"This is the, 'Me filling a sock full of inspiration coins and bludgeoning you about the skull and shoulders with it until you sit your ass down and juice the art from your body like blood from a throttled squirrel' touch." Chuck Wendig with his usual subtly when it comes to motivating you to write.
The Hidden Brain podcast on being original. The secret to success? Try a lot, fail a lot, succeed some of the time.
NPR's All Songs Considered posts their annual SXSW 100 songs. Which I guess they're now calling the Austin 100.
I usually try to avoid all mention on Kanye, but… "Kanye West, after reportedly considering legal action against The Pirate Bay for facilitating mass piracy of his new album The Life of Pablo, has seemingly been caught trying to pirate some music software from The Pirate Bay. (Grokked from John)
The death of academic freedom with the rise of contingent workers (non-tenured track). Also note, this can also expand to include public grade-schools and was the real reason those instructors also have tenure rules. Yes, sometimes those rule protect poor teachers (very rarely), but more often they protect teachers who believe in the kids and want them to have a solid, robust, and truthful education (note recent and ongoing battles over AP History, Evolution, Climate Change, Common Core…). Yes, the people who want to strip union and tenure rules are the people who are tired of educators telling children the truth (which they believe is indoctrination). It strips their voice away to challenge the administration and the public. And "70% of faculty are in contingent positions." (Grokked from Hannah Bowman)
I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation why someone walking in their own neighborhood was "suspicious" to police and shot down. Not like this is a nationwide problem or anything. Or related to a community officer (those in schools) slapping a kid.
It's a good thing that with Pres. Obama we live in a post-racial society so things like people shouting epithets and shooting guns blindly into campaign headquarters of a black candidate for sheriff should be behind us.
Boy, good thing the Trumpster isn't a racist fanning racial animus because then things like this would be truly horrible. High school kids shouting at each other, using Trump as a bludgeon. You've got to be taught before it's too late, before you are six or seven or eight, to hate all the people your relatives hate, you've got to be carefully taught.
The Trumpster finally comes out against the KKK and states his commitment to equality by pointing out his Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago club is "totally open to everybody." Everybody who can pay a $100,000 initiation fee and then $14,000 annually. So, that's most of the people Trump knows.
So, think the left is all whackaloon about the Trumpster being a fascist? Okay, how about Trevor Noah reading the definition of fascism and showing how Trump fits point for point. "'It almost, kind of stops being funny while you're watching it. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's still funny for me because I have a back-up plan country,' he added."
"Sometimes, at night, do you still hear them, Clarice? The screaming of the Christies?" Ah, yep. (Grokked from Patrick Nielsen Hayden)
John Scalzi's post on the more saner parts left in the GOP begging the lefties to help them save their party from the terrible mess they wrought. Ah, yep.
It's one thing to revel in Glory Days, it's another thing to completely miss that time has moved on. "CNN contributors Van Jones and Jeffrey Lord, a Donald Trump supporter, on Tuesday night engaged in a fierce debate over the Ku Klux Klan and Donald Trump after Lord declared that the KKK is a 'leftist terrorist organization.'" Yea, way to miss the 60s there Jeffy. Might want to catch up with some recent news. Hint: we landed on the Moon, but haven't been back for decades. Serious whackaloonery going on here.
And this is why the Trumpster is so dangerous, because no matter how much they may cry and piss their pants at nominating him the GOP will line up and vote for him. Why, because they secretly really like him, they respond to his brutal leadership. He is the president they've been longing for.
Tweet of my heart: @justinaireland Semi-annual reminder: if you think no one else has written a story like yours it's probably because you haven't read widely enough.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Linkee-poo gave you all a boy could give you, take my tears and that's not nearly all
As we enter the hectic part of tax season, just a reminder that "tax-preparer" is not a regulated industry. Oh, and having worked in a lot of franchises, yea, there are things they could do, they just don't wanna.
Also, funny story about taxes. Person I know, very staunch conservative (of the wing nut variety), who once asked me to my face how I could be a liberal (no, really, in front of people I work with, at lunch), was hit with a tax scam (the one where somebody files taxes for them, all to get a refund). They tried calling the IRS, which they were on hold for hours, then told to leave a message, which was never returned. They then had to drive an hour to the nearest office and wait 2.5 hours to meet with someone. This is intolerable to them, which they blame of Pres. Obama, naturally. This is a person who is constantly talking about "shrinking government" and "cutting out those lazy federal employees" and supported the sequester (even though it seriously hurt our business). They're complaining about it on Facebook. Sorely, very sorely, tempted to explain cause and effect in this case. Seriously, it's also the fucking height of tax season. Be glad you could even leave a message, because when it's not tax season they can't afford to man the phones at all and won't even take messages (I know this from personal experience). This is one of the reasons I'm no longer conservative, because too many other conservatives don't understand the basic result of their policies and actions.
Bad Harry Potter Comics. Hahahahaha. (Grokked from Janiece)
"Do not be perfect. Perfect will kill you." Also a little on doing things that make you happy, and that might make other people happy.
Holstered attack dogs. I, uh, okay, I've got nothing. Well, one thing, I'm sure this sounded like a fantastic idea in the conference room. (Grokked from Kameron Hurley)
Artists in residence for the National Parks Art Foundation. The also accept writers. (Grokked from Annalee Flower Horne)
Good news, everybody! It's a new battery technology. Nanomaterial engineering, living in the future. Several years out from industrial production, though. And while they say the polymer the battery is made of is cheap (as compared to Lithium), they don't mention how expensive it is to fabricate it so it holds all those electrons. (Grokked from Dan)
Empathy helps ease loss. We are human, which means that for the most part we are social. Empathy helps. Even just sitting with someone and not talking (because they don't want to, introverted or just tired of talking, or not able to put their feelings into words) helps. It says, "You are human, it's okay, we are here for each other." In the past year I've hugged two people at work, held them up when they were falling down. Because no one else was there. Because screw the ramifications. Because my fellow human was breaking and the only glue I had was to hold them while they cried. Fuck cancer. (Grokked from Janiece)
In West Virginia the politicians need to make sure students don't learn about how the politicians and ancestors sold their birthright for ashes. "'In an energy-producing state, it's a concern to me that we are teaching our kids potentially that we are doing immoral things here in order to make a living in our state,' Republican Del. Jim Butler said of the standards…". He then went on to deny climate change as a political construct, as you'd expect. Well, Jim Butler, I hope all that coal money can buy back your soul.
