Presence

R. Heinemann Stands By "Sabbath Mode" Ovens

The Yeshiva World recently posted letters from prominent Israeli and American rabbis against the use of "Sabbath Mode" ovens. The letters made reference to an individual opinion that they believed to be erroneous. That opinion, although not explicitly attributed to him, was that of R. Moshe Heinemann of Baltimore's Star-K.

Today, the Star-K sent out an email stating that R. Heinemann stands by his ruling:

June 5, 2008

Regarding Star-K certified Sabbath Mode ovens

Rav Heinemann, shlita, stands by his Psak that it is permissible to raise and lower temperatures on Yom Tov on ovens equipped with that particular Sabbath Mode feature. Please see Star-K website at http://www.star-k.org/consumer.htm , or call our office for details about your particular model. Star-K will, in the next few days, post an audio presentation from Rav Heinemann explaining his views.

For those who wish to refrain from placing their ovens in Sabbath Mode and still use their oven on Yom Tov, please be aware of the possible serious "Michshol" on many models. Opening the oven door will immediately shut off the heating elements, an act clearly forbidden on Yom Tov. Thus, even if you don't raise or lower the temperature, it is still important to keep the oven in Sabbath Mode.

Star-K Certification

Below is R. Heinemann's original teshuva on Sabbath Mode ovens, which can also be found on the Star-K's website, along with additional information regarding Sabbath Mode appliances:

Verizon FiOS Installation Cuts Off Copper Lines

Warning if you are getting Verizon's new FiOS service: Verizon installers are removing you're homes copper connections. An AP article explains:

Verizon's installer — without warning, Powderly says — removed the copper wires that used to carry his phone calls. For most of the world, copper still links homes and businesses, as it has for a century.

Verizon's new high-bandwidth fiber lines are fully capable of carrying not only calls but also Internet data and television with room to grow. But once the copper is pulled, it's difficult to switch back to the traditional phone system or less expensive Digital Subscriber Line service. And Verizon is not required, in most instances, to lease fiber to rival phone companies, as it is with the copper infrastructure.

Verizon is up to their old tricks again. So just beware if you are getting FiOS, you're pretty much permanently switching to Verizon.

What Happened to JRants?

Jrants.com has been down for a few days...anyone no what's going on? It's been a decent and consistent source of traffic.

The New Yahoo! Movies is an Incomprehensible Mess

I used to love Yahoo! Movies, now I can't find anything and the videos don't work and the pages are all mixed up. Why can't they just leave well enough alone? I love Yahoo! but every time they revamp a section of their site, I stop using it (TV, Finance, My Yahoo, Maps, Movies). Yahoo! Mail is the one single exception.

The Positive Value of the Internet in Orthodox Jewish Society

I wanted to post my thoughts on R. Gottlieb's drasha, but I wanted to do it as a separate post, so there would be no confusion as to what I am saying and what R. Gottlieb said. There will be much news that will be coming out over the coming weeks, and I will have to decide if, what and how I want to comment on it. In the mean time, I wanted to offer a concise thought on how and why these changes came about.

My main thought about this is that it shows the positive value of the Internet in contemporary Orthodox society. I firmly believe that the reason this issue is finally being dealt with in a forthright manner by the rabbinate is that they have no choice but to do so. The way information is controlled and disseminated to and within the community has fundamentally changed. This is due in large part to the web in general, and blogs in particular. That is not to say that everything done on the web is done appropriately or in the best possible fashion, but the very existence of the medium, and the fact that information can be published and circulated freely and quickly, has made past approaches to this problem no longer viable. That is not to say that past approaches were correct, either; the existence of the web has enabled a more accurate understanding of the magnitude of the problem to become apparent to those who erred with good intentions and now have the ability to make changes.

Let me make it clear that I do not mean this to be critical of the rabbinate; on the contrary, the fact that they are addressing the issue, rather than not, is responsible and commendable. I do think, however, it is important to recognize the crucial role that the "grass roots" had in bringing about this change.

