Copper Robot: Mitch Wagner's old blog – go to www.MitchWagner.com

I don’t go in for the contemporary superstitious practice of keeping one’s email secret. I share it far and wide on the Web. I don’t get much additional spam because of it, and sharing it makes it easier for people to get in touch with me. Which is kind of the point of email, you know?

So when someone asked me a question on Twitter yesterday on a subject that looked too complicated to discuss there, I asked them to email me, and posted my email address to Twitter. I do that every now and then, no big deal.

I just got the following message in email from complete strangers who were not part of the conversation, who I don’t follow, and who I’ve never heard of before they emailed me:

From: Emails @ Risk <mails.at.risk@gmail.com>
Subject: Emails use in Twitter

Dear MitchWagner

We have found that your email is shared in tweets. We advise you to hide your email from spammers by sharing email address as an image or hide it behind a url.

Visit us at : http://emails-at-risk.appspot.com?e=3rtou to find how you can do this.

Happy Twitting !!!
“2 million emails are sent every second. About 70% to 72% of them might be spam and viruses.”

Far as I know, the only spam I’ve received from publishing my email address on Twitter is from these guys.

Sheesh.

While walking to the train in Los Angeles Union Station, a young woman who looked to be about 20 stopped me. She was blonde, and looked healthy, but overdue for a bath. She started to say, “Excuse me, sir…. ”

I ignored her and walked right by her, because her body language and appearance told me she was a panhandler. And I’ve gotten in the habit of ignoring panhandlers.

I didn’t just assume she was ANY kind of panhandler, but rather the kind of young person who’s capable of working but would rather panhandle.

Then I got on the train and decided I didn’t want to be That Guy. I didn’t regret my action enough to chase the woman down, but I decided to stop doing ignoring people who approach me in the street. I can at least acknowledge people when they talk to me, even if I don’t give them money.

And I tweeted my decision, because that’s what I do: “I ignore people who talk to me on the street if I think they’re panhandlers. Gotta stop doing that. It’s a dick move.”

I was looking forward to the train ride, nearly three hours alone with my laptop and the Internet, getting recombobulated from nearly three days of business travel, going over my notes and to-dos and business cards.

But when I opened my briefcase, the power adapter from my MacBook Pro was missing.

Well, shit, I thought. That’s karma for you. Be rude to a panhandler, forget your power adapter.

Then I got more annoyed, because I’d already arranged to come into the office late the next day, because my train got in after 11 pm and I’d been running on the usual trade-show sleep-deficit for three days. Now instead of getting right to work, I’d have to go to the store and get a power adapter.

Then I remembered: The power adapter I lost was my travel power adapter. I have another one at home. So I really didn’t need the adapter for a few days.

And I was too tired to work on the train anyway. I read a little, then listened to podcasts.

The next morning it occurred to me that it was really wrong for me to draw some kind of equivalence between my problem — I’d left my computer adapter at a four-star hotel — with the problems of this woman who, let’s face it, might be legitimately homeless.

And why did I assume she was a grifter? How did I know she was capable of working but chose to be homeless instead? And even if she did that, didn’t that possibly speak to OTHER problems? And was any of this my business, or an excuse to ignore her when she spoke to me, or to treat my problems and hers as equivalent?

Heck, she might not even have been a panhandler. I think she almost certainly was. But I never heard her out past, “Excuse me, sir…. ”

But, mainly: I don’t believe in that kind of karma. My blowing off the young woman who attempted to speak with me and forgetting my MacBook Pro power adapter? Just a coincidence.

P.S. On the million to one chance that the woman at the train station is reading this, I’m 5’9.5″, nearly bald, was wearing a gray suit and tie, pulling a black roll-on overnight bag and computer bag behind me. Feel free to leave a message here or email me.

I favor socialized medicine. Why? Because it works.

And yet favoring big government is not in my nature. Politically, I’m a liberal who favors small government. Why? Because I became politically aware during the Nixon administration. Bad as Nixon was, he looks like a statesman today compared with the presidents who followed, most of whom were assclowns.

I’ve spent most of my adult life as part of the computer and Internet industry, where small, agile organizations beat big companies most of the time. My professional experience has led me to favor small, short-lived institutions over big monolithic ones that blunder on wreaking damages for decades or centuries.

I can easily be convinced to oppose socialized medicine. Here’s how:

Explain to me why it is that people live longer in the countries that have socialized medicine, while those nations pay less for medical care than we do.

Don’t give me anecdotal evidence about some guy you know, or someone you read about in a book, who got crappy care from socialized medicine. Show me hard facts, preferably statistics. Because I can match you fact for fact; everyone I know from Canada or Europe loves their socialized medicine, and thinks Americans are mad for being so adamantly opposed to it. They look at America like a beloved uncle who smokes three packs a day and insists that there’s nothing wrong with it.

As of this moment, conservatives have not presented an alternative to socialized medicine. It’s all handwave handwave handwave free market handwave.

I’m an easy sell. Prove to me that socialized medicine is a bad idea, and I’ll oppose it. Prove to me there’s a better alternative and I’ll support that.