Two Brits get sentenced to 2 years for selling marijuana, which the judge then suspended, go on Facebook and bad-mouth said judge. Said judge then hauls them back to court and un-suspends their sentences. (Grokked from John)
So how's that reformy, businessy idea going? Ah, Mt. St. Mary's brings in an outside, business oriented President who is praised for his ideas of getting their financial house in order and bringing "unity". All good until he discloses his plans for circumventing reporting requirements by tossing low-performing freshman early. Like before mid-terms. All to boost retention and graduation numbers. Some faculty firings occur when some faculty, rightly horrified by the callousness of their President, speak out against the plan. And then the alumni and donors get involved. Next thing you know, the President is run out on a rail (make no mistake, "resigned immediately" is academic politeness for "being told not to collect his things from the desk, and don't let the door smack your ass on the way out") while all is sweetness and light. Except that having just passed their accreditation review, that accreditor now wants to see a little more documentation about some things. (Grokked in a roundabout way from John Scalzi)
How can you tell if a Justice is an "activist judge"? Well, one metric would be if plaintiffs or defendants felt they couldn't win unless that specific justice heard the case.
Or when a justice ignores the obvious conflict of interest just to advance their viewpoint (and protect their legacy).
Oh fuckstockings. A VA Crisis line set up to help vets who are contemplating suicide that sometimes when to voice mail or had ridiculously long waits?! You're making me beat up on grass! (Grokked from Janiece)
I personally deplore the violence against the KKK members, even as I appreciate the emotions that lead to it (I've gone to witness against KKK marches 3 times, each time it was very tense, but the counter protesters kept it together and just let the KKK know they were not welcome in the community). But this type of violence is exactly what the KKK is looking for. This is why they march in places that they know are hostile to their message. Now they can say they were the victims. When they're able, they try to get local police protection for their marches. This way, it looks like the government supports their positions. In this case, the local police said "We don't do that" and explained how to hire off-duty officers for security. The Klan refused. Because they wanted the confrontation.
Dr. Carson vows to stay in the race until the money is gone. Ah, yep.
Damn it, Jim, get outa my head.
John Oliver's piece on Donald Trump. I also love how people say, "he tells it like it is" and how "authentic" he is, and then how he "tells the truth", but then don't believe his racist statements.
A storify series of tweets that explains the problem quite well. (Grokked from Patrick Nielsen Hayden)
This just in, Mikee Huckleberries is still in denial about Trump's racism. Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham suggest that Mitt Romney has gone liberal for his critique of the Trumpster. And Lewis Farrakhan doesn't actually endorse the Trumpster, but says he likes what he sees (about Trump not taking any of that Jewish Money). And then this totally isn't fucking dangerous or frightening. With friends like these… And Trump's campaign wouldn't be so stupid to create ethnic sock puppets, would they? (Last link grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
Step outa line, the Man comes to take you away. A photojournalist gets slammed by Secret Service for stepping out of the press pen (also, probably for yelling profanity at the Secret Service beforehand). Still, the Secret Service is a professional organization, who is not there to enforce "the code" (or beliefs) of their charges, but to secure their persons. The Secret Service also has a history of making sure that their charges understand just what their job duties are (they aren't babysitters). So I find this incongruous with their mission. My guess is there's an agent who is about to explore the exciting career opportunities in private security. However it would be interesting to know if the Secret Service has been employed/directed to keep reporters in the pen. That would be an interesting (and severely disconcerting) development. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
Strange, that map of new voter ID restrictions looks awfully similar to this other map of black populations. I'm sure it's just a coincidence. (Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal)
I appreciate the sentiments this person is espousing. But no. No, progressives should not cross party lines to vote for Marco Rubio in the primary. One, it is direct conflict with how progressives feel about and view the electorate and devolves to crass partisanship and poor politics. Two, we don't believe in gaming the system as much as conservatives do. And three, it won't work anyway.(Grokked from John Scalzi)
Tweet of my heart: @ferretthimself While I love Jon Oliver, it's not like his Drumpf attacks "destroyed" Trump. Comedians made fun of Reagan, two (sic). Through both his elections.
Also, funny story about taxes. Person I know, very staunch conservative (of the wing nut variety), who once asked me to my face how I could be a liberal (no, really, in front of people I work with, at lunch), was hit with a tax scam (the one where somebody files taxes for them, all to get a refund). They tried calling the IRS, which they were on hold for hours, then told to leave a message, which was never returned. They then had to drive an hour to the nearest office and wait 2.5 hours to meet with someone. This is intolerable to them, which they blame of Pres. Obama, naturally. This is a person who is constantly talking about "shrinking government" and "cutting out those lazy federal employees" and supported the sequester (even though it seriously hurt our business). They're complaining about it on Facebook. Sorely, very sorely, tempted to explain cause and effect in this case. Seriously, it's also the fucking height of tax season. Be glad you could even leave a message, because when it's not tax season they can't afford to man the phones at all and won't even take messages (I know this from personal experience). This is one of the reasons I'm no longer conservative, because too many other conservatives don't understand the basic result of their policies and actions.
Bad Harry Potter Comics. Hahahahaha. (Grokked from Janiece)
"Do not be perfect. Perfect will kill you." Also a little on doing things that make you happy, and that might make other people happy.
Holstered attack dogs. I, uh, okay, I've got nothing. Well, one thing, I'm sure this sounded like a fantastic idea in the conference room. (Grokked from Kameron Hurley)
Artists in residence for the National Parks Art Foundation. The also accept writers. (Grokked from Annalee Flower Horne)
Good news, everybody! It's a new battery technology. Nanomaterial engineering, living in the future. Several years out from industrial production, though. And while they say the polymer the battery is made of is cheap (as compared to Lithium), they don't mention how expensive it is to fabricate it so it holds all those electrons. (Grokked from Dan)
Empathy helps ease loss. We are human, which means that for the most part we are social. Empathy helps. Even just sitting with someone and not talking (because they don't want to, introverted or just tired of talking, or not able to put their feelings into words) helps. It says, "You are human, it's okay, we are here for each other." In the past year I've hugged two people at work, held them up when they were falling down. Because no one else was there. Because screw the ramifications. Because my fellow human was breaking and the only glue I had was to hold them while they cried. Fuck cancer. (Grokked from Janiece)
In West Virginia the politicians need to make sure students don't learn about how the politicians and ancestors sold their birthright for ashes. "'In an energy-producing state, it's a concern to me that we are teaching our kids potentially that we are doing immoral things here in order to make a living in our state,' Republican Del. Jim Butler said of the standards…". He then went on to deny climate change as a political construct, as you'd expect. Well, Jim Butler, I hope all that coal money can buy back your soul.
