Coyote Gulch

Thursday, May 27, 2004

The Tortoise and the Hare
Robert Martin: "Writing software is like a tractor pull. You start out fast without a lot of friction. Productivity is high, and you get a lot done. But the more you write the harder it gets to write more. The weight is being dragged up over the shoe. The more you write the more the mess builds. Productivity slows. Overtime increases. Teams grow larger. More and more code is piled up over the shoe, and the development team grinds to a halt unable to pull the huge mass of code any farther through the mud."
5:38:21 PM

2004 Presidential Election
CBS: "Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry holds an eight-point lead over President George W. Bush among registered voters in the latest CBS News poll, 49% to 41%, but one of the names currently bandied about as a running mate for him - Republican Sen. John McCain - gives Kerry an even larger edge when added to the ticket. McCain has continued to face questions about joining his fellow Vietnam veteran Kerry on a ticket, despite having insisted that he is not interested in doing so. America[base ']s voters, meanwhile, do have interest in such a bi-partisan slate: a hypothetical Kerry/McCain pairing holds a 14-point advantage over President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, nearly double the 8-point lead Kerry has alone over Bush...Adding one of John Kerry's former nomination rivals to the Democratic ticket, North Carolina Senator John Edwards, also helps Kerry, though to a lesser extent than does McCain. Edwards' name has also been mentioned by many as a potential running mate, and a Kerry/Edwards ticket would give the Democrats a ten-point margin over the incumbent Republicans, 50% to 40% -- a slight gain for Kerry on his eight-point one-on-one lead over Bush."
Senator Kerry leads President Bush 48% to 43% in Iowa, according to a recent KCCI poll.
President Bush leads Senator Kerry in Arizona, 43% to 38% with 2% for Ralph Nader and 17% undecided, according to a recent KAET-TV/Channel 8 and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University poll.
Thanks to Taegan Goddard for the links.
Update: Taegan Goddard: "Kerry's ads are working."
Update: John Kerry leads President Bush in Pennsylvania, 44% to 41%, with Ralph Nader at 6%, according to a recent Quinnapac University poll. Thanks to the Daily Kos for the link.
Update: This morning the bluster from over at John Kerry's campaign was about the word Iraq not showing up on the President's website. Here's a screen shot of the Bush campaign response.
Update: Howard Dean is going to write a weekly column.
6:55:38 AM

Denver November 2004 Election
Here's a story about the District Attorney forum from Tuesday night, from the Rocky Mountain News [May 26, 2004, "DA candidates offer views on cop-shooting probes"]. From the article, "Mitch Morrissey, a 20-year Denver prosecutor, said he favors an open grand jury system, with the evidence revealed for the public. But he went further, saying officer training and non-lethal weapons are the most effective tools in preventing the problem...Morrissey said he also advocates an 'after-care' crisis intervention program. Cops are trained to recognize a potential attacker like 15-year-old Childs as mentally disabled, to calm the situation through a de-escalation process and then to get the troubled person to a hospital or mental health center...McCann, a former Denver prosecutor and public safety administrator who works in the attorney general's office, said citizen grand juries should investigate questionable shootings...But Walsh, a former federal attorney now in private practice, said grand juries aren't effective because they operate in secret. Walsh suggested an 'open and completely transparent' system that calls for an immediate investigation, with witnesses interviewed and videotaped. Then, an independent police monitoring office, staffed by law enforcement experts with no ties to Denver, would watch the investigation and issue a report to the public."
You can download a .pdf of Attorney General, Ken Salazar's, Code of Ethics and Principles of Campaign Conduct here.
Update: SFGate.com: "Activists hope to make Hispanic voters key players in Colorado." Thanks to MakesMeRalph for the link.
6:32:02 AM

Colorado Water
Denver Water customers are doing a good job conserving water, according to the Rocky Mountain News [May 27, "City loses water weight"]. From the article, "Metro Denver residents are taking their water diets seriously, slashing daily use 31 percent since tough restrictions kicked in May 1. Their diligence may allow Denver Water to boost stored water supplies to more than 80 percent by July 1, officials said Wednesday."
Here's the coverage from the Denver Post [May 27, 2004, "Denver Water may consider easing rules"]. From the article, "Reservoirs are at 78 percent of capacity, with improvement expected in coming weeks as the mountain snowmelt increases, said Ed Pokorney, Denver Water's director of planning." The Post has a link to Denver Water. I think it's cool that the online edition has hyperlinks.
You can download a pdf of the Denver Water rate sheet here.
Update: Colorado Luis: "Only us old timers remembered the last round of water rationing."
6:22:09 AM

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