Weekend Linkee-poo is studying for yet another test

One trick to becoming a better writer, copy the works of writers you admire. Nothing can get you closer to the words than to copy them out.

Competitions and fellowships for screenwriters.

Twenty-one horribly inappropriate children's books. Um, yea… (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

Why I write. Twenty-three authors share their reasons. Why do I write? Because if I didn't, the words would choke my soul and kill me.

The digital sandbox. Wow. Now this is a cool application of virtual/augmented reality that I can get behind. (Grokked from @thc1972)

Killer Whales wake ridding behind a speed boat. Quite amazing, until you remember these are wild killer whales, not the ones in Sea World. And these whales are probably not too much smaller than the boat these people are ridding in. So while I would think that would be an amazing experience (yea, I would be geekgasming more so that they were), a part of my brain would also be thinking about why those whales were there in a sea-lion colony and relative sizes of the whales, sea-lions, and myself. We're gonna need a bigger boat. (Grokked from Janiece Murphy)

How we won the war on D&D. For a little historical perspective. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

Remember that obnoxious Cadillac "pool" ad? Well Ford does a pretty good parody. Good on you, Ford. If you read my twitter feed, you'll know I love this stuff. (Grokked from Morgan J. Locke, I think)

"The reach of so-called 'astroturf' campaigns—where lobbyists manufacture fake grassroots support—is also magnified thanks to the web." An article on how corporate PR is altering the way we get information on the internet. Also of note, I've been targeted by one of their campaigns before (in a mild sense, they haven't yet tried to do character assassination). Fortunately, I argue better than the PR firm the company hired and they realized that attempting to "correct" me only allowed me to expose their lies to a greater degree. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

The burial site that is possibly Attila the Hun. What sometimes gets lost in popular history is that while we focus on some of the big people, there were lots of big people lost in the records of that time. (Grokked from AbsoluteWrite)

Using facial recognition software to detect people's emotions and if they're experiencing pain. What could possibly go wrong here? Also, yes, those of us in healthcare have also been able to detect that (yes, we can tell when you're faking). (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

The return of Nemesis. More data showing the possible presence of a large rocky planet outside the orbit of Pluto.

"So, in trying to address one problem — heart disease — by cutting way back on fat, many experts we talked to agreed that the original dietary goals may have helped fuel other problems, like diabetes and obesity." A little on the long term politics of food and the ramifications that we are all dealing with now.

"… Jef Mindrup — who identifies as Buddhist — is suing Goodman Networks in federal court on the grounds that he was asked to violate his 'sincerely held religious beliefs' by printing the verses and was then fired for refusing to do so." I wonder if all those Christian Defense Fund fellows will rush to defend this person on his stand for his religious beliefs? Yea, I'm not holding my breath either. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

The end of public funding for elections. This next election brought to you by Coal and Big Pharma. What I don't understand is why there isn't more outcry about this. This isn't tax money that is being redirected, you had to intentionally check a box to give to this fund. And Congress and the President are just going to "redirect" those funds. "The new legislation says the convention cash will finance research on cancer, autism, fragile X syndrome and other childhood diseases… Defenders of public financing note that the bill doesn't actually appropriate the money for NIH… the transfer wouldn't come close to making up congressional cuts in pediatric research, and would collide with NIH's congressionally imposed spending cap." Who is zooming who here.

That whole "Freedom of Speech and Religion" thing? You're doing it wrong. Some people just don't understand when they're told directly not to do this shit. Seriously, this isn't rocket science. So, instead of listening to the court this county commissioner says they're willing to go to jail for their right to open their meeting with a Christian prayer. Well, you're in luck buckaroo. It's called "contempt of court." (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

"The ironies in this story are endless… We have Rand Paul who believes freedom means businesses denying services to black people, denying women the right to make their own healthcare decisions and denying non-Republicans the right to vote as a great civil libertarian fighting for privacy rights that were violated by the NSA solely on orders by fellow Republican, George W. Bush. We have Ken Cuccinelli who tried to regulate sex when he was Virginia’s Attorney General as the lead attorney in a suit on privacy rights. We have Larry Klayman, who tried nullify Barack Obama’s presidency with a birthed suit… (y)Yet, he filed his suit because he is concerned about privacy rights… It took these lawsuits against the Obama Administration to see court documents that reveal what a Republican Administration did to our privacy rights solely on the orders of then President George. W. Bush." Oh, what wicked webs we weave. Also pointed out that while conservatives love to shout about how "won't liberals ever stop blaming Bush", for a good many things he was responsible. And now we have the paperwork to prove it. (Grokked from Morgan J. Locke)

