Marcus' World

Bring on $5.00 a Gallon

Today's report that many people are now taking public transportation to work, in response to high gas prices, is very welcome news indeed. There will be fewer pollutants in the air and more opportunity to show that public transit is (or should be) a very viable option for getting around. 

In Tokyo this year--and in Hong Kong, Paris, and London before that--I was once again struck by how far behind US public transit is from much of the rest of the world.  Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo also have decent train systems, and Argentina and Brazil are much poorer than us.

Gas at $3.25/gallon was merely a nuisance, while gas at $3.50-$4.00/gallon seems to be the tipping point in changing behavior.

Come on $5.00! Let's have a revolution.

At the Movies: Tout est pardonne (All is Forgiven)

Today Helen and I ventured into San Francisco to watch Tout est pardonne (All is Forgiven), which is  enjoying its West Coast premiere as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival. 

Aside from watching a powerful film, an ancillary benefit of the day was the opportunuty to explore the Pacific Heights neighborhood of SF.  Since we're in Berkeley most of the time, we're only slowly getting a handle on the quilt pieces that comprise the City by the Bay.  Someday we'll have it all figured out, even if takes a while.

In the meantime I can offer this brief report on All is Forgiven: It's about a heroin addict named Victor, who becomes awful to his wife Annette once he the throes of his addiction.  Eventually Annette cuts off contact between Victor and their young daughter Pamela, a terrible fate that estranges Victor from his daughter for 11 years.  Eventually father and daughter reunite during her teenage years.  They form a deep connection, because--in the long run--all is forgiven.

Rest assured that I'm not giving away too much. This is definitely a film to watch, both for its visual acuity and a sense of compassion that never lapses into maudlin posturing.

We all know people who never fully pull themselves together, and we all have traits that seem intractable no matter how much they can hurt those we love.  Few things are truly intractable, but change is hard.  So large measures of compassion are needed, for ourselves and for each other. 

All is Forgiven makes this case gracefully.  Afterwards, screenwriter and director Mia Hansen-Love answered audience questions. At one point she mentioned her initial impression of the "luminousness" and "darkness" within the presence of the actor who plays Victor (Paul Blain). We all have both impulses, and we all have the power to make sure that luminousness prevails in the end.

They Don't Write 'Em Like That Anymore

Today the library demoed a federated search product--a tool that searches many databases simultaneously, rather than requiring that researchers search each database individually. 

If I were a better librarian I would have diligently noted the strengths and weaknesses of the interface and pondered how to improve upon the product.  Instead, with a few errant keystrokes  I found myself reading an article about dental caries published in Scientific Monthly in 1931.

The thunderous opening sentence of this article reads thusly: "Dental caries is without doubt one of the very ancient diseases to which mankind has fallen heir."

My goodness gracious.  They don't write 'em like that any more!

Stricter Comments Are Back

Sadly, my experiment in loosening up comment authentication has failed. The last two comments have been spam, and surely more of that is coming. So I've re-activated tougher comment measures.

I always love getting emails about my posts, or comments within Facebook (all blog posts show up as Facebook notes). So there are options!

Thanks for reading.

Facebook and Connections

Scott is becoming more active on Facebook, but is unsure of what exactly it will do for him.  Meanwhile, I'll happily admit that I passed into the realm of Facebook addiction long ago (well, at least six months ago).

I'm now a fan of two libraries on Facebook, and I recently downloaded the PubMed search application.  That seems handy for sharing articles, but for a "real" PubMed search it still makes sense to go straight to PubMed.  This could change, of course, and it will be fun to keep up with how librarians utilize Facebook to build new services and reach more people. Many bloggers do this now, but I tend to dip in and out of the comment stream.

So at the moment I have no idea how librarianship will change because of Facebook.  But I do know how my personal relationships have changed, and this is why I keep going back to it.

On Facebook I can play Scrabulous (and lose)...or decide not to play Scrabulous when I get multiple requests in one day.  I can see that one friend just wrote a review of a new cafe on Yelp; I can discover that another friend going through a difficult time could really use a hug.  Or I chuckle at the funny status updates (Helen  is great at those).  Perhaps I'll find out that someone 3,000 miles away is getting a new drivers license, and I wholeheartedly empathize with what is probably an interminable wait at the DMV.