I’ve driven and flown this route many times, but the train is so much nicer. It’s almost three hours. There’s plenty of legroom, you don’t have to hassle with security, you don’t have to batten down your luggage and put away your computer for takeoff and landing. The staff is friendly and efficient.

And now I can work or play the entire time; not only can I get wireless Internet access but there are power sockets next to the seats (at least in business class).

This is not true everywhere on Amtrak. A few years ago, we were going to take the scenic train from Oakland to San Diego. That train was delayed by something like three days (!!!) so instead we took local trains and coach buses between the two cities. It was a miserable experience.

But when and where Amtrak runs well, it’s delightful.

I think about that whenever I hear people complaining about giving up the freedom of their cars for the chains of public transit. What freedom? Freedom to sit in traffic, to find parking, to pay for gas and maintenance? If I lived somewhere like New York City or London where there is decent public transit, I’d give up my car in a minute. Sure, there are occasions when you need or want to drive, but in that case you can always rent. And with companies like Zipcar, renting is an increasingly attractive option.

A friend links to this article about the health benefits of coffee.

I see people talking about giving up caffeine, and I have to bite my tongue to ask them, “Why?” If you’re not having trouble sleeping, or feeling jittery, moderate caffeine is harmless for most people. There may be specialized medical conditions where it’s harmful — and I think it’s also bad for pregnant women, too, isn’t it? Consult your doctor if you’re concerned. But if you’re healthy and not-pregnant, a couple of cups of joe a day are almost certainly fine.

I have a friend who was a doctor in an inner-city emergency room, treated a lot of drug addicts and gunshot wounds and stabbings and such. One day I said to him, “I’ve noticed you’re kind of a health fanatic. You watch what you eat, and you exercise a lot every day. And yet you drink coffee like a fiend. What’s with that?”

He said, “Well, there are some studies showing caffeine is bad for you, but they’re inconclusive. There are others showing it’s GOOD for you although those are also inconclusive. Bottom line is that I’ve never had to treat anybody in my ER for a caffeine-related condition.”

I just loved the image of some junkie staggering in the ER having Starbucks cappuccino withdrawal.

Me, I’m a tea drinker most of the time. Also love my daily Diet Dr Pepper. But I love a good cup of coffee now and then.

I think people give up caffeine from a kind of magical thinking. Exercise and watching what you eat are difficult and unpleasant at first, but they’re good for you. Giving up caffeine is ALSO difficult and pleasant at first — so therefore it also must be good for you.

Even the author of this article succumbs to that same kind of magical thinking: “As a registered dietitian and a nutrition editor for EatingWell Magazine, I know that coffee is fine in moderation. It has lots of antioxidants and is low in calories if you don’t load it up with cream and sugar. Nonetheless, I always feel slightly guilty about drinking it—you know, in a ‘it’s so good, it must be bad’ kind of way.”

Some things that are good for you are also enjoyable. Deal with it.

My friend the doctor also makes craft beer.

Paul stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who also wrote the screenplay, as a pair of English science fiction fans who come to San Diego Comic-Con on their first trip to America. It’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. The first couple of scenes take place at Comic-Con, and, man, was that a trip, since I’ve been to Comic-Con myself many times. It all looked perfect, obviously filmed on location, except nowhere near as crowded as the real thing.

After Comic-Con they rent an RV and set off to tour America’s UFO sites: Area 51, Roswell, and so forth. Along the way, they come across a car accident, and meet up with Paul, a big-headed round-eyed alien like in all the UFO books and documentaries (there’s a reason for that). Paul is voiced by Seth Rogen, and has the same easygoing stoner personality. He’s been on Earth for 64 years, since his spaceship crash-landed. He swears a lot, smokes pot, and wants to make it clear he doesn’t do rectal probes. “Why does everyone always assume that? What am I doing? Am I harvesting farts? How much can I learn from an ass?”

After that, it’s your basic cross-country chase movie, Close Encounters meets Smokey and The Bandit meets Galaxy Quest, as the group in their RV are pursued by the Secret Service, a couple of rednecks in an SUV, and a Bible-thumping trailer-park manager in a beat-up pickup truck. It’s a good-hearted, profane, fun trip.

Here’s a nifty little trivia bit about the making of the movie: Paul is, of course, entirely a CGI-generated effect. “For much of the filming, Seth Rogen was off filming The Green Hornet and so was unavailable to inhabit the digital character to capture Paul’s motion and interact with the other actors. So, Joe Lo Truglio, who also plays O’Reilly [the nerdiest of the Secret Service agents], took on the part. He studied Rogen extensively in order to impersonate his voice, performed on his knees to capture Paul’s physical presence and even improvised in character as Paul. After filming, Rogen came in and provided the character’s voice.”

The movie has lots of affectionate little nods to other science fiction: Star Trek, Close Encounters, ET, a great riff on the Star Wars cantina scene, Alien, Deliverance, and more. I’m told there’s even a little Harlan Ellison joke in the movie, although I missed it.