I think I posted an earlier link about how our culture has changes in significant ways to channel our kids into behaving and not acting out or questioning authority. In case you thought that was being hyperbolic, take this case of a 3rd grader being expelled for shaving her head in support of a friend with cancer. Still think we aren't choking our kids sense of empathy and desire to be their own persons? Okay, how about a young girls being tossed out of a Christian school for dressing like a tomboy? (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

Tweet of my heart: @TheBaxterBean
GOP 2009-2013:
124 Religion Bills
56 Abortion Bills
76 Family Relationship Bills
149 Gun Bills
36 Marriage Bills
0 JOBS Bills
#GoodbyeGOP

Too long for twitter

There are some days I just get tired of the BS.

Dear Speaker Boehner and several conservative members of Congress,

You say the President has broken the law. That he has gone beyond his Constitutionally given powers. You've said this multiple places and multiple times. Time to call the bluff.

If the President has gone beyond his Constitutional powers, if he has ignored the law, if he continues to break the law as you state, you have only one course of action. You must vote on impeachment for his crimes. You must. It's you fucking goddamn duty. It's your charge in the balance of powers. It's your duty under the Constitution of which you claim to uphold and know more than the rest of us and carry in the breast pockets of your suits.

You must (and let me reiterate that by shouting, "MUST") vote to impeach him.

If you don't, you are just as guilty of breaking the law and ignoring the Constitution. If you don't you are cowards hiding behind words. If you don't you're just using these words to pillage the bank accounts of the gullible for your own benefit.

Let me say this again. If you believe these things are true, as you have publicly stated many times, you MUST vote for impeachment proceedings. And if you don't, I am calling you coward, right here.

If what you say is true, there is no other explanation.

So I'm calling you out now. Vote. Or sit down and STFU. There's too much work to be done otherwise.

Anticipation of Summer

One of the things I love about my house in the woods is on summer nights leaving the drapes open and watching the fireflies dancing in the trees. One of my happiest memories is taking the backroad home from a trip with Bette and stopping by an Amish farm to watch the fireflies, thick clouds of them, weave above the drying hay mounds in the quarter moonlight. So this time-lapse video of fireflies is just so amazing. For all of you waiting for the end of winter and the snows, this one is for you.



(Grokked from Matt Staggs)

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes

Apropos of nothing, listening to this today brings tears. Might be memories or longing for different times, or just missing George Harrison.

Plus I love the visuals on this video, and Rufus' voice. A mix of Magritte (whom I also love) with a little 99 Luftballons and Schindler's List thrown in for visual spicing.

And it's only now I realize I could have learned how to play this song. Might need to do that. You know, in all this spare time I have these days.

Weekend Linkee-poo remembers a day

Sorry, things are light today. Still way too much work to keep reading. The to be read list still hovers around 600 posts. It doesn't get much smaller than that these days.

The reboot is going. Things have kinda hit the skids since I've been put into rotation at an outpatient facility. And although Friday was very busy (with people coming in waves, and I mean BIG waves), but not seeing things I need. Although I did get to do two more skulls last week. I like skull work, have I mentioned that. So what I have left is 2 C-Spines (with obliques), Facial Bones, Manible, and my Terminal (3 routines, above knee and elbow). I need one more recheck for this semester. Still have 5 weeks to get it all. Still feel nervous even though it's a light schedule for clinicals. Classes, now that's another thing. I'll be in Cincinnati early in April for the OSRT conference defending my poster and probably playing pickup in the Academic Challenge rounds. But still a lot of material to get through and then there's the registry exam to prepare for. No pressure, justly future livelihood on the line.

Hope things are going well for you all.

Neil Gaiman talks about ghost stories and why they appeal to us.

