Wingtipzz’s Neighborhood

On turning "30"

Well, not actually 30. Today's my birthday, and I'm turning 30 only if you measure it in hexadecimal, a milestone I've been looking forward to for the past 6 years. (It gives away the secret if you say "I'm 2D years old".)

It's not only my birthday, but it's also the birthday of my brother Russ, exactly one year younger than me (and always has been... imagine that!).

It's also a famous day for people who are at least a bit older than me: Kennedy was shot on my second birthday, and my brother's first birthday, so we hear a lot about that on our birthday as various major anniversaries kick in.

Today is also the birthday of my "twin sister", Mariel Hemingway. After discovering that she shares my exact date of birth from the old Internet Movie Database, I had called her my "twin sister" on my web homepage since from nearly the beginning of having a website for stonehenge.com. It took a couple of years, but I found an address that happened to reach her, and she sent me an autographed picture of her, and I sent her husband an autographed copy of Learning Perl. For a few years, we exchanged birthday cards, and then the address started bouncing so I left it alone.

Mariel Hemingway Twitter Exchange 2

Until this year. I noticed Ms Hemingway was on Twitter, so I started tweeting about my "twin sister". Apparently, she noticed, and responded kindly. And if she's reading this, thank you. :)

Looking back, it's been a really rough year for me. Brought to the brink of financial ruin, losing close relatives and longtime friends, and my own medical struggles, have all really tested my endurance. I have made it clear to my longtime friends though that the stress of this past year has easily exceeded the stress I felt in 1995 during my arrest and felony conviction. Yes, "a new high in lows".

And in a typical "Randal" fashion, right alongside those pains, I've had some pretty amazing things happen, with the success of FLOSS Weekly and my re-entry into the Smalltalk world. It's all Mr Toad's Wild Ride constantly, and yet there I times I say "I wouldn't have it any other way".

I'm taking Mom on her second cruise in a few weeks... a nice run down into the eastern Carribean on Insight Cruise sailing # 50. This will mark her first visit to the east coast, and her first time in an airplane in (gad) 50 years. She also had to get her first passport ever. She's excited, and can't wait. Of course, having a seasoned traveller like me along has been very helpful for her... but she comes up with those questions I didn't realize anyone would ever have. :)

For those of you who have stood by me and continue to do in my times of trouble, thank you. For those of you who think my life is just fine all the time, please pay attention. :)

And we continue... one day at a time.

I'm on fire, bay-bee!

Randal Schwartz
Nov 21, 2009
1 comment

In the past 10 days, I've delivered a talk I call "Karaoke for Fun and Profit" not once, but twice, at two separate "ignite" events: IgnitePortland and IgniteSalem.

I pitched the talk a bit as an afterthought... I had originally pitched a talk about FLOSS Weekly to IgnitePortland, which had been rejected as too self serving. The karaoke idea came quickly in response, but once accepted, there was the dread of having to actually write a talk that fulfilled the over-the-top promises I had made. And once the Portland talk was confirmed, Salem quickly asked me to do the same thing in their venue, to which I agreed as a "rehearsal" for Portland.

I have lots of practice delivering short, medium, and long talks to classrooms around the world. That wasn't the problem here. The problem was having slides that auto-advanced every 15 seconds for five minutes, and had to be frozen two full weeks before my performance, just a few days after I had been accepted. This was all new, and required a different thinking to generate. I managed to pull it off though, being warmly received in both venues.

You can watch the IgniteSalem video (which was shot on my brand-new Canon 7D in 1080p mode), or the IgnitePortland performance (as published officially by the event). Or both, and compare.

"You Are the Solution" Forum 10.03.09

"You Are The Solution" Forum
Presented by
The Black Star Community PTA and the League of Black Parents

The solutions to problems in the Black community are not outside of the Black community. The solutions are not in what we say, but in what we do. You are the solution!

In Chicago and across America, we cannot stop the carnage of Black children without you!

