William Kristol, a week after advising the McCain campaign to go negative on Bill Ayers/Jeremiah Wright, is now telling him to fire his staff and "reboot" his campaign.
This seems to be the McCain Theme of the Week (tm), probably propelled by the video of McCin being disgusted with the woman calling Obama an arab. To his credit, I did think better of McCain for doing that and also, to his credit, I think he genuinely doesn't like what we wrought there and tried to do some damage control. It as an honest moment from him that gave him a shred of dignity in my book. It won't make me vote for him, but it does improve his damaged reputation a bit.
What's been interesting is reading the comments on the Kristol column. All the ones I read, the first 4 or 5 pages, reflect the same sentiment from Democrats and Republicans alike; it's too little, too late.
The modern presidential campaign uses columns like this to test trial balloons, i.e. a staff hack writes them (in this case New York Times Opinion columnist William Kristol who is famous for being ... well I don't know), then the campaign tries to sift out whether or not the idea has merit. Will the idea resonate with swing voters, will it piss off the base, will it make the opponents react badly etc. What surprised me in these comments was the over all consistency of the reaction, that it would be yet another gimmick and a campaign that should have been talking substance weeks ago. That, and the universal acknowledgement that any reboot starts with dumping Palin (which they absolutely cannot d0).
With 3 weeks to go, anythign can still happen. 538 points out today that Reagan was behind Carter by more than this at this point in the election cycle, and his October Surprise with the Iranian hostages spun it around at the last moment. Could Bush pull OBL out of his cave at the last moment? Maybe. I'm not certain it would help, since it might just have the reaction of removing any remain support for the war (whew! We got him! Okay, that's over), but it could conceiveably boost the Republicans. And who knows what else the next three weeks could bring. No one should be counting chickens or making nominations for Secretary of State yet.
I'm not sure how the McCain folks will react to Kristol's advice, but it should be interesting to watch.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Some New Art
I put together a couple of Art Deco lamps this weekend, one of the better ones is on display here. I'm trying to work on a couple of Stll Life pieces, and although I am very, very happy with the Fairy Lamp, the rest of the piece isn't coming together.
The other piece, Lightbringer, should be available later this week or this next weekend.
The other piece, Lightbringer, should be available later this week or this next weekend.
Friday, October 10, 2008
I'm in Love!!!!
with 538. I've been curious about how they are managing to agree with Intrade on their Electoral College map, and spent some time readthing through their methodology. It's very impressive and about as good as you can get with objective math. There are a lot of factors in figuring out things like the average error rate of pollsters (by state) and it seemed liek that would be a pretty subjective number. Nope.
My process is to look at the average miss for each pollster across each contest they polled, and compare it to the average miss of other pollsters in those same contest, after going through a more-complicated-than-it-needs-to-be iterative process.The results are below, split into groups for 'regional' and 'national' pollsters. (This distinction is arbitrary -- some pollsters like Insider Advantage and Quinnipiac straddle the line between being regional and national -- but helpful for presentation). 'Error' represents the average error for the particular pollster, as compared to the 'IAE', which is the iterated average error for other pollsters in those same contests.
It's pretty good. I'd like to say that it's what I'd do if I had the time and motivation, but that would be a lie. It's much better than what I could have done. While sites like Intrade and 538 aren't actually predictive (they give you a very clear picture of what the chances are at a particular moment, but that's very different than telling you what's actually going to happen), I really like the way 538 has tried to use objective math everywhere.
Well done!
My process is to look at the average miss for each pollster across each contest they polled, and compare it to the average miss of other pollsters in those same contest, after going through a more-complicated-than-it-needs-to-be iterative process.The results are below, split into groups for 'regional' and 'national' pollsters. (This distinction is arbitrary -- some pollsters like Insider Advantage and Quinnipiac straddle the line between being regional and national -- but helpful for presentation). 'Error' represents the average error for the particular pollster, as compared to the 'IAE', which is the iterated average error for other pollsters in those same contests.
It's pretty good. I'd like to say that it's what I'd do if I had the time and motivation, but that would be a lie. It's much better than what I could have done. While sites like Intrade and 538 aren't actually predictive (they give you a very clear picture of what the chances are at a particular moment, but that's very different than telling you what's actually going to happen), I really like the way 538 has tried to use objective math everywhere.
Well done!
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Something Is Wrong with the Universe
I find myself agreeing with George Will. George Will for Christ's sake!
I have voted for too many losing candidates over the years to think this is over (Dukakis anyone?), but when George Will is agreeable, something is not right.
Cats and dogs living together!
George is my runner up for Most Wrong Pundit (WMDs will justify the Iraq War), with the clear winner being William Kristol. Kristol is always, deeply wrong about almost everything, not because he isn't smart (he is), but he's a complete partisan and uses his intellect in the cheap and tawdry exercise of rationalizing whatever the talking points of the day. The irony is, he knows that's what he's doing, is a little ashamed of it, but the checks cash.
I have voted for too many losing candidates over the years to think this is over (Dukakis anyone?), but when George Will is agreeable, something is not right.
Cats and dogs living together!
George is my runner up for Most Wrong Pundit (WMDs will justify the Iraq War), with the clear winner being William Kristol. Kristol is always, deeply wrong about almost everything, not because he isn't smart (he is), but he's a complete partisan and uses his intellect in the cheap and tawdry exercise of rationalizing whatever the talking points of the day. The irony is, he knows that's what he's doing, is a little ashamed of it, but the checks cash.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Just Wanting it More
I was in London during the post-election/recount period in 2000, having flown over the day after the election to do some fundraising for CertCo. I got to watch the entire disaster unfold from overseas, which made for some interesting coverage and gave me a view I might not otherwise have had. One difference between the Gore and Bush camps became very clear to me, seeing them from such a distance: The Bush camp simply wanted it more. It had never occur ed to the Bushies that they had lost, they immediately (and irritatingly) started getting their post-election appointments in line and were bugging the White House for the keys within a day or two, long before the Supreme Court gave it to him. Go back and look at the news then, or read some of the biographies of the Clintonistas an you'll get the impression the Bushies where there. Gore, in contrast, fretted and worried, didn't move for fear of looking too bold and was, in a word, too damn polite about the whole thing.
When I read this article today from 538, I got exactly the same impression, i.e. the Obama camp simply wants it more. The McCain camp seems to think they "deserve" it, or have "earned" it or, in some cases are "entitled" to it, but the Obama camp is working it. Hard.
You could take every McCain volunteer we’ve seen doing actual work in the entire trip, over six states, and it would add up to the same as Obama’s single Thornton, CO office. Or his single Durango, CO office. These ground campaigns bear no relationship to each other.
Regrets come when you fail and realize, "I could have done a lot more". If the Obama camp loses, I doubt that's what they'll be saying.
Flipping this over, I'm actually quite frightened by the idea that Camp McCain is doing as well as they are doing simply by flogging McCain's service record and by not being Barak Obama.
When I read this article today from 538, I got exactly the same impression, i.e. the Obama camp simply wants it more. The McCain camp seems to think they "deserve" it, or have "earned" it or, in some cases are "entitled" to it, but the Obama camp is working it. Hard.
You could take every McCain volunteer we’ve seen doing actual work in the entire trip, over six states, and it would add up to the same as Obama’s single Thornton, CO office. Or his single Durango, CO office. These ground campaigns bear no relationship to each other.
Regrets come when you fail and realize, "I could have done a lot more". If the Obama camp loses, I doubt that's what they'll be saying.
Flipping this over, I'm actually quite frightened by the idea that Camp McCain is doing as well as they are doing simply by flogging McCain's service record and by not being Barak Obama.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Consistancy
It's interesting that 538 and Intrade show, to within a fairly small variance, similar numbers for the presidential race, at least in terms of electoral college. I used to be told that Intrade was a "predictor" of elections and was "never wrong", but that's easily dismissable. I think it is, however, a pretty good measure of the market at any particular moment, like an instant poll.
BTW, the light blogging has been a result of a big, big push at work this week.
BTW, the light blogging has been a result of a big, big push at work this week.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A Part of History!
When I fail, I fail big!
Washington Mutual, the giant lender that came to symbolize the excesses of the mortgage boom, was seized by federal regulators on Thursday night, in what is by far the largest bank failure in American history.
I suspect my grandchildren will tell cautionary tales to their kids about "Grandpa Mark and the Crazy Bank" as a dire warning not to invest in financial services.
Washington Mutual, the giant lender that came to symbolize the excesses of the mortgage boom, was seized by federal regulators on Thursday night, in what is by far the largest bank failure in American history.
I suspect my grandchildren will tell cautionary tales to their kids about "Grandpa Mark and the Crazy Bank" as a dire warning not to invest in financial services.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The AP gets a bit fiesty
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Less than a week after balking at the Alaska Legislature's investigation into her alleged abuse of power, Gov. Sarah Palin on Monday indicated she will cooperate with a separate probe run by people she can fire.
here
here
Monday, September 22, 2008
Sunspot Cycle 24
After a bit of a drought, it looks like the Sun is coming alive again.
A new sunspot is emerging in the sun's northern hemisphere. After several months of almost-relentlessly blank suns, "this is like a breath of fresh plasma," says photographer Pete Lawrence who sends this picture from Selsey, UK. The magnetic polarity of the emerging spot identifies it as a member of new Sunspot Cycle 24.
A new sunspot is emerging in the sun's northern hemisphere. After several months of almost-relentlessly blank suns, "this is like a breath of fresh plasma," says photographer Pete Lawrence who sends this picture from Selsey, UK. The magnetic polarity of the emerging spot identifies it as a member of new Sunspot Cycle 24.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Rain In Spain Is Falling Mainly on McCain
McCain insults the Prime Minister of a key NATO ally by not knowing who he is. Not Luxumborg or Estonia or some pacifist hanger-oner. He doesn't know who'se running Spain.
Spain.
I listened to the interview. The characterization is correct. I originally gave McCain the benefit of the doubt, thinking that he was just snubbing Zapatero (something that would be welcomed by the Spanish right). When I was there, there was a lot of agitation among Spanish conservatives because Zapatero was ignoring the country's relations with the U.S. and making overtures to more leftist countries in the Latin America--Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia (all the countries mentioned in this interview before Spain). There was even a controversy because Zapatero sat down when the U.S. flag was passing by in a parade. I believe his excuse was "his legs were tired." So I figured McCain was giving the Zapatero the cold shoulder in the same manner as the Bush administration has done.
