I got very angry today when I opened my phone bill to discover that T-Mobile has billed me $128.34 for last month's usage. That is more than double my normal bill ($48). This is because I used 721 minutes during "peak" times rather than the 600 allowed in my plan. T-Mobile charges $0.40/minute of airtime - calls going in or out.
250 minutes were used calling another T-Mobile customer.
60 minutes were used calling my own voicemail.
At first I didn't understand this. It just didn't make sense. The woman patiently explained that I had just been raped by her company. Oh, and did she forget to mention that I am currently over-limit this month as well? Oh, you don't know how to typ 3829# to check your minutes?
Then this woman had the gall to do me the "favor" of offering a new plan - 1000 minutes for $50/month. She would even do me the "favor" of applying it to the current bill. Sorry, can't be applied to the actual bill I was calling about. Just can't be done, sorry.
I mentioned something about extortion, and she cooed sympathetically. I finally agreed to the change. Then she drops the bomb - oh, changing your plan means renewing your contract.
The anger at that point was overwhelming. It came like a wave of heat or a flash of lightening. I said something like "F--- you you f---ing b---h" and hung up the phone.
It took a while for the anger to subside. I walked on the beach, trying to think about something besides this petty injustice. But my mind kept coming back to it. The situation sucks because if I refuse to pay the bill, it will just go to collections and then on my credit report. Obviously there is no way T-Mobile will reverse the charges. There is no hope for this situation - but is there hope for the future to prevent such things from happening?
What is the nature of this problem? How did cell phone companies get to be this way? Why is good wireless phone service so problematic?
Of course, this is just a variation on a theme: big companies use automation (computers) to enforce impossible-to-follow rules on fallable humans. The humans are, to a man, too stupid to realize what they are agreeing to in these contracts, and that it will be impossible to comply.
In this case, there are two problems: first, the contract between me and T-Mobile is completely written by them, and modified by them without my consent. *Of course* they're going to manipulate it to maximize profits. In addition, I am set up so that I don't know I'm in the danger zone until it's too late: my phone doesn't let me know I'm over my limit, or even approaching the limit. My phone doesn't tell me whether I'm in peak or off-peak periods. Wouldn't this be a simple change that would protect consumers in this asymmetrical relationship? Wouldn't it be a touch of automation for the little guy?
If these features are so valuable to consumers, why hasn't the market responded? Speaking of which, why is it that all cell-phone companies seem to have exactly the same terms and conditions?
There are several problems that I can see. First, people don't like to change phone numbers, and because of this they don't change carriers. A long, stable phone number is a good thing. Changing numbers can be a sign of flakiness. If that number is associated with a single service provider, then you have a huge barrier to overcome to change carriers. Therefore, phone numbers should be carrier independant.
The end result of these barriers-to-switching is that companies can "turn up the heat" and whip their own customers several times (and quite severely) before they actually leave. (If they were to rape a customer too hard though they'd leave immediately.)
What can I do? I really want to dump T-Mobile like a bad habit. They absolutely suck. And yet, the competition isn't any better. So really I want to dump my cell phone. This would be inconvenient. Ideally I would continue having my cell phone and a) reverse these beatings and b) prevent the beatings from occuring ever again to anyone.
Or, start a company that will obtain city money to run a public wifi network over which specially designed wifi phones could operate, free.
Potato-Chips for the Mind
I'm going to blog about not using my computer.
For the next 2 weeks I will only use a computer to:
- Message once a day. This includes email, aim, and snail mail.
- Look up a phone number, address, or map (yellowpages).
- Create something - (song, story, art, etc)
(I was tempted to add "To learn about a specific subject" but I think that would be too risky. That's what the public library is for.)
All computer usage will be blogged. This inlcudes the content of whatever I create.
I was walking along the beach tonight and realized, I'm tired of the news. It gets me down because it seems like things are getting worse for the first time in my life. Things in general seemed to be getting better for so long, I kind of took it for granted that it would continue. The amount of violence is appalling. In addition, I'm tired of getting sucked into long bouts of surfing that seem fun at the time but leave me feeling empty. The internet is like a giant bag of impossible-to-resist mental potato-chips, and my mind needs something more nutritious.
Certain practical aspects of this experiment have yet to be decided. That is as it should be.
The troubling truth about Chinese Arms-dealing
A recent BBC News article outlines the ever-increasing Chinese contribution to conflicts around the world by way of it's arms factories: from Darfur to Burma, China is unscrupulously profiting from the misery of others.
