Ryan's Blog

When I left America in 2005 to work in Chile I had two suitcases to hold everything I wanted to bring with me for a two years. It didn’t seem like much space. Even though I used every permitted ounce—my checked baggage was 100 pounds, on the nose—I was struck by how little fit in my bags. I wrote a manifest that included, among other things:

• 6 T-shirts
• 2 polo shirts
• 2 pairs of jeans
• 5 sweaters
• 5 pairs of shoes: Chaco sandals, sneakers, black dress shoes, slippers, and hiking boots
• 2 belts
• 1 raincoat

At the time having eight shirts seemed very few. After awhile, though, I forgot that eight wasn’t very many; I just wore whatever I found in the closet that was (mostly) clean. Some way into this transformation my friend Kate wrote once to ask, “Do you have any other shirts besides that red one?” Well, yeah, I said defensively. Though when I looked at the photos I shared online, I can see how she might have thought that.

Continue reading "So much stuff" »

Posted by Ryan at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My brother Michael gave me the latest Far Side daily calendar for my birthday in January and I have been enjoying the cartoons pretty much every day that I remember to change it. That is until this morning, when I learned that Gary Larson and his calendar are party to the all-too-prevalent hemispherism infecting our world today. I saw the cartoon, the date, Thursday, and then the bomb: First Day of Summer.

Continue reading "Hemispherist humor" »

Posted by Ryan at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some years ago Photoshop entered the public consciousness. Before, it was known only by the designers and photographers who used it. These days everyone knows about Photoshop and expects it to work retouching miracles. Photoshop’s ubiquity has come at the cost of increased wariness of photos’ credibility. Now when you see a beautiful or impressive photograph you wonder how much is reality and how much is digital magic.

Once you have used Photoshop for awhile, it’s easy to recognize certain tell-tale signs that something has been added or changed. At many postcard stands in Chile you can find cards from Alex Huber. The first time I saw one I was all but certain that it had been Photoshopped. I thought the moon in this photo had been added.

The giveaway is that the moon is far too large in the picture. Unless you use a long telephoto lens, the moon appears tiny in photos. And when you use such a lens, you can’t get the panoramic perspective that you see in this picture.

Continue reading "The many moons of Alex Huber" »

Posted by Ryan at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

At first listen, I didn’t think much of U2’s latest CD, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (Nov. 2004). I bought it the day it was released in 2004 and listened to it in the car on the way home from the store. I was a little disappointed that nothing hooked me like 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind (also purchased on release day and subjected to my rigorous in-car listening). Almost 18 months later, I can say the album has matured in my mind; I especially love the closing song, “Yahweh.”

I still think the first track and first single, “Vertigo,” isn’t terrific, but the rest of the album has some solid winners. How to Dismantle… is a darker, more uncertain walk through the world. For me, the final track “Yahweh” is the kicker that seals the record. Through Rolling Stone criticized it as a saccharine end to hard questions, it’s a remarkable note of hope that perhaps takes on more meaning considering Bono’s well-publicized work with global health and poverty.

In “Yahweh,” Bono sings a plea, presumably directed to the song’s namesake. He asks, “tell me know—why the dark before the dawn?” The song resonates with me especially now because it is peppered with requests for help with what needs to be done. Take these shoes and make them fit. Take these hand, teach them what to carry. And the last line seals the prayer and ends the record: take this heart and make it brave.

Read all the lyrics on U2’s site. Listen to a sample at Amazon.com or in Apple’s iTunes Music Store.

Posted by Ryan at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was reading our local paper, the Standard Examiner, when I stumbled across an article that offered advice for high school graduates. The advice? "Pick a major, fast." The source? The chairman of the board for higher education in Utah. Here are some lowlights:

Karras said students need to think their plans and goals through. For example, majoring in history may be interesting, but ... "Where does that leave the student when he graduates?" Karras said.

You're just wasting time and money if you don't choose a major relatively early, said Weber State freshman Ricardo Ontiveros, 25, of Ogden. He is majoring in criminal justice. "You've got to know right away," he said.

Since a lot of the advice in the article was completely contradictory to what I learned while I was at school, I sent a letter to the editor. They printed it shortly after the original article ran. Here is my letter (which is just a few words shy of the 250 word limit):

Continue reading "That's advice?" »

Posted by Ryan at 12:54 PM | Permalink

I'm developing a new mini self test of what's going on in the world. Here are the rules:

1. Give yourself a reasonable amount of time—let's say 10 minutes.
   
2. Name as many current, foreign heads-of-state as you can and their respective countries.
   
3. Don't use outside resources. That includes other people, the Wikipedia, and Google. Especially Google.
   
4. U.S. President George Bush doesn't count. See rule #2.
   
5. Saddam Hussein does not count. See rule #2.
   

I wonder what the critical numbers for this mini-test would be for the general population of the U.S. What percentage of people could name 4 current, foreign heads of state? How about 6? I think I can name more than most people because I read the newspaper and listen to NPR regularly, plus there are a few obscure leaders on my list that you might not think of.