There's this joke about flood waters rising and a guy praying for God to save him that ends with him in front of the Almighty who asks, "I sent you a truck, a boat, and a helicopter, what were you waiting for." Keep that in mind as you read this story about a guy suing his rescuers. Of course it's not about ingratitude, I'm sure it's about his $40,000 medical bills. "What is really awful is that Roy Ortiz has such high medical bills that he had to find a lawyer and initiate the process of filing suit against (the people who rescued him). Yet more proof that our health care system is in dire need of further reform." (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

I'm sure you've also heard about how wonderful working in the tech industry is. Yea, not so much. "Confidential internal Google and Apple memos… clearly show that what began as a secret cartel agreement between Apple’s Steve Jobs and Google’s Eric Schmidt to illegally fix the labor market for hi-tech workers, expanded within a few years to include companies ranging from Dell, IBM, eBay and Microsoft, to Comcast, Clear Channel, Dreamworks, and London-based public relations behemoth WPP. All told, the combined workforces of the companies involved totals well over a million employees." Still believe in the level playing field? (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)

Quote of the day: “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” — Thomas Mann

Tweet of my heart: @jchutchins For my writer peeps: KEEP CALM — TYPE TK AND CARRY ON pic.twitter.com/5ampXgCyIg

It had been nailed there

Apropos of the day's news that Fred Phelps has passed on.



Before you want to tell me about not saying ill of the dead, etc, blah blah, look, mate, some people have been remiss in their dues to humanity. And then some people have been stealing from the humanity till and going through the pockets of everyone else. Fred's in that later category.

Linkee-poo is all breathless

Some of these may be time limited, so posting earlier than I would.

Ideomancer is looking for slush readers.

There's a new generation of blimps about to take off in Akron. And you can win a trip on it by entering the naming contest.

There's an auction of rare books of science and astronomy, and the auction house has shared some of the pages. I just love this stuff. Also, as a side note, you see the guy with the eyes all over him on the first page photo? Yea, he's in the WIP (ver minor character, but I love what he does in the story). (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

Sure, you've probably heard about how we saw tell-tale signs of gravity wave, which helps prove the Inflationary Theory of the Big Bang. But have you seen the video of when Dr. Andrei Dmitriyevich Linde, one of the main authors of the inflationary universe theory, got the news? (Grokked from Leah Bobet)

Doctors are using 3D printers in healthcare. They just printed a tracheal splint to help a baby breath better.

In a move that surprises no one, science deniers go batshit over Cosmos. (Grokked from Jason Sandford)

Older workers are working longer. Because they have to.

As I've said before, I can't believe we're still fighting these battles. Way to go Michigan. Ohio had become the joke they wanted to avoid, but you've saved Ohio from being a statewide Cleveland joke by going off the deep end of bats hit insane. Thanks. Also, something to keep in mind the next time you hear a conservative talk about fiscal issues. They don't give a crap about that. The Republican party, today, has been taken over by the lunatics Ronald Reagan brought in as a reliable voting block.

Tweet of my heart: @OhNoSheTwitnt Once Fred Phelps dies how many horcruxes does Ann Coulter have left?

Weekend Linkee-poo has scrambled brains

Dear Subconsciousness, thank you for taking my three days that I could sleep in and fill it with dreams of job performance anxiety at both the day thing and the reboot. That isn't tiring at all.

Ferrett Steinmetz gets an agent and talks about what that means and how he (and many other authors) respond to that happy news.

For your creativity, 10 steps to boosting it. Let's see, 2-4 no time, 5 not for a long while, 6-8 see 2-4, 9 that's hilarious, 10 I keep trying to. (Grokked from Kameron Hurley, I think)

Fifteen productivity secrets (or OCD manifestations) of very prolific writers.

At the risk of promoting the "how to write" book industry, mostly populated by other writers, the five indispensable guides for fiction writers. (Grokked from Mrs. Tadd)

The cuddlification of Cthulhu. Well, mostly the crass commercialization of Cthulhu. Oh noes, there's a War on Cthulhu! (Grokked from Tor.com)

Kameron Hurley on the abuse women writers (and professionals) face in their every days lives and their reactions to it. I wasn't quite sure where to log this one, in politics or with the writing links. In the middle of her essay, she states how she's just tired. I am too. Seriously, I lived through the 90s. Didn't everybody else? Why the hell are we still having to fight these damn battles (that's rhetorical, it's because the opposition never gives up or gives in, and every few years there's a whole new generation of misogynists).