Shame on you, China.
Shame on you, China.
The troubling truth about Chinese Arms-dealing
A recent BBC News article outlines the ever-increasing Chinese contribution to conflicts around the world by way of it's arms factories: from Darfur to Burma, China is unscrupulously profiting from the misery of others.
Shame on you, China.
Shame on you, China.
Kiruna - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I'd like to visit Kiruna the northernmost town in Sweden, which also happens to have the furthest object in the Sweden Solar System.
How Big is the Solar System?
In his article How Big is the Solar System? Guy Otwell demonstrates the vast scales and emptiness in our own solar system. He picks a scale that allows the solar system to be modelled in a way that the planets are visible without having to walk for miles to see each one. (The traditional "football stadium" model has the Sun as a quarter in the center of the field with the planets microscopic dots, and that's no fun).
There is a bit of debunking - "The planet walk is an antidote to the "scientific" school of astrologers, who suggest that the planets disturb particles in our bodies. When one can visualize how remote these planets are, it is easy to understand that the nearest of them, Venus, when nearest to us, has the same gravitational or tidal effect as a truck 14 miles away, or a high-rise building 300 miles away."
There is a bit of debunking - "The planet walk is an antidote to the "scientific" school of astrologers, who suggest that the planets disturb particles in our bodies. When one can visualize how remote these planets are, it is easy to understand that the nearest of them, Venus, when nearest to us, has the same gravitational or tidal effect as a truck 14 miles away, or a high-rise building 300 miles away."
The Beta 25 Engine
So Leif called me back today and we talked a bit. Turns out he's a fan of Beta Marine engines above Universal. He believes that the marinization on universals after westerbeke aquired is poor. Some criticisms of Universal:
unhappy with universal marinization - heat exchanger across the back of the tranny, increase plumbing, bad access to tranny, brackets tend to rattle and crack heat exchanger or saddle, other companies (yanmar) integrate heat exchanger with coolant tank which is good. crappy water tanks.
Could the Beta 25 be the engine for me? The price on this engine is the same price as the equivalent Universal and Yanmar engines, about $7k. Installation was slightly less at $2400. So at least we've broken the $10k mark finally! If I can get the Universal 25 for $3k and get the install for 2400, I might even get the repower for the initial idea of $5-6k. How exciting!
Apart from price, I like the fact that Beta Marine is a British company. I seem to have a fondness for British engines: I drive a Mini and a Triumph motorcycle, after all! The brits are all about attention to detail. I also thought it was fascinating that both Universal and Beta use Kubota tractor engines. Apparently all they do is marinize them.
Learning about Marine Diesels
Our new 35' Ericson has a failing Universal Atomic 4 gas engine. Before we bought the boat we heard tell that it would cost around $5-6k to replace it with a used diesel. This might very well be the case, but if so we haven't found a source!
Curiously, the way to get quotes on a new engine and installation is most easily achieved by starting with the manufacturers website. This does require that you know the major manufacturers, but that's easy when you do a google search for "marine diesel" and get some ecommerce site. Here is one example chain:
- http://www.google.com/search?q=marine+diesel
- http://www.marinedieseldirect.com/ (this site is mainly for parts, but lists manfrs: universal, westerbeke, yanmar, volvo penta)
- http://www.google.com/search?q=universal+diesel
- http://www.westerbeke.com/products/diesel_engines.cfm (Westerbeke owns Universal; this page lists engine types)
- http://www.westerbeke.com/products/diesel_engine_detail.cfm?eng=19 (The M-25XPB is about the right size and power for an Atomic 4 replacement.)
You can't buy or get installation quotes on this site, so we have to do a distributor search (a tile on the left hand side). It all works via HTTP POST so I can't easily past the link here, but here's the result:
TDC Equipment
15886 Manufacture Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
Contact Information:
Main Contact(s): Ms. Cindy Tutt, Mr. Terry Brown
Phone: (714) 373-8099
Fax: (714) 898-1996
Email: tdcequip@ix.netcom.com
Web: www.tdcequipment.com
I all and talk to Rod who gives me a quote for an engine kit for $8216 and $200 frieght charge. He also tells me that he's a distrubutor, not a dealer, and that a dealer could give me a better deal. Having worked with Yanmar in the past, Rod stated that Yanmars are generally louder, run at higher RPM for equivalent power (implying higher wear, I guess), and would be more expensive. In addition, Universal offers the best warranty (5 years parts and labor).