As a general rule, in any social ecosystem, those in positions of authority by definition maintain the status quo; change must come from the people, and it is the responsibility of those with authority to be sensitive to the needs of the people and judge how to best respond. There is a famous interchange between two poskim that beautifully illustrates this point. The Terumat HaDeshen would often invent theoretical cases to server as the basis for responsum. The Magen Avraham frowned on this practice, arguing that a posek receives special divine guidance when weighing an issue of halachic jurisprudence from an actual real, live person. I don't think it's homiletics to explain this as meaning that halachic decisions are more meaningful when considered in the context of those that practice them, and that the posek must first and foremost respond to the individual.

At any rate, those of us who believe that blogs in particular, and the web in general, have a positive role to play in the Jewish community can count this as a point in our favor.

For more thoughts check out Kefirot's post on the subject.

Fun with DVRs

My sister- and brother-in-law were kind enough to get me a six-month subscription to Comcast DVR for my recent birthday. Almost immediately, I began scouring the web looking for tips and tricks for cool things to do with your DVR.

The first thing I found that is extremely useful is how to set one of your remote buttons to do a 30-second skip. With a few quick pushes of a button, you skip through a few minutes of commercials. I like this so much, I often don't watch a show I'm recording when it airs live; instead I record it and watch it later. An episode of Lost takes only 43 minutes instead of 60. If you really want to get shticky, you can time it so that you start watching 17 minutes into the show; if you skip the commericals, you'll finish watching at the same time as the rest of the world, but you'll have spent much less time. I call it the DVR Theory of Relativity.

What I was really interested in figuring out was how to transfer recordings from the DVR to my computer. From there, I could burn a DVD or upload a clip onto YouTube. I found instructions for connecting a Motorola 6412 DVR to a computer using a Firewire cable (I have the Motorola 3216, but it works just the same). I didn't have a Firewire cable, so I ordered one from Amazon for $1.53; it arrived today, I followed the instructions, and with a few tweaks, I was able to get everything working. (Note: I followed the instructions exactly, but still had a problem converting the video to MPG format. I had to download an additional codec called Elecard. Once I installed the Elecard codec, everything worked fine). I also had to cycle the power once on my DVR, as the FF and REW were a bit messed up after a capture. Other than that, smooth sailing.

Behold, the fruits of my labors. I've set my DVR to record any and every Seinfeld episode that happens to air. The following clip is from a very funny episode where Kramer gets an assistant. Funny factoid: the assistant is played by an actor named Jarrad Paul, who happens to be the brother of a close friend of my brother. Anyway, say what you will about Michael Richards, this is a funny episode/clip.

Looking for a Flash Developer

I'm working on a side project, and I need an experienced Flash developer for a very small amount of work. I thought I'd mention it here first to see if there's anyone in town who can help, as I'd prefer to work with someone local. I'm looking for someone with real experience with Flash, Javascript skillz are a plus; this is a short term paid gig.

If you're interested, or know of someone I should get in touch with, leave a comment or email me at greggersh AT yahoo DOT com. Thanks!

GPS Unit Needed

Urgent request: if anyone has a GPS device that I could borrow for a week (starting this Friday through next Thursday), please let me know. If you like, I'm happy to provide a free month's worth of advertising on Presence in exchange.

If you happen to know where I can rent one on short notice, I'd also be much obliged.

Thanks!

Islam Online

What happens when you cross MySpace with Islam? MuslimSpace.com.

I'm going to try really hard to resist making stereotypical jokes (if it were JewSpace.com, I'd be all over it; in this case, I'm going to try to remain politically correct and avoid incurring the wrath of the world's second largest religion's online contingent).

A majority of MuslimSpacers listed their "mood" as "angry."

Ok, sorry, I couldn't resist just that one; but I really did see two profiles in a row that said they were "angry."