Later: According to the discussion forums on Ellison’s Web site, the Jeffrey Tambor character, Adam Shadowchild, is supposed to be a parody of Ellison. I agree with Mike Benedetti on that forum, who says: “Adam Shadowchild did not associate in my mind with Harlan. [Harlan's] personality is very specific, and anybody attempting to satirize him would have no problem pulling out any number of recognizable traits to mimic.”

Phil Nichols, writing on that forum, says he “suspects” James Ward of the Californian is reading Shadowchild as Ellison. The Californian review just says: “The script also at times gets esoteric with a pointed joke aimed at the famously grumpy sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison. It’s a joke that only a few hundred people will get, but those who do will appreciate the laugh.” There’s no further explanation in The Californian.

Another forum member says the screenwriters didn’t have anyone in particular in mind when they wrote that character.

I’ve never met Ellison but I’ve seen him speak, seen him interviewed, and read a lot of his work, and I didn’t make a connection between Shadowchild and Ellison. It’s a puzzle.

It was a good weekend and a busy one. I got a lot done.

I did laundry. Normally this is not a noteworthy event, but most of this load is XL, XXL, and XXXL clothes, which will be donated to charity.

I’ve been enjoying buying a new wardrobe in my new size. My needs are pretty simple; I’m not exactly a clotheshorse, although I have taken an interest in buying particular clothes, which surprises Julie and me too. A week ago, I bought a pair of jeans, which was the first pair of jeans I’ve owned or worn in more than ten years; fat as I was, I didn’t feel right wearing jeans.

Putting them on was a rush of sense-memory. I used to wear jeans all the time

Then, Sunday, I went to Men’s Wearhouse and bought two suits, two shirts, and the salesman convinced me to buy a tie, too. Good salesman. Retailers, if you don’t have a salesman available to shadow customers from the moment they walk in the door, there’s nothing distinguishing you from Amazon except you’re less convenient. This is not a path to success.

I enjoy buying new clothes, but I hate trying them on, which is why I don’t do it very often. I’m picking up the altered suit tonight, in time to bring them on a business trip to LA Tuesday.

I also made some changes to the standing desk configuration. I swapped out the on-its-side bookshelf that I’d been using to elevate the height of the desk, replacing it with a two-piece entertainment unit that the Chief Engineer found for me in a catalog, and assembled.

Advantages: The entertainment unit is wider and deeper, making for more desk space, and it’s not Julie’s shelf unit, which I had to scrub down good to get my cooties off of it before returning it to her.

If you can’t visualize what I’m talking about here, take a look at this picture. The white part is actually a standing bookshelf, laid on its side and resting on top of a conventional desk. I replaced it with a two-piece entertainment unit, the kind of thing you’d put on the floor of your living room and rest your widescreen TV on. Instead, I put it on top of my regular desk to create a standing desk. It looks pretty much the same as that photo; the entertainment unit, like the bookshelves, is white.

And, oh, yeah, I redesigned the blog, which you’ve already seen if you read this at CopperRobot.com. No difference at all if you’re reading this on the Facebook and LiveJournal mirrors. I was tired of the old look. I had some help from a friend on this; he’s private about the Internet, but I’ll name him to thank him publicly if he says its ok.

Over on Quora, someone asked: “Is it appropriate to tease persons of larger-than-average weight?”

Some of the respondents talked about societal issues that lead to obesity, but this guy here is having none of that. He issues a stirring rallying cry for personal responsibility: “Blame should be put squarely on the person directly and not on society or on evolution. In the case of children, the blame should be put squarely on the parents.”

Ironically, Mr. Personal Responsibility here didn’t give his name. He posted anonymously. Way to assert your individuality, big fella.

There’s always a few of these guys in any discussion of public health issues that involve behavioral problems. They’re first in line to proudly point the finger of blame at the person suffering the problem, the fatty, or drug addict, or smoker, or victim of a venereal disease. And every one of them considers themselves to be the lone courageous voice of reason in a society of sheeple too timid to buck the tides of political correctness.

Even if there are several of them in the conversation, each one of them considers him or her self to be the one sane person, ignoring the existence of their neighbors. It’s like each of them thinks they’re Tom Hanks in Cast Away, alone on a desert island, not realizing their island is actually Manhattan.

But blaming the fatty isn’t helpful. Sure, it’s true that obesity is the responsibility of the fat person. They should exercise better judgment when they eat and exercise. But we live in a society that makes it difficult to exercise that judgment. Unhealthy food is easy to come by, while healthy food is not so easy. Did you ever try to find a healthy snack or meal at the mall? When I go to the mall now, I bring my own snacks. And if you live in the suburbs, it’s hard to walk from place to place, much easier to get in a car and drive.

We, as a society, should do something about that, rather than lecturing people about how they’re wrong to be fat. Because, you know, absolutely nobody who’s fat is happy about that. They already know it’s a bad idea.

I responded to the question like this:

No, it is not okay to tease fat people. It is hurtful. Also, you shouldn’t make comments to smokers about their health. It’s none of your business.

If appealing to your better nature doesn’t quash your desire to tease fat people, consider this: Fat people, by nature, are likely to be BIGGER THAN YOU.