Rod refers me to Carl Mintson (sic?) at CC Marine 818 414 1503. I call that number get voice mail that refers me to 310 823 4821. I speak to an office person who can't give me a quote, but who will pass along my info to Carl and he *might* get back to me today, and *might* be able to squeeze in an estimate in the next few weeks. I find out that CC Marine is located in Marina Del Ray at the Windward Marina (which is a bit of a haul).
Now, I might be able to get a more complete dealer list out of TDC - this would be useful because it seems that Carl is rather busy. I go to http://www.tdcequipment.com/ and use the "dealer locater" feature (another POST driven feature that I can't link to).
Captain's Locker
194 Marina Dr. #100
Long Beach,CA 90803 Joe Prada/ George Sears
Email Id : Captainslocker@hotmail.com
Fax : (562) 596-7381
Phone : (562) 598-6611
I spoke to George, who has a kindly voice and was very helpful. I mentioned that we were concious of price, and he generously gave me the name and number of a mechanic who had some refurbished engines for sail ("Leif" 310 301 9011), and a man who listed a used diesel at the store ("Axel" with a 20B2 for $3k 626 487 5741). George also gave me a quote for the same 25XB kit that TDC quoted me, and the price was $1000 less. Finally, he cautioned that there are other parts and costs associated with repowering - for example the instrument panel ($170-300) does not come with the engine. I was aware of this but grateful for the advice. (Indeed, everything from exhaust to fuel storage to engine mounts to propeller and shaft might have to change under certain circumstances).
At the end of an hour of searching and calling and asking questions, I have some good information, and some messages waiting to be returned, but still no quote.
There is no good place to put this particular nugget of information, so I'll just tack it on to the end of this post. There exists an odd little site http://www.dieselenginetrader.com and I discovered a used 25XA off a 1990 Catalina, asking $5k obo. Here's the full ad:
Universal M-25XPa from 1990 Catalina 36 for sale. Zero hours since major
overhaul by Universal Dealer.
New: Cylinder liners, rings,bearings, seals, gaskets, valves, valve seats, valve guides, injector nozzles, water pump, air filter, silicon hi-temp hoses, fuelhoses, filters, crankcase oil evacuation pump, dual Veebelt sheaves, R&D damperplate, raw water pump, auxiliary power take-offpulley, R&D flexible mounts,1-1/4” npt exhaust flange.
Refurbished parts: flywheel, crankshaft, block, head, manifolds, 12 V electricstarting motor, 120 amp Powerline alternator, Hurth50 trans, 3 ½” dia heatexchanger.
Exhaust manifold, engine oil pan, bell housing, heat exchanger, intake manifold have been powdercoated white for extracorrosion resistance. Engine assembly top coated withDuPont Imron LP White.
Temperature alarm & gage, oilpressure alarm, tachometer, voltmeter, “Catalina” enginecontrol panel. With sparefresh and sea water pumps. Universal Service Manual. Photos and service receipts available. Best offer. 949-260-9716 Will ship anywhere. mcrahan@powerengineering.com.
(I called and left a message)
"Dear ones who endear themselves cause suffering and pain."
Buddha says according to "Life of the Buddha according the Pali Canon":
Dear ones who endear themselves cause suffering and pain.
I understand this to be an application of the sammā-diṭṭhi portion of the 8-fold noble path. However, this statement, left as it is, is simply false. "Dear ones" cause both suffering and joy in equal measure according to my direct experience. We delight in the accomplishments of our loved ones, and suffer with them when they have a setback.
One must work very hard to make this statement true. Complicating matters is that householders have to work with their own intuition that detachment from other human beings, including one's own family, is simply wrong.
I believe that this belief is caused by a misunderstanding of the word "endearment". It means "attachment" here. Attachment in Buddhism is defined by its negative aspects. Attachment itself is a delusion, and the less attached you are to someone the more you can truly love them.
In other words, delusion prevents right action. Attachment (endearment) is a kind of delusion that generates craving and clinging. Craving and clinging harm both the craver and the cravee.
Buddhism is at once simple and subtle, and linguistic problems like these are abundant. When someone new to Buddhism reads something like the above quote, it turns them off to the teaching. What does Buddhism want us to become, uncaring robots that think nothing of others and who go around in poverty, perhaps even abandoning our own families?