On the home page, there is a survey asking if users would be interested in purchasing Muslim-themed fiction for adults. Besides "yes" and "no" one of the choices is: "Is fiction halaal?" I never realized that halaal and kosher were colloquialized the same way.

How to Raise Internet Safe Children

The Internet Ban has (thankfully) not come to Baltimore , but that doesn't mean you can't be well-informed and educated as to what is out there and decide for yourself if and how you want it getting into your home. If you're not technical, consider attending this meeting at TA, which should help you understand what your kids are doing (or could be doing) online.

Tuesday, June 6, 8:00 PM, a meeting will take place that is a must for every T. A. family. The meeting, titled "Behind the Screensaver...What's really there? How to Raise Internet Safe Children"., will take place in the MULTI PURPOSE ROOM. We will discuss and give solutions to this issue. Grandparents are encouraged to attend as well.

I'm not sure if this is open to the public, but TA has been sending out flyers and emails and making phone calls, so they are trying to promote it. Should be very worthwhile.

Kosher Magic

Menachem Kellner (with the help of his daughter, Rivka Kellner) has gone and combined two of my favorite topics: Rambam and Harry Potter. At a recent conference they presented a paper entitled, "The Magic of Science and the Science of Magic: Harry Potter and Maimonides." In the paper, the Kellners discuss whether the magic used at Hogwarts is of a scientific or supernatural nature; the upshoot being that Rambam would acknowledge the possibility of the former, and disapprove of the later.

"Nothing in Harry Potter's world is based on anything that is in principle impossible to know," according to the Kellners. "The magic of that world is not supernatural. It is based on aspects of the natural universe of which we humans are simply unaware. There are no occult properties or forces beyond investigation. In principle, there is an explanation for everything, even if Albus Dumbledore [headmaster of the Hogwarts School] himself doesn't always know what it is."

I agree, to some extent, but to characterize the magic of Hogwarts as purely scientific is incorrect. There is no question that JK Rowling's magic is scientific in nature, and does not dabble in the occult or pagan (and pshaw to anyone who says that it does). It manifests itself as a technology, which can be studied and learned to some extent by any individual. But unlike our science and technology, there is an additional aspect to this magic that is not present in our technology. Modern science allows even the most numbskulled of persons to wield unimaginable power, without regard to any personal virtue. The Magic of Potter, on the other hand, is highly correlated to the individual's level of self-awareness and social conciousness. Although the basics of magic can be learned by just about anyone, just as you or I can surf the web or drive a car, the higher levels of magic require expression in one's soul before they can be accessed.

The perfect example: Harry is unable to cast an "avada k'dabra" curse, because he lacks sufficient hatred. In contrast, our science has enabled us to take another's life from a distance, with a bomb or a missle, without manifesting the requisite hatred in our souls; killing someone in cold blood, on the other hand, does. Rowling's magic is scientific, but not mechanical; it is pshchological.

For more, see this post on Harry Potter Prognostications.

If by chance anyone reading this has access to the Kellner's paper, and could arrange an owl to deliver it to me, I would be much obliged.

[via KesherTalk; hat tip SoccerDad]

Making your own Mazel

The older I get, the more I have come to realize how much of who we are and what we do is decided by forces beyond our control. Whether genetics, chemical imbalances, formative experiences or circumstances of birth beyond our control such as socio-economic or family status, so much of how our lives will play out is already decided for us. Ask yourself: How many of my life's decisions did I truly make on my own, without influence from sources beyond my control?

This is what Judaism refers to as mazel, commonly translated as luck, but more appropriately connoting that which is beyond our control (see Sotah 2A, or my explanation of the opening gemara). Religion in general tends to be very much against giving credence to Mazel, insisting instead on attributing to Man free will to guide his life however he sees fit. It is argued that a criteria for a system of justice is that Man be free to choose between good and bad; if Man is not responsible for his actions, how can he be justly punished for transgressions? Accepting determinism is viewed as incompatible with a world in which Man is responsible for his actions.

