Sorry for the shortness of the links given the length of radio silence. Still playing catch up. My reading list has gone over 500 articles, I doubt I'll ever be able to get all those read anytime soon. Plus I have lots of thoughts about what will be happening this week in politics, but little time to share my thoughts. So here are just a few thoughts.
Conservative are showing their insanity. Ted Cruz launched his Presidential bid standing on an idealogical plank that I think will eventually sink his bid (especially if we do shut down and default - the economic consequences of either are bad, of both it's catastrophic), while attempting to outshine Rand Paul. The last government shutdown wasn't the result of being unable to pass an appropriations bill (of which this time it's just a continuing resolution, which isn't hardly anything more than, "we agree to continue spending at the same levels we did last time until the end of December", you know, compared to the real work of trying to decide things for a full year), it was because of Bill Clinton's veto of the budget (but remember who took the blame for that). Obamacare doesn't start on Tuesday, it started two years ago. Most of it will be in force January 1st. Tuesday is just the most visible and undeniable step that Obamacare is here (conservative will be unable to convince people that it hasn't happened yet and there's still time to stop it). And conservatives are correct when they say it'll be catastrophic… it'll be catastrophic for them. In conservative mythology, it's a well accepted tenant that the reason why Democrats controlled both houses for the majority of the last half of the last century was because of Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, and Civil Rights. Obamacare, once people understand that it's nothing like the conservatives have painted it, has the potential of changing the current political dynamic and ending conservative dreams of "the permanent majority." Some of them are realizing they've already signed their party's suicide pact (hence their willingness to play economic brinkmanship, can't play chicken with somebody who has already decided to commit suicide).
Mary Robinette Kowal on writing for audio. Also has some good tips for writing for reading.
Lucus Films introduces real time rendering. Another step in the revolution of seriously cool tech. (Grokked from Dan)
Vince reminds of how easy it is to disappear.
The "creativity under threat" infographics. Same as it ever was, if you ask me. Although it's disheartening to see "lack of being inspired" as a major impediment to doing our work (see previous writing advice that says don't wait for inspiration or you'll never get the book done).
For the next time someone laments to you about how good and pure the old days were, when we were all more patriotic. That's a post about the Bellamy Salute given while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and listing to the National Anthem. Good thing that we don't change our traditions, eh? (Grokked from the Slactivist)
So the next time someone tells you to go to Hell, now you have the directions.
The boy genius of Ulan Bator. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
“It’s not an in-apt analogy to compare this to light sabers,” Harvard physics Prof. Mikhail Lukin said in a report.
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