Not that I’m complaining

But apparently the official, mandatory and exclusive Halloween costume for every American female is whore. School girl whores, teacher whores, zombie whores, pirate whores, princes whores, prom queen whores, b-girl whores, punk chick whores, Quicky-Mart employee whores; the list goes on and on and on. Pretty whores, ugly whores, skinny whores, fat whores, White, Black, Asian, Latino and Martian whores.

I love this country.

Happy Halloween my fellow miscreants.

October 31, 2005 | Filed Under everything else | Leave a Comment

Craig Coy needs a new PR person, real quick

If the name Craig Coy doesn’t sound familiar it’s probably because you don’t pay attention to the silly blubbering of people who don’t have much to say. Well I have plenty of spare time, so I pay attention to those very blubbering’s for you.

Mr. Coy is the CEO of the Massachusetts Port authority, or MassPort as it is affectionately known in state. MassPort is the managing authority of Logan International airport in Boston (as well as Worcester Regional Airport) and I’m sure Mr. Coy is a fine CEO when he is functioning as such. But lately he’s been on a tirade over providing Wi-Fi at Logan; actually he’s been on a tirade over WHO can provide Wi-Fi at Logan.

As the Airlines have been watching their revenue streams shrink, many of them have been searching out ways to draw in customers with as many low cost perks as possible, a big one being free or inexpensive Wi-Fi. Well MassPort doesn’t like that, and Craig Coy ran an editorial in USA Today two days ago to explain why they don’t like it. Problem is the only thing Mr. Coy accomplished was to make his organization look like a bunch of fools. First off, Wi-Fi needs to be free as a matter of practicality; there is just no justification for a paid service with the cost of bandwidth being as low as it is. But that can be argued from a business perspective so we’ll let it slide. What can’t slide is Mr. Coy’s assertion that MassPort needs to control wireless networks at Logan as a matter of security.

In these days of terrorism and safety alerts, security is a critical consideration for Logan’s decision to offer central Wi-Fi. The central network is designed with that goal in mind. Massport’s primary focus is to create a safe environment for airline passengers. The central Wi-Fi network provides first responders at Logan with enhanced services and secure communications.

I hate to be the one to break it to Mr Coy, but there is no such thing as a secure WiFi network. I’ll say it again just so we are all clear: THERE IS NO SUCH THING. The very nature of 802.11x wireless networks is to provide network protocols over public airwaves; these are the same frequencies many of your cordless phones run on. Yes you can encrypt your data, but for mission critical work any use of a public frequency poses a risk. If the MA State Police are using WiFi for mission critical communications, the state of Massachusetts needs to demand its money back and call in the National Guard. In a similar vein if Mr. Coy is insinuating that corporate Wi-Fi provides an opportunity for terrorists to cripple air traffic or interfere with security opperations he needs to be removed from his position immediately for fear mongering. This is not about Terrorism; this is about a good old fashioned Massachusetts power grab. It’s about MassPorts bottom line. It’s about quasi-public officials opening their mouths when they have nothing intelligent to offer. And most importantly it’s about one of the fastest growing segments of the tech industry being crippled by a bunch of greedy jerks who can’t manage their operating budgets without taxing every aspect of your existence.

Coy’s USA Today op-ed

USA Today’s (rather scathing) editorial response

October 28, 2005 | Filed Under politics, tech | Leave a Comment

Notes from last nights City Council Candidates’ Forum

Last night was the City Council Candidates’ Forum hosted by Clark University that I mentioned a few days ago. As public forums go it was a bit of a bore. But I figured I might as well hand off what I observed.

Doug Chapel, who is not running for office, sat with me and must have ripped out a dozen drawings capturing the night. ~~Hopefully I can get a copy of a few and throw them up here.~~ He was also quick to point out that not a single council hopeful has made hovercrafts or lasers a part of their campaign, an obvious shortcoming for any public official.

Hermis Yanis, At-Large candidate, may be insane. He spent most of his time ranting about dead hookers like he was auditioning for a slot on Law & Order: SVU. Not that I don’t care about dead hookers, hookers are some of the few people who give Worcester character. But the hookers he’s most concerned about are dead. I like to think there are 200,000 or so not so dead people that could use some looking out for in Worcester. Leave the dead hookers for the DA’s office Hermis, that election’s not till next year.

Bill McCarthy, At-Large/Mayoral Candidate, seemed a little perturbed that many of the students in attendance didn’t share his concern for crime rates in the neighborhood surrounding Clark. This is something that some of our ‘older’ residents/leaders are going to have to get used too. Sure, my mother, like much of her generation, believes that if she goes anywhere in the city after dark she will be raped, murdered and eaten by roving bands of republicans. But most people from their 30’s on down just don’t find Worcester to be that scary. Sure there are jerk offs anywhere you go who will be happy to ruin your day, but they are the exception and not the rule. It seems that Clark students are bright enough to recognize that the issue of crime in the area surrounding the school is an issue of population density which will obviously lead to higher numbers no matter what issue we’re studying.