The hard truth is that arahants (fully enlightened ones) cannot help but renounce the householders life. Gotema Buddha really did abandon his family (although it must be said that he left them living in luxury with his own family). This sort of extreme behavior, I think, was unique to the Buddha because of his obsession with solving the problem of human suffering, and, if you believe it, because he had to spiritually bootstrap himself into this sort of wisdom. While certainly one must eventually take great risks, one must have the supreme confidence of one doing the Right Thing.
There are limits on how much of the Buddha's life we can accept as a positive example. I am a different person living in a different time and place, of course the particulars of my path are bound to be different!
Dear ones who endear themselves cause suffering and pain.
I understand this to be an application of the sammā-diṭṭhi portion of the 8-fold noble path. However, this statement, left as it is, is simply false. "Dear ones" cause both suffering and joy in equal measure according to my direct experience. We delight in the accomplishments of our loved ones, and suffer with them when they have a setback.
One must work very hard to make this statement true. Complicating matters is that householders have to work with their own intuition that detachment from other human beings, including one's own family, is simply wrong.
I believe that this belief is caused by a misunderstanding of the word "endearment". It means "attachment" here. Attachment in Buddhism is defined by its negative aspects. Attachment itself is a delusion, and the less attached you are to someone the more you can truly love them.
In other words, delusion prevents right action. Attachment (endearment) is a kind of delusion that generates craving and clinging. Craving and clinging harm both the craver and the cravee.
Buddhism is at once simple and subtle, and linguistic problems like these are abundant. When someone new to Buddhism reads something like the above quote, it turns them off to the teaching. What does Buddhism want us to become, uncaring robots that think nothing of others and who go around in poverty, perhaps even abandoning our own families?
The hard truth is that arahants (fully enlightened ones) cannot help but renounce the householders life. Gotema Buddha really did abandon his family (although it must be said that he left them living in luxury with his own family). This sort of extreme behavior, I think, was unique to the Buddha because of his obsession with solving the problem of human suffering, and, if you believe it, because he had to spiritually bootstrap himself into this sort of wisdom. While certainly one must eventually take great risks, one must have the supreme confidence of one doing the Right Thing.
There are limits on how much of the Buddha's life we can accept as a positive example. I am a different person living in a different time and place, of course the particulars of my path are bound to be different!
The Caledonia
Sailing her from Oceanside to Alamitos Bay this Sunday. Should be an
easy cruise: head out about 5 nm west from Oceanside, turn NW (to
about 300 m) and go another 45 nm. (The 5 nm jog is to avoid the coast
but also to avoid the restricted area around Camp Pendleton).
She requires a bit of work, but a great platform.
UPDATE: The trip up to Long Beach frankly could have gone better! I was sick all the way up, a minor stomache flu thing was not happy happy at all about the boat motion, and I was hurling every 45 minutes or so. At the beginning it was no biggie, I'd feel it coming, lean over the side, get it done, and enjoy the sail. And believe you me, it was a fantastic day for sailing. This boat was doing a cool 7 knots in 14 knots of wind and 5 foot seas. However, as the day wore on, I got more tired and my mood started to be affected. That's when the real misery began, when I started feeling sorry for myself. To give me some credit, I was probably badly dehydrated after 13 hours of vomiting, not to mention that I felt like I'd been repeatedly kicked in the abdomen. I have to say though that when your over thirty and you feel like crying because of the way your body feels, it makes you appreciate your good health all the more when it's over.
easy cruise: head out about 5 nm west from Oceanside, turn NW (to
about 300 m) and go another 45 nm. (The 5 nm jog is to avoid the coast
but also to avoid the restricted area around Camp Pendleton).
She requires a bit of work, but a great platform.
UPDATE: The trip up to Long Beach frankly could have gone better! I was sick all the way up, a minor stomache flu thing was not happy happy at all about the boat motion, and I was hurling every 45 minutes or so. At the beginning it was no biggie, I'd feel it coming, lean over the side, get it done, and enjoy the sail. And believe you me, it was a fantastic day for sailing. This boat was doing a cool 7 knots in 14 knots of wind and 5 foot seas. However, as the day wore on, I got more tired and my mood started to be affected. That's when the real misery began, when I started feeling sorry for myself. To give me some credit, I was probably badly dehydrated after 13 hours of vomiting, not to mention that I felt like I'd been repeatedly kicked in the abdomen. I have to say though that when your over thirty and you feel like crying because of the way your body feels, it makes you appreciate your good health all the more when it's over.