After listening to the interview, however, I agree with the characterization that McCain was unaware of our relations with Spain, or even the country's geographical and political position. When asked about meeting with Zapatero and the country's relationship with the U.S., McCain ignored the question and went into some boilerplate about America's friends and enemies and analyzing relations (think Palin and the Bush Doctrine). Then, he tried to transition his answer into more friendly territory, discussing President Calderon's government in Mexico. He never really addressed Spain, but pushed right into commenting about Mexico. The interviewer actually tried to redirect him several times (again, think Charlie Gibson and Palin), until she actually stated that she wasn't talking about Latin America anymore, but rather Europe. For whatever reason, McCain responded to this question by repeating what he said before about analyzing America's relationships with our friends and enemies.
Seriously, this was pretty bad.
I stand by my "we need adults" comment.
Spain.
I listened to the interview. The characterization is correct. I originally gave McCain the benefit of the doubt, thinking that he was just snubbing Zapatero (something that would be welcomed by the Spanish right). When I was there, there was a lot of agitation among Spanish conservatives because Zapatero was ignoring the country's relations with the U.S. and making overtures to more leftist countries in the Latin America--Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia (all the countries mentioned in this interview before Spain). There was even a controversy because Zapatero sat down when the U.S. flag was passing by in a parade. I believe his excuse was "his legs were tired." So I figured McCain was giving the Zapatero the cold shoulder in the same manner as the Bush administration has done.
After listening to the interview, however, I agree with the characterization that McCain was unaware of our relations with Spain, or even the country's geographical and political position. When asked about meeting with Zapatero and the country's relationship with the U.S., McCain ignored the question and went into some boilerplate about America's friends and enemies and analyzing relations (think Palin and the Bush Doctrine). Then, he tried to transition his answer into more friendly territory, discussing President Calderon's government in Mexico. He never really addressed Spain, but pushed right into commenting about Mexico. The interviewer actually tried to redirect him several times (again, think Charlie Gibson and Palin), until she actually stated that she wasn't talking about Latin America anymore, but rather Europe. For whatever reason, McCain responded to this question by repeating what he said before about analyzing America's relationships with our friends and enemies.
Seriously, this was pretty bad.
I stand by my "we need adults" comment.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Wipeout
The Cunning Realist, as usual, makes a lot of sense.
We need some adults in charge and, I'm sorry but believing the Earth is 6000 years old doesn't qualify you to play in that league. Neither does allowing someone who thinks like that to be a 72-year-old heartbeat away from being in charge. Like it or not, the Dems are the only chance we have of salvaging the economy before it *really* goes downhill.
We need some adults in charge and, I'm sorry but believing the Earth is 6000 years old doesn't qualify you to play in that league. Neither does allowing someone who thinks like that to be a 72-year-old heartbeat away from being in charge. Like it or not, the Dems are the only chance we have of salvaging the economy before it *really* goes downhill.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Speechlessly Offensive.
From TJIC:
nation of victims
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articl…
NEW YORK - New data from a public health registry that tracks health effects of 9/11 suggest that up to 70,000 people developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the terror attacks.
All I want for Christmas is Patton, dressed in red and white, to slide down the chimney and start slapping the !@#% out of these babies.
(Bolds are TJIC).
I don't even know where to begin with how incredibly offensive this is, it's outrageous on so many levels. The idea that victims of terrorism should be slapped for allowing themselves to be exposed in that way. The idea that people should walk off 9/11 like a bump on the noggin or a bad bee sting. The idea that out of a city of 10 million, the fact that less than 1% are still affected a few years later is somehow offensive to someone. The childish power fantasy of a macho war hero slapping people into... what? something? The sheer disregard and even ignorance of what happened that day and how it affected folks. The huge distance between that statement and any semblence to human compassion, genunine sympathy or even simple christian charity is mind blowing.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of 9/11. We've all seen what has happened over the last 7 years and it's probably not an exaggeration to say it's been the biggest event in 21st century America so far. I've recounted my story of what happened to me that week numerous times, so I am not going to repeat it here, because I am not looking for sympathy or one upsmanship. I'll spend part of tomorrow in remembrance of some of the people I lost, the company I worked for which went out of business, the lives shattered, the damage to the families the city and the nation. It's a solemn day for me and a fairly private one. If I prayed, I would, but since I don't I'll reflect and ponder. At no point though am I going get angry at the victims, or call them names, or engage in cheap little revenge fantasies, or name calling. I genuinely can't understand why someone would.
Travis is far, far less than the person I thought he was. This is where I step off and leave him to his followers and echo chamber. I simply can't have a rational discourse with a person who thinks this is a valid thing to say about the people left to deal with the aftermath of 9/11.
nation of victims
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articl…
NEW YORK - New data from a public health registry that tracks health effects of 9/11 suggest that up to 70,000 people developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the terror attacks.
All I want for Christmas is Patton, dressed in red and white, to slide down the chimney and start slapping the !@#% out of these babies.
(Bolds are TJIC).
I don't even know where to begin with how incredibly offensive this is, it's outrageous on so many levels. The idea that victims of terrorism should be slapped for allowing themselves to be exposed in that way. The idea that people should walk off 9/11 like a bump on the noggin or a bad bee sting. The idea that out of a city of 10 million, the fact that less than 1% are still affected a few years later is somehow offensive to someone. The childish power fantasy of a macho war hero slapping people into... what? something? The sheer disregard and even ignorance of what happened that day and how it affected folks. The huge distance between that statement and any semblence to human compassion, genunine sympathy or even simple christian charity is mind blowing.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of 9/11. We've all seen what has happened over the last 7 years and it's probably not an exaggeration to say it's been the biggest event in 21st century America so far. I've recounted my story of what happened to me that week numerous times, so I am not going to repeat it here, because I am not looking for sympathy or one upsmanship. I'll spend part of tomorrow in remembrance of some of the people I lost, the company I worked for which went out of business, the lives shattered, the damage to the families the city and the nation. It's a solemn day for me and a fairly private one. If I prayed, I would, but since I don't I'll reflect and ponder. At no point though am I going get angry at the victims, or call them names, or engage in cheap little revenge fantasies, or name calling. I genuinely can't understand why someone would.
Travis is far, far less than the person I thought he was. This is where I step off and leave him to his followers and echo chamber. I simply can't have a rational discourse with a person who thinks this is a valid thing to say about the people left to deal with the aftermath of 9/11.
What, no Worms?
Or do you get that from eating some of these?
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters2
9. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
80, give or take. I am uncertain about a few, i.e. I may have eaten them when eating something else. There are also a few I think Ihave had, but am not certain, so I counted them as "No". The tasting menu one I ended up counting as "yes" in the end assuming they mean 3+ stars.
*via, **via
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters2
9. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
80, give or take. I am uncertain about a few, i.e. I may have eaten them when eating something else. There are also a few I think Ihave had, but am not certain, so I counted them as "No". The tasting menu one I ended up counting as "yes" in the end assuming they mean 3+ stars.
*via, **via
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Motivating the Base
I watched some of the Republican convention coverage last night, and even saw some of Palin's speech. It was really, truly inspirational and motivated me to do something I have never, ever done before. In this case, Palin motivated me to make my first ever 4-figure contribution to a political candidate! Unfortunately for her, it was Obama.
Enough is enough. The country can't take 4 more years of these jokers. Government by incompetence isn't working. I have problems with Obama, sure, but at least he seems to deliberate solutions instead of just off the cuff, cowboy asshatery.
Enough is enough. The country can't take 4 more years of these jokers. Government by incompetence isn't working. I have problems with Obama, sure, but at least he seems to deliberate solutions instead of just off the cuff, cowboy asshatery.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
God Grants the GOP's Wish.
Sort of.
Not really where and when they wanted. If I were intellectually dishonest, I would say that god is punishing them for their hubris. Thats total bunk of course, but it's something to remember the next time some sky-father drone tells me he or she knows god's will.
Not really where and when they wanted. If I were intellectually dishonest, I would say that god is punishing them for their hubris. Thats total bunk of course, but it's something to remember the next time some sky-father drone tells me he or she knows god's will.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
A Cure for Type 1 Diabetes?
Specificially, for my type 1 diabetes?
wow
First, a little caveat: this is a recent result published in Nature, and it is basic science, not clinical work. Before you start thinking it's a new treatment for diabetes, I have to dash a little cold water on you and warn you that this has a long, long way to go before it can be applied to humans…but it does open the door to some future strategies that might be applied.
ohhhh :(
wow
First, a little caveat: this is a recent result published in Nature, and it is basic science, not clinical work. Before you start thinking it's a new treatment for diabetes, I have to dash a little cold water on you and warn you that this has a long, long way to go before it can be applied to humans…but it does open the door to some future strategies that might be applied.
ohhhh :(
Friday, August 29, 2008
APOD
Lori Allen, one of my classmates from grad school, is on Astronomy Picture of the Day today.
Way to go Lori! Death to Art!
Way to go Lori! Death to Art!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Internet Explorer 8 Beta Launches Today
The critics say, "We’re agog". If they had stopped there, that would have been fine, but you know those critics, they can'tquit while they're ahead:
We’re agog to promulgation IE8 Chenopodiaceae 2 today for unstoppered download. You crapper encounter it at http://www.microsoft.com/ie8. Please essay it out!
The rest here
We’re agog to promulgation IE8 Chenopodiaceae 2 today for unstoppered download. You crapper encounter it at http://www.microsoft.com/ie8. Please essay it out!
The rest here
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Cutting It Close
I got a call yesterday from Field Correspondent Brian, in the middle of the afternoon. Since he had recently take a great deal of my monies at a recent poker game, I thought he might be in town and I’d have a chance to get them back. Sadly, that’s not what happened.
This just happened and I figure you’re the only person I know that would think this is as funny as I do:
So I am in line at the deli counter in the supermarket trying to buy some salmon for a BBQ I’m having. Instead of grilling them over a metal grill, I am going to use actual wooden boards to give them that perfect, smoky taste. The deli didn’t have the size I wanted so I asked the guy if he could go in the back and cut some for me.
“What size do you want?: he asked.
“Make them Planck Length”, I said and broke up laughing!
…
Trust me, it was hilarious!
Sadly, I think he’s right, I am the only other person who thinks this is as funny as he does.
This just happened and I figure you’re the only person I know that would think this is as funny as I do:
So I am in line at the deli counter in the supermarket trying to buy some salmon for a BBQ I’m having. Instead of grilling them over a metal grill, I am going to use actual wooden boards to give them that perfect, smoky taste. The deli didn’t have the size I wanted so I asked the guy if he could go in the back and cut some for me.
“What size do you want?: he asked.
“Make them Planck Length”, I said and broke up laughing!
…
Trust me, it was hilarious!
Sadly, I think he’s right, I am the only other person who thinks this is as funny as he does.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Dear Jesus: your agonizing death is our cute toy!
Honestly, I truly dont understand where Catholics draw the line on what's acceptable and what's not. It seems to be one of those, "don't do this, but it's okay if I do" kinds of things.
Balloon Jesus!
(via)
Balloon Jesus!
