possessions, pool your money, buy some acres of cheap land, and produce all you need there. The fact that this lifestyle is available now to all yet is lived by almost no one, including those who advocate it, is indicative that people may actually enjoy having things. Not everyone likes to live the same life that you do. You can think those people are fools and ignorant, or you can just accept that different things make different people happy.
Now back to the lyrics of The Disco Before the Breakdown.
The lyrics of the title track is rather unrelated here (it's pretty much about a gay couple). However, the title itself is important. It is the only really upbeat song on the 3 song EP, making it the disco, before the breakdown. Likewise the EP as a whole is the disco, before the breakdown of the current era. Also I can't help but think the word disco is a metaphor for something deeper, due to its previous use in the opening line of Impact, "I'm the disco fucker of the new generation".
The next song is Tonight We're Going to Give it 35%. At first glance this song is just about being tired of touring, and not giving your all at every performance. But upon further inspection a deeper meaning reveals itself.
The last song is Beginning in an Ending.
These songs were recorded and released before they signed to Fat Wreck Chords. They aren't about regretting anything. Rather they are about coming to terms with the fact that their politics weren't realistic, and now they are going to be changing. With this change of ideals comes a change in musical style starting with the next release. Thus The Disco Before the Breakdown marks the end of classic Against Me! much the same as ...And Justice For All marks the end of classic Metallica.
I've been listening to a lot of Against Me! lately, more than usual. I looked up the lyrics to all the songs and actually read them for the first time ever. They are quite interesting. I was most surprised by the 3 song EP The Disco Before the Breakdown. I've listened to this EP countless times, and despite the somewhat understandable lyrics never really payed much attention to them. If you haven't heard the EP then you don't know me and thus aren't reading this. If you've never really read the lyrics read them now.
Before we dive into what The Disco Before the Breakdown has to say about Against Me!'s change in direction we must first go over what their ideals were to begin with. I'll try to keep this brief.
Against Me! self identified as "anarchists". I'll be putting any references to "anarchy" in quotes because it was anarchy in name only. Anarchy is actually pretty simple. It is the absence of government, or in other words total freedom. However, people rarely use it in this way. To many it has come to be a synonym for chaos. To others it has, oddly enough, come to mean an idealized lifestyle in which everyone cooperates. I find it particularly odd that "anarchy" has come to be associated with communism, when the two are polar opposites. Communism is a very strong government which controls everything, and a lack of businesses. Anarchy is the lack of government, which would inevitably lead to very strong businesses.
"Anarchists" seem to be under the impression that if we got rid of governments and businesses that people would just live together in little communities and work together for a common good. There are numerous problems with this, not the least of which is simply human nature. Also the concept of small communities is unlikely, at least not while there are 6 billion people to go around.
Don't get me wrong, it is certainly possible for a small group of people to live together in a tight knit community and produce everything they need internally. However, expecting that it would work on a large scale for an indefinite amount of time is just foolish.
A fact that "anarchists" always seem to overlook is that you can live like that now, concurrently with government and corporations. Get a group of like minded people together, sell all your possessions, pool your money, buy some acres of cheap land, and produce all you need there. The fact that this lifestyle is available now to all yet is lived by almost no one, including those who advocate it, is indicative that people may actually enjoy having things. Not everyone likes to live the same life that you do. You can think those people are fools and ignorant, or you can just accept that different things make different people happy.
Now back to the lyrics of The Disco Before the Breakdown.
The lyrics of the title track is rather unrelated here (it's pretty much about a gay couple). However, the title itself is important. It is the only really upbeat song on the 3 song EP, making it the disco, before the breakdown. Likewise the EP as a whole is the disco, before the breakdown of the current era. Also I can't help but think the word disco is a metaphor for something deeper, due to its previous use in the opening line of Impact, "I'm the disco fucker of the new generation".
The next song is Tonight We're Going to Give it 35%. At first glance this song is just about being tired of touring, and not giving your all at every performance. But upon further inspection a deeper meaning reveals itself.
We drank bottled water together and talked businessRight off the bat he starts with an interesting reference to bottle water. Interesting because of this line from the song Burn. "There are already businessmen who'll market bottled water, and purified aerosol solution, guess who's their target". Bottled water is a symbol for all that he viewed as wrong with the world, but now here he is drinking it, while discussing a business deal. The 'business' being discussed is a record deal, and the 'you' addressed is an executive. The right moves meaning the he hopes he signed a record deal without selling out. The executive is now there behind the scenes, but it's alright in his mind because he thinks he's judged him right. Knowing who everyone is just by looking at them could also be a reference to grouping people as "consumers or revolutionaries" in the past.
I think I played the right moves
You were lookin' over my shoulder
As I went through the motions of another night
And it was alright
'Cause I thought I knew who everybody was just by lookin' at them
My heart is anywhere but hereThis section is about the moment he decided there was going to be a change.
And how tired I was from the past couple of weeks
From the past couple of years
Well, it hit me all at once
On a balcony overlooking nothing
With snow falling all around
Well I, I called just to say "Goodnight"I don't think the 'you' here is an actual person. The 'you' is the ideals he used to live by, that he called "anarchism". He has decided to move away from them, but isn't faulting them as wrong. Rather it's him that is at fault for giving up the ideals.
And you hadn't done anything wrong
And know, really, really, it's me not you
I can't believe how naive I was to think things could ever be so simple
And can you live with what you know about yourselfThinking if he's making the right choice. The last two lines are about how he wouldn't accept this choice he's making when he was younger. Unrelated to the lyrics this is the best part of this EP.
When you're all alone, behind closed doors?
The things we never said, but we always knew were right there
It's got me on my knees in a bathroom
Praying to a God that I don't even believe in
"Well, dear Jesus, are you listening?
If this is the one chance that really matters
Well, don't let me fuck this up"
If you'd told me about all this when I was fifteen
I never would have believed it
The last song is Beginning in an Ending.
Every day has a beginning and endingThis song is about summing up the ending of an era. Here he is saying everything must come to an end. The circle is tours, starting and ending in Florida, where they're from.
Just like every life has a start and finish
July is gone like the gasoline it took to make the circle again.
Florida to Florida by the way of America.
Cocaine and soda, playing Tetris in our underwearNot quite sure what this means, but I think it's just a reference to good times he's had in the past.
We take turns reading letters, I read the haiku
and you move your nails across my legs.
In your arms, I don't know who I am, taking all I know about nihilismAs before I think 'you' is the old ideals. I think nihilism here is what he's calling what he previously called "anarchism". He tried to build a life out of it, but is moving on. The Pacific could be an interesting reference. They are from FL so the Pacific would represent something foreign, or a change. However, I think the last two lines here say so much more than my entire post. "This is everything up to now ending. It was nice to believe for a while." I don't think you could be any more clear about the change in ideals.
and trying to build it into a life.
With your thought in mind, I walk the streets down to the shore and I sink into the Pacific
This is everything up to now ending
It was nice to believe for a while
These songs were recorded and released before they signed to Fat Wreck Chords. They aren't about regretting anything. Rather they are about coming to terms with the fact that their politics weren't realistic, and now they are going to be changing. With this change of ideals comes a change in musical style starting with the next release. Thus The Disco Before the Breakdown marks the end of classic Against Me! much the same as ...And Justice For All marks the end of classic Metallica.
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