"You Are The Solution" Forum
Illinois Institute of Technology
Saturday, October 3, 2009
12:00 noon
3201 South State Street
Chicago, Illinois
Please RSVP to Lauren at 773.285.9600

You are the solution. Join us for our "solutions" forum. Even if you do not stay for the forum, you should please come to sign-up to be part of the solution and be prepared to do at least one of the following activities:

1.Volunteer for our Student Motivation / Mentor Program and become a classroom-based mentor for 6th- through 12th-grade students at least 3 times a year

2.Volunteer for our Real Men Read Program and become a classroom reader for kindergarten to 3rd-grade students two times per year

3.Volunteer for our Destination College Program and become a college coach for 4th- through 8th-grade students two times per year

4.Join our 100 Concerned Women In Action to work with a team of women helping to solve the problems of the community

5.Join our League of Black Parents and Black Star Community PTA to work for and advocate for the education of all children

6.Attend Parent University classes that create outstanding parents at least 4 times per year

7.Join our Million Father Movement, where fathers take their children to school or visit their child's school at least one day each month

8.Join our Take A Black Male to Worship Day, where faith-based organizations reach out to young Black men 4 times per year

9.Join our Fathers Club and take your children to free sports, athletic, cultural, educational and recreational events at least 4 times per year

10.Become a dues-paying member of The Black Star Project to support the above programs. Click here to join.

While we are all part of the solution!!

This forum will feature these solution leaders:

•Phillip Hampton of Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy
•Spencer Leak, Sr. of Black on Black Love (Invited)
•Tio Hardeman of Cease-Fire!
•Rev. Franklin Ballenger of By The Hand Club for Kids
•Phillip Jackson of The Black Star Project

http://www.blackstarproject.org/home/

Please RSVP to Lauren at 773.285.9600

My analysis of the FOSSLC debate: "Which Open Source License is Best?"

I was asked to judge a debate on the merits of the EPL, GPL, and BSD licenses. Note that I'm not judging the licenses themselves, but rather how well each representative presented their position.

In brief, David Maxwell made the best case for BSD with 16 net points. In second place, Mike Milinkovich representing the EPL came in with 14 13 net points. And last (and least) was Matt Asay, representing the GPL with an embarassing negative 4 points. (Matt's score would have been far better if he had at least once connected "more people use GPL" with "and thus GPL is better", but he never made that connection.)

Congratulations to all three debaters! Many interesting points were made. Here's my notes, which might be a bit cryptic, but they're meaningful to me, and that's what matters. {grin}

▼ EPL - Mike Milinkovich

• +1 argued that we're all really on the same side (more agreement than disagreement)

• +1 quoted Simon Phipps

• -1 irrelevant reference to "universal donor/recipient" phrase

• +1 defined "weak copyleft"

• +1 quoted Danese Cooper about lawyers

• +1 good description of EPL

• +1 gave commercial examples of EPL

• +1 EPL is written as a legal document, but -1 in describing how that applied

• +1 promoted why EPL covers patents as well, but -1 for not explaining it

• +1 EPL is good for various business models

• +1 for pointing out lies, damn lies, statistics, comparing project count vs usage

• +1 for differentiating commercialization of open source vs using open source for goals

• +1 for saying EPL provides similar protection to GPL in terms of permanent protection

• +1 even redhat ships EPL code

• +1 for clarifying the science problem, explaining how GPL requires credit/ownership to flow uphill

• +1 for describing why governments (not US) should use EPL

• +1 think through the choices you make (be informed)

▼ GPL - Matt Asay

• +1 redhat is making money with GPL

• -1 "GPL is most dominant license" - who cares... point not made

• -1 "it's about trust" but failed to present why it's more trustable

• +1 "it's about sharing", simple to understand

• +1 describing how people who choose to want their code always open can use this

• +1 that it's about distribution, not about internal usage

• -1 "more code under GPL" - again, without justifying why "more popular" = "better"

• +1 explaining why it's good for business

• -1 for using "bludgeoning the competition" without describing what that means

• -1 for again relying on "more people use GPL"

• -1 for some weird "movie reviewer analogy"

