Disqus - Latest Comments for Jay Andrew Allen

Re: Aggregator Overload

Jay Andrew Allen — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 23:06:05 -0000

I simply see it as the downside of such services being cheap and easy to build. It's a good thing, in the long run: the competition will eventually subside, and we'll be left with the best of breed. That's already happened among social networking sites, with a small number of sites dominating (MySpace, Facebook), and a few others filling niche needs (like Gaia/Zaadz).

Myself, I use three apps: Google Reader, Facebook, and Twitter. Anything else is a colossal time suck. When Internet apps stop making my work in this world useful, and instead BECOME my work, then I know it's time to pull back on the techno-horse.

Re: It’s a damn Twitter account - not the end of the world

Jay Andrew Allen — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:37:48 -0000

Yep,it's a tool - and there are a myriad of ways to use these tools, many of them untapped. There's too much of a focus ont he Internet on using a tool because it's the "next big thing," and not because it's actually useful.

Well said.

Re: Melanie Bowers: Racism, Apologies, Re-Education?

Jay Andrew Allen — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:05:45 -0000

Good for the parents. Here's hoping for a larger ideological turnaround.

Re: Running the Gauntlet

Jay Andrew Allen — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:28:08 -0000

Wow - that's beautiful.

Re: Marriage Lessons from MC Hammer

Jay Andrew Allen — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:45:33 -0000

Just found your blog and am loving it. My wife and I experienced a hellish 2007, exacerbated by my own personal problems. Now our marriage couldn't be better. Well, maybe it could - I'll keep reading to find out! :)

Re: Will Obama enslave the entire white race?

Jay Andrew Allen — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:23:06 -0000

The Rev. Pfleger interview was great. He didn't get trapped into the reporter's framing. (You'll notice the reporter went from "Rev. Wright's comments have been *called* anti-American," etc., to "Why would that kind of message be appropriate in your church?")

Re: Marriage Lessons from MC Hammer

Jay Andrew Allen — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:45:33 -0000

Re: Marriage Lessons from MC Hammer

Jay Andrew Allen — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:45:33 -0000

Re: One Laptop Per Child - Reviewed By Expert

Jay Andrew Allen — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:32:20 -0000

alex - I didn't have a dedicated computer until I was in college either. That didn't mean I wouldn't have benefited from one, especially in the current age of ubiquitous Internet access.

The waste issue is bigger. According to OLPCNews.com, the OLPC project doesn't have a good recycling plan for the laptops.

Re: Survey: Have Your Meat Eating Habits Changed?

Jay Andrew Allen — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:41:01 -0000

Count me as someone who's eating a lot less meat as a direct result of Pollan, Nestle et. al. I didn't change much directly after reading THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA, but over the ensuing months, I've greatly reduced the amount of meat I eat. What meat we do consume is purchased through the co-op or the local health food store, which both sell meat only from local producers.

I also find I'm just eating LESS, and being more concerned about total calorie consumption than macronutrient balance. Both changes - eating less, eating more vegetarian - go a long way toward making organic produce and organic, humane meat affordable.

Re: Put a Cow In Your Tank

Jay Andrew Allen — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:27:13 -0000

I quit eating meat to spare a cow, not to shove one into my engine block. Ugh.

Re: A Picture is Worth...Lifestyle Choices to Combat Global Warming

Jay Andrew Allen — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:27:53 -0000

I sent this to my 11-year-old daughter. Been trying to get her on the bandwagon. She's a good hippy child, though - she'll catch the fever eventually. :)

Re: How Green is My Bike Ride?

Jay Andrew Allen — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:18:26 -0000

Jesus! Every time I think I've "gone green," some asshole raises the bar!

Just kidding. (Mostly.) Interesting info. Not sure I'm ready for a bamboo frame, though. And of course, there's the issue that if you already own something, even if it isn't "green," it doesn't make sense to chuck it just to be Greener Than Thou.

Re: New York Times On Living in 435 Square Feet

Jay Andrew Allen — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:49:51 -0000

@Glenn - did you read the article? Most of their furnishings are cheap. The kitchen cabinets are from IKEA. Even the bathroom tile cost under $200. The most expensive items in that space are the appliances.

Re: Trends We Love: All-You-Can-Eat Ballparks

Jay Andrew Allen — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:14:17 -0000

I'm glad TH covered this. Opposing unhealthy trends in American culture is just as important as promoting the healthy ones.

Re: Diet Sunglasses Reduce Your Appetite

Jay Andrew Allen — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:54:20 -0000

Actually, I don't eat like Michael Pollan - I'm a vegetarian. Oddly, it was reading Pollan (who's not) that was the final straw for me. But hey, guilty on the bike commute!

I love capitalism. Take a pair of blue sunglasses and put the word "Diet" on their label, and you've got yourself a business - and tons of free publicity.

Re: Graphic Of The Day: Americans Driving Less

Jay Andrew Allen — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:37:25 -0000

Now let's institute a gas tax, and watch that sucker REALLY dip.