It's busier again at work. Already picked up two new calls today in a couple of hours. Hoping to spend some time learning some more java/jndi programming, but we'll see.
I have mixed feelings about writing a blog. It's a bit weird how most blogs are written (and I've always noticed this, but it's a bit more acute when I started writing more in mine): who is the target audience for a blog? Most of them are written like a reporter would write about someone else's life (including mine). You are like a news reporter, reporting on your own life, but in the third person. Whenever I meet people who talk or write about themselves in the third person, I instinctively feel that they are unwell.
The most obvious benefit, at least on the surface, is to provide details about your life to family and friends. However, you need to careful about the kinds of details provided in a blog, since they are publicly visible (so it's not clear it really provide the benefit mentioned above).
Despite these misgivings, I think there is value in writing about and reviewing the activities in one's life, even at the somewhat surface level that occurs in a blog. So I think I'll keep doing this (even though no one will read it).
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Sampaio's and Poker ...
Went to Sampaio's with the gang; food was good. We came back home and I got smoked at Poker. Everyone played well except for me. :-)
Sunday in Chicago
We ended up going back to the Navy Pier on Sunday, after having a really poor breakfast at our hotel (which was too bad, since it was otherwise a good hotel). We decided to take the subway back to the Midway airport, which was a little stressful and a little too much walking (to get to the Orange Line), but we got to the airport without any problems. We did get a nice surprise at the airport. We were sitting at the gate waiting for boarding to start, and a friend showed up unexpectedly. Our friend (you know who you are) was returning to Austin after an interview, and we were all pretty surprised to see each other. We got to ride back together on the plane, which was great.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Saturday in Chicago
Today we went to the Bongo Room for breakfast. Holy crap! Don't get the Chocolate Tower French Toast if you don't like messy dishes. This was pretty amazing, and like no French Toast I've ever had (although, admittedly, I'm not usually that adventurous with my breakfast food). They served a lot of food (there's a breakfast theme I'm starting to see here), and the place was pretty cool. We were happy there wasn't a long wait.
Next, we went down to the Museum Of Science and Industry. We paid extra for the CSI Experience and the U-Boat onboard tour. Both were a good idea. We also liked the Old Fashioned Town and the Space exhibits. This museum is a lot more fun than the Fields Museum, with which I was disappointed. The exhibit attached to the U-505 (they have the real uboat captured from the Germans in '42!) was simply spectacular.
When we were walking back after taking the 10 (bus) from the museum (heading to the Millenium Park), it started raining and lightning by the time we got to the Buckingham Fountain. We (and many others) sat under the extended roof of the restroom building. Fun, fun. Eventually, we stumbled our way to a local Dunkin' Donuts, got some coffee and donuts and waited out the storm. Mei didn't like this part of the trip; she got in a bad mood. The rain bugged her, and she started getting fussy about how dirty the subway was. Mei wasn't made for Subways. Overall, we were glad we picked the Bongo Room and the MSI. They were good choices. We're glad to be out of the rain, now, though.
Next, we went down to the Museum Of Science and Industry. We paid extra for the CSI Experience and the U-Boat onboard tour. Both were a good idea. We also liked the Old Fashioned Town and the Space exhibits. This museum is a lot more fun than the Fields Museum, with which I was disappointed. The exhibit attached to the U-505 (they have the real uboat captured from the Germans in '42!) was simply spectacular.
When we were walking back after taking the 10 (bus) from the museum (heading to the Millenium Park), it started raining and lightning by the time we got to the Buckingham Fountain. We (and many others) sat under the extended roof of the restroom building. Fun, fun. Eventually, we stumbled our way to a local Dunkin' Donuts, got some coffee and donuts and waited out the storm. Mei didn't like this part of the trip; she got in a bad mood. The rain bugged her, and she started getting fussy about how dirty the subway was. Mei wasn't made for Subways. Overall, we were glad we picked the Bongo Room and the MSI. They were good choices. We're glad to be out of the rain, now, though.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Chicago
We got in Chicago on Thursday morning for a short vacation. Chicago is really a fantastic city. I could easily see myself living here. It's got all the great restaurants and culture of a great city, but more parks than most big cities. The shoreline is pretty amazing for a city.
We were at the Navy Pier walking around on Thursday when I could swear I saw Walter Cronkite. I think it was the most wind I've ever seen outside of a hurricane. The flags at the Navy Pier were whipping so hard, you could hear them snapping and cracking, and it was hard to believe they weren't torn to shreds.
We also went to the John Hancock building and it's observatory; amazing view. A lot like the Sears Tower that we visited today. We went to Fogo de Chão for lunch yesterday.