Two Brits get sentenced to 2 years for selling marijuana, which the judge then suspended, go on Facebook and bad-mouth said judge. Said judge then hauls them back to court and un-suspends their sentences. (Grokked from John)
So how's that reformy, businessy idea going? Ah, Mt. St. Mary's brings in an outside, business oriented President who is praised for his ideas of getting their financial house in order and bringing "unity". All good until he discloses his plans for circumventing reporting requirements by tossing low-performing freshman early. Like before mid-terms. All to boost retention and graduation numbers. Some faculty firings occur when some faculty, rightly horrified by the callousness of their President, speak out against the plan. And then the alumni and donors get involved. Next thing you know, the President is run out on a rail (make no mistake, "resigned immediately" is academic politeness for "being told not to collect his things from the desk, and don't let the door smack your ass on the way out") while all is sweetness and light. Except that having just passed their accreditation review, that accreditor now wants to see a little more documentation about some things. (Grokked in a roundabout way from John Scalzi)
How can you tell if a Justice is an "activist judge"? Well, one metric would be if plaintiffs or defendants felt they couldn't win unless that specific justice heard the case.
Or when a justice ignores the obvious conflict of interest just to advance their viewpoint (and protect their legacy).
Oh fuckstockings. A VA Crisis line set up to help vets who are contemplating suicide that sometimes when to voice mail or had ridiculously long waits?! You're making me beat up on grass! (Grokked from Janiece)
I personally deplore the violence against the KKK members, even as I appreciate the emotions that lead to it (I've gone to witness against KKK marches 3 times, each time it was very tense, but the counter protesters kept it together and just let the KKK know they were not welcome in the community). But this type of violence is exactly what the KKK is looking for. This is why they march in places that they know are hostile to their message. Now they can say they were the victims. When they're able, they try to get local police protection for their marches. This way, it looks like the government supports their positions. In this case, the local police said "We don't do that" and explained how to hire off-duty officers for security. The Klan refused. Because they wanted the confrontation.
Dr. Carson vows to stay in the race until the money is gone. Ah, yep.
Damn it, Jim, get outa my head.
John Oliver's piece on Donald Trump. I also love how people say, "he tells it like it is" and how "authentic" he is, and then how he "tells the truth", but then don't believe his racist statements.
A storify series of tweets that explains the problem quite well. (Grokked from Patrick Nielsen Hayden)
This just in, Mikee Huckleberries is still in denial about Trump's racism. Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham suggest that Mitt Romney has gone liberal for his critique of the Trumpster. And Lewis Farrakhan doesn't actually endorse the Trumpster, but says he likes what he sees (about Trump not taking any of that Jewish Money). And then this totally isn't fucking dangerous or frightening. With friends like these… And Trump's campaign wouldn't be so stupid to create ethnic sock puppets, would they? (Last link grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
Step outa line, the Man comes to take you away. A photojournalist gets slammed by Secret Service for stepping out of the press pen (also, probably for yelling profanity at the Secret Service beforehand). Still, the Secret Service is a professional organization, who is not there to enforce "the code" (or beliefs) of their charges, but to secure their persons. The Secret Service also has a history of making sure that their charges understand just what their job duties are (they aren't babysitters). So I find this incongruous with their mission. My guess is there's an agent who is about to explore the exciting career opportunities in private security. However it would be interesting to know if the Secret Service has been employed/directed to keep reporters in the pen. That would be an interesting (and severely disconcerting) development. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
Strange, that map of new voter ID restrictions looks awfully similar to this other map of black populations. I'm sure it's just a coincidence. (Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal)
I appreciate the sentiments this person is espousing. But no. No, progressives should not cross party lines to vote for Marco Rubio in the primary. One, it is direct conflict with how progressives feel about and view the electorate and devolves to crass partisanship and poor politics. Two, we don't believe in gaming the system as much as conservatives do. And three, it won't work anyway.(Grokked from John Scalzi)
Tweet of my heart: @ferretthimself While I love Jon Oliver, it's not like his Drumpf attacks "destroyed" Trump. Comedians made fun of Reagan, two (sic). Through both his elections.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Linkee-poo looked out this morning and the sun was gone, turned on some music to start my day
The Forest Folk installation. Art that responds to the viewer. Finally, artist using the digital revolution to something of it's potential. I mean, there's been some limited experimentation before, but this is pretty good. I'm not sure the audience (often referred to as Patrons) are ready for this. Myself, I have reservations on taking what is ephemera and reducing its actual life span to the matter of the revision cycle of technology. There is a difference between what I do, which isn't meant to last more than a few years at most, and "Art" which should last decades if not centuries. We don't have the technology to solve that issue, yet. (Grokked from Terri Windling)
Alternatives to the resting bitch face. (Grokked from Janiece)
Fred Clark on empathy, guilt, fear of retribution, and resentment that drives a lot of politics. "Empathy is simply asking the question: What if that were me?"
"Continuing drops in lithium-ion battery prices mean that electric vehicles (EVs) will be less expensive to own than gas or diesel-powered vehicles as soon as the 2020s, according to a new report." (Grokked from Dan)
In general people are happy with their doctors, but don't like the healthcare system. And if you're poor, you tend to dislike the system even more. And the major problems outlined in the story, communication. Granted there are times when we explain things to people and the completely misunderstand what we're saying which leads to frustration on the healthcare givers side (and sometimes to "I don't bother anymore" syndrome). But the language of medics is specifically constructed to be exclusionary. We have to take classes to understand it (no, seriously, "Medical Terminology", there are several classes of various complexity). And many doctors either can't or won't take the time to translate. A huge problem is assuming the patient knows more than they do or can understand the myriad of connections that a simple problem may have. You have a cold, great. There are thousands of viruses that can cause a cold. And we really can't treat any of them. And then there are the doctors who don't listen either because they don't have time or don't think the patient knows what they're talking about (I can't tell you the number of times I have to remind certain doctors that I can't take vicodin, even to the point of handing the prescription back to them).
"The exclusion of Planned Parenthood affiliates from a state-funded replacement for a Medicaid fee-for-service program in Texas was associated with adverse changes in the provision of contraception." So, the plan is working to specification. (Grokked from Janice)
Mikee Huckleberries doesn't think Donal Trump is a racist. Yea, sure, it was his earpiece. It's always something else, isn't it. "The former Arkansas governor's daughter and former campaign manager, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, has joined the Trump campaign." I'm sure that has nothing to do with Mikee defending the Trumpster. (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
Josh Marshall on why is Trump succeeding. "On each of these fronts, the slow accumulation of nonsense and paranoia… built into a massive trap door under the notional GOP leadership with a lever that a canny huckster like Trump could come in and pull pretty much whenever. This is the downside of building party identity around a package of calculated nonsense and comically unrealizable goals." Trump isn't something new, he is the exact embodiment of the past four decades of the GOP's rhetorical foolishness and cultivation of the low-information voter. (Grokked from Christopher Moore)
Tweet of my heart: @ChloeAngyal Machine gun bacon. "Small hands." Talk of "spanking" HRC. This whole race is just masculinity having a big insecure panicked temper tantrum.
