Ruminations, Haunts, and Errors

It’s now been a month since I switched over to Google Reader, and as could probabaly be expected I’ve found various behaviors annoying once the novelty wore off. I suppose a lot can simply be chalked up to its beta status, and certainly there have been new and nifty features added (like the scriptlet that now shows the last few starred items in the RHE sidebar at left).

However, as I struggled to wade through a backlog (nearly 800 from just two days!) of items last weekend, while still ruminating on an article on tagging from SXSW, I found myself mildly irritated that these two salient components of the web-as-platform wave are still so sorely lacking in perhaps the most useful measure from the human perspective: semantics. Some examples of where the current common tools are appallingly lacking:

• The meaning of ‘updated’. Every newsreader seems to have some concept of an update. Yet they seem to be lacking the fundamental concept that an update means the previous version of the item is obsolete. Perhaps 10% of the aforementioned backlog in my newsstream could have been zapped if only the tool were smart enough to clear the cache of the obsoleted items. Okay, perhaps the real fault here lies in either 1) the RSS spec, which doesn’t really define any temporal or informatic relationships between items, or 2) news sources that simply spew out new items without establishing relationships among them. Yet the web has had a long history of toolmakers programming around deficiencies in specifications and content providers, why not this one too?
• Cross-posting duplications. Another 10% of my recent backlog appeared to be duplicate postings of items from different but related feeds, e.g. the general-news and sports feeds of the Tribune. I lay this annoyance squarely at the feed of the newsreader providers. All aggregators cache the feed data, so scrubbing an item from the ‘unread’ category in one stream when the same item has been read in another should be a no-brainer. Hel-lo…hash table, anyone??!?
• Tag relationships. The primary brilliance of tags vs. categories is the ability to generate (and update) metadata on the fly without having to first go define a schema for it. The secondary brilliance is the natural way that they can be searched in a logical way (a la SQL). However, I wish there had been some more forethought about tag relationships, particularly ways to formalize relationships among tags than just between tags and items. Anyone using del.icio.us or Flickr for a few weeks probably comes to learn that managing the tags becomes a project unto itself; some will no doubt tout the tag cloud, but I find this next to useless–merely eye candy for novices–since it provides no information about the semantic connections between the tags. I have always been one to categorize ideas and look for the connections–indeed, often the insight gained from the relationships is more important than any of the underlying information individually–so I find the inability to manage tagged relationships in what I would consider an effective manner to be stifling.

Hmm, I suppose such gripes might be better directed on sites monitored by people developing the various tools. But these items would seem so fundamental to the whole web-as-platform, involve-the-users ethos that I can’t believe I’d be contributing anything novel. Has no one considered them before? Are they really that difficult to implement?

Last night we took in the Mercury Theater production of Urinetown. I had heard good things about it but apparently wasn’t looking in the right places, as I was expecting a bit more social commentary and not the farcical sendup of Broadway, film noir, and pop culture that it actually turned out to be; Liz pointed out that I should have gotten a clue from the playbill, which clearly showed the first important song to be entitled “It’s a Privilege to Pee”. Okay, they got in a few barbs about corporate monopolies and conservation, but those were of course beside the point, merely cursory justifications for the real business of putting on a couple hours of quality entertainment. How can you not like a dystopic vision told in the spirit of Spamalot and “What’s Opera, Doc?” The performances were good, although given the material overacting would have been difficult to spot. Kudos to the costume and lighting designers for an impressive look to the show.

A few days ago we realized that, with the move now two weeks away and plans to be downstate next weekend, this was our final weekend to enjoy this part of Lakeview as residents rather than visitors. As such we tried to play it up. Friday night: cocktails, lazy decision-making for dinner, a leisurely stroll to Twist, detour to Redmond’s to await a table, paged back to Twist (mmm, sangria and bacon-wrapped dates!), another leisurely stroll to Julius Meinl for coffee and cake, topped off with a short, impromptou dance party in the living room. Saturday: aroused too early by weed-whackers, read the news over coffee, off for some errands, back home for some downtime, spruced up for dinner at Menagerie, then a stroll up Southport to the theater. We had hoped to finish it off with coffee and a tasty treat at Cafe Avanti, but it was inexplicably closed (at 11pm on a Saturday in a yuppie neighborhood??) All in all it was like probably a couple hundred Lakeview weekends we have enjoyed over the last several years.