That said, see what you can come up with. My list is posted as a comment to this entry.

Posted by Ryan at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Things are starting to fall into place: I have started looking the right way when crossing the street, phrases like "that's grand," "good craïc," and "cheers" (meaning 'thank you') have crept into my speech, and I can recognise and count Euro coins easily. In fact, when I pulled a U.S. quarter from my backpack the other day it looked out of place.

Sadly, many travellers make a list of things that are different ("worse") here than from the U.S. To combat that attitude, I have started making a list of European things that, I think, should make their way to the U.S. Here are a couple items on the list:

• Text messaging. Also called SMS or texting, lots of phones in the U.S. have this service, but it's not used nearly to the extent that it is here. It's a really cheap and convenient way to exchange information. I also think it's more polite than calling—so often in the States incoming cell phone calls take precedence over all other things. With a text, you can send quick questions to people and they can respond at their leisure.

• Gelato. Hands down, the best frozen dessert anywhere. Right now, there is a gelato gap between Europe and America. This needs to be fixed. There's no excuse for not having massive quantities of cheap gelato in the States.

• Trains. On the Continent (meaning Europe, minus the U.K. and Ireland), trains are the best way to travel everywhere relatively inexpensively. It's worth recognizing that there isn't really any transportation network like this in the U.S. Although there is Amtrack and Greyhounds, these are often as expensive as airfare, and not widespread in use. A car is probably the best way to see the U.S. on a budget, but that's not an option for youth travellers under 25 (no rental cars).

• Castles. Europe has them everywhere. They're big and cool. Given my (admittedly limited) knowledge of U.S. landmarks, I can't think of any castles. Maybe we could import a few.

No doubt there's more to Europe than these four small suggestions, but it's a start.

Posted by Ryan at 10:03 AM | Permalink

I've all but stopped listening to music on the radio. Here's part one of the problem:

DJ: "Hi Stacey, you've just won a family pack to Raging Waters water park!"
Caller: "Yea!"
DJ: "Oh come on, sound a little more excited!"
Caller: "Whoopee!"
DJ: "So, tell me, who gives you the hookup for all these kick ass tickets?"
Caller: "You do, 94.7 KWHZ. You give me the hookup."
DJ: "Yeah, we hook you up, don't we?"
Caller: "Definitely."

Then there's part two: brilliant DJ commentary.
"So have you heard about all those soldiers dying over there in Iraq? It's crazy. I wonder why the president isn't doing anything about it. I mean, personally, my opinion is--and this is just me--he should be concerned about what's happening to our country. What do you guys think? I mean, if you don't agree, that's cool. Give us a call."

And of course, part three, the standard radio methodology of identifying popular songs and playing them ad nauseam until hearing even the good ones makes you want to hurl your radio out a window. But I digress.

So I started listening to NPR. It hasn't been a life changing experience, but I feel like I get a lot more from the time I'm in the car (more than 2 hours a day, sometimes as many as 4). I listen to Morning Edition on the way to work; The Diane Rehm Show, Talk of the Nation, Fresh Air, and The World while I'm running errands; and All Things Considered and Marketplace on the way home. Granted, it has its flaws: some of the hosts and guests sound awfully haughty. Sometimes on shows that take calls, the callers are just calling to show off their knowledge on the subject, and sometimes the topics aren't very interesting. Plus, I still have no love for jazz, so that eliminates nighttime listening. But by and large, listening to NPR is very informative. All Things Considered, especially, has a good mix of current events and esoteric interesting information. And, unlike the music industry, NPR archives all its shows and makes them available online for free listening.

Still, every now and then I just can't take any more information. That's when I start the CD player and jam.

Posted by Ryan at 11:01 PM | Permalink

I generally tend to believe that the government doesn't need to regulate everything. However, there is currently one woefully under-regulated area in the U.S.: popcorn popping. I'm not talking about stovetop popping—that's a tiny portion of the problem. I'm talking about microwave popcorn and its vicious odors. "What is he talking about?" you wonder. Step into an imaginary situation: someone has just popped a bag of microwave popcorn, allowing its smell to waft throughout your workplace. But, you can't have any. Clearly we need legislation:

Odor Control: Popping popcorn with wanton disregard for the propagation of odors should be punishable by fines. In the vein of dog laws in many cities (they poop it, you scoop it), this approach basically says if you pop it, then you bear the responsibility for masking the scent.

Smelling is 9/10s of the Law: coming into contact with the smell of freshly-popped popcorn legally entitles you to ownership of some portion of said popcorn.

There will no doubt be naysayers who are skeptical about these radical measures. Some will object with the slippery slope argument, "Today popcorn; tomorrow, who knows?" I cannot speak of the future, but I know something must be done today about popcorn. It's just the civilized thing to do.