(via)
Monday, August 18, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Georgia On My Mind
A view from the corporate trenches. Comports well with my experience of former soviet republics.
Quite a different view from the Dannon Yogurt Commericals.
Quite a different view from the Dannon Yogurt Commericals.
InTrade and Quantum Superposition
An intersting view of an election as a quantum mechnical system using the linear superposition of two states.
Actually, the fact that the two expected states, McCain and Obama, don't add to 100% is more interesting since it suggests a sum over histories approach would work better.
Actually, the fact that the two expected states, McCain and Obama, don't add to 100% is more interesting since it suggests a sum over histories approach would work better.
Friday, August 08, 2008
My Hardscrabble Childhood
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Yo Yo Yo! Listen Up!
I'm doing a Bag Lunch Astronomy when I get back to work in two weeks, and I was looking up some useful examples of the CPT Theorem, when I stumbled across this:
The C.P.T. Theorem is the sophomore album from rapper Greydon Square.
[edit] Track listing
The C.P.T. Theorem
Cubed
Judge Me
2008 Atheist Dreadnaught
Mission Statement
Game Genie
Fun & Games (Group Home Muisc Vol. 1)
Group Home Kid (Group Home Music Vol. 2)
A Soldier's Poem
Broken Home
Tuesday
N Word
Ascension
Galactica Actual
It's like someone took one of my conversations with Geoff and made a rap album out of it!
The C.P.T. Theorem is the sophomore album from rapper Greydon Square.
[edit] Track listing
The C.P.T. Theorem
Cubed
Judge Me
2008 Atheist Dreadnaught
Mission Statement
Game Genie
Fun & Games (Group Home Muisc Vol. 1)
Group Home Kid (Group Home Music Vol. 2)
A Soldier's Poem
Broken Home
Tuesday
N Word
Ascension
Galactica Actual
It's like someone took one of my conversations with Geoff and made a rap album out of it!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The Ronald McDonald
A biography in pictures.
Chemicals from the fries bring Ronald back to life as a zombie. He now survives by feasting on the flesh of the living.
Chemicals from the fries bring Ronald back to life as a zombie. He now survives by feasting on the flesh of the living.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
THEMIS Mission results
Aurora and magnetohydrodynamics, two of my all time favorite subjects! What's not to love about THEMIS??
Nothing must be held sacred.
PZ does a surprisingly good job with the communion cracker dealie. I was impressed, in part I suppose because I thought it was silly and irrelevant, but PZ turned this into a "teaching moment". Not for the folks who are complaining, anyone who believes a piece of bread is the literal and absolute incarnation of the Creator of the Universe and can be harmed by *not* eating it, is too far gone to find their way out. It was something for the rest of us to remind us how silly yet powerful the opposition can be.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The 400
I bought a new car today, a limited edition 2008 RX-8, 40th Anniversary edition. The negotitation was very, very tough and the dealership had a floor which I could not get past. It was higher than I wanted to pay, but not by a lot, and the guy absolutely would not go lower. In the end, we were arguing over increments of $10, so I accepted and wrote a check. I knew that it was a "limited edition" but I had already talked him out of the "premium" for it and a discount for buy a 2008 model car in a 2009 model season (which started last week). What I didn't know was how many cars were in the "special edition".
Celebrating 40 years of rotary engine production, Mazda has revised the suspension and trim levels on just 400 RX-8 coupes.
Bilstein sports suspension replaces the RX-8’s standard set up, while at the front, Mazda has filled the front suspension with foam in a bid to reduce road noise and vibration.
The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition RX-8 will get two exclusive exterior colours – Metropolitan Grey Mica and Crystal White Pearlescent.
Inside, the seats are trimmed in black leather with centre sections swathed in Alcantara, matching the steering wheel, handbrake and gear levers’ trim.
And for the ultimate RX-8 exclusivity, each 40th Anniversary model comes with a stainless-steel scuff plate etched with the car’s individual number – starting from 001/400.
I pick it up on Saturday, so I can find out which one I have then. Looking back on it, I am shocked I got it as cheap as I did. Technically though, it's 400 in the US, 200 in Japan, 100 in Canada and the UK.
Online pictures of my exact model here (its the grey one).
Good review (with pictures of the exact model) here.
I found where a YouTube with Top Gear's opinion.
Celebrating 40 years of rotary engine production, Mazda has revised the suspension and trim levels on just 400 RX-8 coupes.
Bilstein sports suspension replaces the RX-8’s standard set up, while at the front, Mazda has filled the front suspension with foam in a bid to reduce road noise and vibration.
The 40th Anniversary Limited Edition RX-8 will get two exclusive exterior colours – Metropolitan Grey Mica and Crystal White Pearlescent.
Inside, the seats are trimmed in black leather with centre sections swathed in Alcantara, matching the steering wheel, handbrake and gear levers’ trim.
And for the ultimate RX-8 exclusivity, each 40th Anniversary model comes with a stainless-steel scuff plate etched with the car’s individual number – starting from 001/400.
I pick it up on Saturday, so I can find out which one I have then. Looking back on it, I am shocked I got it as cheap as I did. Technically though, it's 400 in the US, 200 in Japan, 100 in Canada and the UK.
Online pictures of my exact model here (its the grey one).
Good review (with pictures of the exact model) here.
I found where a YouTube with Top Gear's opinion.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
My Little Pwnie
The 2nd Annual Pwnie Award Nominaitons are up.
Some interesting bits:
Pwnie for Best Client-Side Bug Nominees
Safari carpet bomb (CVE-2008-2540)
Discovered by: Laurent Gaffié, Nitesh Dhanjani and Aviv Raff
Nitesh Dhanjani discovered a design error in Safari that allows an attacker to automatically download files to the user's configured download directory (~/Downloads on Leopard, the desktop on previous versions of OS X and Windows). This can be used for a variety of attacks. First, you can litter the user's desktop with files or drop malware onto their desktop, hoping that the user will click run it. Or you can just let Internet Explorer load a planted DLL automatically. This vulnerability also has the dubious distinction of bringing the term "blended threat" into the security vernacular.
Slirpie
Discovered by: Dan Kaminsky, RSnake, Dan Boneh
Presented at Toorcon 2007, this attack used DNS Rebinding to bypass the Same Origin Policy and build a tunnel into a remote network using only a lured web browser (and its associated grab bag of Web 2.0 technologies like Flash, Java, and JavaScript). This vulnerability can best be described as a design bug in the Web 2.0 and we're all waiting for it to be fixed in Web 2.0 Service Pack 1.
Pwnie for Most Epic FAIL Nominee:
Todd Davis, Lifelock CEO for posting his SSN on the web
Todd Davis, CEO of a fraud-prevention company called Lifelock, had publicly posted his Social Security number (457-55-5462) to show his confidence in the services offered by his company. Of course, a clever marketing stunt does not mean that the protection is actually worth anything. As expected, it did not take long for Davis' identity to get stolen: somebody in Texas got $500 from an online payday loan company using Davis' SSN.
Windows Vista for proving that security does not sell
$100,000,000 invested in security and what does Microsoft have to show for it? Customers are revolting against Windows Vista and nobody who has a choice is choosing to upgrade. It doesn't matter that Vista really is the most secure Microsoft operating system ever made, all customers care about is the annoyance of the UAC prompts, the confusing user interface and the insane hardware requirements.
The good thing about the Vista debacle is that no other vendor will care to do such a security push, which means that we'll be able to easily own any piece of software for the foreseeable future.
Some interesting bits:
Pwnie for Best Client-Side Bug Nominees
Safari carpet bomb (CVE-2008-2540)
Discovered by: Laurent Gaffié, Nitesh Dhanjani and Aviv Raff
Nitesh Dhanjani discovered a design error in Safari that allows an attacker to automatically download files to the user's configured download directory (~/Downloads on Leopard, the desktop on previous versions of OS X and Windows). This can be used for a variety of attacks. First, you can litter the user's desktop with files or drop malware onto their desktop, hoping that the user will click run it. Or you can just let Internet Explorer load a planted DLL automatically. This vulnerability also has the dubious distinction of bringing the term "blended threat" into the security vernacular.
Slirpie
Discovered by: Dan Kaminsky, RSnake, Dan Boneh
Presented at Toorcon 2007, this attack used DNS Rebinding to bypass the Same Origin Policy and build a tunnel into a remote network using only a lured web browser (and its associated grab bag of Web 2.0 technologies like Flash, Java, and JavaScript). This vulnerability can best be described as a design bug in the Web 2.0 and we're all waiting for it to be fixed in Web 2.0 Service Pack 1.
Pwnie for Most Epic FAIL Nominee:
Todd Davis, Lifelock CEO for posting his SSN on the web
Todd Davis, CEO of a fraud-prevention company called Lifelock, had publicly posted his Social Security number (457-55-5462) to show his confidence in the services offered by his company. Of course, a clever marketing stunt does not mean that the protection is actually worth anything. As expected, it did not take long for Davis' identity to get stolen: somebody in Texas got $500 from an online payday loan company using Davis' SSN.
Windows Vista for proving that security does not sell
$100,000,000 invested in security and what does Microsoft have to show for it? Customers are revolting against Windows Vista and nobody who has a choice is choosing to upgrade. It doesn't matter that Vista really is the most secure Microsoft operating system ever made, all customers care about is the annoyance of the UAC prompts, the confusing user interface and the insane hardware requirements.
The good thing about the Vista debacle is that no other vendor will care to do such a security push, which means that we'll be able to easily own any piece of software for the foreseeable future.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Linus Torvolds: "I Don't Get Security"
This is a pretty stunning insight into the software development process for Linux:
The row erupted in the Gmane mailing list after a developer for the PaX Team, which patches the Linux kernel, accused Torvalds and other top Linux kernel developers of "covering up (the) security impact of bugs" by not clearly labeling them as security flaws.
Torvalds wrote that disclosing the bug itself was enough, without having to label each individual security flaw. He added that taking the bugs to the "security circus" level only glorified the wrong kind of behavior. "It makes heroes out of security people, as if the people who...fix normal bugs aren't as important," wrote Torvalds.
What was left behind for the developers were all the "boring" bugs, which Torvalds considered more important due to their volume.
All bugs do not have equal weight, which is why major software houses all tag bugs for things like "security effect" and try to do a fairly honest job of prioritizing fixes. What Torvalds has said, basically, is that they don't really have any kind of bug triage and its on an as-we-get-to-it basis. Now his comments need to be put in context, no major enterprise (and the vast majority of consumers who use Linux) dont actually use his version, they use a supported version from a vendor with more matrure software practices, so this doesn't mean much in real life.
OTOH if Bill Gates said something like this, he'd have been fired by the Board.