Great album: Static & Silence
Harriet Wheeler's lilting voice sooths the soul. If you are looking for something edgy, look elsewhere. But if sonic beauty delights you, then this album is for you.
About Hand-Held GPSs for marine use
What a confusing landscape! There are many products and variations: Garmin International is the dominant player, but there is also Lowrance.The bottom line is that the Lowrance iFinder H20 is really great: cheap ($170), SD card slot, and the manual I find quite easy to read. The drawback is that, alghough you can upload maps, it seems that there is no good marine cartography available for the unit. I could be mistaken on that, as Lowrance states that you can upload Navionics charts, but it doesn't look promising.
Garmin's BlueChart software is quite good. But the Garmin GPSMAP 76 only has 8MB internal memory and a 9 pin serial connector. The only way to avoid these limits is to go to the much more expensive ($500) 76CSX - which has the admittedly nice feature of a color display. (And for an extra $50 you get a built-in compass and barometer with the 76CSx).
I don't have a computer with a serial port anymore, so I guess I'm gonna have to upgrade. But $300 for a USB port is harsh!
The problem with 'righteous' anger
One of the nice things about the Buddha's teachings is that they are pretty easy to follow. There are no exceptions: anger is always harmful, killing is always wrong. This formulation sometimes clashes with my own intuition about the possibility of "righteous" anger, and killing in self-defense.
But more and more I come to see the wisdom of not allowing exceptions. It is through these exceptions that so much harm is perpetrated by otherwise moral people. Consider the recent suicide bombing in Iraq. No doubt this was a Sunni fanatic who had some 'righteous' anger angainst the Shias. Perhaps his family was killed. Or perhaps he believed in the heresy of the Shias quite strongly. Or perhaps he himself was abused by Shia muslims.
All of those injustices and grevious harms he may have suffered. And yet, does any of it justify the act of strapping explosives on yourself, going to someone elses holy shrine, and detonating?
Some in the west might prefer to take exception to the method rather than the motive. Allow this man to be "righteously angry" but do not allow him to act 'wrongly' on that emotion, striking indiscriminantly and so not actually doing what we would consider "justice". I have some sympathy for this view. But the flaw lies in the heart of the angry man - nothing short of complete destruction of his enemy will ever be justice. The angry heart is absolutist.
It is necessary to find some sympathy for the bomber, as impossible a task as that may seem. He was once a boy, playing with friends, loved by family. At some point something broke in his mind, and rather than fixing it, those around him exploited this injury and provided him with explosives. Through his action, other minds have no doubt been broken, and given the state of Iraq, some of those will in all liklihood be exploited as well. The cycle of violence not only continues, but grows.
So the tragedy is two-fold: first that the mind is wounded in the first place, and second that no action is taken to heal that wound (and actually, quite the opposite). The second problem is one of community and culture. It is fair to ask, why is Iraqi culture so filled with hate? Is it because of the US invasion? The loss of life? The loss of economic well-being? Is it an old sectarian hatred that was suppressed under Hussein's regime?
Or is it something deeper, a problem with the moral code of the culture that allows for 'righteous anger' and 'righteous hatred' to the extent that any action, no matter how heinous, can be justified with those loopholes?
But more and more I come to see the wisdom of not allowing exceptions. It is through these exceptions that so much harm is perpetrated by otherwise moral people. Consider the recent suicide bombing in Iraq. No doubt this was a Sunni fanatic who had some 'righteous' anger angainst the Shias. Perhaps his family was killed. Or perhaps he believed in the heresy of the Shias quite strongly. Or perhaps he himself was abused by Shia muslims.
All of those injustices and grevious harms he may have suffered. And yet, does any of it justify the act of strapping explosives on yourself, going to someone elses holy shrine, and detonating?
Some in the west might prefer to take exception to the method rather than the motive. Allow this man to be "righteously angry" but do not allow him to act 'wrongly' on that emotion, striking indiscriminantly and so not actually doing what we would consider "justice". I have some sympathy for this view. But the flaw lies in the heart of the angry man - nothing short of complete destruction of his enemy will ever be justice. The angry heart is absolutist.
It is necessary to find some sympathy for the bomber, as impossible a task as that may seem. He was once a boy, playing with friends, loved by family. At some point something broke in his mind, and rather than fixing it, those around him exploited this injury and provided him with explosives. Through his action, other minds have no doubt been broken, and given the state of Iraq, some of those will in all liklihood be exploited as well. The cycle of violence not only continues, but grows.