A designer goes to a conference and learns what's been happening in the industry. Nominally a story about debriefing employees who go to conferences (that the company may or may not pay for), but also states outright what I was seeing in the aughts and late 90s. I know the difference between good design and half-assed design. I know how to provide my clients with designs that work for them and portray their companies (or themselves) they way they would want to. And I know how expensive and worthwhile spending money on design and art is. I know how to sell that. The problem is nobody is buying it. When I started in the business it was very clear that quality was the goal. Now it's all about the speed of execution and cost.

Photography students swallow film and print the results. Um. I wonder if anyone has explained the chemistry of film to these students beyond the "you use alkaline and acidic processes to develop film - hey, our stomachs have acid in them." You know, like poisonous heavy metals, carcinogens in the film… probably not. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

Sometimes the medical profession does right. For some reason I can now see a branded line of Monster Spray, but then I'm cynical and jaded. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)

"They're now beginning to worry that almost three decades of dead brush buildup is contributing to the area's fire risk, and a large fire could distribute radioactive material beyond Chernobyl's exclusion zone." Not like that's worrying at all. (Grokked from Dan)

And with news of that other nuclear accident theme park, Fukushima, they may have to dump 300,000 tons of contaminated water into the Pacific. But don't worry, because the plant has been leaking a lot of contaminated water already and it may be safer to just dump the stuff than to try and continue to contain it. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

"Any creative knows that finding the right clients for your brilliantly crafted designs is more than half the battle. It’s too often that something you’ve built with blood, sweat and tears ends up falling down the rabbit hole of the internet, and no Google search in the world will welcome it into the top ten results." I think I see the problem here. While this is from a call for self-promotion ideas, part of the problem afflicting design is this exact philosophy. True on the macro-scal (your tastes matching up to the needs of the client), on the micro-scale, finding a client for "your brilliantly crafted designs" is bass ackwards. You find a client who's needs match to your skills, and then you create the brilliant design for the client, not for you, the designer. Design is communication, not art (yes, I know this is a big controversy, sorry, I was schooled this way).

Ten ways to show love to someone with Depression. (Grokked from Jason Erik Lundberg)

So, they call a dust storm a haboob and some idiots lose their shit over it. What year is it again? (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)

Eight reasons why young Americans aren't political dissidents. Not to mention the slew of laws that criminalize anti-establishment behavior including "free speech zones" and having to register for parades and free speech activities. Also, there's the factor of prosperity, or the lack thereof. With the death of the middle class we have a system where those at the top don't want to lose what they have and those at the bottom don't want to lose what little they have. Those at the bottom have just enough and spend all their energy just trying to live. That is they don't have enough to think about how the system is stacked against them and want to change it and just enough to give them a stake in the current system. The perverse thing about conservatives wanting to cut back on the social safety net is it would throw enough people into the category of "nothing to lose" who might actually then change the system. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Eric has some thoughts about our longest war. I don't agree with Eric on all his points, I still believe going into Afghanistan was the right thing to do, it was just horribly mismanaged because we fought the wrong war (we were still fighting a set piece battle and suffering from the delusions that we were going into France during WWII). The drone war was bungled because it was given to the CIA instead of the Pentagon. There were lots of mistakes like that. Including being distracted into Iraq.

"It’s not necessarily the case that everyone who favors defunding health care for low-income women is a rage-filled misogynist, but it probably is the case that every rage-filled misogynist favors defunding health care for low-income women." And there happens to be a lot of them.

You may have heard me compare modern conservatives and their movement as a longing for the "better days of the past." And you may have also heard me discuss the modern conservative business movement as longing for the golden days of robber barons and child labor. You may have thought I was been hyperbolic with my commentary. I'm dead serious. "Lawmakers Grothman and Born told reporters from the Journal that they had heard from a diverse array of businesses that support the 7-day work week, but when asked to provide examples, they were only able to provide the names of groups belonging to the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce network." A 7-day work week, destruction of unions, removal of minimum wage laws… It's like I almost need to make a bingo card for these things. At least someone would win something. (Grokked from the Slactivist)

I'm sure the next part of this argument about how the US has a feckless foreign policy will be the proponents calling the rest of us weak because we get tired of war. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

The Old Days

Of relation to several news items, controversies, partisan bickering, and just my general life and state of mind, a reminder of an easier time (for some).

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Weekend Linkee-poo needs to start listening to music again

Slush Pile Hell tumblr. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

The importance of "therefore" and "but" in writing.