Posted by Ryan at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

OK, I have to admit it: I'm angry. It's one thing to copy and innovate; it's another to just plain rip off. Today buy.com announced their new buymusic.com store. It's no more than Apple's iTunes Music Store for Windows. And what does buy add? Almost nothing.

Before we even enter the store, let's look at the ads. Buymusic's ads are a complete rip-off of Apple's—they use the same white background, people singing, and closeups of MP3 players. Apple is even references in one of the ads where a crewman smashes the electric guitar used to represent music on Apple's site. The two others show a myriad of people singing with their players, including an overweight woman bouncing to "Rapper's Delight" and an Amish man singing "Superfreak." The tagline: Now for the rest of us. Arguably, the commercials could be perceived as a little funny, but they're definitely not laugh-out-loud hilarious. They're cheap shots at awkward, everyday people singing. But you've got to advertise somehow, and using someone else's ads is cost efficient. On to the service itself.

Buymusic's apparant advantage is that is offers tracks "from 79¢" a song. Apple's prices are higher with every song at 99¢. How does this work out? I paid $1 for Uncle Kraker's Drift Away. It's 90¢ at buymusic. I could have saved 10¢, which would certainly add up over time. Is there any disadvantage to buymusic? In a word: yes.

Apple's DRM (digital rights management) system is called FairPlay and it is the same for every song you download. It allows you to copy your song to 3 computers, burn as many copies as you want, and transfer it to your iPod however many times you want. Buymusic.com is neither so generous nor so simple. Some tracks allow unlimited burning and unlimited transfers to your MP3 player. Most, however, have more restrictive rights. That Uncle Kracker track I bought? I can burn it 3 times and that's it. I've already burned that track 3 times in iTunes, and I've only had it for less than 2 months.

The most confusing part is that the rules are different for every song: Norah Jones's "Come Away With Me" can only be transferred to an MP3 player 3 times. Songs from Shania Twain's new CD can be burned and transferred an unlimited number of times, but can only be stored on 1 computer. Beyonce's new music can be stored on 3 computers, but can only be burned 5 times. I can only imagine scrolling through your music library, browsing to make a mix CD, and trying to decide which tracks you can still burn.

The unfortunate truth is that buymusic will still probably be popular, despite being inferior to Apple's offering of a few months ago. Apple's offering is not perfect, but the only way legitimate online music going to get better is with other companies innovating as well—not just mimicking. This copy is a far cry from the original.

Posted by Ryan at 5:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I am sad to report the spam situation has gotten out of hand. Nearly all of my important correspondence comes to my Notre Dame email address. Because I only give the email address out to people, never give it to companies, never post it on websites, and never sign up for acconts with it, I get zero spam. My former address with my ISP, however, does not fare quite so well. In the course of 6 days it accumulated 196 messages. 3 were not spam. About 6 years ago when I, and in fact most people, were Internet novices, detecting junk mail was a piece of cake. Just one look at the subject was enough to tell you that the "Delete" key was the appropiate action to take. Sadly, the spammers have stooped even lower. Now we have to contend with subjects like these:

• "You've got to see this."
  
• "Please get back to me when you can"
  
• "Membership Confirmation"

• "IRS Taxes, RYAN GREENBERG 5/11/03" (Not from the IRS)
  "RYAN you are currently pre-qualified for a 4.63% 15-year note" I've always wanted a 4.63% 15-year note, but you can't get them anywhere these days.
  
• "RYAN, our SALT LAKE CITY branch approved 5.25% 30 yr fixed" They know where I live.
  
• "RYAN, I want to send the GREENBERG family $500,000 on your behalf." Why send the money to my family?
  

Really, the only viable option now is to fight back. A cool program for the Mac called Spamfire filters spam very intelligently. Best of all, it has a "Revenge" menu (every program should have one of those) that, among other things, lets you flood spammers' databases with meaningless garbage. If it happens that their databases can't handle the huge influx of garbage and crash, well that would just be too bad. Call me bitter. Or call me RYAN of SALT LAKE CITY.

Posted by Ryan at 2:21 AM | Permalink

Oh my. This afternoon I just finished an 18-hour block of time where 12 of those 18 were devoted to writing my philosophy paper. I shut down the Como study lounge and crawled into bed at 5:40 this morning. Then I picked up the ball again at 11:30 after Spanish and wrote, wrote, wrote until 4:30 in the afternoon. I'm a little tired, but the extreme fatigue won't hit until tomorrow. Thank goodness it's the weekend. Unfortunately, I'm likely to have nightmarish thoughts of Descartes' clear and distinct perceptions running through my head at least until Sunday.

Amount of work to do this weekend: lots.
Amount of time to do it in: moderate.

Posted by Ryan at 7:02 PM | Permalink