• -1 for again going to "popularity" without justifying it

• -1 for comparing "giving away software" to "trusting someone you loan your car to"

• -1 for bad analogy with science (confuses use with attribution)

• +1 for pointing out that individuals choose GPL knowing that their software not being hijacked

• -1 for again using "most popular" as justification

▼ BSD - David Maxwell

• +1 explaining why we need licenses ("public domain" might not even mean anything)

• +1 for explaining some history (oldest license of three)

• +1 for reading the entire license

• +1 for pointing out that the other two would not have enough time to do that :)

• +1 for describing how complex licenses (GPL, EPL) are more frequently misunderstood by normal people

• +1 for not being a lawyer :)

• +1 for describing how BSD is more trusting than GPL

• +1 for explaining concern of using GPL with contractors

• +1 for pointing out the redefinition of "contributor" in the EPL

• +1 for pointing out that the freedom is granted "to the software" in GPL, whuh!

• +1 for pointing out VHS vs Beta as "winner is not always best"

• +1 for pointing out that the scripting languages all use some form of BSD license

• +1 for pointing out BSD forks do share a lot of code back and forth

• +1 for pointing out how widespread BSD-licensed code is used (Apple, etc)

• +1 for explaining the sour grapes of "getting ripped off by commercial" being without justification

• +1 for providing BSD as alternative for EPL for government items

Happy 69th Birthday, Mom!

Randal Schwartz
Aug 25, 2009
1 comment

Mom eats her birthday dessert
Originally uploaded by randal-schwartz.

Mom visited me (down from Olympia Washington) for her 69th birthday. Together, we visited her childhood home in Portland (on Gladstone Street) and her next home, my childhood home in Gladstone (near Portland Avenue).

Amazingly enough, without any advance notice, the current residents of both homes let us come in for a quick tour, to see what had changed. It was weird... I hadn't been in either home as an adult. Everything seemed so small!

Afterwards, we stopped at TeBo's in Gladstone for their famous Strawberry Shortcake.

Happy birthday, mom!

Commanding the crowd

I had a dream a few nights ago.

I don't remember most of my dreams, so this one stuck out, because I remembered it. Maybe it was also because I woke up "in the middle" of this part of the dream, but I can't tell.

I don't remember the exact means by which I ended up in the situation, but somehow, I was backstage of a large performance hall. One of those halls that has the stage in the center, surrounded by 20,000 fans—I think they call that "theatre in the round" style. I was probably remembering a recent Dane Cook comedy bit from HBO, actually.

The evening was a series of comedians or inspirational speakers... I wasn't sure which. Four or five, each with 45 minute slots. I had some role backstage... maybe technical, maybe just gopher, not sure.

But somehow, there'd been a mixup. At the last minute, one of the presenters in the middle slot couldn't go on. I don't recall whether they were tied up, or confused or what. But they weren't there.

The director of the event came over to me, looked me straight in the eye, and said "are you ready? you've done presentations in front of large crowds, right? I need a replacement. You have 90 seconds... get ready."

As a professional presenter, I can assure you, this is about as far from ideal as I would want. No preparation, no rehearsal, needing to fill a 45-minute slot with material for an audience that hadn't been fully analyzed, except that they were all (what's the common element?)... uh, human. Oh great, I thought, quickly noting that my usual technical jokes would fall on flat ears.

But here's the interesting part of this dream. I went through about a minute of terror, about 30 seconds of controlled breathing ("inhale ... one ... two.... exhale... three... four"), and then a great sense of calm... at peace. I found a place where I could trust myself to say whatever the audience needed me to say to be in rapport with them, without any specific idea of what I would say.

I donned the wireless Countryman headset, did a quick soundcheck, and walked out into the lights, onto the stage.

"Ladies and Gentleman... what I'm about to say might make many of you get up out of your seats and leave for the next 45 minutes, but bear with me, hear me out... I have something to say that might just surprise you..."

And nobody moved. The room got quiet.

And I remember an ear-to-ear grin. I had this crowd of 20k in my hand. And I knew that whatever I did for the next 45 minutes, they would talk about, twitter about, blog about, debate about, and meditate about for the next week or two. Or maybe forever.