How to tell a joke by subverting the expectation. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

The conversations we never have (as writers). I think I've linked to this before, but it's still worth repeating. Also, this isn't true for just writers, I've encountered this in several pursuits, including the current reboot. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

"And stopping, of course, is less expensive than continuing treatment." In more than just an economic sense. A story about end of life planning. Note how different this is from what conservatives called "Death Panels" and the horror of having Medicare pay for doctors to have end of life conversations with their elder patients.

I didn't see the ad for "Olympus Has Fallen" that they're discussing here. But, yea, the emergency tone is reserved. And the ad companies and broadcasters being fined for this are incompetent. Their argument against being fined is exactly the same argument that could be made that when in a crowded theater you could yell, "Fire… now that I have you attention, let's all go the lobby."

The US Navy is getting set to (re)launch the first laser equipped ship (re-launch because she's a refit). (Grokked from Jay Lake)

"If ever in slavery’s 250-year history… there were a kind master or a contented slave, as in the nature of things there must have been… we may be sure that Mr (sic) McQueen does not want us to hear about it. This, in turn, surely means that his view of the history of the American South is as partial and one-sided as that of the hated Gone With the Wind." O.M.F.G. (Grokked from Stewart Sternberg)

"In return for the locals allowing the booty to be brought ashore, the pirates bought local goods at three times the normal price. It was a lucrative scheme that attracted not just pirates, but also businessmen, and helped pay for colonial projects in the New World." Pirates! (Grokked from Jay Lake)

You know that good conservative talking point about how government can't do anything right, and should allow business to lead the way? Yea, it's a bunch of bullshit. By letting business lead the way, we in the US have the slowest and spottiest broadband access in the world. And here you can see in some places, even conservative strongholds, that idea is shifting. Sure, the Google fiber initiative will wire some places, but since they're first out of the door, they'll cherry pick the most profitable places and leave the rest. As someone who struggled for years to get broadband, and now have probably the worst implementation of DSL ever seen, this is an issue close to my heart.

"The International Monetary Fund has backed economists who argue that inequality is a drag on growth…" Well, that kinda sucks if you're a conservative. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

"The House overwhelmingly passed legislation… to undo flood insurance reform that Congress passed less than two years ago. When homeowners started calling lawmakers about sharp premium hikes, both chambers moved swiftly to ease the pain." So, when the FEMA and the National Flood Insurance was loosing money Congress passed laws to help them collect realistic premiums, but now those premiums are coming due and we've re-looked at the flood maps of the country, there's a lot of people upset. So now Congress is going to drive more debt spending. Also note that while within the story it depicts the right/left divide, the legislation did pass overwhelmingly and without the usual controversy with rending of garments and gnashing of teeth.

And here is the real thing, the conservatives talk a good line, but their actual proposals are often worse than the alternative. Yes, the GOP's proposed health care alternative would cost billions more and millions would lose their insurance. Also, "While Republicans seek to make Obamacare a major election issue, they're backing away from their promise of voting in 2014 on their own alternative to replace the law." Gee, I wonder why? (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Ask four economists their opinion and you'll get six answers. In this case the debate that raising the minimum wage will cause a loss of jobs. The story of looking at NJ, which raised its rate, compared to PA which didn't. And there are peer-reviewed studies that show both sides.

These nine maps should make southerners mad as hell. Unfortunately these demographics are mostly the result of conservative politics. Including the maps about states that refused to expand Medicaid and how much it'll cost their tax payers. I'll also note that Ohio shows up badly on those maps, including the counties I live and work in. Have I mentioned the conservative streak here about? (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Great Lakes' ice coverage nears 1979 record. Que the climate denialists in 3…2…1…

Unintended Humor

Yea, sometimes web ad placements are just funny.



Found while reading for the linkee-poos. The link to the article is here. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Linkee-poo is not witty at the moment

How to get an agent in 14 easy steps. You know, just in case you feel you're the only one. (Grokked from Kameron Hurley, I think)

From best seller to bust. Oh look, the UK is having their publishing melt down. Note, I don't feel all that terrible for the author bemoaning his small garrett office… because you'll note he's building it on to his house (after having to leave his rented office). But it might help to see how a slightly removed culture deals with the rise of the internet and free ebooks. (Grokked from Jason Sandford)

Nineteen things women writers are sick of hearing. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)

The (possible) dark origins of 11 classic nursery rhymes. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)

A possoble partial translation of the Voynich Manuscript. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Some bad ass catholic weapons. For your story building or "wow, were they screwed back then" pleasure. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

Sure you've heard of the elephants' graveyard, but have you heard of the whales' graveyard? (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Scientists revive 30,000 year old virus. What could possibly go wrong? The Thing, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Jurassic Park, etc. (Grokked from Dan)

Shh, don't tell anybody, but the deficit has been going down for much of Barak Obama's presidency. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

A real life example of how dickishness works. It's all fun and games with threats until you forget to post anonymously.