So the tragedy is two-fold: first that the mind is wounded in the first place, and second that no action is taken to heal that wound (and actually, quite the opposite). The second problem is one of community and culture. It is fair to ask, why is Iraqi culture so filled with hate? Is it because of the US invasion? The loss of life? The loss of economic well-being? Is it an old sectarian hatred that was suppressed under Hussein's regime?
Or is it something deeper, a problem with the moral code of the culture that allows for 'righteous anger' and 'righteous hatred' to the extent that any action, no matter how heinous, can be justified with those loopholes?
Knee jerk security
So there's a plot to blow up a plane discovered. The plot is uncovered. People are arrested. So far, so good. The final step? Severely restrict passenger carry-on luggage, and send military personell to airports.
I fail to understand the necessity of that last little step. Is the plot not truly foiled? Are they afraid of copy cats? It doesn't make sense. Imagine a plot to disrupt freeway traffic in southern califronia by dropping caltrops into the street. The plot is foiled. Flush with success, the CHP shut down all freeways in response! Maybe tanks can be rolled out onto the 405.
Silliness.
I fail to understand the necessity of that last little step. Is the plot not truly foiled? Are they afraid of copy cats? It doesn't make sense. Imagine a plot to disrupt freeway traffic in southern califronia by dropping caltrops into the street. The plot is foiled. Flush with success, the CHP shut down all freeways in response! Maybe tanks can be rolled out onto the 405.
Silliness.
Thoughts about DNS and apathy
Running across some notes of mine about DNS, I decided to record those thoughts in my blog.
DNS is conceptually quite simple: associate a name with a number. And indeed, for most subdomains it is indeed this simple. But for top level domains (like joshrehman.com) things get more complicated.
There are two complications: first, that while the mapping really is between a name and an IP address, that address is that of a computer running BIND, not necessarily the IP address of your actual host. The second complication is that one cannot edit root servers directly, but must enter into sometimes complicated financial and technical relationships with other companies.
Spry provides me with a record editor. When I edit my DNS records, Spry submits these updates through the ENOM Registrar, which then updates the 13 root servers. I don't have any direct contact with ENOM or the root servers. I pay spry the registration fee, which includes the record editing tool (although I've seen cases where there are seperate fees for registration and for record editing - a bit like a restaurant charging extra for silverware, IMHO).
Once this rigamarole is working, I still must setup BIND (or some DNS server) on my host. This is fairly straightforward, although my particular host is setup a bit strangely.
This is one of those things that most people pull their hair out the first time, and then forget about it. Kind of like the anger people feel about paying income tax every year - the anger fades and nothing is done. In the same way I feel that setting up a TLD is too complex, but since I've already done it (and can do it again a lot more easily) I feel less motivated to understand the system to the depth needed to simplify stuff.
DNS is conceptually quite simple: associate a name with a number. And indeed, for most subdomains it is indeed this simple. But for top level domains (like joshrehman.com) things get more complicated.
There are two complications: first, that while the mapping really is between a name and an IP address, that address is that of a computer running BIND, not necessarily the IP address of your actual host. The second complication is that one cannot edit root servers directly, but must enter into sometimes complicated financial and technical relationships with other companies.
Spry provides me with a record editor. When I edit my DNS records, Spry submits these updates through the ENOM Registrar, which then updates the 13 root servers. I don't have any direct contact with ENOM or the root servers. I pay spry the registration fee, which includes the record editing tool (although I've seen cases where there are seperate fees for registration and for record editing - a bit like a restaurant charging extra for silverware, IMHO).
Once this rigamarole is working, I still must setup BIND (or some DNS server) on my host. This is fairly straightforward, although my particular host is setup a bit strangely.
This is one of those things that most people pull their hair out the first time, and then forget about it. Kind of like the anger people feel about paying income tax every year - the anger fades and nothing is done. In the same way I feel that setting up a TLD is too complex, but since I've already done it (and can do it again a lot more easily) I feel less motivated to understand the system to the depth needed to simplify stuff.
Movie Review: The Sweet Hereafter
The Sweet Hereafter is too deep for me - or perhaps not deep enough. It is a movie that artfully depicts human suffering. To what purpose? I don't find it entertaining. And there was far too much atmospheric music (especially japanese flute).
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