At the UCSF Library more and more people are getting Facebook accounts. Sometimes you learn things about people that they feel comfortable broadcasting on the web, but would never say in person. But because it's "out there" now, you have a new avenue of conversation and a new way to get to know your colleagues.  Or, if you're like me you announce that you're looking forward to San Francisco Restaurant Week on Facebook--and then forget that you said anything to anybody. Then, when a colleague asks where you plan to go for dinner, you have no idea how they knew your plans!

Is Facebook essential to  any of this? No; all of what I described above could easily be communicated in myriad other ways.  But--for some mysterious reason--the linking agent of Facebook makes certain information shareable that would otherwise not be shared.  Nobody would email that they're going to get their drivers license renewed, and most people would only send a text message to close friends while they are waiting at the DMV.  But in the context of Facebook such a tiny tidbit is easy to share, and easy for others to relate with. 

Concerns about people being sucked into the machine are severely overblown; online connections are a natural complement and stimulus to more meaningful in-person ties.  This is what all social networking sites (not just Facebook) have to offer.

More Relaxed Comment Policy

Due to concerns from a loyal reader, I've relaxed the comment restrictions I imposed two years ago after a wretched weekend of blog spam.  So it should be easier to comment now, and hopefully it's tough enough that the spammers still stay away. Comment away everyone!

Espresso Machine Maintenance/On the Perch

This morning we returned from Tokyo. As I write Helen is putting her usual brilliant captions on her usual fabulous photos. I am in several of the photos, eating various foods. These were usually staged shots for photographer Helen; sometimes I was more in the mood for the spotlight than others!

But I digress. Tomorrow I'll do a full report on the Tokyo adventures, complete with some of those pictures. 

For now I'd like to write about the Western Regional Barista Competition, which is taking place in Berkeley this weekend. It is one of ten regional competitions that will eventually yield the best barista in the United States for 2008. That person will go on to Denmark to represent the US at the international level. The Specialty Coffee Association of America sanctions the US activities.

I didn't know any of this when we went to the competition today (about seven hours after touching down from Tokyo). I merely knew that I wanted a free coffee and to be part of a scene.   Both goals were achieved. We went to a fascinating talk about the process of making espresso blends, while enjoying cappuccinos lovingly prepared by the baristas at Verve in Santa Cruz, CA. Then we listened to a dairy man talk about the difference between organic and non-organic milk, and about how the quality of the milk is an essential component in the quality of a coffee. Another lecture, which had already happened when we got there, was called, "Espresso Machine Maintenance."  What I wouldn't have given to see the prefix "Zen and the Art of..." in front of that title.

As today's top finalists were about to be announced (baristas from throughout California and one from Seattle are competing), we left.  All told we attended the competition for about 90 minutes. For that entire time, I had two thoughts: a. Everybody knows each other (except us); b. Everybody knows a lot more about coffee than I do.

I thought mostly casual attendees--like us--would be there. Although we must have had company, passionate coffee lovers carried the day. Like so many events, this ostensibly open gathering was primarily intended for a select group.  Nothing against the barista competition--this kind of thing happens all the time. For some reason I'm especially drawn to outings that others would avoid unless they had a deep investment in the outcome.

So today it dawned on me that I prefer the perch to the fray.  Whenever you get caught up with a particular group (like passionate coffee lovers, say), eventually everything you see is refracted through their viewpoint.  It's better to remain aloof but accessible. While some people use their energies to further whatever cause they believe in, somebody else has to watch. I seem to be destined to stay on the perch.

Wikipedia's Growing Pains

Nicholson Baker--the bane of librarians everywhere ever since his assault on microfilm in Doublefold (2001)--has turned in a fascinating status report about Wikipedia in a recent issue of the New York Review of Books.

It's very much worth reading to enjoy Baker's inimitable prose--you don't often come across a word like "panjundrum."  But here's a comparatively straight-laced summary:

Baker becomes obsessed with the ease of editing Wikipedia articles, and so he starts to edit articles himself (under the user name "Wageless.")  Eventually he takes up the cause of rescuing articles slated for deletion by zealous volunteer editors--just like he sought to save the books and newsprint that librarians wanted to microfilm.