Also, this bit was good:
"I think the OpenBSD crowd is a bunch of masturbating monkeys, in that they make such a big deal about concentrating on security to the point where they pretty much admit that nothing else matters to them. To me, security is important. But it's no less important than everything else that is also important!" Torvalds concluded.
The row erupted in the Gmane mailing list after a developer for the PaX Team, which patches the Linux kernel, accused Torvalds and other top Linux kernel developers of "covering up (the) security impact of bugs" by not clearly labeling them as security flaws.
Torvalds wrote that disclosing the bug itself was enough, without having to label each individual security flaw. He added that taking the bugs to the "security circus" level only glorified the wrong kind of behavior. "It makes heroes out of security people, as if the people who...fix normal bugs aren't as important," wrote Torvalds.
What was left behind for the developers were all the "boring" bugs, which Torvalds considered more important due to their volume.
All bugs do not have equal weight, which is why major software houses all tag bugs for things like "security effect" and try to do a fairly honest job of prioritizing fixes. What Torvalds has said, basically, is that they don't really have any kind of bug triage and its on an as-we-get-to-it basis. Now his comments need to be put in context, no major enterprise (and the vast majority of consumers who use Linux) dont actually use his version, they use a supported version from a vendor with more matrure software practices, so this doesn't mean much in real life.
OTOH if Bill Gates said something like this, he'd have been fired by the Board.
Also, this bit was good:
"I think the OpenBSD crowd is a bunch of masturbating monkeys, in that they make such a big deal about concentrating on security to the point where they pretty much admit that nothing else matters to them. To me, security is important. But it's no less important than everything else that is also important!" Torvalds concluded.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Obama Approved
Obama Releases List of Approved Jokes About Himself
Bid to Help Late Night Comics
A Christian, a Jew and Barack Obama are in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. Barack Obama says, "This joke isn't going to work because there's no Muslim in this boat."
the rest here
Bid to Help Late Night Comics
A Christian, a Jew and Barack Obama are in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. Barack Obama says, "This joke isn't going to work because there's no Muslim in this boat."
the rest here
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Foe
In prepping for my lecture tomorrow, I learned a new term, the foe.
A foe is a unit of energy equal to 10^44 joules or 10^51 ergs, used to measure the large amount of energy produced by a supernova.[1]
The word is an acronym derived from the phrase [ten to the power] fifty-one ergs.[2] It was coined by Gerald Brown of Stony Brook University in his work with Hans Bethe, because "it came up often enough in our work".[3]
This unit of measure is convenient because a supernova typically releases about one foe of observable energy in a very short period (which can be measured in seconds). In comparison, if the Sun had its current luminosity throughout its entire lifetime, it would produce 3.827×10^26 W × 10^10 years ≈ 1.2 foe.
Jesus' shitballs!
A foe is a unit of energy equal to 10^44 joules or 10^51 ergs, used to measure the large amount of energy produced by a supernova.[1]
The word is an acronym derived from the phrase [ten to the power] fifty-one ergs.[2] It was coined by Gerald Brown of Stony Brook University in his work with Hans Bethe, because "it came up often enough in our work".[3]
This unit of measure is convenient because a supernova typically releases about one foe of observable energy in a very short period (which can be measured in seconds). In comparison, if the Sun had its current luminosity throughout its entire lifetime, it would produce 3.827×10^26 W × 10^10 years ≈ 1.2 foe.
Jesus' shitballs!
LSD for the Taste Buds
This is neat enough I'd liek to try it:
Back in May, The New York Times ran a story about an entrepreneur who was organizing "flavor-tripping parties" around a little red berry widely known as "miracle fruit," in part because of one of its components, a protein called miraculin, and in part because of its effects on the human palate. According to a university researcher who studied the berry, miraculin "binds with the taste buds and acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids."
In other words, it makes sour things taste sweet.
...
But like all magic, there is a heavy price to pay for dabbling with god's ordered universe:
Much less fun: the after-effects. The Times article neglected to mention that while miraculin makes vinegar and Tabasco sweet, it doesn't make either of them any easier on the lining of the throat or the stomach. By the end of the day, miracle or no, all of us certainly felt like we'd been drinking pickle-Tabasco-sauerkraut-radish-mustard-vodka cocktails.
Back in May, The New York Times ran a story about an entrepreneur who was organizing "flavor-tripping parties" around a little red berry widely known as "miracle fruit," in part because of one of its components, a protein called miraculin, and in part because of its effects on the human palate. According to a university researcher who studied the berry, miraculin "binds with the taste buds and acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids."
In other words, it makes sour things taste sweet.
...
But like all magic, there is a heavy price to pay for dabbling with god's ordered universe:
Much less fun: the after-effects. The Times article neglected to mention that while miraculin makes vinegar and Tabasco sweet, it doesn't make either of them any easier on the lining of the throat or the stomach. By the end of the day, miracle or no, all of us certainly felt like we'd been drinking pickle-Tabasco-sauerkraut-radish-mustard-vodka cocktails.
Some Much Wrong Packed in One Sentence...
... it threatens to form a black-hole and suck the reader into a parallel reality of over parenting, paranoia and mind-numbing dumbness. Really.
From review of WALL-E (which I quite liked):
“I didn’t think for a second that a movie about a little robot could have anything to do with weight. My son keeps making comments about ‘all of those fat, lazy people just sitting around doing nothing.’ We’ve seen a significant increase in [his] anorexic behaviors since we saw the movie yesterday.”
It never occurred to me that the "fat people" of WALL-E were the villains. I still have a hard time making that connection, possibly because it isn't true or I am not a moron. Not sure which.
From review of WALL-E (which I quite liked):
“I didn’t think for a second that a movie about a little robot could have anything to do with weight. My son keeps making comments about ‘all of those fat, lazy people just sitting around doing nothing.’ We’ve seen a significant increase in [his] anorexic behaviors since we saw the movie yesterday.”
It never occurred to me that the "fat people" of WALL-E were the villains. I still have a hard time making that connection, possibly because it isn't true or I am not a moron. Not sure which.
Astronomy Lecture on Thursday
I'm doing an informal astronomy lecture on Thursday, "The Deaths of Stars", talking about supernova, black holes, neutron stars etc.. I't sbeen awhile, and I find I have to do a bit of homework beforehand to remember some of the details after 20 years, e.g. is the Chandrasekar Limit 1.38M or 1.44M? (It turns out, it depends on the chemical structure of the star, but the metalicity effects the number of electrons available for supporting the star by electron degeneracy pressure).
It's a lot of fun, but I am starting to think I might need to go teach at the community collegefor a bit and work the rust out of my lectures.
It's a lot of fun, but I am starting to think I might need to go teach at the community collegefor a bit and work the rust out of my lectures.
PZ Death Threat Update
It turns out the guy who sent PZ Meyers an email death threat was using his wife's work account. She has been terminated from the company, sad but not unexpected.
Who does the guy blame? Himself? Not Really.
It is my hope that since the mystery is now removed, and now that the Identity of the horrible person who dared write such crude things to the mr. myers is known, that the same people who put so much effort into harming Melanie Kroll, will use as much effort to right the wrong that has been done to her.
When you worship victimhood, your highest calling is to be a victim yourself.
Who does the guy blame? Himself? Not Really.
It is my hope that since the mystery is now removed, and now that the Identity of the horrible person who dared write such crude things to the mr. myers is known, that the same people who put so much effort into harming Melanie Kroll, will use as much effort to right the wrong that has been done to her.
When you worship victimhood, your highest calling is to be a victim yourself.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Darwins!
[It says 2008, but I know at least one of these is recycled]
2008 Darwin Awards
You've been waiting for them with baited breath, so without further ado here are the 2008 Darwin awards.
Eighth Place In Detroit, a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys.
Seventh Place A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who 'totally zoned when he ran,' accidentally, jogged off a 100-foot high cliff on his daily run.
Sixth Place While at the beach, Daniel Jones, 21, dug an 8 foot hole for protection from the wind and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom! When it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach used their hands and shovels trying to get him out but could not reach him It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Fifth Place Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed as he fell through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth to keep his hands free rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor.
Fourth Place Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger.
Third Place After stepping around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door, a man walked into H&J Leather & Firearms intent on robbing the store. The shop was full of customers and a uniformed officer was standing at the counter. Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up!, and fired a few wild shots from a target pistol. The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, and several customers also drew their guns and fired. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by Paramedics Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds from 7 different weapons. No one else was hurt.
HONORABLE MENTION Paul Stiller, 47, and his wife Bonnie were bored just driving around at 2 A.M. so they lit a quarter stick of dynamite to toss out the window to see what would happen. Apparently they failed to notice the window was closed.
RUNNER UP Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from a local bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of lineman's cable, lay near by They secured one end around Bingham's leg and then tied the other to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. Bingham's foot was never located.
AND THE WINNER IS...? Zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt (Paderborn,Germany) fed his constipated elephant 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally got relief. Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast unloaded. The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground where he struck his head on a rock as the elephant continued to evacuate 200 pounds of dung on top of him.
It seems to be just one of those freak accidents that proves.. 'Sh't happens'
IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPORTANT TO THANK THESE PEOPLE FOR REMOVING THEMSELVES FROM THE GENE POOL.
2008 Darwin Awards
You've been waiting for them with baited breath, so without further ado here are the 2008 Darwin awards.
Eighth Place In Detroit, a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys.
Seventh Place A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who 'totally zoned when he ran,' accidentally, jogged off a 100-foot high cliff on his daily run.
Sixth Place While at the beach, Daniel Jones, 21, dug an 8 foot hole for protection from the wind and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom! When it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach used their hands and shovels trying to get him out but could not reach him It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Fifth Place Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed as he fell through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth to keep his hands free rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor.
Fourth Place Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger.
Third Place After stepping around a marked police patrol car parked at the front door, a man walked into H&J Leather & Firearms intent on robbing the store. The shop was full of customers and a uniformed officer was standing at the counter. Upon seeing the officer, the would-be robber announced a hold-up!, and fired a few wild shots from a target pistol. The officer and a clerk promptly returned fire, and several customers also drew their guns and fired. The robber was pronounced dead at the scene by Paramedics Crime scene investigators located 47 expended cartridge cases in the shop. The subsequent autopsy revealed 23 gunshot wounds. Ballistics identified rounds from 7 different weapons. No one else was hurt.
HONORABLE MENTION Paul Stiller, 47, and his wife Bonnie were bored just driving around at 2 A.M. so they lit a quarter stick of dynamite to toss out the window to see what would happen. Apparently they failed to notice the window was closed.
RUNNER UP Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from a local bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of lineman's cable, lay near by They secured one end around Bingham's leg and then tied the other to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. Bingham's foot was never located.
AND THE WINNER IS...? Zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt (Paderborn,Germany) fed his constipated elephant 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally got relief. Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast unloaded. The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground where he struck his head on a rock as the elephant continued to evacuate 200 pounds of dung on top of him.
