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I want to go on record with two terms I devised. Neither shows up on
Google, so there is a decent chance I created both. If anyone knows of
earlier uses, please tell me. The first is an Internet acronym for
those people who mean well but through their sheer disorganization and
position as nexii of chaos consistently screw it up. The term (which I
used for the first time to describe a volunteer organization that keep
e-mailing my wife not realizing they already had done it) is
HIRPHUA. It stands for “Heart In Right Place, Head Up Ass.”

The other is to describe the situation, such as at my current
workplace, where all top management are smokers. This means that many
times a day, groups of them meet out front of the building for 5 – 15
minutes at a time for what become defacto policy setting
meetings. Non-management smokers end up being present and having an
effect. Non-smokers end up mostly out of the process, and even if they
go down and hang out, it’s never the same. This situation is a
“nicotacracy.”

Here and now, I plant that flag of each of these terms. Use them as
you will. My goal is to see HIRPHUA used in an Usenet post
someday. That will be my success case.

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Dave Slusher is a blogger, podcaster, computer programmer, author, science fiction fan and father.

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We did not see Dave Ryan Harris last night (the title of today’s entry
is from one of his songs). Fatigue was the deciding factor. I sure
hate not going to things because we are too tired. That’s for old
people! We only have one more chance to see his “social” as he moves
to LA (as in Los Angeles, not the Louisiana I usually mean) in September.

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Dave Slusher is a blogger, podcaster, computer programmer, author, science fiction fan and father.

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One of the things I want to do some research on is the history of the
last twelve years of Atlanta, before after and during the Olympics. I
lived here for the periods 1985-1990, then 1993-1995 and again since 2000. We were here
for the time when the bid was active, during the building, and now
during the aftermath. It is not pretty. I have found my return for
these last two years to be one disappointment after another. Atlanta
is less friendly than it used to be, even worse on city planning
issues. We wanted the Olympics to become a world class city, and now
we are. We have world class traffic congestion, world class pollution
and world class budget shortfalls. Welcome to the big time, friends
and neighbors. Is it everything you dreamed it would be?

I heard tell today of a writer for the Atlanta Journal/Constitution who did a series of critical stories on the subject. I must look them up. Money was made, but the question
is in whose pockets did it wind up? Six years after an event that
was sold to us as bringing economic benefits, the city is in
terrible financial shape. Our services are being cut, our taxes
raised. Parts of the infrastructure like water and sewer are literally
falling apart and can’t be addressed with any finality because the
city is scrambling to pay its bills. We all know now that the Olympics
is a corrupt organization, with officials who use the goodwill of the
events and the glory thereof to stuff their pockets with money with
both fists. I think potential host cities should be asking themselves
“Do we want to be licking the ass of these crooks and scumbags for
most of the next decade? And if we do, how much of our future are we
willing to mortgage for that privilege?” It seemed so wonderful twelve years ago that
we would get to host them and the reality was really kind of
ugly. Ultimately, the endeavor is like trying to join the rich kid
clique at school by throwing a big fancy, expensive party. They will
come, eat your food and drink your drink, and then make fun of you for
thinking you could be one of them. If you aren’t in the club already,
it’s almost impossible to buy your way in.

I will be searching for the journalism on this topic and post
references here
if I can find any. Meanwhile I’ll be breathing smoggy air as assholes
in SUVs run stop signs and try to kill me every day I live here.

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Dave Slusher is a blogger, podcaster, computer programmer, author, science fiction fan and father.

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Music TopicToday’s band is Mary Timony. She seems not to have a web page
of her own, but she does have one at
Matador Records. I heard of her recently when she opened up for
Sonic Youth. Dumbass that I am, I missed her set but I listened to the
MP3 Matador has up there and I really like it. It’s kind of trippy and
dreamy ala some of the quieter Liz Phair songs. You can hear it

here.

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Dave Slusher is a blogger, podcaster, computer programmer, author, science fiction fan and father.