Judaism, I think, takes a different approach, recognizing Man's determined nature, while at the same time insisting he take responsibilty for his own destiny. It becomes one of life's ultimate ironies, that despite so much of a Man is predetermined and beyond his control, he (or she) alone must take responsibility for his actions.

The role of science is to help Man confront and subdue Nature through technology, in an effort to produce a better world. This science is objective, it makes no value judgements on the applications of the discovered techniques; the kind of world that is created by the application of technology is dependent upon the society that cultivates the science. In a society fueled by fame and fortune, we get blogs and stock markets. It is easy to imagine an alternate society in which technology is more directly applied to the alleviation of human suffering and increasing human dignity. Perhaps we are on the path, angling ever closer to a world in which Mazel no longer rules our destiny.

Patently Obvious

I came across a patent application filed by myself and few compatriots while at Aether. Strange that there is no corporation associated with the patent; I would assume this was part of the sale to TCS. Anyway, enjoy, and if you can figure out what were working on, extra points for you!

On a completely unrelated note, I'd like to speculate that my lack of posting has to do with the constraints imposed upon me by the MovableType system. Lately I've been so busy, I don't have time to write a whole post, which includes the necessity of coming up with a snappy title, which can be quite exhausting, often comprising at least a few Google searches and Shakespeare/Nietzsche/Talmud lookups (not necessarily in that order). But MT makes me do it. Rather than be compelled into this tomfoolery, I choose to abstain. Oh well.

Amazon Yellow Pages

If you haven't checked out Amazon's new Yellow Pages search, with drive-by storefront photos of the locations you are looking for, you need to. Head over to a9.com and take a look.

On a lark, I looked for Yeshiva University. My old apartment building doesn't seem to be listed, but the entrance to the Beis Medrash is. That's definetly R. Harari heading across the street to grab a bite to eat at Time Out, and I believe the gentleman backstage left carries himself like R. Yaakov Werblowsky. I'm guessing this picture was taken on a Friday morning; it looks like the boys on the right are getting ready to go somewhere for Shabbos. Any idea who is loittering by the library? Wacky stuff.

You can upload your own images of locations as well. This is a cool application, and gives you a hint of the type of roles and interactions web and search services can and will provide for us in the future.

Categories of Injustice

As I see it, there are two categories of injustice. The first type is injustice visited upon man by his fellow man; this would include murder, theft and the like. The second type of injustice is that which is commonly referred to as an "Act of God," that is some sort of natural disaster or circumstantial happenstance that causes injustice, often indiscriminately. The recent tsunami and earthquake would be examples.

The goal, or intention, as portrayed in the Torah, was for Man to be free from suffering both these types of injustice. The initial commandment to man, "to be fruitful and multiply, to conquer..." holds within it the mandate to apply Man's rational capabilities in subjugating Nature, allowing Man to live with honor and dignity. Indeed, life in Eden before the chet was free of injustice of the second kind; only after the expulsion from the Garden was the Earth cursed, pitting Man against Nature in a battle for survival.

The ten generations between Adam and Noach were successful in subjugating Nature through technological means. The Torah recounts the innovation from generation to generation, culminating in Noach himself, the Ish HaAdamah. The injustice of Nature had been conquered. The injustice of the first kind, however, that perpetrated by Man on Man, remained prevalent, to the point that God (ironically) unleashed the wrath of Nature upon Man, all but obliterating him from the face of the Earth. Noach, the Ish HaAdamah, but also the Tzadik, was spared, and chosen to rebuild Mankind.

The subsequent generation showed a marked improvement; they all but eliminated the injustice of the first kind, banding together to build a technological wonder, a Tower to the heavens. But their technology became their focus, a goal rather than a means, and they too were punished, ironically, with dispersion and confusion, seperateing Mankind into nations that would forever visit injustice upon each other.