How agents of the government (in this case, the British government) game the internet. Kind of ties into certain theories I've held about various comment threads. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Jim Wright on the recent insanity to come out of Arizona. Many people praised Brewer for vetoing the bill and a return to sanity. Those people obviously didn't listen to Gov. Brewer's reason for vetoing the bill.

And it's not like the Arizona law was an isolated case. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

The Tea Party, five years on. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

"These men who rigged the rules of the game to make themselves obscenely wealthy are trying to convince themselves, and us, that they’re entitled to those rewards. If only there were a genuine political movement triggering their paranoia. Instead, it’s preemptive, a product of their buried guilt and practiced entitlement." (Grokked from Jay Lake)

So, GOP, how's that minority outreach program working out? Yep, pretty much how we expected. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Weekend Linkee-poo double dip, mostly Jay Lake version

I'm trying to catch up with the enormous backlog of reading. I doubt I'm ever going to be able to fully catch up and may just ignore many posts that I shouldn't. Can't be helped.

Tobias Buckell on doing the math about your publishing. Especially if you're self-publishing (because there's no gatekeeper to inform you it's a series may be a losing proposition).

What to do once you're at the point of getting an agent.

Because my friends and I are approaching that age, the Diane Rehm show on managing your elderly parent's finances.

Why AIs won't arise in a blink of the eye. Yes, this. And a response. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Because it's related to research for Class. "Optogenetics is a breakthrough technology that is giving scientists precise control over what animals feel, how they behave, and even what they think. It relies on modifying the DNA of neurons so that they send signals—or are blocked from firing—in response to light." (Grokked from Jay Lake)

The Airlander and a chance to win tickets on its inaugural voyage. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)

A form of cultural bias in advertising. The stories we tell ourselves. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

"Capital One… recently sent a contract update to cardholders that makes clear it can drop by any time it pleases. The update specifies that 'we may contact you in any manner we choose' and that such contacts can include calls, emails, texts, faxes or a 'personal visit.'" Because most criminals use enforcers to intimidate people. I'm almost half tempted to get one (I don't have a Cap One Card) just to try and goad them to show up at my day job. That would be hilarious. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Ten signs your religious freedoms are under attack. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

Some more on the Biblical concept of marriage. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

That Kappa Beta Phi dinner for the uber-rich and powerful of Wall Street that you may have heard about. Still think these people should be protected and not regulated to within an inch of their lives? (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Russia is forming a special naval command for the opening Arctic Ocean. Here's a little secret, Russia's (and the former USSR's) Northern Fleet based out of Severomorsk has never really been able to field and effective blue water fleet (a combination of location, weather, shoddy workmanship and the nature of Russia's conscription force). But now with global warming, they might actually become a serious threat.

"As the jet stream winds weaken, they become more prone to wandering much farther south. And, as they do, the cold air follows them." A nice description of what is happening, and why it may be tied to global warming. And a small clarification from Phil Plait. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

A long article on the cheating in the Nuclear Forces and just what has been happening with those forces. Full disclosure, as a young man I had to affirm that, given the lawful order, I would end half of the world and plunge the rest into nuclear winter. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

This is why there are recall provisions for most legislatures. A NY State legislature tells a local constituent who's mother was injured riding her bicycle to work that people just shouldn't be riding bicycles in the county. Wow. What an asshole. Dear Legislator Thomas Barraga, buy a fucking clue already, okay. As a former local representative, there were many things my constituents did that I disagreed with, but if they weren't illegal, I tried to help them. This is what it means to be a representative. Also, hiding behind "telling them the truth" is a coward's way out. If you have that many injuries happening while people are legally on the road, you have a problem you need to solve. Telling them not to do what they have a right to do isn't the answer. But I guess that's better than saying it was a good thing the Aurora shooter had a 100-round magazine. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Some conservative lawmakers who don't want to expand Medicaid coverage even after they use it themselves. Hypocrisy, thy name is conservative politics. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