It seems to be just one of those freak accidents that proves.. 'Sh't happens'
IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPORTANT TO THANK THESE PEOPLE FOR REMOVING THEMSELVES FROM THE GENE POOL.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Green Eyed Monster
I read through PZ's hate mail bag after his pointing out the a communion wafer is really just a cracker. There is quite a bit of it, and I can't say I read every bit of it (it gets boring after awhile).
2 Observations:
PZ might have a real problem here. Try as he might, his university is going to get hit with some of the fallout. He won't get fired or anything, but I think he might get a chewing out.
Many of the catholics who responded are both deeply afraid of, and very envious of Islam. You can tell from the tone (and the death threats) that they a) want to do a lot of violence in the name of their religion (but can't) and b) feel they are getting a poor deal compared to the Muslims. I've argued with a lot of catholics in my day, usually on a very civil level. Most kind of quietly assume that once I'm dead, I'll change over when I see the proof. To be fair, that might happen should I find myself in an actual afterlife. I'm betting the other way of course, that there isn't one, but I could be wrong.
A subset though seem to really be torn between what they want to do and their religion, and express this through a great deal of misplaced anger. I assume every group has maladjusted people and that's what comes out at times like this (there are plenty of maladjusted atheists, muslims, jews and Steeler's fans), it's just a little shocking to see it so openly.
2 Observations:
PZ might have a real problem here. Try as he might, his university is going to get hit with some of the fallout. He won't get fired or anything, but I think he might get a chewing out.
Many of the catholics who responded are both deeply afraid of, and very envious of Islam. You can tell from the tone (and the death threats) that they a) want to do a lot of violence in the name of their religion (but can't) and b) feel they are getting a poor deal compared to the Muslims. I've argued with a lot of catholics in my day, usually on a very civil level. Most kind of quietly assume that once I'm dead, I'll change over when I see the proof. To be fair, that might happen should I find myself in an actual afterlife. I'm betting the other way of course, that there isn't one, but I could be wrong.
A subset though seem to really be torn between what they want to do and their religion, and express this through a great deal of misplaced anger. I assume every group has maladjusted people and that's what comes out at times like this (there are plenty of maladjusted atheists, muslims, jews and Steeler's fans), it's just a little shocking to see it so openly.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Venture Brothers Quiz
I'm Phantom Limb!
You are an unsettling supervillain, with invisible but deadly limbs, who favors a purple spandex costume, and is still obsessed with Dr. Girlfriend. You haven't forgiven the Monarch for stealing her back. He should probably be worried.
Take the Which Venture Brothers character are you? Quiz at HeavyInk.com
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Hate Crimes
The next time someone points out to me how only the "left" cries "hate crime" at the drop of a hat, I can point them to this:
Webster Cook says he smuggled a Eucharist, a small bread wafer that to Catholics symbolic of the Body of Christ after a priest blesses it, out of mass, didn't eat it as he was supposed to do, but instead walked with it.
...
"We don't know 100% what Mr. Cooks motivation was," said Susan Fani a spokesperson with the local Catholic diocese. "However, if anything were to qualify as a hate crime, to us this seems like this might be it."
We just expect the University to take this seriously," she added "To send a message to not just Mr. Cook but the whole community that this kind of really complete sacrilege will not be tolerated."
PZ summarizes my thoiughts well.
Webster Cook says he smuggled a Eucharist, a small bread wafer that to Catholics symbolic of the Body of Christ after a priest blesses it, out of mass, didn't eat it as he was supposed to do, but instead walked with it.
...
"We don't know 100% what Mr. Cooks motivation was," said Susan Fani a spokesperson with the local Catholic diocese. "However, if anything were to qualify as a hate crime, to us this seems like this might be it."
We just expect the University to take this seriously," she added "To send a message to not just Mr. Cook but the whole community that this kind of really complete sacrilege will not be tolerated."
PZ summarizes my thoiughts well.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Secret Project, Revealed!
I posted this a bit earlier, but I had jumped the gun. One of my "secret projects" became public today. On purpose.
This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in the Windows Domain Name System (DNS) that could allow spoofing. These vulnerabilities exist in both the DNS client and DNS server and could allow a remote attacker to redirect network traffic intended for systems on the Internet to the attacker’s own systems.
One of my guys just finished his press conference. I'll link a you tube video when it gets posted.
Bottom line: the internet is once again safe for spam and porn.
Update:
Dan is one of the folks on my pentest team and this has been pretty much his whole project since early March. Hear his podcast.
Also, read about "the largest synchronized security update in the history of the Internet"
These are the days when I'm glad I got out of my old job, even though I occasionlly miss it. Despite being "worldwide" we never pulled off anything of this magnitude, or made this much of a difference to so many customers. It was great, but I'm doing stuff now with real impact and it's very rewarding.
At least it is today. Ask me again next week and I might say something different.
This security update resolves two privately reported vulnerabilities in the Windows Domain Name System (DNS) that could allow spoofing. These vulnerabilities exist in both the DNS client and DNS server and could allow a remote attacker to redirect network traffic intended for systems on the Internet to the attacker’s own systems.
One of my guys just finished his press conference. I'll link a you tube video when it gets posted.
Bottom line: the internet is once again safe for spam and porn.
Update:
Dan is one of the folks on my pentest team and this has been pretty much his whole project since early March. Hear his podcast.
Also, read about "the largest synchronized security update in the history of the Internet"
These are the days when I'm glad I got out of my old job, even though I occasionlly miss it. Despite being "worldwide" we never pulled off anything of this magnitude, or made this much of a difference to so many customers. It was great, but I'm doing stuff now with real impact and it's very rewarding.
At least it is today. Ask me again next week and I might say something different.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Death of a Guilty Pleasure
The CAP Ministries is going to close.
The bottom line is that we are broke. Our donor base is now four regular donors giving $165 per month (we lost a $200 per month donor). And that equates to a new release analysis about once every two months ... and no help in providing for my family while I work the ministry, except for maybe butter-n-egg money for a month (for ten people: 6 adopted children, two foster babies, my wife and I) plus a tank of gas.
The CAP has been a guilty pleasure of mine for quite a long time. I'd occasionally go check out how perfectly innocent movies would set up this wonderful approach-avoidance conflict within the reviewer where he was clearly fascinated by what he was seeing, but at the same time punishing himself for this joy. All this under the guise of watching the movies to "protect children". Seemingly, even the least clued christian parent would understand that a movie called The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (rated R) is not something you would take a 6 year-old to see. Yet bravely, and with total deference to Jesus, the CAP reviewer would throw himself on such a beast, braving the violence, sex and blasphemy, some would say risking his very soul, to detail in exacting precision the complete catalog of god offenses and explain why this is a Weapon of Satan aimed at the delicate sensibilities of the Bob the Builder crowd. Why said christian parents, while fully savvy of the Internet and it's godless dangers, would fail to understand that the subtle warning ensconced the title phrase "CHAINSAW MASSACRE" is left as an exercise for the student.
So, okay, he liked to go to the movies and loved to feel the righteous indignation only true believers can. And he like folks to pay for this. Props for that. My hobbies usually cost me money and don't generally come with moral superiority so he out strips me there.
But, he even hates kids movies.
A terrific example is Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Probably the blandest pablum the Hollywood vomit machine has ever snorted out it's nose. No god, no crime, no gangsta, no sex, no crippling existential angst. Nothing. What's the problem with Mr. Magoo?
Natalie Portman wearing a dress that exposed a large gap over her chest. Such a display of skin normally not seen is clearly sexual: clearly intended to tease, to incite lust in the male viewer. If she had worn a dress that covered the gap, the Sexual Immorality investigation area score would have been 100. Sure, some highfalutin, high society performers wear such clothing for such affairs, but does that make such a cultural-specific display acceptable? If you think "Yes" then the fact that some cultures eat other people makes it acceptable since it is a cultural-specific behavior. Don't argue with me about what is morally acceptable. Argue about it with God. He will give you a much better Answer than I ever could. [1Cor. 8:9, Matt. 5:28]
Wow! I could never have made something like that up. He had raised righteous indignation to a form of high art.
Unfortunately, he could not raise to the level where it paid all his bills. You need a cable show to do that.
Will I miss CAP Ministries? I will. I went there this morning to see what could possibly be offensive in the film Wall-E, which I quite enjoyed. I figured god has to hate robots (since it is man imitating god and robots can have souls since that is gods providence or some shit), and he has to hate robot sex even more! Alas, he is closing shop, at least for now.
Does this sadden me? A little. OTOH I am pretty stoked that the appetite for this kind of silliness, at least as non-parody, is too small to be self-supporting.
The bottom line is that we are broke. Our donor base is now four regular donors giving $165 per month (we lost a $200 per month donor). And that equates to a new release analysis about once every two months ... and no help in providing for my family while I work the ministry, except for maybe butter-n-egg money for a month (for ten people: 6 adopted children, two foster babies, my wife and I) plus a tank of gas.
The CAP has been a guilty pleasure of mine for quite a long time. I'd occasionally go check out how perfectly innocent movies would set up this wonderful approach-avoidance conflict within the reviewer where he was clearly fascinated by what he was seeing, but at the same time punishing himself for this joy. All this under the guise of watching the movies to "protect children". Seemingly, even the least clued christian parent would understand that a movie called The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (rated R) is not something you would take a 6 year-old to see. Yet bravely, and with total deference to Jesus, the CAP reviewer would throw himself on such a beast, braving the violence, sex and blasphemy, some would say risking his very soul, to detail in exacting precision the complete catalog of god offenses and explain why this is a Weapon of Satan aimed at the delicate sensibilities of the Bob the Builder crowd. Why said christian parents, while fully savvy of the Internet and it's godless dangers, would fail to understand that the subtle warning ensconced the title phrase "CHAINSAW MASSACRE" is left as an exercise for the student.
So, okay, he liked to go to the movies and loved to feel the righteous indignation only true believers can. And he like folks to pay for this. Props for that. My hobbies usually cost me money and don't generally come with moral superiority so he out strips me there.
But, he even hates kids movies.
A terrific example is Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Probably the blandest pablum the Hollywood vomit machine has ever snorted out it's nose. No god, no crime, no gangsta, no sex, no crippling existential angst. Nothing. What's the problem with Mr. Magoo?
Natalie Portman wearing a dress that exposed a large gap over her chest. Such a display of skin normally not seen is clearly sexual: clearly intended to tease, to incite lust in the male viewer. If she had worn a dress that covered the gap, the Sexual Immorality investigation area score would have been 100. Sure, some highfalutin, high society performers wear such clothing for such affairs, but does that make such a cultural-specific display acceptable? If you think "Yes" then the fact that some cultures eat other people makes it acceptable since it is a cultural-specific behavior. Don't argue with me about what is morally acceptable. Argue about it with God. He will give you a much better Answer than I ever could. [1Cor. 8:9, Matt. 5:28]
Wow! I could never have made something like that up. He had raised righteous indignation to a form of high art.