It was just then... I woke up.

So what did I say? What did I talk about?

And could I have done that in real life?

One wonders.

Holley Thompson - 29 Dec 1962 to 22 Mar 2009

I've been meaning to catch up with my friend Holley, whom I first met around 1990 when she started handling my travel arrangements for my frequent business trips. The short "I'm flying to New York" conversations got longer as we chatted and flirted, until I eventually figured out that I should accept her invitation to go skiing with her someday.

In my second year of skiing, she needed a tenth person to round out a GS Racing team. She said it didn't matter that I was still snowplowing down the green-level runs: any tenth warm body would do. She was desperate to get to the finals in Keystone Colorado, and without a team, it wouldn't happen.

Holley Thompson - Racing on Skis

So, I started skiing with her on the race team. Every weekend throughout the season, we'd hit a resort, alternating between local resorts on Mt Hood, and regional resorts in the area. Every weekend, the fastest time for my group would be something like 18 seconds. The second slowest time would be 25 seconds. Mine would be 35. I was the only racer who had not learned to parallel ski.

But I didn't care. It was social, it was fun, it was hot toddies next to the raging fire in the fireplace at the end of the day. And always Holley's warm smile and laughter. That girl could laugh.

While most of the competing teams would hit the Portland weekends, very few of them would make it to the regional races. Thus, because I had stamina (and Holley's travel agent discount for hotels), I was at every race, and accumulated more points than any other male on the team in the low-rung category.

Randal Schwartz - GS Racing Nationals

And thus, ironically, I was chosen to go to nationals, being the best of the worst, purely on points, never having won a single race the entire season. Holley glared at me, because they didn't take her: she won enough races to get into the top division, and was the bottom of the top. I savored that all-expense paid trip to Keystone, and snowplowed my way through the finals, being the only one on the hill who had never parallel-skiied.

Holley and I picked Karaoke as a means of entertainment during the off-season, and began next year with snowboarding. We boarded a couple more years, before I got busy and she went her own way. We hung out with the occasional Karaoke session over the years, but the last time I saw her was probably five years ago.

Her phone number in my iPhone had long been dead... I googled her name occasionally to try to find her. I knew she had a pet boarding/grooming business, and found some old posts with references to that, but nothing current.

On a whim, a couple of hours ago, I googled for her name again, since she had crossed my mind earlier today. I found an obituary, saying she had passed away two months ago. I had to re-read it three times to verify that it was really her. But I'm sure it is. It mentions her then-boyfriend, now apparently husband Mark, and her daughter Shelby.

I guess at age 47, it's time to start thinking that maybe 10% of your friends and loved ones will be gone already. But I really wasn't ready for this one either.

Holley, I will miss you. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to say goodbye. I hope they have skiing and karaoke where you are, with no waiting.

Goodbye, friend Holley.

"Precious" by Lee Daniels

Ms Genevieve
May 18, 2009
3 comments

Precious

Winner of three awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, Lee Daniels "Precious" won a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday where it played to an enthusiastic crowd in the festival's Un Certain Regard sidebar.

Daniels' harrowing film is the story of an illiterate black teenager from Harlem, who is abused by her parents, pregnant with her second child and struggling to get through high school and break out of the welfare cycle she's been born into.

Daniels said before the screening of his film, which is adapted from the Novel "Push" by Sapphire , that he was "deeply honored" to be in Cannes. "It is a dream, and it is a far cry from where I came from," he told the audience.

The film stars Gabourey Sadibe, Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey and Mo'Nique.

Produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry.

"Precious" will be released nationwide November 6.

Take a Black Male to Worship Day 6.28.09

Ms Genevieve
May 8, 2009
1 comment

"How can I, a young Black man, understand how to worship, except if a man teaches me?"