Today we went to Lou Mitchell's for breakfast (two eggs has never been so much food!) and then to the Sear's Tower Skyview. The sky wasn't too clear, but it was still a great view. Then we went over to the Field's Museum. It was a little more oriented to something like a historical zoo then a standard museum. We also went to Soldier Field, which was much more scenic then I would have expected.
I think we finally figured out the Subway system. The three-day passed we bought were definitely the way to do.
We were at the Navy Pier walking around on Thursday when I could swear I saw Walter Cronkite. I think it was the most wind I've ever seen outside of a hurricane. The flags at the Navy Pier were whipping so hard, you could hear them snapping and cracking, and it was hard to believe they weren't torn to shreds.
We also went to the John Hancock building and it's observatory; amazing view. A lot like the Sears Tower that we visited today. We went to Fogo de Chão for lunch yesterday.
Today we went to Lou Mitchell's for breakfast (two eggs has never been so much food!) and then to the Sear's Tower Skyview. The sky wasn't too clear, but it was still a great view. Then we went over to the Field's Museum. It was a little more oriented to something like a historical zoo then a standard museum. We also went to Soldier Field, which was much more scenic then I would have expected.
I think we finally figured out the Subway system. The three-day passed we bought were definitely the way to do.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Was reading Plato's Protagoras lately. Definitely one of my favorite dialogues. There's a whole discussion in there that fascinates me where Socrates tentatively identifies The Good with what brings pleasure (leaving aside his intentions for this move). It's almost as if it makes it formally simpler to discuss the nature of courage and excellence in general when something has been specified as the referent for the The Good. This allows a formal analysis of what courage might be like, even if the referent for the The Good will be subsequently changed. (And the reader is expected to make this substitution, since identifying the The Good with The Pleasant is able to provide any reasonable explanation of the phenomenon of being overcome by pleasure. This phenomenon requires are more complex understanding of The Good, whatever it might be.
One of the things that seems to be going on here is that different kinds of "goods" can be resolved:
1) Protagoras is primarily interested in seeming good before the public for egoistic and financial reasons (and his evasiveness during his discussions with Socrates, and his inability to really compete with Socrates in dialogue is partly due to this)
2) Socrates is primarily interested in something we might call "actually being good".
Both these forms of excellence, or striving after excellence are a different kind of excellence then the natural excellence displayed by Alcibiades or Charmides -- a natural or potential excellence. (Like "daring" is the kind of potential courage or natural courage that must become real courage via learning.)
Protagoras overwhelming desire to appear good before others prevents him from being able to try to become genuinely good. And it also prevents him from even appearing good to others when he's compared to someone who's actually trying to become really good (like Socrates). And by the all the dialogically evasive maneuvers Protagoras makes during the dialogue, it would appear that he's trapped by this desire of his.
One of the things that seems to be going on here is that different kinds of "goods" can be resolved:
1) Protagoras is primarily interested in seeming good before the public for egoistic and financial reasons (and his evasiveness during his discussions with Socrates, and his inability to really compete with Socrates in dialogue is partly due to this)
2) Socrates is primarily interested in something we might call "actually being good".
Both these forms of excellence, or striving after excellence are a different kind of excellence then the natural excellence displayed by Alcibiades or Charmides -- a natural or potential excellence. (Like "daring" is the kind of potential courage or natural courage that must become real courage via learning.)
Protagoras overwhelming desire to appear good before others prevents him from being able to try to become genuinely good. And it also prevents him from even appearing good to others when he's compared to someone who's actually trying to become really good (like Socrates). And by the all the dialogically evasive maneuvers Protagoras makes during the dialogue, it would appear that he's trapped by this desire of his.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Odds and ends ...
Ah, I am now cruising into the new century with my first blog! I'm on the phone with my girlfriend, she's too tired to say goodnight, so I'm letting her sleep while I'm on the phone with her.
Got upset at work today; you'd think I'd learn to intercept the frustration, since I have so many oppurtunities to do so, but I still have trouble.
Have been reading Charmides again lately; I had started to work on this for my dissertation (which I never really started). I'm fascinated by the discussion of the possibility of knowledge that knows itself, and can't stop thinking about it, but can't really make any inroads on understanding what it's suggesting.
Got upset at work today; you'd think I'd learn to intercept the frustration, since I have so many oppurtunities to do so, but I still have trouble.
Have been reading Charmides again lately; I had started to work on this for my dissertation (which I never really started). I'm fascinated by the discussion of the possibility of knowledge that knows itself, and can't stop thinking about it, but can't really make any inroads on understanding what it's suggesting.
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