Unfortunately, he could not raise to the level where it paid all his bills. You need a cable show to do that.
Will I miss CAP Ministries? I will. I went there this morning to see what could possibly be offensive in the film Wall-E, which I quite enjoyed. I figured god has to hate robots (since it is man imitating god and robots can have souls since that is gods providence or some shit), and he has to hate robot sex even more! Alas, he is closing shop, at least for now.
Does this sadden me? A little. OTOH I am pretty stoked that the appetite for this kind of silliness, at least as non-parody, is too small to be self-supporting.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
An Especially Hot Pit in the 8th Circle is Waiting for
Billy Graham.
His lasting damage, I offer as an aside, was to persuade the young George W. Bush to abandon his wastrel ways, at which he excelled, and instead seek the path that has led him to where he is now, a calamity for the nation and the world. Graham's burden is heavy indeed.
I don't beleive in gods but I do believe we should explore the limits of what we're good at.
It is better to do your Dharma poorly than do another's well.
-The Bhagavad Gita
His lasting damage, I offer as an aside, was to persuade the young George W. Bush to abandon his wastrel ways, at which he excelled, and instead seek the path that has led him to where he is now, a calamity for the nation and the world. Graham's burden is heavy indeed.
I don't beleive in gods but I do believe we should explore the limits of what we're good at.
It is better to do your Dharma poorly than do another's well.
-The Bhagavad Gita
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Republican Strategy for Candidates
Brief and accurate, from TPM:
Continues to boggle my mind what a difference 4 years can make to the conservatives.
1996: Bob Dole is a war hero! Clinton is a draft dodger! WORSHIP THE WAR HERO!
2000: Forget the war! Ignore the potential Vietnam-era AWOL-ness of our candidate, and his complete lack of foreign policy knowledge! He's got integrity!
2004: So what your candidate actually fought and was injured in the same war during which our candidate was so very much NOT AWOL! We mock his service and question the legitimacy of his injuries! Have a purple band-aid to wear at our convention!
2008: Only a certified war hero can lead this country! WORSHIP THE WAR HERO!
You want to bet if I wore a purple band-aid to mock McCain's service I'd be roasted alive?
Continues to boggle my mind what a difference 4 years can make to the conservatives.
1996: Bob Dole is a war hero! Clinton is a draft dodger! WORSHIP THE WAR HERO!
2000: Forget the war! Ignore the potential Vietnam-era AWOL-ness of our candidate, and his complete lack of foreign policy knowledge! He's got integrity!
2004: So what your candidate actually fought and was injured in the same war during which our candidate was so very much NOT AWOL! We mock his service and question the legitimacy of his injuries! Have a purple band-aid to wear at our convention!
2008: Only a certified war hero can lead this country! WORSHIP THE WAR HERO!
You want to bet if I wore a purple band-aid to mock McCain's service I'd be roasted alive?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Preferences
How badly has President Bush damaged the Republican brand? Damn badly! So badly Dino Rossi, republican candidate for the govenor of Washington State is refusing to have the word "Republican" next to his name on the November ballot!
On Monday on FOX News Dino Rossi was caught trying to trick Washington's voters. You may have heard that Rossi and 27 other Republican candidates in our state will not allow the word "Republican" to appear next to their name on the ballot. Thanks to the new Top Two primary, candidates can choose what party label they want on the ballot in November. As we reported on June 11th, Dino Rossi will have "Prefers G.O.P. party" next to his name, which is clearly a scheme to avoid having the word "Republican" next to his name.Or as one of their candidates admits in this newscast:"There's 30 percent of the people in this state that would not vote for a Republican no matter what, and we want to get around that..."
here. wow!
I know democrats prefer the term "Democratic Party" over the Presidents mangled "Democrat Party" and foolishly made an issue of it in 2006 (If you don't like being called "wedgie boy" don't go up to the school jerk and tell him that idiots!). Will the republicans make a similar fuss over the word... republican? This has high entertainment potential.
On Monday on FOX News Dino Rossi was caught trying to trick Washington's voters. You may have heard that Rossi and 27 other Republican candidates in our state will not allow the word "Republican" to appear next to their name on the ballot. Thanks to the new Top Two primary, candidates can choose what party label they want on the ballot in November. As we reported on June 11th, Dino Rossi will have "Prefers G.O.P. party" next to his name, which is clearly a scheme to avoid having the word "Republican" next to his name.Or as one of their candidates admits in this newscast:"There's 30 percent of the people in this state that would not vote for a Republican no matter what, and we want to get around that..."
here. wow!
I know democrats prefer the term "Democratic Party" over the Presidents mangled "Democrat Party" and foolishly made an issue of it in 2006 (If you don't like being called "wedgie boy" don't go up to the school jerk and tell him that idiots!). Will the republicans make a similar fuss over the word... republican? This has high entertainment potential.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Free Computers
We had a flood 2 weeks ago in our building. A chiller pipe feeding the second floor lab burst and flooded the entire first floor to a depth of 2" or so. My office and the department I run are on this floor and it was, to put it bluntly, a disaster. We've been filing insurance claims for the better part of two weeks now and, after new dry wall, new carpet and some paint, things are largely back to normal.
I lost a pet goldfish and the strainer from my teapot in the accident.
While odd, that is not an important detail.
The week before the flood, one of the other departments was getting new computers, quad core, 8GB HPs. They were queued up in boxes in the halls when the water came, ruining some boxes and doubtless some of the machines. Because of all the construction, the team stored them in a large closet off the kitchen until things settled down. Today they decided to take them out and inspect them. This would not be interesting except that a) my building as a sense of humor and b) they used union labor.
So, rather than move all those computers back into the hall, which was 30 feet away, they decided instead to just move them into the kitchen, blocking the coffee, sink, fridge and water. The total volume of material was a large fraction of the total kitchen space, and this was highly annoying since, if they had moved them 10 more feet, they could have had their inventory and not stopped the flow of coffee (my company is, largely, a machine for turning coffee into programs, so blocking the coffee pot harms productivity greatly). Lazy but within union rules.
One enterprising programmer decided to have a little fun and sent out the following email to most of the building:
"Free computers in the kitchen! Get them while they're hot! :) "
There ensued a short spike of computer, cookie and cake jokes, as well as some lame puns around eating hot chips. Standard.
About 20 mins later I needed coffee, so I went to the kitchen and discovered three things:
1) They weren't kidding, there really were computers in the kitchen (good ones too!)
2) There was a very large crowd in the kitchen wondering how true the "free" part was.
3) The computers were filling about 25% of the available space in the kitchen, blocking the coffee.
I was there for a few minutes, mostly thinking about how to get at the coffee makers , when the union boys returned from their mandatory 30 minute break (which they had taken in the neighboring building because, as I might have mentioned, they blocked the coffee makers). They came in, saw the pile of computers in the kitchen and COMPLETELY FLIPPED OUT! Totally lost it, swearing in some language only Navy Seals and poets full grok. "Why?" you may ask. OSHA safety inspector? Union pit boss? Immigration? Sadly for them, no. They were having a total meltdown because when they had left 30 minutes earlier, the boxes had filled 50% of the available space, not the mere 25% I was looking at. So, counting on their fingers and toes they realized some computers were missing! Not So Good.
Emails flew fast and furious for the next few minutes as they sent out increasingly unrealistic threats starting first with firm demands for the return of the machines, escalating rapidly through threats of termination, briefly peaking with dark hints of beheadings and anal rape, then finally collapsing into pleas of mercy lest *they* be fired for losing $50,000 worth of high quality machines. Then their managers send emails. Then our managers send emails. Then the poor schmuck who sent out the original email sent out a series of messages pleading for the return of the machines, more than hinting that the beheading and anal rape options were not entirely off the table, at least for him, should the machines not be returned.
Finally, by then end of the day, all but three of the machines had been returned but the emails only slowed. Police were being summoned, terminations would be forthcoming and the poor joking schmo would have to pay back out of his own pocket. All looked dark until...
someone checked the trunk of the car of one of the union guys. Or so am I told. You see, the emails have stopped and all anyone will say is that the situation is "resolved".
What's the lesson?
"Don't send joke emails?", "Crime doesn't pay?", "Anal rape is an effective threat?"
No.
It's "Don't block my access to coffee and do remember to lock your car you fucking union jerk."
I lost a pet goldfish and the strainer from my teapot in the accident.
While odd, that is not an important detail.
The week before the flood, one of the other departments was getting new computers, quad core, 8GB HPs. They were queued up in boxes in the halls when the water came, ruining some boxes and doubtless some of the machines. Because of all the construction, the team stored them in a large closet off the kitchen until things settled down. Today they decided to take them out and inspect them. This would not be interesting except that a) my building as a sense of humor and b) they used union labor.
So, rather than move all those computers back into the hall, which was 30 feet away, they decided instead to just move them into the kitchen, blocking the coffee, sink, fridge and water. The total volume of material was a large fraction of the total kitchen space, and this was highly annoying since, if they had moved them 10 more feet, they could have had their inventory and not stopped the flow of coffee (my company is, largely, a machine for turning coffee into programs, so blocking the coffee pot harms productivity greatly). Lazy but within union rules.
One enterprising programmer decided to have a little fun and sent out the following email to most of the building:
"Free computers in the kitchen! Get them while they're hot! :) "
There ensued a short spike of computer, cookie and cake jokes, as well as some lame puns around eating hot chips. Standard.
About 20 mins later I needed coffee, so I went to the kitchen and discovered three things:
1) They weren't kidding, there really were computers in the kitchen (good ones too!)
2) There was a very large crowd in the kitchen wondering how true the "free" part was.
3) The computers were filling about 25% of the available space in the kitchen, blocking the coffee.
I was there for a few minutes, mostly thinking about how to get at the coffee makers , when the union boys returned from their mandatory 30 minute break (which they had taken in the neighboring building because, as I might have mentioned, they blocked the coffee makers). They came in, saw the pile of computers in the kitchen and COMPLETELY FLIPPED OUT! Totally lost it, swearing in some language only Navy Seals and poets full grok. "Why?" you may ask. OSHA safety inspector? Union pit boss? Immigration? Sadly for them, no. They were having a total meltdown because when they had left 30 minutes earlier, the boxes had filled 50% of the available space, not the mere 25% I was looking at. So, counting on their fingers and toes they realized some computers were missing! Not So Good.