"Take a Black Male to Worship Day" 76.28.09

Blackchurch

The Black Star Project's Million Father Movement is partnering with the most dynamic force in the Black community--the Black church! On Sunday, June 28, 2009, we are asking older men to guide younger men towards spirituality, fatherhood, prosperity and high-quality family living. How can they know, except that some man would guide them? (Acts 8:31 )

"Take a Black Male to Worship" at your faith-based institution on your day of worship nearest to Sunday, June 28, 2009

We are especially asking fathers, grandfathers, foster fathers, stepfathers, uncles, cousins, big brothers, mentors, deacons, trustees, male choir members, significant male caregivers and family friends to join The Black Star Project in this movement. Women and men of all ethnicities are also encouraged to "Take a Black Male to Worship Day." This movement of men and women, spirits and ideas, is designed to help save the lives and the spirits of young Black males and is being led by Black churches, mosques, temples and synagogues across America.

Please ask your faith leader to ensure that your faith-based institution participates in this event. If you wish to participate in or lead the effort in your city or in your congregation on Sunday, June 28, 2009, (or your day of worship near this date):

To receive a complete organizing kit

Please call Mr. Bruce Walker at The Black Star Project

773.285.9600

or email blackstar1000@ameritech.net

Celebrate The First National Mom's Nite Out May 7th

Ms Genevieve
May 5, 2009
3 comments

National Mom's Night Out

National Mom’s Nite Out is the first nationally organized celebration just for moms on May 7th! Intended to bring together today’s moms, physically and virtually, National Mom’s Nite Out will unite over 150 social media groups, companies, local playgroups, mommy bloggers and mother social networks in giving moms a well deserved night off.

The evening will consist of over 400 local events held across the country, as well as mom-organized parties and virtual activities. The night of the event moms can join in the fun through online chats, Skype and Twitter tweet-ups.

Need to knows:

Official Song: Mothers Day Today (by Jill Gioia) available on iTunes and momsniteout.com

Official Drink: Mamatini, Momopolitan and Mamajitos - Recipes

Official Food: Chocolate (of course ! )

Here a few Chicago Events to enjoy your Mom's Nite Out May 7th:

All My Love - Tony Fiorentino's new dramedy about open relationships. When Ellen, a middle-aged divorcée and sexual psychiatrist, decides to explore the world of polyamory, the audience is exposed to the effect it has on her jealous boyfriend, secondary lover, his wife, and her two teenage daughters (one's suicidal and one's coitophobic). All My Love explores different "lovestyles" and questions Western society's strict adoration of and adherence to standard monogamy. If nothing else, the show spends a surprisingly quick 2-plus hours intelligently and wittily acknowledging both sides of a very sordid argument. (flavorpill) - http://www.diamanteproductions.com

Price $26 ( 13.50 if you Buy at Goldstar ) Theatre Building Chicago 1225 W Belmont Ave 773.327.5252

Cocktails and Skyline Sail - Your mini-adventure awaits! Indulge in some of Chicago's supreme pairings aboard Tall Ship Windy, your majestic ship for the evening. Enjoy cocktails on a breathtaking skyline cruise as you toast to the launch of French in Chicago and travel to the Chicago Lighthouse, then on a relaxing sail. Continue your evening at the free after party at Chibar with magnificent views of downtown as you sip on refreshing cocktails and enjoy mouth-watering appetizers. For more Information call 773-354-1563, email info@greatlakesevents.net or go to http://www.frenchinchicago.eventbrite.com/

Price $35 Boarding 7:30 for 8pm departure Navy Pier 600 East Grand Avenue Chicago

Frankie’s Brings the Old Neighborhood to the New Neighborhood - The mothers from The Women’s Piemontese Society will create the dishes they have been preparing for decades. Lettuce Entertain You’s Director of Wine and Spirits, Alpana Singh will enhance this meal by handpicking wines to be paired with each course. The cocktail reception will begin at 6 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m. guests will feast on specialties such as Antipasto Plate, Ridiche Salad, Tomato cream and wild mushroom Risotto, Beef short rib with polenta, Salmon with brown butter and capers, Lemon Fritter with spring fruit and assorted italian cookies . Guests will receive a take home bag with a bottle of wine, recipe book with stories, loaf of bread and Frankie’s gift certificate. http://tinyurl.com/d2ya6f