Alternatives to the resting bitch face. (Grokked from Janiece)
Fred Clark on empathy, guilt, fear of retribution, and resentment that drives a lot of politics. "Empathy is simply asking the question: What if that were me?"
"Continuing drops in lithium-ion battery prices mean that electric vehicles (EVs) will be less expensive to own than gas or diesel-powered vehicles as soon as the 2020s, according to a new report." (Grokked from Dan)
In general people are happy with their doctors, but don't like the healthcare system. And if you're poor, you tend to dislike the system even more. And the major problems outlined in the story, communication. Granted there are times when we explain things to people and the completely misunderstand what we're saying which leads to frustration on the healthcare givers side (and sometimes to "I don't bother anymore" syndrome). But the language of medics is specifically constructed to be exclusionary. We have to take classes to understand it (no, seriously, "Medical Terminology", there are several classes of various complexity). And many doctors either can't or won't take the time to translate. A huge problem is assuming the patient knows more than they do or can understand the myriad of connections that a simple problem may have. You have a cold, great. There are thousands of viruses that can cause a cold. And we really can't treat any of them. And then there are the doctors who don't listen either because they don't have time or don't think the patient knows what they're talking about (I can't tell you the number of times I have to remind certain doctors that I can't take vicodin, even to the point of handing the prescription back to them).
"The exclusion of Planned Parenthood affiliates from a state-funded replacement for a Medicaid fee-for-service program in Texas was associated with adverse changes in the provision of contraception." So, the plan is working to specification. (Grokked from Janice)
Mikee Huckleberries doesn't think Donal Trump is a racist. Yea, sure, it was his earpiece. It's always something else, isn't it. "The former Arkansas governor's daughter and former campaign manager, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, has joined the Trump campaign." I'm sure that has nothing to do with Mikee defending the Trumpster. (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
Josh Marshall on why is Trump succeeding. "On each of these fronts, the slow accumulation of nonsense and paranoia… built into a massive trap door under the notional GOP leadership with a lever that a canny huckster like Trump could come in and pull pretty much whenever. This is the downside of building party identity around a package of calculated nonsense and comically unrealizable goals." Trump isn't something new, he is the exact embodiment of the past four decades of the GOP's rhetorical foolishness and cultivation of the low-information voter. (Grokked from Christopher Moore)
Tweet of my heart: @ChloeAngyal Machine gun bacon. "Small hands." Talk of "spanking" HRC. This whole race is just masculinity having a big insecure panicked temper tantrum.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Linkee-poo's got the feeling that something ain't right, I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair
"'For fantasy is true, of course. It isn't factual, but it's true… its truth challenges, even threatens, all that is false, all that is phony, unnecessary, and trivial in the life (adults) have let themselves be forced into living.'"
"No, this is about the far more insidious title of 'Amazon Bestseller'—and how it’s complete and utter nonsense." When something is worthless, it takes real marketing skill to turn that into something. More often it's just the rotten fruit that spoils the whole bushel. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
There are no "bad" children books. A discussion of the stories when need when we need them, cultural entrance, and snobbery.
About those Boston Dynamics engineers tormenting that humanoid robot… yea, we knew this was going to happen. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
Howard Scott Warshaw, the worst video game ever created (I think it has some stiff competition these days), and the death of Atari. A cautionary tale of hubris, the ever shrinking work window, and rebirth. You can fail, fail big, but it won't kill you. (Grokked from John)
How do you solve a problem like a Biology Ph.D? And this doesn't even cover the problem that tenure-track faculty positions are rare and disappearing. (Grokked from Sarah Goslee)
Lands End first features an article on Gloria Steinem, and then pulls it when certain corners of the business object. "This comes after discontent among anti-abortion customers burbled into the conservative blogosphere and filled the company’s Facebook page with angry comments and pictures of catalogs thrown in the trash." Dear Lands End, this quickly escalated to a no win position. You missed a middle ground and a chance to correct the record, instead you collapsed like a flan in the cupboard. It was the easy business option, so I don't fully blame you. I will, however, use those gift card redeeming kiosks for the cards I hold. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
You know that encryption debate going on, Blu-Ray discs are going for better encryption a well. Wonder if we'll ever see the fed ask them to knock down their security a little bit? Yea, probably not (notes several decades of copyright expansion). (Grokked from Dan)
And then there is this. "Cooke's order binding the domain registrars, who were not parties to the case, claims authority to do so based on the All Writs Act—the same short law that's now part of the national debate over a court order issued to Apple in a high-profile terrorism case." Exercise, exercise, we must get our exercise outa that law. (Grokked from John)
Also, the San Bernardino's police chief says, "I'll be honest with you, I think that there is a reasonably good chance that there is nothing of any value on the phone. What we are hoping might be on the phone would be potential contacts that we would obviously want to talk to." Remember, the FBI has the full backup of the phone from 2 weeks prior to the attack. All this speculation of what they think they'll find is malarkey. Terrorist operate in cells to limit any contagion of intelligence. We already know what connections they have. The last two weeks will contain absolutely nothing.
An adult conversation about Pres. Obama naming the next SCOTUS justice.
I'm not sure German Ministers should be so happy that refugees would rather return to their war-torn states-of-origin instead of staying in Germany. That's not really an endorsement of your humanity if someone says, "Fuck it, I'd rather face imminent, painful death instead of dealing with these assholes."
Fact checking the latest GOP debate. Yes, it's a long article.
Countering my argument of about how the SOCTUS vacancy will bring a flood of progressive voters this Fall, "Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada all shattered previous (GOP primary turnout) records. Meanwhile, Democratic turnout has dropped since 2008, when the fight between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton set new benchmarks." I disagree with some of their handwaving about why it's up. It's up because Trump is speaking directly to the base, and he is giving them the impression he will do what they want (which isn't exactly what he says). He's so vague to say he's making wide promises would be a stretch. He hasn't gone into much more depth that "it'll be wonderful" and "we'll win so much you'll get bored." All these angry people, afraid at the loss of their perceived power, see the Trumpster as someone who will bring it back to them. So they're excited. The numbers I'd like to see is how many of those are new voters who don't vote in the Fall. I have a feeling what we're seeing is people who traditionally don't get involved in this stage of the election, but conservatives are reliable voters who go to the polls on every election day. I'm not sure this will translate to a larger GOP turnout in November.
The fake, black GOP organization supporting Ted Cruz. It has one member, the president of the organization. That's hilarious on all sorts of levels. (Grokked from Liz Winstead)
The Spielberg (spoof) trailer for "Obama." Snerk. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
"No, this is about the far more insidious title of 'Amazon Bestseller'—and how it’s complete and utter nonsense." When something is worthless, it takes real marketing skill to turn that into something. More often it's just the rotten fruit that spoils the whole bushel. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
There are no "bad" children books. A discussion of the stories when need when we need them, cultural entrance, and snobbery.