As we strolled down Southport–bands playing in Cullen’s and Blue Bayou, partiers enjoying and wandering between various other nightspots, Liz pausing to browse a couple of shop windows–I mused that I if I will miss anything about leaving Lakeview it will be the situation more than the place. Sure, I could tick off a number of spots that we really enjoy, yet we’re moving on with no regrets in that regard since we’ve taken advantage of any place of significance within walking distance or a short El ride on multiple occasions. Besides, as much as traffic and zoning differences can make Norwood Park seem like a faraway place, it’s still the same city–and without a doubt we will come back here from time to time to take in shows and to dine at various restaurants. No, what I think I’ll miss most is simply the proximity: the ability to procrastinate dinner decisions until 7:30 and still have multiple realistic choices only minutes away, the ability to enjoy a nationally know theatric or sporting event yet be back enjoying a beer on my couch in minutes without ever stepping in a vehicle.

A friend once said that he felt the true entry to adulthood was the need to buy a lawnmower. We’ve reached that point now as new homeowners, but I think perhaps a different change we’re facing is more significant: the need to start planning out our entertainment activities a few hours or days in advance.

• Dung under pressure makes gas; Op-Ed Contributor: A Load of Manure And why not? Coal and petroleum are byproducts of decayed and digested biological matter, no? Maybe it will cause other issues, but it’s certainly good to at least explore possibilities–even ones that the researchers would have a difficult time explaining to people without generating smirks and shudders. If only we could somehow find a way to turn the BS coming out of politicians’ mouths into the real thing we could achieve the energy independence they blather on about.
• An Imam in America: To Lead the Faithful in a Faith Under Fire Nice in-depth piece that reveals how the experience of the newly arrived Muslim culture is probably mirroring the history of pretty much every distinct cultural/ethinc group to hit American shores–Germans, Irish, Italians, Jews, etc.–in the last 200 years. Fears and prejudices forced these groups into enclaves for decades until they naturally developed the ability to assimilate, or at least engage, with the dominant culture. I wonder if these latest newcomers will be afforded that luxury when the nightly news shows fanatics hijacking the name of Islam to wreak death and destruction.
• Schools Avoid Class Ranking, Vexing Colleges Okay, class rank shouldn’t be the defining characteristic of a high schooler, but that doesn’t mean the statistic has no value. Sure, it can be abused, but so can pretty much anything. Singling out one aspect of life to excise almost never, by itself, solves any problem. Just ask France how effective it has been to officially pretend that distinctions in culture and economic class don’t exist.
• The House’s Catholic Democrats Detail Role Religion Plays A relatively pedestrian bit of political posturing except for this breathtaking quote from the Family Research Council:
  

  What is at the core of being Catholic is the life issue, and that’s something the pope has never strayed from. While other issues are important — such as helping the poor, the death penalty, views on war — these are things that aren’t tenets of the Catholic Church.

  I’m no scholar of the Bible or canon law, but I’m pretty sure that the New Testament and many centuries of Catholic teachings are fairly explicit on the importance of peace and helping the poor. Wonder if the pope has been informed that, in fact, Catholics have been laboring under a collective delusion regarding their priorities for nearly two millenia but that an American PAC is ready to set things straight.

We are rapidly learning firsthand what other homeowners have described: nothing’s ever done, there are merely brief pauses between projects. We’ve searched, found, bid, applied, and closed, so now of course we need to decorate. Or, rather, Liz needs to decorate while I ratify and implement her vision…