Baker goes into depth about the evolution of Wikipedia: from an anarchic place in which all articles were welcome, into a more regulated domain in which the "deletionists" and "inclusionists" do battle. (The Economist has a starchier take on this same debate in the most recent "Technology Quarterly.")  Of course some rules are necessary to give structure to the Wikipedia, but in Baker's view--and mine--the numerous regulations now threaten to strangle the spirit of innovation that launched Wikipedia in the first place.  One chilling example: "Notability purges," in which zealous volunteers peg articles for deletion because they aren't deemed to be about worthy topics.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.  There are no page or length restrictions in the Wikipedia (obviously), so who am I to judge what should matter to you?

The healthy side of Wikipedia regulation manifests itself whenever people delete silly or unfactual edits within individual articles. Several years ago I inserted a nonsense sentence into an article (can't remember which one), and was pleased to see it gone by dawn.  But the mood these days is much more sinister. Baker quotes Andrew Lih:  "The preference now is for excising, deleting, restricting information rather than letting it sit there and grow."

There is a bright side, thank goodness.  Those worried about the Wikipedia censors can join the awkwardly named Wikiproject Proposed Deletion Patrolling project.  This is a splinter faction within the Wikipedia community; anyone can resist the notability purges and spur the Wikipedia to hew closer to its original spirit.

To the cyber-barricades, I say--the more articles about Pokemon, the better!

Birthday 2008

Today was my 31st birthday, and I had a great time.  This morning I arrived to work to discover a card from my manager. Tonight several friends accompanied us to a pleasant dinner at Orso Restaurant, a new establishment on the Berkeley scene that has great food but no business (yet).  Finally our old friends Jason and Alice treated me to a post-dinner drink. We searched for Remy Martin--which I was briefly obsessed about during our college days at Northwestern--but discovered that it's hard to find in these parts. We're not in Chicago anymore, but that didn't stop us from having a good time.

All throughout the day people sent me Facebook emails, wall posts, and gifts.  This was my first experience of the Facebook full court press, and it felt great. It's hard to respond to so many posts, and that's a nice problem to have.

The Wright Stuff

I lost some respect for Barack Obama this week.  It's not because his preacher is a firebrand, but because Obama wants us to believe that he hasn't known this for years.

Some incendiary clips of Obama's minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, burst on the scene a few days ago.  Among other things, the Reverend Wright has called America the "US-KKK-A" and claimed "God Damn" America (revising the Good Lord's blessings, which are more customary.)  According to Wright, we still live in a downtrodden country ruled by rich white people.

If you watch extended clips of Wright's sermons, these sound bites come into focus.  The sermons are a little bit theater; a little bit Bible; and a little bit sociology.  All in all, they are compelling speeches meant to anger or soothe (depending on who is listening) and to provoke.  It's a free country, so let the Reverend speak.

Two days ago, on the Huffington Post, Senator Obama sought to distance himself from some of  Wright's comments. He "vehemently disagrees"; "strongly condemn[s]"; and "categorically denounces" the good Reverend's words. Yesterday Wright left his post as honorary spiritual adviser to Obama.

OK. Fine. Obama is good at using contrite language and playing damage control.  But his argument that he never knew the Reverend Wright said such things--"The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation."--is both laughable and insulting.

After a while we all develop reputations.  Some people are shy; others like to launch practical jokes; and so on.  Reverend Wright aims to push the envelope and to cause controversy.  Even if Senator Obama didn't hear the Reverend's exact words "that are the cause of this controversy" (note the parsing in that clause), he surely knew who he was dealing with. There's a reason that Obama rescinded his invitation to Reverend Wright to issue the convocation when he announced his candidacy last year.

Reverend Wright is not interested in the post-racial "politics of hope" that Obama purportedly supports.  He's interested in fighting what he perceives to be continuing systemic injustice against African-Americans.   Whether this is playing the racial card or fighting the good fight, it is where the Reverend stands. 

If Obama stands with him, then that "politics of hope" routine has been a sham.  And if Obama stands against him, then the Reverend should have had no role in his campaign in the first place.