About those Boston Dynamics engineers tormenting that humanoid robot… yea, we knew this was going to happen. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
Howard Scott Warshaw, the worst video game ever created (I think it has some stiff competition these days), and the death of Atari. A cautionary tale of hubris, the ever shrinking work window, and rebirth. You can fail, fail big, but it won't kill you. (Grokked from John)
How do you solve a problem like a Biology Ph.D? And this doesn't even cover the problem that tenure-track faculty positions are rare and disappearing. (Grokked from Sarah Goslee)
Lands End first features an article on Gloria Steinem, and then pulls it when certain corners of the business object. "This comes after discontent among anti-abortion customers burbled into the conservative blogosphere and filled the company’s Facebook page with angry comments and pictures of catalogs thrown in the trash." Dear Lands End, this quickly escalated to a no win position. You missed a middle ground and a chance to correct the record, instead you collapsed like a flan in the cupboard. It was the easy business option, so I don't fully blame you. I will, however, use those gift card redeeming kiosks for the cards I hold. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
You know that encryption debate going on, Blu-Ray discs are going for better encryption a well. Wonder if we'll ever see the fed ask them to knock down their security a little bit? Yea, probably not (notes several decades of copyright expansion). (Grokked from Dan)
And then there is this. "Cooke's order binding the domain registrars, who were not parties to the case, claims authority to do so based on the All Writs Act—the same short law that's now part of the national debate over a court order issued to Apple in a high-profile terrorism case." Exercise, exercise, we must get our exercise outa that law. (Grokked from John)
Also, the San Bernardino's police chief says, "I'll be honest with you, I think that there is a reasonably good chance that there is nothing of any value on the phone. What we are hoping might be on the phone would be potential contacts that we would obviously want to talk to." Remember, the FBI has the full backup of the phone from 2 weeks prior to the attack. All this speculation of what they think they'll find is malarkey. Terrorist operate in cells to limit any contagion of intelligence. We already know what connections they have. The last two weeks will contain absolutely nothing.
An adult conversation about Pres. Obama naming the next SCOTUS justice.
I'm not sure German Ministers should be so happy that refugees would rather return to their war-torn states-of-origin instead of staying in Germany. That's not really an endorsement of your humanity if someone says, "Fuck it, I'd rather face imminent, painful death instead of dealing with these assholes."
Fact checking the latest GOP debate. Yes, it's a long article.
Countering my argument of about how the SOCTUS vacancy will bring a flood of progressive voters this Fall, "Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada all shattered previous (GOP primary turnout) records. Meanwhile, Democratic turnout has dropped since 2008, when the fight between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton set new benchmarks." I disagree with some of their handwaving about why it's up. It's up because Trump is speaking directly to the base, and he is giving them the impression he will do what they want (which isn't exactly what he says). He's so vague to say he's making wide promises would be a stretch. He hasn't gone into much more depth that "it'll be wonderful" and "we'll win so much you'll get bored." All these angry people, afraid at the loss of their perceived power, see the Trumpster as someone who will bring it back to them. So they're excited. The numbers I'd like to see is how many of those are new voters who don't vote in the Fall. I have a feeling what we're seeing is people who traditionally don't get involved in this stage of the election, but conservatives are reliable voters who go to the polls on every election day. I'm not sure this will translate to a larger GOP turnout in November.
The fake, black GOP organization supporting Ted Cruz. It has one member, the president of the organization. That's hilarious on all sorts of levels. (Grokked from Liz Winstead)
The Spielberg (spoof) trailer for "Obama." Snerk. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
Friday, February 26, 2016
Linkee-poo slides into Friday, face first, without style
The cartoon laws of physics. (Grokked from Dan)
Ah, Saint Caffeine.
Eyeball tattooing. Nope. (Grokked from Kameron Hurley)
How crazy are the gun activists? "The Iowa House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that eliminates the age requirement for children to use 'a pistol, revolver or the ammunition' with parental supervision." Yep, that crazy.
On that note, "And please don’t get murdered at school today." (Grokked from someone, sorry)
Hey look, a good guy with a gun finally stopped a bad guy with a gun. And he only had to do it because of the weak protection laws we have. "First, Ford went to Newton, Kan., where he shot and injured one victim…" any guesses on who that was?
Fallout. "Dow Chemical is settling a class-action lawsuit over price fixing for $835 million, saying that the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia hurt its chances of success." Talk about your activist judges… I also love how they're still confident in their legal reasoning (for justifying price-fixing), but with Scalia gone they think his previous decisions are no longer valid. Um, that's not how the law works. (Grokked form Chia Evers)
On just how difficult it is to comply with the voter ID laws, especially when your poor, a minority, or have anything happen in your life which is outside what is considered "normal." And yes, they were designed this way, this isn't an unintended consequence. (Grokked from Hannah Bowman)
Why do I find the Trumpster's candidacy and campaign disturbing? "'Nationalism is the new thing, man,' said Jordan Voor… a Trump supporter… 'I just kind of want to watch the establishment burn… What’s the point of being conservative anymore? It’s a failing ideology.'" No, Mr. Voor, nationalism is a very old thing. Also, he said this at a Ted Cruz rally. My other comment on the article (which is mostly about Cruz's appeal in Texas and how he might have a fight on his hand to win his own home state) is the often referred to Alamo as not so much a rallying cry, but used a political allegory. You all do remember what happened at the Alamo and those that fought there, don't you? (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
"Mr. Trump’s popularity with white, working-class voters who are more likely… to believe that whites are a supreme race and who long for the Confederacy… But it’s worth noting that he isn’t persuading voters to hold these beliefs. The beliefs were there — and have been for some time." (Grokked from somebody, sorry)
Poor Dr. Carson, he doesn't understand it when people ignore him. Seriously, dude, have you even been paying attention to the party you're supporting?
Just when you think Ted Cruz can't become even more of a dick, he proves there is no depth limit on his dickiness.
Well Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley will meet with Pres. Obama to discuss a SCOTUS nominee, but will tell him no to his face. Ah, having missed the best course of action (get a nominee through quickly, hold up the Constitution as your reason, and then get back to getting the base riled up about other things) they're now weakening on the second best option (to completely refuse to do anything on SCOTUS until next year). Good luck with that, boys.
Tweet of my heart: @merriehaskell "Part of our job is to provide a space for our students to stretch... if all we do is meet their expectations they're not going to do that." (ed: Mer further says it's from this speech)
Ah, Saint Caffeine.
Eyeball tattooing. Nope. (Grokked from Kameron Hurley)
How crazy are the gun activists? "The Iowa House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that eliminates the age requirement for children to use 'a pistol, revolver or the ammunition' with parental supervision." Yep, that crazy.