"Still, you can already see some on the right groping toward a new strategy, one that relies on highlighting examples of the terrible harm Obamacare does. There’s only one problem: they haven’t managed to come up with any real examples." (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Wow, a reporter does their homework while interviewing Bob Corker on his role in helping defeat UAW organization of the Volkwagen plant. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Can't we just make Tom Perkins wear one of those signs Bill Engvall talks about? (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Whackaloon quotient goes up, again. Seriously, progressives are the "KKK but with minorities"? How do these people feed themselves and keep from drowning in a rainstorm? (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

"We found that homicide rates in states with a version of the Stand Your Ground law increased by an average of 8 percent over states without it — which translates to roughly 600 additional homicides per year. These homicides are classified by police as criminal homicides, not as justifiable homicides." Guns make us safer my Aunt Fanny. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Sure, racism and inequality are all in the past. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Weekend Linkee-poo wants to cross the streams

Yea, I know I haven't been posting all that regularly, but seriously, spammers and link farmers you should know that I'm still here. Lurking in the corners. Waiting like an ant lion.

Cat Rambo with a nice template for a cover letter.

Texts from a dog. Just what you think it is. (Grokked from Geoff Landis)

I could not stop for Fukushima, so he kindly stopped for me. Fukushima shows up on our shores. Sure, the radiation is low, but don't expect that to last for long. Also, some good information on the general levels of radiation in the environment (hint, you typically get around 620 mrems every year).

Want to know what privilege and sexism actually look like? Here's an example. That's a story about an all female robot engineering team being asked if they're the cheerleaders when they attend a robotic competition. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)

Turns out I'm not the only one feeling a little nostalgic about the Cold War. Note to Mr. Kristol, yea, that game of chess only nearly cost us our existence. More than once. Not to mention those who did died in the Cold War, and those people sacrificed and abandoned when they were no longer useful. There's a difference between remembering it and wishing we were back there.

"Then (Fox Business hosts) defend Mr. Potter from It's A Wonderful Life. SERIOUSLY." What's that phrase when life gets sillier than the parody? (Grokked from Tor.com)

"Exxon Mobile CEO Sues To Stop Fracking Near His Texas Ranch". Because reasons, or something. I guess he doesn't watch those commercials where fracking is saving American jobs and is safe and proven (notice, not proven safe). But he's damn hell bent on fracking near your home. Because reasons. (Grokked from Dan)

So, since the Idaho legislature wants to allow guns on college campuses, a professor wants to know when he can shoot students. I can't really explain just how incredibly horrible these concealed carry laws and designated spaces are. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

In other Idaho legislature stupidity, they outlaw taking pictures in Ag Businesses. You know, because people were exposing animal cruelty and such. So we can't have that, we'll make it against the law to find that out. Sigh. I know how to solve this, we boycott all agricultural products form Idaho. That'll solve the problem.

Oh sure, that court decision ending Net Neutrality won't change anything. Sigh. Welcome to Extortion Rumble. Although I've read other reports where porn profits on the internet are down by about a half, so they won't be able to pay the gatekeeper's extortion prices. I smell a popular uprising on the brew.

To all those conservatives who said that we should cut food stamps and let charity take care of it, how's that working out so far. Yep, right after the cuts, food banks experienced heavy flow which depleted their stocks. Time for those conservatives to step up to the plate and start giving money to the food banks. (Grokked from the Slactivist)

Remember when the GOP was hoping that none of their members would really say something stupid about women's issues this election cycle? How's that working out for them? About as good as I (and almost everyone else) thought it would. I'm sure Virginia State Senator Steve Martin (R) only referred to pregnant mothers as "hosts" in the most positive sense. Like they should be wearing poodle skirts with aprons serving the men drinks, or something other than "a talking womb". (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)

"Washington lobbyist Jack Burkman issued a statement saying that his firm, J M Burkman & Associates, is preparing legislation that would ban gay athletes from playing in the National Football League (NFL)." Go ahead and guess which side of the political divide he lobbies for. No, really, it's not a game unless you guess. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

I'm sure it's just an unintended consequence that these voter ID laws disproportionately affect women and women of color in particular. (Grokked from Morgan J. Locke)