Lynne Simonds, running against incumbent Barbara Haller in district 4, seems to have been doing some work on the campus. She had a large, relative to the small crowd, turnout of supporters from the student body. Hopefully she has worked equally hard wooing residents who actually vote.

Incumbent Mayor Tim Murray answered my question, sort of, before I had a chance to ask it by giving a speech on integrating the Cities college student population into the city as full time residents. No easy task from a historical perspective. Having spent a good part of the last decade showing college aged females’ around the city (with the best of intentions of course), I feel comfortable stating that it’s not too hard to get them to stay. You just have to show them a good time. Contrary to conventional wisdom, for cats just graduating jobs are often secondary to enjoying oneself. I’m sure you could convince a newly graduated electrical engineer to live with the Amish, if the Amish knew how to party.

On a similar note Barbara Haller, incumbent in district 4, offered up the One Love Café as place for Clark students to go to make the most of their time in the city. Hmm, I thought the Blarney Stone had that market cornered.

William Colman, At-Large/Mayoral candidate, told the story of his life condensed into 3 minutes. Amazingly he didn’t have to skip a single detail.

At-Large Incumbents Dennis Irish, Mike Perroto, Juan Gomez and Joe Petty were also along for the ride but didn’t say anything requiring a snarky comment.

October 27, 2005 | Filed Under The Big Woo, politics | Leave a Comment

Volcano Boy Presents Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Price

Some of you may have noticed the little smile face thing that has lurked over there in the sidebar for some time. You may also have noticed that it has become a large smiley face thing tonight. In either case now you have certainly noticed, and here’s what its all about. On Wednesday November 16th, Duncan Arsenault and I, through our company The Volcano Boy Media Network and in conjunction with Ralph’s Diner will be presenting a screening of Director Robert Greenwald’s latest documentary, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. When the opportunity to host the film was made available to me, I was a little bit torn. Anyone who knows me can attest to me being a Capitalist through and through. But there is something about this company that has always struck a negative chord with me. I think we have to be honest and accept that as a business model, Wal-Mart is pure genius. From their shipping infrastructure to their pricing, they are able to provide their customers with unparalleled service. But they also have unparalleled ability to lay waste to local economies and permanently change local landscapes. As Wal-Mart has made a concerted effort to move from their traditional rural developments into the urban market place, it’s more important than ever to take a look at this company and make educated decisions as to whether the services they offer truly out way the potential damage they can do.

It’s no secret that Wal-Mart has, through it’s development partners scoped out Worcester proper for a potential site. The area most often talked about is the former Wyman Gordon location in Green Island. If the recent campaign Wal-Mart fought to enter into the Chicago market is any indication, they are taking the urban frontier very seriously. So should we.

So please put aside Wednesday, November 16th to come down to Ralph’s Diner and take in one side of the Wal-Mart story, it may not be the side of the story the company wants you to hear and it doesn’t have to be the side of the story that you subscribe to. But sooner or later it’s going to be a story that all of us in Worcester find ourselves a part of. After the movie our host Dickie “the most unfortunately named man in Worcester” Cummings will have a collection of great bands for you and as always the Ralph’s Diner grill will be ablaze and the libations flowing. It’s sure be a great night with the potential to spur some great local debate.

RSVP for the show here

Official Volcano Boy Press Release

October 25, 2005 | Filed Under The Big Woo, movies, politics | 2 Comments

Clark University to host City Council candidates’ forum

If you live in The Big Woo, this could be your only chance to ask questions of the At-Large, mayoral and district 4 council candidates. Free and open to the public, you cant afford to miss out of this opportunity.

WORCESTER, MA-Clark University will host a City Council Candidates’ Forum at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 26, in Room 320 of the Jefferson Academic Center. Co-sponsors of this event are Clark’s Urban Development and Social Change (UDSC) Program, Department of Government, and Civic Engagement and Volunteering Center. The Forum will provide an opportunity for candidates for the At-Large Council seats, for Mayor, and for the District 4 seat to introduce themselves and present their views and agendas on the issues they consider of greatest importance for the city of Worcester and its residents. It is intended to enhance citizens’ awareness, information, and participation in the City Elections on November 8.

link

October 25, 2005 | Filed Under politics | Leave a Comment

Public drinking; Not just for drunks anymore!

My buddy Gabe Rollins, who recently moved down to Baltimore, noticed that contrary to the conventional wisdom held here in the north east; the world does in fact NOT end when you allow adults to drink in public.

link

October 10, 2005 | Filed Under The Big Woo, politics | 1 Comment