http://azplace.net/ en-us Nucleus CMS v3.33 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://azplace.net//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://azplace.net/ http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=988 Scam Alert! Last night was Ignite Phoenix #4 which we held at the Tempe Center for the Arts and it as awesome. We had at least 500 people there and everyone was super cool. The after party was at La Bocca wine bar near 7th and Mill Ave and it was that intersection when the evening took a turn for the dreadful. I pulled into a semi empty lot at about 10pm and parked to go to La Bocca. There were 6 other cars and a few taxis in the lot and I assumed things would be cool. Well in Tempe this is the wrong assumption. When I came out of La Bocca at 11:30 my car was gone and so were most of the other cars that were there. A nice group of folks from Ignite Phoenix were there as well because their cars were gone as well. Jay Thompson (@phxreguy) has a good write up here. Valley http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=988 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:43:16 -0700 http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=986 Let's say that medical science was successful in thwarting the aging process and consequently, humans were able to live hundreds of years, like described in biblical lore. Methuselah, for example, lived to be 969 years old. For sake of argument, contemplate that stem cell research, nanotechnology or revolutionary organ replacement techniques have extended the human life span. What sort of wisdom, above and beyond, could an individual possess, in great part, derived from a vastly larger set of acquired knowledge?Considering my own life experience, I can testify that I knew a lot more about the world at age 40 than I did at age 30. And at 30, I was a lot more knowledgeable than the raging hormone "know-it-all" freak I was at 20. But every successive day, it seems I am confronted with another "wow, I did not know that" moment. As I read and study, it just grants me awareness of the vast domain of how much is unknown to me. I view my younger self with disdain for the haughty arrogance I... Science http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=986 Thu, 28 May 2009 01:15:28 -0700 http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=985 Yet another dismal season for the Phoenix Coyotes. For awhile, the scrappy 2008-2009 squad hung on to the middle of the NHL standings ladder, but soon, reality set in and their fortunes plunged. Now the only remaining incentive for the string of remaining scheduled games is to avoid last place in the Western Conference. And it will be another season without postseason participation. The Coyotes, since being transplanted from Winnipeg in 1996, have yet to win an NHL playoff series. True, early on, they were competitive and posted winning records. But now it’s over a decade of failure. Not just based on performance, but the lackluster campaign mounted to win the allegiance of Arizona sports fans. Today, rumors swirl about the team’s future prospects, as the team’s financial woes continue to mount, and talk of once again, another ownership change. One that may perhaps mean a migration to another city for the old WHA Winnipeg Jets. There, playing in that league ... Sports http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=985 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:05:49 -0700 http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=984 On Second Thought Radio Network - The Home of Mike Malloy, Nancy Skinner, and Dr. Mike Newcomb It is with great excitement and optimism that I announce today the formation of a new progressive talk radio network. The On Second Thought Radio Network will continue to build upon the foundation laid by our predecessors and will work dilligently to fulfill our fiduciary responsibilities to all investors and principals involved. Equally important, we will, with the millions of faithful progressive listeners across the country, uphold our vision to promote freedom, social justice, economic justice and peace worldwide. Nova M Radio is kaput – and so is its $2.25 million deal to buy Phoenix AM KNUV (1190) Radio http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=984 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:00:02 -0800 http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=983 Nielsen puts Reagan Above Obama Conservatives, sour over the fact that Barack Hussien Obama is now our 44th president, trumpet this Nielsen ratings report of Reagan's superior inauguration event viewer numbers back in 1981. Completely oblivious to the media state circa 2009, where enlightened internet folk possess other means to whet our spectatorial desire to take in an epic event. And traffic was so great, it simply overwhelmed network capacity to grant a decent viewing experience. Inauguration day numbers shattered traffic and usage records. Of course, many internet denizens opted to experience the event vicariously through those in attendance, who chronicled their inauguration accounts via Tumblr or Twitter. Media http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=983 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 07:43:42 -0800 http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=982 Local radio conservative talk jocks are banging the POTUS pardon drums for the two Border Control agents convicted of shooting an unarmed fleeing illegal immigrant. But here is a convincing argument on why they should not and addresses a legitimate gripe their supporters do possess. Once Aldrete-Davila was down from Ramos’s shot to the backside, they decided, for a second time, not to grab him so he could face justice for his crimes. As they well knew, an arrest at that point — after 15 shots at a fleeing, unarmed man who had tried to surrender — would have shone a spotlight on their performance. So instead, they exacerbated the already shameful display. Instead of arresting the wounded smuggler, they put their guns away and left him behind. But not before trying to conceal the improper discharge of their firearms. Compean picked up and hid his shell-casings rather than leaving the scene intact for investigators. Both agents filed false reports, failing to record the firin... Justice http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=982 Wed, 7 Jan 2009 08:09:45 -0800 http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=980 The time I spend listening to local broadcasts keeps diminishing to the point where this may be the final annual roundup I produce. Between podcasts and an iPhone/iPod application that allows me to tap into radio streams around the world from a pocket device, the banality of local radio shrinks in the rear view mirror. Some 2008 developments: An internal squabble at Nova M 1480 AM resulted in the ouster of Jeff Farias and the return of Dr. Mike Newcomb. Nova M 1480 AM moves left on the dial to 1190 AM. KFNX departed ways with long time Valley voice Charles Goyette. KTAR has become the sensationalist ambulance chaser station — focusing almost entirely for a month on the story of the 8 year old charged with murdering his father and another. And another thing — most of these radio websites are still hideous. Worse than not having any information is to clutter the net space with blinking ads and inaccurate, conflicting data. For instance, the Nova M site(s) are awful, w... Radio http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=980 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:55:21 -0800 http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=979 I keep making a pledge to review the books I read, but it’s a losing proposition as it seems I can devour books at a much more feverish pace than write a simple blurb about them (even accounting for feedback on web forums or twitted remarks). So, without further ado, here goes the fall/winter 2008 completed read list: The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium by Walter Wink — the first few chapters are simply mazing, succinctly laying out what/who “the powers that be” are and how all human created institutions emit a spiritual field…. ….an awesome chapter on “the myth of redemptive violence” and Jesus “the third way”, that posits that Jesus abhors both passivity and violence, and instead implores a third way — nonviolent resistance….the latter half of the book is not as solid, not that the content isn’t top notch, just that the telling is slightly muddled and Wink fails to concisely enumerate practica... Books http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=979 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:03:59 -0800 http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=978 Jon's Jail Journal How many more unsentenced inmates will the Arpaio regime murder now he has another four years? Arizona http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=978 Wed, 5 Nov 2008 07:41:43 -0800 http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=977 Not Free at Any Price Richard Stallman blames Windows for the failure of the OLPC project. Teaching children to use Windows is like teaching them to smoke tobacco—in a world where only one company sells tobacco. I love RMS and his cranky militant F/OSS-ness, but he's tragically off base in his assertion that OLPC retreat from free software into Windows is the main culprit. Granted, I share his disdain for proprietary computing platforms (in principle, as I must confess that I'm writing this on a machine running Mac OS X), and I too was enthused about OLPC — I took part in the buy one, give one promotion. However, the lords of OLPC regrettable decision to embrace Windows falls far down on the list of snafus that doomed this worthy project. From my purchase encounter and brief usage trial (I donated the machine I got to a missionary who pledged to take my gift to Africa with her, but I am not certain where it ultimately ended up), here are some bigger reasons for its failure:... Computing http://azplace.net/index.php?itemid=977 Tue, 4 Nov 2008 02:00:19 -0800