Finally, we arrive at Avraham. In him was the potential for a leader to create a nation that would finally eliminate both types of injustice from society. A nation that would strive to dignify Mankind's existence through technological innovation, while at the same time advancing Mankind morally to all but eliminate injustice. In short, Avraham would build a nation where each and every person wakes up in the morning feeling safe, secure and content, readily experiencing the presence of kindness, justice and truth of the created world he lives in, of the Presence of God.

Cat and Mouse

It seems that the Washington Post is staying one step ahead of BugMeNot.com; all the logins are invalid. While I'll register for a site like the NYTimes or Baltimore Sun, because I can make up an email address and still use my customary username/password combination, I can't do that at WaPo because they require an email address as a login, and I'm unlikely to remember from time to time what the email address is, and I'm not filling out their silly form each time I visit without their cookie.

The end result: I don't read WaPo online articles, or see their advertisments. WaPo doesn't get my email to sell to spammers.

Culture Clash

Engadget, one of the more popular technology/gadget blogs, posted about "kosher" kitchen appliances listed on the Star-K's website. Putting aside the "sabbath"-mode misnomer (the features are really meant for use on Yom Tov, when cooking is permissible; a distinction I wouldn't have expected most Jews to pick up on, let alone a gadget blog), the comments reveal a striking level of ignorance of the subtelty of Halacha, an impatience for religion in general, not to mention a healthy dose of repressed anti-semitisim.

The Wired article cited, on the other hand, is much more even-handed, and holy cow, if Jonah Ottensoser isn't in one of the techiest magazines in the world! First the Red Sox win the World Series, and now their discussing gramma in Wired (although, by referring to "different kinds of grammas," it sounds as if little goblins of causality are running around inside my refrigerator on Shabbos; that might explain why I'm always running out of beer).

On a personal note, this article, and Endgadget's link, along with the ignorant comments, are very poignant for me. I'm a technology afficianodo, to say the least, with a particular predeliction for blogs, but I'm also quite Jewish. As with most things in my life, I find it hard to bridge the two worlds (I'm missing the next BloggerCon yet again, beacuse it's on Shabbos). I've done my best to bridge the various facets of my personae into a single whole identity, but I'm continually finding myself segmented, for a variety of reasons. This is not the place to go into the philosophy of technology, and where it conflicts (or, is tempered by?) Jewish philosophy (or maybe it is, but I'm not going to), but this is, for me, probably one of the more difficult things I deal with. I see many who seem more able to integrate the disparate facets of their life, and often wonder if their lives are simpler, or, more likely, if I lack a certain level of confidence in my ideals.

Another point this article raises is the Star-K's position at the forefront of where the technology and kashrus industries meet. One would have thought that YU, or at least the OU, would be the more likely candidates for this role, but they are conspicuously absent. Instead, it's an organization of yeshiva-educated professionals who are the vanguard. It's a wholly different approach to modernity than the Torah U'Madda model, and from my perspective, possibly more efficacious in the long run. It could be argued that YU's particularly weak (er, non-existent?) engineering curriculum is to blame, but I think there's more at work here than that.

Presence - Only 30% Evil

The Gematriculator, a nifty tool that calculates the Goodness and Evilness of your site by calculating the Gematria (English version, assumedly) of your text, rates Presence at 70% Good, 30% Evil.

I'd like to see a tool that determines how Good/Evil based on your grammar. I'd be the greatest villain of all time...

High Speed Internet Blues

My one-year, $19.95-a-month Comcast special ran out last month; the montly price is now around $60. I've been really happy with Comcast (other than the past week), but the prices is a bit much for me. Any suggestions? What do others in Baltimore use? The only other option I know of is Verizon DSL, which looks to be around $30, but I'm not sure about their quality of service.

?שלום חבר! מה נשמע

Ami has a very cool tool for entering Hebrew characters into HTML or blog pages.

איזה יופי!