On that note, "And please don’t get murdered at school today." (Grokked from someone, sorry)
Hey look, a good guy with a gun finally stopped a bad guy with a gun. And he only had to do it because of the weak protection laws we have. "First, Ford went to Newton, Kan., where he shot and injured one victim…" any guesses on who that was?
Fallout. "Dow Chemical is settling a class-action lawsuit over price fixing for $835 million, saying that the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia hurt its chances of success." Talk about your activist judges… I also love how they're still confident in their legal reasoning (for justifying price-fixing), but with Scalia gone they think his previous decisions are no longer valid. Um, that's not how the law works. (Grokked form Chia Evers)
On just how difficult it is to comply with the voter ID laws, especially when your poor, a minority, or have anything happen in your life which is outside what is considered "normal." And yes, they were designed this way, this isn't an unintended consequence. (Grokked from Hannah Bowman)
Why do I find the Trumpster's candidacy and campaign disturbing? "'Nationalism is the new thing, man,' said Jordan Voor… a Trump supporter… 'I just kind of want to watch the establishment burn… What’s the point of being conservative anymore? It’s a failing ideology.'" No, Mr. Voor, nationalism is a very old thing. Also, he said this at a Ted Cruz rally. My other comment on the article (which is mostly about Cruz's appeal in Texas and how he might have a fight on his hand to win his own home state) is the often referred to Alamo as not so much a rallying cry, but used a political allegory. You all do remember what happened at the Alamo and those that fought there, don't you? (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
"Mr. Trump’s popularity with white, working-class voters who are more likely… to believe that whites are a supreme race and who long for the Confederacy… But it’s worth noting that he isn’t persuading voters to hold these beliefs. The beliefs were there — and have been for some time." (Grokked from somebody, sorry)
Poor Dr. Carson, he doesn't understand it when people ignore him. Seriously, dude, have you even been paying attention to the party you're supporting?
Just when you think Ted Cruz can't become even more of a dick, he proves there is no depth limit on his dickiness.
Well Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley will meet with Pres. Obama to discuss a SCOTUS nominee, but will tell him no to his face. Ah, having missed the best course of action (get a nominee through quickly, hold up the Constitution as your reason, and then get back to getting the base riled up about other things) they're now weakening on the second best option (to completely refuse to do anything on SCOTUS until next year). Good luck with that, boys.
Tweet of my heart: @merriehaskell "Part of our job is to provide a space for our students to stretch... if all we do is meet their expectations they're not going to do that." (ed: Mer further says it's from this speech)
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Linkee-poo doesn't want to leave her now, you know I believe and how
Jupiter must be stopped, could we do it? Yea, I knew that already. (Grokked from Dan)
So much for it being just about one phone. And that's just the feds, NYC has a drawer full of them.
Passive wifi. Hmmm, 1,000 times less energy required than bluetooth. Well, okay then. (Grokked from Dan)
Just a reminder, a failed experiment and disproved hypothesis can sometimes lead to better science than if the experiment succeeded in proving the hypothesis. Twelve examples of accidental findings during other research (also why you keep extensive notes).
Yet another whackaloon who thinks we should count Scalia's vote after he's dead. Okay, first of all, it's only Democrats who can vote from beyond the grave. At least that's what these same Republican's have been telling us. Two, just like elections have consequences, death has consequences. Usually much more so. Preliminary votes are just that, and it's a way to divide the work. Votes can change, and these are not final votes (after reading opinions). If your side is going to argue that the sitting President, who won two elections, who still is alive, shouldn't get to nominate a new justice, then Antonin Scalia is dead. He doesn't get to vote. Preliminary votes are not absentee ballots.
"Dangling access to these resources, Priebus thinks he can help steer Trump toward partywide policy goals and away from the inflammatory rhetoric that Republican officials see as divisive and dangerous, especially outside of the primary…" Uh, yea, Bob. Let us know how that works out for you. The Trumpster is the culmination of the RNC's flirtation with demagoguery to support their ideology. So, Mr. Priebus, what happens to your party's chances in the general election (and for the future) when Mr. Trump tells you to get onboard his wagon? Because he doesn't need you to win (in his mind and his negotiating strategy), but you most certainly need him to stem the losses. Unless you want schism. "After Mitt Romney’s stunning technology collapse on Election Day 2012…" yea, that's a nice fiction you all are telling yourselves there. Sure, Pres. Obama's ground game was way stronger, but it wasn't Mitt's technology failures that led to defeat. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
What Justice Scalia was doing at that Texas ranch. The International Order of St. Hubertus, a group of "elite hunters" who like to dress up as Templars, but in green, was meeting there. The names of the people in this story are just hilarious. "In 1695, Count Franz Anton von Sporck founded the society in Bohemia, which is in modern-day Czech Republic." Count Sporck! I mean, if I didn't know this group actually existed I would think the Onion was putting us on. But, seriously, this is the elite of our country, dressing up in robes and play-acting in a RenFaire fashion. And the International Order of St. Hubertus isn't the only such group. (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
More from the "They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7) GOP flail, from 2012, "After Obama Victory, Shrieking White-Hot Sphere Of Pure Rage Early GOP Front-Runner For 2016." When a satire site is more on target with their predictions, it's a world gone mad. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
"'All we have to do is not screw this up,' the (Democratic leadership) aide said." The bonanza to the progressive cause that is Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's refusal to even meet with any potential SCOTUS nomination. The bad news, the Democrats have a long history of screwing up such opportunities. The good news, all that they need to do is fold in "this vote is also about nominating a new justice" into their get out the vote efforts. All you have to do is keep the process visible. Pres. Obama invites the senators to conference and the GOP refuses, publicize that. He sends up a nominee who calls on senators for private meetings and they refuse, publicize that. Constant reminders may leave potential voters weary. Don't fuck this up, DNC.
Dear Sen. Grassley, what you need to explain is that the job you think you're doing is being partisan. If you were doing a Senator's job, you'd get off your ass and help nominate a new justice. "'I’ve been a leader on the Judiciary Committee for the last five years, first as ranking member and now as chairman,' Grassley was quoted as saying. 'I think Congress has passed more than 320 judges and only disapproved two. So, if I wanted to obstruct, I could obstruct. But I think this proves we haven’t been doing that.'" So, just how many appointees have you not processed? Also, there are some who quibble with your verdict of just how many justices you have put through the process. "With the Senate controlled by a newly-elected Republican majority, 2015 turned out to be the single worst year for judicial confirmations in over half a century… Only 11 judges were confirmed, the fewest in a single year since 1960." roll on up for the price is down, come on in for the best in town…
Tweet of my heart: @UnreliableFeed "And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will only respond if interested in seeing more pages." - Nietzsche on publishing
So much for it being just about one phone. And that's just the feds, NYC has a drawer full of them.