Price $75 per person all inclusive Reservations required 312.266.2500 Frankies 900 N Michigan Ave Chicago, IL

Great Chef's Tasting Party - The 17th Annual Great Chef's Tasting Party at the Sheraton on North Water St. Cocktails begins at 5pm with a cocktail reception and silent auction. Dinner starts at 6PM and ends at 9PM. A ton of restaurants are participating and it should prove to be another in a season of wonderful deals that showcase the variety of Chicago restaurant talent for a good cause. Wristbands from the event will act as complimentary express entry passes to Underground Nightclub ( 56 West Illinois St. Chicago)

Price $100 ($85 when you Enter "foodies09" in the coupon code area when ordering tickets )
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers 301 East North Water Street, Chicago

How Stress Is Affecting Your Life and What To Do - ChicagoHealers Practitioner Offers Information About Increasing Your Body’s Resistance to Stress. We are all in the battle against stress. (Especially Mom's!) If you have a strong resistance to stress you will be healthy, if you don’t, you will breakdown with a variety of health problems. If you suffer from fatigue, headaches, neck, shoulder or back pain, digestive problems, hormone imbalances, allergies, asthma or recurrent infections, you do not want to miss this workshop hosted by Dr. Steven Arculeo. Learn how to increase your body’s resistance to stress naturally so you feel great and avoid a health crisis. 7:00pm

Free Chicago Public Library – Sulzer Branch 4455 North Lincoln Avenue Chicago, IL 60625 (312) 643-2461

KDK Crawl - Your chance to experience all four KDK restaurants– Marché, Opera, Gioco and Red Light – in one evening. Participants will travel by trolley to dine at each acclaimed dining destination. Each stop will feature a signature cocktail and specialty from the restaurant so that participants may experience cuisines from all around the world and all around Chicago. Selections include: gruyere beignets, shrimp dumplings, mushroom wontons and wild boar parpadelle. KDK Crawl begins at Marché at 6:30 and will end across the street at Red Light ending at 9:30. Participants will travel via Trolley to the South Loop to experience Opera and Gioco.

Price $50 Reservations required Call Marché at 312-226-8399 833 W. Randolph St. Chicago, IL 60607

Ladies Night Out! - A Private Cocktail Reception at Cagney's from 6-8 featuring complimentary wine tasting, $5 manicures, $4 glasses of wine, 1/2 price bottles of wine, 1/2 price speciality cocktails.

Free Entry Cagney's 2142 N Clybourn Ave Chicago, IL 773.857.1111

Pump It Up - Pump It Up will host parties at their stores. This will be a fun night for just dad and the kids (caregivers too) so that mom can enjoy her night off. Pizza and drinks will be offered so mom doesn't have to worry about feeding the family!
Available at Crystal Lake- 847-854-3737 Glenview- 773-904-7867 Lisle- 630-435-5867

Renew Grand Opening - Michigan Avenue’s newest eco-spa Renew holds its grand opening party from 6 to 9 pm with complimentary mini manicures, pedicures, and facials; 30-minute massages; lip and eyebrow waxing; make-up artistry; massages; and cocktails. The event also features eco-friendly designs from Roslyn.

Complimentary Renew 980 N. Michigan Ave Chicago Illinois 312-526-3891

Tap into Taste - From 7pm - 10pm Chef Sam Burman prepares a five-course dinner with beer pairings from Chicago's Half Acre Beer Company. On the menu: blue prawn salad with Xtra Pale Ale, fried clams with lager, country pate with Daisy Cutter Pale Ale, venison sausage with Baume Stout and sticky toffee pudding with Baume Vanilla.

Price: $55. Reservations required 312-410-9800 Bluprint 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza Chicago, IL 60654

If you are seriously stuck at home, join the online mommy communities such as Momlogic and TheMotherhood, as they will be hosting virtual parties and follow @momsniteout on Twitter ( #MNO-09 )!

For more information on National Mom's Nite Out visit - http://www.momsniteout.com/