Carl Setzer

I love innovative design. Besides the sustainability elements, I think it's quite ascetically pleasing. 

I was recently engaged in an online debate about sexual shaming  as a response to "disagreement", or a dislike for reporting. In the discussion, the focus, Amy Harmon with the NYTimes asked me to look at her GMO story with fresh eyes . And so I tired. A bit of background is important at this point. I have years of experience on the "con" side of this issue. I've worked in environmental affairs, been involved with myriad environmental action groups; hell, I drive a Prius. And I've read over the years the stories about increased cancer risk, Monstanto's seed police, contaminated soils, and myriad other concerns. Yet I also recognize science evolves, that what we understand about any particular subject gathers more information, different analyses; that the scientific consensus may change. Plus, I'm willing to admit that I am often within an political echo-chamber, where truly hearing other voices can be rather difficult. With that, I decided to re...

My house has moved into the "unplugged" realm; we stream our content via the internet. Our main appliance is an Apple TV, which we love. Mainly, we prefers its navigation in comparison with our Xbox 360. The one issue many folks might have is what I'll call release lag. It takes a few days/weeks (or more) for a show to make its way to Netflix or the iTunes store. For me, that's really not it an issue. However, it will be for some. Apple has some work to do. Right now, navigating the main screen is tolerable, though a bit clunky. However, with each new app & service, it gets messier. Soon, it will become unwieldy. I want to see the ability to organize this "desktop". Folders will be critical. Plus, I want to have a "favorites/bookmarks" section. It would also be good to let me delete apps I don't want. The range of content amazes and delights me. And the lack of commercials is glorious. And the ability to stream from my iPhone or Macbook ...

I groaned when I saw this come through my Twitter feed: Jumping straight to the Nazi/Hitler comparison's really streamlines the descent to trollish online discussion. No need to wade through all that high-falutin, intellectual discussion; jump straight to the trash talk! Weak rhetorical technique, I'm afraid. I won't bother with deconstructing the analogy Mr. Perkins presents, Tim Fernholz did a good job at that on Quartz . I do, however, want to explore the main point: the growing discontent at our income disparity. Mr. Perkins statement brings to mind a misconception that's paralyzing the income inequality debate. "You're just jealous of our success", generally rattled off defensively. Now I've grown weary of this. It's simply knee-jerk defensive justification that serves no purpose. Simply, it's folks' like Mr. Perkins way to avoid dealing with the larger issue. And, of course, the role they play both in the causality of the situati...

One of the cruel ironies of life: when sick, the body mainly needs rest. Which I find nearly impossible, when sick, to get. Perhaps more real than other perceptions, like how traffic volumes directly correlate to how late you are, likelihood of a flat-tire to the dressiness of your clothes, those sorts of things.  Part of dealing with the sick/sleep issue: medications. NyQuil and it's sibling medicines certainly help make life better, or at least tolerable. Of course, there comes a point that I start to worry that any other additive to my system will result in my blood becoming corrosive.  Now, I do utilize some naturopathic techniques. Mostly steamy showers, netti pots and hot teas. Oh, and chicken pho! I guess you could view this as another area technology has taken solid hold. Do we ever really consider the innovations that all these meds represent? That so many have only been part of western life for a few decades? Yet we do we think twice about them? It's as ...

I've been spending more time on Google+ lately ( here's the link to my Google+ page ). Twitter has been my biggest site of late, with Facebook being a solid second. However, I'm beginning to see some solid value in the Google+ platform. The main thing I like: larger posting sizes than Twitter . Twitter was designed around SMS limiting factors. The character limits don't, as a general rule, bother me. However, there are times I like the larger posts and Google+ seems to fit the bill better. Also, especially when compared to Facebook, filtering content and controlling what you see, and who sees your posts, Google+ is clearly better. The interface is cleaner and more straightforward. It also helps that Google has stated on multiple occasions that it is prioritizing Google+ posts and content. One does need to consider SEO value as well. Lastly, and most important to me, Google+ is still pretty new. The feeds I see are still quite free of trollish behavior. It's ...