Emails flew fast and furious for the next few minutes as they sent out increasingly unrealistic threats starting first with firm demands for the return of the machines, escalating rapidly through threats of termination, briefly peaking with dark hints of beheadings and anal rape, then finally collapsing into pleas of mercy lest *they* be fired for losing $50,000 worth of high quality machines. Then their managers send emails. Then our managers send emails. Then the poor schmuck who sent out the original email sent out a series of messages pleading for the return of the machines, more than hinting that the beheading and anal rape options were not entirely off the table, at least for him, should the machines not be returned.
Finally, by then end of the day, all but three of the machines had been returned but the emails only slowed. Police were being summoned, terminations would be forthcoming and the poor joking schmo would have to pay back out of his own pocket. All looked dark until...
someone checked the trunk of the car of one of the union guys. Or so am I told. You see, the emails have stopped and all anyone will say is that the situation is "resolved".
What's the lesson?
"Don't send joke emails?", "Crime doesn't pay?", "Anal rape is an effective threat?"
No.
It's "Don't block my access to coffee and do remember to lock your car you fucking union jerk."
Things I Am Glad I was Not Asked During My Quals
Unruh Radiation.
I should probably have known this and it would have been well within the committee's rights to ask me about it. To be fair, I did understand it immediately when I read it, but I had never heard of Unruh Radiation before today.
hmmm...
I should probably have known this and it would have been well within the committee's rights to ask me about it. To be fair, I did understand it immediately when I read it, but I had never heard of Unruh Radiation before today.
hmmm...
The Gay Plague
New evidence around male gay genetics suggest:
It is fixed at birth
It can't be eliminated from a population
and it isn't contagious.
Why are there gay genes at all? Why haven't they burned out of a non-reproducing population? Because gay men are a side effect of a different process which makes the female relatives more reproductively successful creating positive feedback.
First, it implies natural limits to homosexuality. You don't need to worry that gay teachers or television characters will "convert" hordes of boys. Sexually antagonistic selection is self-limiting and impervious to postnatal cultural factors. The authors' computations show no scenario in which male homosexuality spreads throughout a population.
Second, by the same token, you can't culturally eradicate the gay minority. It's sustained by genetics and natural selection.
Third, if the authors are correct, we're not really talking about genes for homosexuality. We're talking about genes for "androphilia," i.e., attraction to men. The importance of the genes lies in what they do not to men but to women, by increasing reproductive output so powerfully that these women compensate for the reduced output among their male relatives. You can't isolate gay men as a puzzle or problem anymore. You have to see them as part of a bigger, stronger, enduring phenomenon.
See? god knows what she's doing.
See also for why gay men should carry guns.
It is fixed at birth
It can't be eliminated from a population
and it isn't contagious.
Why are there gay genes at all? Why haven't they burned out of a non-reproducing population? Because gay men are a side effect of a different process which makes the female relatives more reproductively successful creating positive feedback.
First, it implies natural limits to homosexuality. You don't need to worry that gay teachers or television characters will "convert" hordes of boys. Sexually antagonistic selection is self-limiting and impervious to postnatal cultural factors. The authors' computations show no scenario in which male homosexuality spreads throughout a population.
Second, by the same token, you can't culturally eradicate the gay minority. It's sustained by genetics and natural selection.
Third, if the authors are correct, we're not really talking about genes for homosexuality. We're talking about genes for "androphilia," i.e., attraction to men. The importance of the genes lies in what they do not to men but to women, by increasing reproductive output so powerfully that these women compensate for the reduced output among their male relatives. You can't isolate gay men as a puzzle or problem anymore. You have to see them as part of a bigger, stronger, enduring phenomenon.
See? god knows what she's doing.
See also for why gay men should carry guns.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Comments
At the request of some readers, I have turned anonymous comments back on. I reserve the right to shut them back off or edit away insulting or crazy things.
Jump the Snark
As most of you know, I am a) kind of a jerk and b) enjoy going to websites with radically different viewpoints than my own. I do this for 2 reasons; first, because I like to constantly challenge my view point on things and second, because it occasionally pays off in spades with real, total meltdown craziness.
In that spirit, I invite you to check out the Texas Darling (although she is actually from SoCal).
During the dem primaries this spring I was wandering through the various websites trying to form an opinion on Obama. Almost site I went to was so pro-Obama I naturally had an allergic reaction. I did not think I would ever vote for another Clinton, but I wanted to check out what her fans were saying and see if there was any merit. I found MyDD which was strongly pro-Hillary, and had some members which were just this side of crazy. The primary got settled and the Hillary folks, disappointed and a little bitter, began to fall in line. I started to lose some interest since the blog was no longer an outlier.
However
TexasDarling has her own site and immediate dived off the deep end, satisfying my need for nonsense like a Snickers Tree to a starving man. At MyDD she was a frequent, somewhat shrill and monotone poster about Hillary and I kind of formed the opinion she was a GOP shill. But no, she's much more interesting than that.
If you need some craziness, go over there and you'll find:
How she and her followers have taken a low-rez jpeg of a reproduction of a web-issued birth record, called it a 1961 birth certificate and immediately found that, a jpeg of a document doesn't match a high rez photo at all! Must be a fake!
Political Prisoner (and wanted felon) Larry Sinclair is being suppressed in wide ranging conspiracy to keep his story of gay sex with a black man claiming to be Barak Obama out of the papers.
and much, much more!
What you wont find are any cogent arguments for voting for Hillary Clinton, which is probably what you suspected all along.
In that spirit, I invite you to check out the Texas Darling (although she is actually from SoCal).
During the dem primaries this spring I was wandering through the various websites trying to form an opinion on Obama. Almost site I went to was so pro-Obama I naturally had an allergic reaction. I did not think I would ever vote for another Clinton, but I wanted to check out what her fans were saying and see if there was any merit. I found MyDD which was strongly pro-Hillary, and had some members which were just this side of crazy. The primary got settled and the Hillary folks, disappointed and a little bitter, began to fall in line. I started to lose some interest since the blog was no longer an outlier.
However
TexasDarling has her own site and immediate dived off the deep end, satisfying my need for nonsense like a Snickers Tree to a starving man. At MyDD she was a frequent, somewhat shrill and monotone poster about Hillary and I kind of formed the opinion she was a GOP shill. But no, she's much more interesting than that.
If you need some craziness, go over there and you'll find:
How she and her followers have taken a low-rez jpeg of a reproduction of a web-issued birth record, called it a 1961 birth certificate and immediately found that, a jpeg of a document doesn't match a high rez photo at all! Must be a fake!
Political Prisoner (and wanted felon) Larry Sinclair is being suppressed in wide ranging conspiracy to keep his story of gay sex with a black man claiming to be Barak Obama out of the papers.
and much, much more!
What you wont find are any cogent arguments for voting for Hillary Clinton, which is probably what you suspected all along.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Illusions of the Year
Impressive.
The Tower of Piza one had me going until I blocked one out, looked at the other, then blocked it and looked at the first. If, at any point, they are both on the screen together, the illusion comes back.
wiggy.
The Tower of Piza one had me going until I blocked one out, looked at the other, then blocked it and looked at the first. If, at any point, they are both on the screen together, the illusion comes back.
wiggy.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Also, Since I Had the Camera Out
I took some pictures of the glass I have been working on lately.
Various paperweights I have been giving away. Not all of them obviously. Also missing is a fairly decent christmas orb I gave to Geoff for graduation:
A piece I just call the Flame:
The green version, which wicked cracked:
A blue, open mouth vase (next to a closed mouth orange tabby who could not help but pose for the camera:
A ridged plate which was the last thing we learned to make in this series of classes:
All in all I have been pretty happy with my progress the last 6 weeks. I bought some new glass for the open session tomorrow. I am going to try some more flame pieces with dichromatics.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Out Of the Loop
Yes, cooking popcorn with cellphones is impossible. At least cooking them with working cellphones is. I can think of a half dozen modifications that would make that work, but they would no longer be cellphones.
Also:
So, what's really causing the kernels to ricochet off the table in the YouTube clips? Bloomfield suggests tricky video editing or even a covert heating element beneath the table. Debunker website Snopes.com also points out that cooking popcorn with cellphones is impossible (same goes for eggs).
I can think of *no* modifications to eggs which would allow them to cook popcorn, but let me ponder a bit.
Also:
So, what's really causing the kernels to ricochet off the table in the YouTube clips? Bloomfield suggests tricky video editing or even a covert heating element beneath the table. Debunker website Snopes.com also points out that cooking popcorn with cellphones is impossible (same goes for eggs).
I can think of *no* modifications to eggs which would allow them to cook popcorn, but let me ponder a bit.
Settling in for Winter
via MSNBC:
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - One of the last shipments to a U.S. research base in Antarctica before the onset of winter darkness was a year's supply of condoms, a New Zealand newspaper reported Monday.
Bill Henriksen, the manager of the McMurdo base station, said nearly 16,500 condoms were delivered last month and would be made available, free of charge, to staff throughout the year to avoid the potential embarrassment of having to buy them.
...
About 125 scientists and staff are stationed at McMurdo base, the largest community in Antarctica, during the winter months when there is constant darkness.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - One of the last shipments to a U.S. research base in Antarctica before the onset of winter darkness was a year's supply of condoms, a New Zealand newspaper reported Monday.
Bill Henriksen, the manager of the McMurdo base station, said nearly 16,500 condoms were delivered last month and would be made available, free of charge, to staff throughout the year to avoid the potential embarrassment of having to buy them.
...
About 125 scientists and staff are stationed at McMurdo base, the largest community in Antarctica, during the winter months when there is constant darkness.
Comissioning
Geoff comissions into the Army on Thursday. I'm flying to Philly tomorrow to attend and pin his bars on. He graduates on Friday from Drexel.
Way to go son!
Way to go son!
Save It for the News Room
The opinion of a survey of newspaper editors on the question of blogging:
According to a survey I recently conducted, approximately 44% of newspaper editors and publishers wouldn’t allow their staff writers to maintain personal blogs without prior approval.
...
“Blogging is not just a conversation with an intimate, trusted family member or friend,” wrote (Everett, Washington) Herald city editor Robert Frank. “…So would I be fine with one of my reporter’s publishing commentary (I’m presuming it’s commentary) about the presidential election, or a local election, for that matter? No. I would be upset if someone chose to demonstrate partisanship over professionalism. It likely would lead to, if not reassignment, at least a serious reassessment of their duties here, and, depending on all the particulars, could potentially lead all the way up to a parting of ways."
Interesting. I was recently talking to a VC friend of mine in Silicon Valley and asked him if having a blog would effect their decision making on funding. His answer was kind of complicated but basically it boiled down to "Yes, especially at the early stages, not as much once the company was in full flight." The basic idea was that a blog either attracts or repels attention to the blogger and the company and if it gives out too much personal information, that's usually bad. Repelling potential investors early on makes it tough later. "You want to be know as the company with the cool technology, not as the company with the guy who has a diaper fetish".