• What is the point of all the cutesy names given to the various colors of paint and stain? If there were a standard palette of names it would be one thing, but each manufacturer has a different set–it’s not like someone can say “Oh, we decided upon Blissful Blue for the living room and Mauve Finery for the downstairs bathroom” and expect the listener to know instantly what those shades look like. The assigned names barely imprint upon the mind for the time it takes to go back to the store and request the clerk to look up the proper mixture–listed by alphanumeric code, usually! Are the names just an excuse to make some work for summer interns in the design and marketing departments?
• The Schaumburg IKEA was noticably less zoolike. Perhaps it was just an off weekend, but I suspect the opening of the Bolingbrook location last fall has helped significantly. But I think they need to restrict the self-service checkout lanes to ‘express’ customers: it’s handy when you’ve got two or three items, but when the person in front of you is struggling through two full carts of stuff it slows the line down enormously.
• I think Woodfield needs some traffic lights on its main drive. Seriously, it took me longer to turn right out of one of the parking areas than it did later for me to wait for traffic to clear on Devon to turn left off of Natoma.
• Upon realizing too late that I needed to cross two lanes of Golf Rd in maybe 300 yards in Saturday-afternoon traffic to reach one of our destinations, I had the urge to hunt down and pummel the responsible traffic engineers. What’s so frustrating is how widespread the problem is: Schaumburg, north Prospect Ave in Champaign, 159th St & Lagrange Rd in the south suburbs, numerous spots in Indianapolis, the list goes on. Are traffic engineers ever going to clue in on the fact that adding more lanes to a congested commercial street does almost nothing to reduce the congestion?
• I recognize that a well-made rug requires much labor and will last for many years. I also recognize that Marshall Field’s is not aiming at the bargain end of the market. Yet I was still flabbergasted to see listed prices for some of the larger oriental rugs that exceeded the current value of our cars…combined. Who buys these things? Liz commented that it would be stressfull to allow pets or children near such an expensive piece of decor. I suppose it would fit well in a room along with china that is never used and chairs that are never sat upon.

All this, yet all we really need to do is some touch-up work, replace some older furniture, and add some new pieces to fill out the bigger space. We’d better go about this methodically and stick to our prioritization list–the savings in sanity alone will do us good.

• Stylish shortcuts
  Passages through downtown with a bit of style and a lot of protection from the weather.
  (tags: Chicago geography architecture)
• The list gets longer on shortcuts
  A few more passages, hidden in plain view
  (tags: Chicago geography architecture)
• Birthing Pains
  A succinct examination of the latest ethnic group trying to stake its claim in the local power structure. We decry such sectarian struggles when exhibited by Them in places like Iraq or Afghanistan, but the only improvement from Us is in the choice of tactics.
  (tags: Chicago politics)
• Hubble’s Largest Galaxy Portrait Offers a New High-Definition View
  M101 — Ooooh!
  (tags: astronomy galaxy)

After a couple weeks of relative calm, consternation regarding a vital question—had anyone actually bothered to schedule our closing?–sent the whole house saga into another tizzy. Everyone from our realtor to other homeowners chuckled at our naivite: of course, they said, there’s always something at the last minute. I suppose it’s inevitable–there are so many people and items involved in a real-estate transaction that even a single miscommunication or delayed phone call can precipitate an apparent crisis–but it’s still surprising given the frequency of such deals; they happen every day, people devote their lives to the industry, isn’t there some sort of collective wisdom by now to keep things running smoothly?

So after an impromptou late-night walkthrough at the house (kudos to our agent for that!), we found ourselves downtown for the closing (ironically just couple blocks from where I’d usually be on a Wednesay morning). I’d heard stories of writers’ cramp, two-inch tall stacks of paper, squabbles between attorneys, unhelpful bank tellers, etc., so I figured that although our deal was fairly simple and straightforward, still it would end up being a ‘character-building’ exercise.

We were effectively done in about 45 minutes, I counted only 20 signatures. Both attorneys and the closing agent commented how quick and simple it was. It took about the same amount of time for clerks to complete the various bits of data entry and faxing while we idly chatted about unscrupulous lenders and the current state of the real estate market (and our attorney had the opportunity to cope with a last-minute cancellation of another closing). Even getting ComEd and People’s Energy to switch the accounts to my name was trivial. I think we spent more time, later in the day, reviewing which precise shade of blue looked better against beige.

And now it’s done, we own a house. Whee.

Although we did treat ourselves later, it seems like the event should have felt more momentous, but it was oddly anticlimactic as we stolled through downtown streets carrying papers saying we owned property and a large liability. Was it the short time between offer and closing? The fact that we won’t actually move in for a few weeks? Perhaps it won’t really register until that first morning back to Real Life after the move–or the first time something important needs immediate fixing. Ah well, I suppose we should enjoy the dual life of quasi-suburban homesteader and swank-neighborhood apartment yuppie while it lasts (i.e. before the first real mortgage payment is due).