I was annoyed when I saw this hit my Twitter feed. , The article references  Food Democracy Now 's response to an article written by the New York Time's Amy Harmon. That an organization that I support  pulled this crap really got to me. We're used to this stuff from the Right, whether Rush Limbaugh railing against a 7th grade Chelsea Clinton not being sexy enough, or the blather about Nancy Pelosi unprettyness, ad nasuem. Yet, Pamela reminds us that both sides of the aisle are happy to partake. Then I remember seeing some of the pornographic representations of Sarah Palin during the "Drill Baby Drill" kerfuffle. Sadly, politics seems to bring out the ugliest in us all. It disappoints me when the Left, in all our drive for equal access, the obliteration of privilege and the like undercut our own message with sexist drivel. For those of us who value reason and debate over petty slings, we need to respond accordingly. Food Democracy Now, I'm deeply d...

The past few years I've worked in real estate. One thing I've noticed: a general dis-trust, or at least dislike for many technological solutions. The slow adoption of e-Signatures are one that particularly get me. It's hysterical to me how many institutions refuse to accept them. Many of the government owned properties as well major banks amongst them. It's so much easier to forge a ink signature compared to electronic, that I really am not certain that's the reason for the refusal. These institutions tend to have very rigid, and exacting, contract terms, what they want signed and all that. I've wondered for quite some time why they don't each build their own website for the offer and contract process. Electronic forms can be set to demand a signature/initial for each item, with prompts set up and refusing to advance in the process until completed. It seems so much cleaner to have folks go to a website and fill out the form with prompts than to email me in...

This came across this on my Twitter feed this evening. Hard hitting, painful as a father to see, to consider. To picture my son begging for his live at the hands of a merciless beating. It's a provocative image, eliciting a solid emotional response. My intellect, as a general rule, questions emotion-based responses. Thus, I choose to search out details, and, perhaps, facts. Doing so, of course, simply adds muddle to this. Start with this, Whiting: Kelly Thomas verdict shocking, then understandable ", adds a bit of color, and here's another piece with details " Two former officers found not guilty in death of Kelly Thomas " I read through all of this, and am starting to feel confused and numb. Which side is right? Is this verdict really just? Unjust? Are these guys just doing their job? A few details give me pause. First and foremost, these officers beat Thomas for 10 minutes. Ten. "Defense attorneys said Thomas suffered physically from drug abus...

My started with a few chums wishing me a happy birthday. Problem? It's not my birthday (October, if you care). Turns out, my Skype profile was displaying today is my day of happiness and aging acknowledgment. My profile in Skype was right. So, after a brief, and fruitless, web search, it finally occurred to me, "check the website". Sure enough, my profile at Skype.com was pretty weirdly messed up. My full name appeared in my First Name spot, my picture was gone, and my birthday was today. Oddly, I made the edits, clicked save, then pinged a friend to see if they'd taken. Nope. Then I tried the slow approach. Changed the profile pic. Saved. Clicked out, then back into my profile. Edit. Change Name. Out. Then back. Change birthday. Out. Back. I've logged out, then back in. The changes seem to be holding. We'll see. My theory is something got mucked up during the port over the Microsoft. Perhaps with the interconnection with my Hotmail account. Or, well, who ...

Today: another day where I sit amazed at the information stream I've set up for myself. Emails, website, tweets, etc, tons of stuff I WANT to process. Add to that the stream of stuff I "should" read. It's really mind blowing. I consider, though, "why?"  It's hits me that is rather new. Must of my life, getting access to information required more effort. I needed to subscribe to a magazine or journal, go to a library, etc. Plus, editors and publishers weeded the irrelevant (ostensibly, at least). I never needed to invest time in determining whether I was investing in worthwhile information. Now, knowledge races towards me. Things that would've required hours, of not days, of research I can now access from my bed. And it's all there... ALL, good, bad, useful and not...all. And I value that, democratizing information, even with the added burden. I'm working on the control skills. Really, though, the challenge is gluttony, on my part. I love ...

After reading this TechCruch piece on Coin , I'm wondering if, someday, credit card companies will stop producing the plastic throw-away cards. This future would see us using our cell phones with NFC functionality or tools like Coin. That should reduce the amount of plastic added to our waste stream, and, I expect, lower costs for the credit-card industry. They won't need to manufacture, much less distribute cards. I also hope gift cards will evolve this way. One example: I get a number of Starbucks cards as thank-yous for various efforts. The first thing I do with them is transfer the balance onto my iPhone's Starbucks app , then toss the card. Usually, the plastic card is in my possession from a few minutes to a day. It's really rather wasteful. So, green benefits and cost savings; what a better win/win combination, right?

As a productivity and effectiveness junkie, I found this clever little bit from my chums at Moleskine a gentle little reminder about the importance of planners and planning. And a nice nudge to grab a new paper planner. More on that soon, though.