Passive wifi. Hmmm, 1,000 times less energy required than bluetooth. Well, okay then. (Grokked from Dan)
Just a reminder, a failed experiment and disproved hypothesis can sometimes lead to better science than if the experiment succeeded in proving the hypothesis. Twelve examples of accidental findings during other research (also why you keep extensive notes).
Yet another whackaloon who thinks we should count Scalia's vote after he's dead. Okay, first of all, it's only Democrats who can vote from beyond the grave. At least that's what these same Republican's have been telling us. Two, just like elections have consequences, death has consequences. Usually much more so. Preliminary votes are just that, and it's a way to divide the work. Votes can change, and these are not final votes (after reading opinions). If your side is going to argue that the sitting President, who won two elections, who still is alive, shouldn't get to nominate a new justice, then Antonin Scalia is dead. He doesn't get to vote. Preliminary votes are not absentee ballots.
"Dangling access to these resources, Priebus thinks he can help steer Trump toward partywide policy goals and away from the inflammatory rhetoric that Republican officials see as divisive and dangerous, especially outside of the primary…" Uh, yea, Bob. Let us know how that works out for you. The Trumpster is the culmination of the RNC's flirtation with demagoguery to support their ideology. So, Mr. Priebus, what happens to your party's chances in the general election (and for the future) when Mr. Trump tells you to get onboard his wagon? Because he doesn't need you to win (in his mind and his negotiating strategy), but you most certainly need him to stem the losses. Unless you want schism. "After Mitt Romney’s stunning technology collapse on Election Day 2012…" yea, that's a nice fiction you all are telling yourselves there. Sure, Pres. Obama's ground game was way stronger, but it wasn't Mitt's technology failures that led to defeat. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
What Justice Scalia was doing at that Texas ranch. The International Order of St. Hubertus, a group of "elite hunters" who like to dress up as Templars, but in green, was meeting there. The names of the people in this story are just hilarious. "In 1695, Count Franz Anton von Sporck founded the society in Bohemia, which is in modern-day Czech Republic." Count Sporck! I mean, if I didn't know this group actually existed I would think the Onion was putting us on. But, seriously, this is the elite of our country, dressing up in robes and play-acting in a RenFaire fashion. And the International Order of St. Hubertus isn't the only such group. (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
More from the "They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7) GOP flail, from 2012, "After Obama Victory, Shrieking White-Hot Sphere Of Pure Rage Early GOP Front-Runner For 2016." When a satire site is more on target with their predictions, it's a world gone mad. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
"'All we have to do is not screw this up,' the (Democratic leadership) aide said." The bonanza to the progressive cause that is Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's refusal to even meet with any potential SCOTUS nomination. The bad news, the Democrats have a long history of screwing up such opportunities. The good news, all that they need to do is fold in "this vote is also about nominating a new justice" into their get out the vote efforts. All you have to do is keep the process visible. Pres. Obama invites the senators to conference and the GOP refuses, publicize that. He sends up a nominee who calls on senators for private meetings and they refuse, publicize that. Constant reminders may leave potential voters weary. Don't fuck this up, DNC.
Dear Sen. Grassley, what you need to explain is that the job you think you're doing is being partisan. If you were doing a Senator's job, you'd get off your ass and help nominate a new justice. "'I’ve been a leader on the Judiciary Committee for the last five years, first as ranking member and now as chairman,' Grassley was quoted as saying. 'I think Congress has passed more than 320 judges and only disapproved two. So, if I wanted to obstruct, I could obstruct. But I think this proves we haven’t been doing that.'" So, just how many appointees have you not processed? Also, there are some who quibble with your verdict of just how many justices you have put through the process. "With the Senate controlled by a newly-elected Republican majority, 2015 turned out to be the single worst year for judicial confirmations in over half a century… Only 11 judges were confirmed, the fewest in a single year since 1960." roll on up for the price is down, come on in for the best in town…
Tweet of my heart: @UnreliableFeed "And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will only respond if interested in seeing more pages." - Nietzsche on publishing
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Linkee-poo is a poor, mourning Pilgrim, bound for Canaan's land
The Ark of Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Holy crap. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
So how's Texas' plan on open carry on college and university campuses going? Yep, exactly according to plan. (Grokked from Hannah Bowman)
In future, rope jumps you. The smart jump rope that keeps count and interfaces with your mobile device. (Grokked from Dan)
The latest version of the Atlas human-like robot from Boston Dynamics. So, basically, Google (aka Alphabet) has completely abandoned their original motto of "Don't be evil." Seriously, hasn't anyone there seen any of the Terminator movies? (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
A black hole finishes a meal.
Apparently Bill Gates thinks Apple should cave to the FBI and just write the damn software already. And for context I'll just remind everyone that Mr. Gates was responsible for Windows 2 to 97, some of the most notoriously insecure commercial OSes the world has ever seen.
When I was a manager (oh, to be young and foolish again), it was at the time when corporations went really big on the anti-sexual harassment training. So I had to have "the talk" with several employees to help clarify what was inbounds and what was totally out of bounds. Somebody needs to have that talk with Joe Arpaio.
"Following another second-place finish in the Nevada GOP caucus, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) argued Wednesday that candidates don't win presidential primaries simply by winning individual states." De-Nile, it ain't just a river in Egypt. Of course he did later state that he will have to win some of the winner-take-all states to have any hope. Welcome to a brokered convention.
So how's Texas' plan on open carry on college and university campuses going? Yep, exactly according to plan. (Grokked from Hannah Bowman)
In future, rope jumps you. The smart jump rope that keeps count and interfaces with your mobile device. (Grokked from Dan)
The latest version of the Atlas human-like robot from Boston Dynamics. So, basically, Google (aka Alphabet) has completely abandoned their original motto of "Don't be evil." Seriously, hasn't anyone there seen any of the Terminator movies? (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
A black hole finishes a meal.
Apparently Bill Gates thinks Apple should cave to the FBI and just write the damn software already. And for context I'll just remind everyone that Mr. Gates was responsible for Windows 2 to 97, some of the most notoriously insecure commercial OSes the world has ever seen.
When I was a manager (oh, to be young and foolish again), it was at the time when corporations went really big on the anti-sexual harassment training. So I had to have "the talk" with several employees to help clarify what was inbounds and what was totally out of bounds. Somebody needs to have that talk with Joe Arpaio.
