The Tetex installation has stalled:

rm -f /sw/src/root-tetex-texmf-2.0.2-1/sw/info/dir /sw/src/root-tetex-texmf-2.0.2-1/sw/info/dir.old /sw/src/root-tetex-texmf-2.0.2-1/sw/share/info/dir /sw/src/root-tetex-texmf-2.0.2-1/sw/share/info/dir.old

rm -rf tetex-texmf-2.0.2-1

Writing control file...

Finding prebound objects...

Clunk.

Dang, I haven't posted here for a while. I'm revising two diss chapters and it's taking about four times longer than I thought and my good friend self-loathing is stopping by for an extended stay.



I'm also installing "Tetex" as a precursor for installing a structured postscript document processor called Lyx which is supposed to be an open source replacement for the quickly fading Framemaker.

Crooked Timber: The un(?)intended consequences of courseware : "The un(?)intended consequences of courseware

Posted by Eszter"

Tata Computer-based Functional Literacy Programme: "Making this possible is a remarkable initiative from the Tata Group that has changed the lives of thousands of adults in different parts of India. The 'computer-based functional literacy' (CBFL) programme is a new-age solution to an age-old problem, and one that has the potential to lift our country's literacy rate in record time. Born of the Tata Group's ever-enduring commitment to community causes and bred by its expertise in information technology, this is a project as novel in methodology as it is ambitious in scope"

Computers and Writing 2004: "Conference Theme
Our focus on the currents, waves, and tides of globalization has also been inspired by the advice offered to virtually every newcomer to Hawai'i: never turn your back on the ocean. The waters of the Pacific can be a source of pleasure and excitement, but they can also pose serious dangers. In the tide of globalization, how can we negotiate the currents and ride the waves in ways that are productive for us, our students, and our communities?
"

Kairosnews | A Weblog for Discussing Rhetoric, Technology and Pedagogy: "The company also reported that more than 1,100 of the roughly 6,300 colleges and universities in the United States were using one or more of Blackboard's applications."

Wired News: U.S. Users Give It Up for the Net: "Seeking to confirm the notion that the Internet is a mostly democratic tool, a just-released study says that nearly half of American Internet users have contributed online content in one form or another.


Yet while the report highlights such impressive numbers, it also points out that most people who post content online are highly educated and highly paid, and post infrequently."

My daughter, who is 2 1/2, refuses to sleep in her bed because she says she will turn into a monkey.

I think I will use this space to solve all of the world's problems. Because nobody else has the guts to do it!



1. Problem: SUVS are stinky, loud, and dangerous. Solution: remove tax credit. Begin massive meme infusion showing smart sexy people in smaller hybrids making fun of people in SUVs. Somehow equate truck driving with erectile dysfunction.



2. Problem: many of the people I work with lack basic social skills, and are frighteningly ambitious. Solution: send them spoofed email from assorted academic vice presidents that reads, "I'm watching you, and your social skills really, really suck."



3. Problem: Americans (including myself) are fat and lazy. Solution: hybrid automobiles that allow you to stand up and run in place to make them move. If you want to pass someone, you have to start running. Otherwise they cruise at 49 mph, or whatever the safest minimum speed limit is. Perhaps a good winter bicycle would fulfill this function.



4. Problem: a coworker overheard me saying something obnoxious and thinks I was talking about them (I wasn't). Solution: fill this person's office with polyurethane foam. From floor to ceiling.



5. Problem: cars pollute too much. Solution: massive tax credits for hybrids and hydrogen vehicles. Increased fuel taxes for single passenger/non-commercial vehicles. Take the pentagon budget and use it to build a massive network of light rail. Screw going to mars--let's make the Earth habitable. Note: I commute 25 miles to work each way, so I basically suck. Hybrids get their own lane. Always. And EMP guns that will destroy the electronics of any vehicle that gets in their way.

followup on the icicle incident: I met the guy and he conveniently reshaped the story to make himself look less psycho, something he probably has a lot of experience with.