In other words, all the basic human interactions are in play.
Thanks to Simon for pointing this out.
According to a survey I recently conducted, approximately 44% of newspaper editors and publishers wouldn’t allow their staff writers to maintain personal blogs without prior approval.
...
“Blogging is not just a conversation with an intimate, trusted family member or friend,” wrote (Everett, Washington) Herald city editor Robert Frank. “…So would I be fine with one of my reporter’s publishing commentary (I’m presuming it’s commentary) about the presidential election, or a local election, for that matter? No. I would be upset if someone chose to demonstrate partisanship over professionalism. It likely would lead to, if not reassignment, at least a serious reassessment of their duties here, and, depending on all the particulars, could potentially lead all the way up to a parting of ways."
Interesting. I was recently talking to a VC friend of mine in Silicon Valley and asked him if having a blog would effect their decision making on funding. His answer was kind of complicated but basically it boiled down to "Yes, especially at the early stages, not as much once the company was in full flight." The basic idea was that a blog either attracts or repels attention to the blogger and the company and if it gives out too much personal information, that's usually bad. Repelling potential investors early on makes it tough later. "You want to be know as the company with the cool technology, not as the company with the guy who has a diaper fetish".
In other words, all the basic human interactions are in play.
Thanks to Simon for pointing this out.
Play With Fire
get burned. :( 2nd degree burns all along my left arm from glassblowing last night. Apparently I was so intent on the piece I was working on (which ended up cracking btw), I failed to notice that I was roasting my uncovered arm. My pain sensitivity seems to be a little off, as I literally didn't notice it until I got home and was greeted by blisters and lots of oozing clear fluid. Dr. Mark has prescribed Neosporen and Tangeray for the pain. Actually, the weird part is, it doesn't hurt a bit, even today.
Also, last night was "graduation night" at glass blowing. We officially have the run of the shop and the 3 of us left in the class (people dropped every week as the pieces got increasingly complex) spent the whole evening making stuff. Same thing for next week, 4 hours with assistance in a glass shop. Hooray!
The bad part is, I now know how much I don't know about this, and finally realize just how much help my tutor has been. The good part is, I can hire him again for private lessons, and next level classes start soon. :)
Also, last night was "graduation night" at glass blowing. We officially have the run of the shop and the 3 of us left in the class (people dropped every week as the pieces got increasingly complex) spent the whole evening making stuff. Same thing for next week, 4 hours with assistance in a glass shop. Hooray!
The bad part is, I now know how much I don't know about this, and finally realize just how much help my tutor has been. The good part is, I can hire him again for private lessons, and next level classes start soon. :)
Monday, June 09, 2008
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Friday, June 06, 2008
I Found $1 on the Sidewalk
Most people's reaction: Look skyward and say some version of "Thank you Lord!"
my reaction: I looked skyward and said: "A dollar??? I'm insulted!"
my reaction: I looked skyward and said: "A dollar??? I'm insulted!"
The Last Word in Rapture Delivery Services
Your post-rapture messages delivered by... atheists!
Aren't You Afraid of God's Wrath?
We don't believe in God, remember? In the event that the Rapture actually occurs, we will go to Plan B: "Lifetime of Sin Followed by Deathbed Repentance."
Aren't You Afraid of God's Wrath?
We don't believe in God, remember? In the event that the Rapture actually occurs, we will go to Plan B: "Lifetime of Sin Followed by Deathbed Repentance."
The Change Election
From Jon Swift:
Like many senior citizens, McCain knows what he is talking about. A lot of young whippersnappers who grew up with calculators and studied New Math in school can barely count, and if you don't make sure you have the right change before you walk away from the cash register, they will accuse you of trying to cheat, so you have to count it right in front of them. And I don't think it is racist to point out that a lot of the hired help in stores these days are minorities, who have not gone to the best schools. McCain would be the kind of President who would count America's change and not be afraid to point out when we have been shortchanged, even if he has to ask the cashier to call the manager and make a scene.
It seems like all we have heard about in this election is how America wants change, but as John McCain pointed out in his speech, speaking very slowly and patiently and enunciating all of his words to make sure we all understood what he was saying, not all change is good. In fact, generally Americans don't like too much change. We like to go out once a week for the Early Bird Special and order the exact same thing every time. It's very economical and gives us a break in our routine. We would be very upset if it was discontinued and we had to order off the regular menu, which would still be more expensive even with coupons we clipped out of the newspaper. That kind of change would not be welcome at all.
Like many senior citizens, McCain knows what he is talking about. A lot of young whippersnappers who grew up with calculators and studied New Math in school can barely count, and if you don't make sure you have the right change before you walk away from the cash register, they will accuse you of trying to cheat, so you have to count it right in front of them. And I don't think it is racist to point out that a lot of the hired help in stores these days are minorities, who have not gone to the best schools. McCain would be the kind of President who would count America's change and not be afraid to point out when we have been shortchanged, even if he has to ask the cashier to call the manager and make a scene.
It seems like all we have heard about in this election is how America wants change, but as John McCain pointed out in his speech, speaking very slowly and patiently and enunciating all of his words to make sure we all understood what he was saying, not all change is good. In fact, generally Americans don't like too much change. We like to go out once a week for the Early Bird Special and order the exact same thing every time. It's very economical and gives us a break in our routine. We would be very upset if it was discontinued and we had to order off the regular menu, which would still be more expensive even with coupons we clipped out of the newspaper. That kind of change would not be welcome at all.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
Useful Phrases When Traveling
like, Корабът ми на въздушна възглавница е пълен със змиорки
or, as I often say when traveling with Field Correspondant Brian, "这位先生会清单/埋单"
or, as I often say when traveling with Field Correspondant Brian, "这位先生会清单/埋单"
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Google Games
from the Google:
google "Mark Horvath": 24,200 pages
google "Mark Horvath" -fire: 2930 pages
hmmmmmm
google "Mark Horvath": 24,200 pages
google "Mark Horvath" -fire: 2930 pages
hmmmmmm
Ohes Noes! It's the End of the World As We Know It!
Well said on the Rachel Ray "controversy":
Dunkin' Donuts pulled the ad, for fear that some Americans would be sent into the streets in a pants-wetting panic that someone in a donut ad might be wearing a black and white scarf that looks sortof like something a Palestinian jihadist would be wearing. You know, if it wasn't a scarf but was a headdress. And if it had a different pattern. And if you were mind-rapingly insane to begin with
...
So this is what we've (well, I say "we", but I mean a small subset of American patriots who, having absolutely no intention of doing anything meaningful for their country that involves getting out of their chairs, spend their days looking for secret terrorist messages in television commercials) been reduced to. We're examining the fashion statements of donut ads and parsing them for hints of surreptitious Islamic culture. We're locked into a mortal combat against those that casually accessorize without remembering that we are at war; we're mere weeks away from probing the hidden alliances of the doilies on our grandmothers' coffee tables.
We are a nation that sees images of Jesus on toast. Admit it; there was absolutely no possibility that we would not eventually devolve to this point.
The rest here.
I'm on a bit of a roll today with blogging :)
Dunkin' Donuts pulled the ad, for fear that some Americans would be sent into the streets in a pants-wetting panic that someone in a donut ad might be wearing a black and white scarf that looks sortof like something a Palestinian jihadist would be wearing. You know, if it wasn't a scarf but was a headdress. And if it had a different pattern. And if you were mind-rapingly insane to begin with
...
So this is what we've (well, I say "we", but I mean a small subset of American patriots who, having absolutely no intention of doing anything meaningful for their country that involves getting out of their chairs, spend their days looking for secret terrorist messages in television commercials) been reduced to. We're examining the fashion statements of donut ads and parsing them for hints of surreptitious Islamic culture. We're locked into a mortal combat against those that casually accessorize without remembering that we are at war; we're mere weeks away from probing the hidden alliances of the doilies on our grandmothers' coffee tables.
We are a nation that sees images of Jesus on toast. Admit it; there was absolutely no possibility that we would not eventually devolve to this point.
The rest here.
I'm on a bit of a roll today with blogging :)
Road Trip!!!
I thought this was an interesting factino:
You may have seen this already. Americans cut back on driving in March, compared to the previous March, more than in any single month since such record-keeping began in 1942. It was a 4.3 percent drop in miles driven, a reduction of 11 billion miles.
hmmmm...
if a 4.3% drop is 11 billion miles then... (whips out calculator) 11x10^9/0.43 = 256 billion miles/month * 12 months = 3 Trillion miles/ year!
3 Trillion miles is half a light year. The US drives half a light year every 12 months. And thta's just the US! Assume thats about a 1/3 for all planetary driving.... 1.5 LY!
Wow.
We could *drive* to Proxima in less than 3 years!
You may have seen this already. Americans cut back on driving in March, compared to the previous March, more than in any single month since such record-keeping began in 1942. It was a 4.3 percent drop in miles driven, a reduction of 11 billion miles.
hmmmm...
if a 4.3% drop is 11 billion miles then... (whips out calculator) 11x10^9/0.43 = 256 billion miles/month * 12 months = 3 Trillion miles/ year!
3 Trillion miles is half a light year. The US drives half a light year every 12 months. And thta's just the US! Assume thats about a 1/3 for all planetary driving.... 1.5 LY!
Wow.
We could *drive* to Proxima in less than 3 years!
You've Been Left Behind
Letters people have written for their "friends" to find after they are bodily taken into Heaven.
I imagine the people who wrote them were very excited thinking about the day all their lack of hard work learning science and their avoiding deep introspection and the questioning of authority would finally pay off!
It kind of like when 10 year-olds write suicide notes so they can fantasize about how sad everyone will be at their funeral.
It is sad alright.
This from field agent Brian:
Brian: His number is 666.Some think this mark will be a bar code tattoo, others think and implanted computer chip. It will solve allot of problems with, identity theft, illegal activities, taxation of the underground economy, street crime for money, and economic control.
Brian: i'm not sure labelling everyone with 666 will actually cut down on identity theft
it's going to be hell at the deli, at least 666! who's got 666!
I imagine the people who wrote them were very excited thinking about the day all their lack of hard work learning science and their avoiding deep introspection and the questioning of authority would finally pay off!
It kind of like when 10 year-olds write suicide notes so they can fantasize about how sad everyone will be at their funeral.
It is sad alright.
This from field agent Brian:
Brian: His number is 666.Some think this mark will be a bar code tattoo, others think and implanted computer chip. It will solve allot of problems with, identity theft, illegal activities, taxation of the underground economy, street crime for money, and economic control.
Brian: i'm not sure labelling everyone with 666 will actually cut down on identity theft
it's going to be hell at the deli, at least 666! who's got 666!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Correllation
This is completely non-controversal and not in any way a troll:
Biblical literalism or low IQ: which came first?
Biblical literalism or low IQ: which came first?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)