Now I can post cryptic messages on my blog and finish it off with the classic "והמבין יבין".

If you don't get, well, you don't get it.

Job Hunting

I've got so many things I've been meaning to blog, and no time. I started a new job last week, and, as opposed to my old job, I actually have things to do. This cuts into what used to be quality blogging time.

The job search experience this time around was better than last time (about a year ago). The market is still very tight, although there seem to be more open positions than last year, especially for web/Java positions. For certain experience-level demographics, things are tough. It is nearly impossible to find entry-level work; positions are few and far between, an if you have no internship experience, you don't stand a chance. In addition, companies seem to be avoiding the mid-range (just below senior-level) positions, which I fall into. Rather than hiring someone with between 5 and 7 years of experience, companies are looking for more than 7, or between 3 and 4. I'm guessing this is based on cost; you can get less expensive, quality work from engineers that have less experience, or you can shell out for a senior level engineer. Those in the middle (such as myself), often want more than they can justify based solely on years of experience. The result: I applied for jobs that required more experience than I had (which usually wasn't a problem for me), or wrangled for higher salary for mid-level positions. In the end, things worked out fine.

One thing that has changed a bit, but not much, is he cheapness factor; companies are still asking early on in the interviewing process for your salary requirements. Perhaps I'm spoiled, but it wasn't like this back in 2000 when I last looked for a job. Back then, salary was always the last thing discussed, and usually it wasn't an issue; companies made offers that you had no problems with. This time, many employers asked me straight out, over the phone, my salary requirements; a few lost interest with this information alone. This means there are still plenty of applicants for each job; companies are willing to wait to find that one person who's been out of work for a year and is willing to take less money.

For the Baltimore area, the golden ticket remains the security clearance. Get one, and you are set; lots of companies paying good money. Those without are shut out of around 50-60% of the job listings. I'm without one, so no soup for me. What is left are mostly non-security government contracts and financial companies. There's precious few technology companies in Baltimore; consulting and IT make up the bulk of the work. This only makes it harder for the entry level applicant; consulting jobs are usually filled with experienced professionals. It's very important to consider the benefits offered when talking to these IT and consulting companies. The big companies have lots of jobs for gigantic government contracts; they get these contracts by minimizing overhead, which means paying for as little of the employees benefits as possible. My last job was with one of the largest defense contractors in the world, and if I took their health insurance benefits, I would have been out $850 a month! Benefits affect the bottom line much more than you'd realize. If you talk to a big company, make sure the salary compensates for expenses they are too cheap to pay for.

I actually had my first positive experience with a recruiter. Mostly, these people are evil, but I met one that was very helpful and passed along good jobs (as opposed to interviewing me, and then calling me to ask if I know anyone who might be good for jobs I don't qualify for). I didn't end up getting placed through them, but the overall experience was positive. I guess there is a first time for everything.

That is about it. I ended up finding a good job that I am happy with. Hopefully, I'll have some free lunch time to blog (although I am right down the street from the JCC...)

Tzeezy

New application in the works, this one not by me (if I look at one more line of JDBC code, I'm going to hurl); if you get a chance, check out Tzeezy (you know, it's easy). Brother Mike has put a lot of work into the application, and it's looking pretty nice.

It's really very simple (or easy). Sign up, enter in the names of people you would like to contact you, should they happen to be interested. The rest is up to fate. I put in a few of my long lost friends; no word from anyone yet, but it's only a matter of time...

Also, that little site I tinker with now and again has a new application. I think it's cool, but I'm a bit biased.

Favicons

[via Blogdigger News]

Create your own Favicon: I've seen many sites that provide tools for creating favicons (the little image that appears in your browser right before the address of your site); this one is the best so far. Upload just about any image, and it handles the resizing and produces the favicon automatically. I made favicons for the Blogdigger home page and blog, and I'd like to make one for Presence, but the question is: what icon best represents this blog? I'm open to suggestions.