Linkee-poo sees ya later, alligator

Sorry the the lateness. The day thing is pretty crazy right at the moment, and I'm attempting to figure out just what's going on. In the movie version of The Big Sleep, Humphrey Bogart's Philip Marlow has his first meeting with Gen. Stern and his butler. After the hothouse scene with Gen. Stern the butler, Norris, informs Marlow that the general has instructed him to give Marlow a check for whatever he needs. Their conversation ends with the exchange:

Norris: Are you attempting to tell me my duties, sir?

Philip Marlowe: No, just having fun trying to guess what they are.

Only I'm trying to guess what my own duties, reporting, and responsibilities are. That's not so much fun.

"After I have said all this, I am sure you are still ready to respond, in effect, 'Yes, yes–but it still remains our right and our responsibility to decide what books our children are going to be made to read in our community.' This is surely so. But it is also true that if you exercise that right and fulfill that responsibility in an ignorant, harsh, un-American manner, then people are entitled to call you bad citizens and fools. Even your own children are entitled to call you that." From Kurt Vonnegut's 1973 letter of response to Drake High School's school board chairman after that person ordered the copies of Slaughterhouse-Five, used to teach students in English class, burned in the school's furnace. Wish it were it only history. (Grokked from Ferrett Steinmetz)

Elizabeth Bear being very wise (of which she is often) on internalizing misogyny.

"The reason the Universe is so hard to grasp is that there's nothing to compare it to." - Douglas Adams. Or, a quote from the Bad Astromomer article that's a link to, "How big is the raw data from the survey? Why, it only has 150 billion pixels…" If you mind didn't just try to reboot, I don't think you really understood that last sentence. (Pointed to by John)

Want to know one of the reasons I like the current president? Here's one. Knowing the president it a total geek adds points in my book. And he likes to sing to his wife. (Grokked from Eric)

The myths of the Canadian Health Care System. Facts? Who needs facts when we have dogma to lead the way. "More than 31 percent of every dollar spent on health care in the U.S. goes to paperwork, overhead, CEO salaries, profits, etc. The provincial single-payer system in Canada operates with just a 1 percent overhead."(Grokked from Jay Lake)

More pepper-spray of student protests. So, for all those who cry about losing your freedoms, you appear awfully silent on what's happening to other protestors. (Pointed to by John)

Alligator Quotient - A solid wall of alligator leather.

Quotes of Importance - "To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master." - Milton Glaser