"Following another second-place finish in the Nevada GOP caucus, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) argued Wednesday that candidates don't win presidential primaries simply by winning individual states." De-Nile, it ain't just a river in Egypt. Of course he did later state that he will have to win some of the winner-take-all states to have any hope. Welcome to a brokered convention.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Linkee-poo finds me somebody to love
"They have no problem believing a man can fly. They recoil, however, when that man is black." If you follow Saladin Ahmed on twitter, he has posted many, many examples of a diverse comics sphere (male and female, all races) before the 50s white washing of the world. The article is about more than Star Wars and superhero pictures and makes a lot of good points about inclusion, the stories we tell ourselves, the needs of narrative, and how having a more inclusive media leads to a more inclusive society. And we see some of the backlash against that in our current politics (which started in the late 60s when unions started recruiting minorities and the passage of the Civil Rights Act which all lead to the GOP Southern Strategy of Nixon). (Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal)
The ultra minimalist Gittler guitar. Um, okay. I know lots of people say that for an electric guitar all that's making the sound is the pickups and the strings, but that hasn't really been my experience. Not sure I entirely like the sound of this (it might be better if he was getting line feed from the guitar instead of micing the amplifier). (Grokked from Dan)
"Once again, science ruins a really good story." The Great Wall of Kabul and the ghosts that lay within. (Grokked from Chia Evers)
"The capacity of wind power generation worldwide reached 432.42 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2015, up 17 percent from a year earlier and surpassing nuclear energy for the first time, according to data released by global industry bodies." Milestone achieved. (Grokked from Dan)
I sense a great disturbance in the Force, as if a billion fish farted all at the same time.
"The only possible explanations for this are incompetence or dishonesty on the part of the FBI. Incompetence, if they didn’t realize that resetting the Apple ID password could prevent the iPhone from backing up to iCloud. Dishonesty, if they directed the county to do this knowing the repercussions, with the goal of setting up this fight to force Apple to create a back door for them in iOS. I’m not sure which to believe at this point." A little on some of the technical considerations around the FBI vs Apple fight. (Grokked from Dan)
Yep, no need for gun control. Again, it's hardly ever a good guy with a gun who stops a bad guy with a gun. It's that the bad guy gets tired or sloppy.
In case you ever wondered why the US military trains and keeps bases all over the world, here's a reason why. Because driving an M1A1 in the desert is a whole lot different than driving them in snow and ice (and different in mud). These are good lessons to learn before you need them. Note the demonstration of Newtons Laws of Motion. While ice isn't a vacuum, it does have a lower friction-coefficient than other surfaces. Also, this isn't for getting experience driving a tank over snow and ice, this is also to work out how to maintain and repair those items in cold weather climes. (Grokked from Dan)
"Republican presidential candidate John Kasich acknowledged humans’ contribution to climate change Saturday, though he stopped short of accepting that humans are the main driver of the global problem." He must have missed us in Ohio, because he's now toast. Of course he later corrected to saying he didn't know exactly how much human activity has contributed to climate change. Which, as the article points out, is a losing proposition. "Despite expressing support for renewable energy in Vermont this weekend, Kasich signed a bill in 2014 that froze Ohio’s Renewable Energy Standards for two years… however, Kasich did say that the idea of freezing the standards indefinitely was 'unacceptable,' and that he wanted to 'work with the Ohio General Assembly to craft a bill that supports a diverse mix of reliable, low-cost energy sources while preserving the gains we have made in the state’s economy.'" Dear John, good news, we already have one. It's the one you signed the freeze order on. Come back home, there's plenty of work for you to do here. You haven't completely wrecked out economy in Ohio. Yet. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
Your government at work. "Britain's surveillance agency GCHQ, with aid from the US National Security Agency, intercepted and stored the webcam images of millions of internet users not suspected of wrongdoing, secret documents reveal." And now you know why I usually tape over the integrated webcam, you know, besides the various hacks into Flash which allows people to remotely activate your computer's camera. (Grokked from Xeni)
Kasich apologizes for his comment about women coming out of the kitchens to support him. Which was taken out of context (he really meant for his campaigns in the 70s, which is still kinda out of touch with those times). 'Cause he loves the women. Except he likes to screw them over to advance his hard right conservative politics. Don't let the media fool you, Kasich is only a moderate in comparison to the other looney tunes running for President in the GOP. He's hard right in his politics.
You keep using that word, I don't think it means what you think it means. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach calls the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the League of Women Voters communists. Rep Darrell Issa believes closing GITMO is just like the Trail of Tears. And then Dr. Ben Carson doesn't think Pres. Obama is black enough. He then goes on to state he's never experienced racism from the GOP, only the Democrats talking about racism is the real racism, and he's offering a pony in every pot and a unicorn for all his voters.
Hey Kettle, Pot is on the phone and wants to tell you something. Although Gingrich is really saying that Fox and Friends are providing Trump a lot of free press and promotional space, not that it's the politics of the Fox Network and their development of the Angry White Base that Trump is exploiting that is leading him to win.
God is back to his old tricks again. "Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) father said last year on a syndicated radio program that his son decided to launch a bid for the White House after his wife, Heidi, was sent a sign from God… Cruz said he then felt as if a 'cloud of the Holy Spirit' had filled the room." The jokes just write themselves, folks.
"Look, I get it. Honest men differ. A lot of good people describe these things as torture. The definitive legal judgment under which the agency was operating and you know sooner or later, Robert, someone has gotta call balls and strikes and that's the way it is." Dear Gen. Hayden, with all due respect, let me call bullshit on this. If you want to excuse the CIA operatives who actually did the torture because they had a legal ruling allowing them to, then we have to prosecute those who called the balls and strikes. This is NOT a question, if you have operatives that have no historical context, who can't see beyond the limited viewpoint offered by a legal memo, then you are running an organization that needs to be shut down because it's being staffed by imbiciles. Also, I'll note, you didn't say we got operational, actionable, intelligence from our torture programs. If you want to say that we saved lives or stopped attacks, or eliminated opposition leaders, I want you to show your work. It can easily be washed to sanitize any instances. After all, it's been nearly a decade and it's not like the opposition doesn't know what happened.
Majority leader in Senate which does not work promises to not do any work.
The ultra minimalist Gittler guitar. Um, okay. I know lots of people say that for an electric guitar all that's making the sound is the pickups and the strings, but that hasn't really been my experience. Not sure I entirely like the sound of this (it might be better if he was getting line feed from the guitar instead of micing the amplifier). (Grokked from Dan)
"Once again, science ruins a really good story." The Great Wall of Kabul and the ghosts that lay within. (Grokked from Chia Evers)
"The capacity of wind power generation worldwide reached 432.42 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2015, up 17 percent from a year earlier and surpassing nuclear energy for the first time, according to data released by global industry bodies." Milestone achieved. (Grokked from Dan)
I sense a great disturbance in the Force, as if a billion fish farted all at the same time.
"The only possible explanations for this are incompetence or dishonesty on the part of the FBI. Incompetence, if they didn’t realize that resetting the Apple ID password could prevent the iPhone from backing up to iCloud. Dishonesty, if they directed the county to do this knowing the repercussions, with the goal of setting up this fight to force Apple to create a back door for them in iOS. I’m not sure which to believe at this point." A little on some of the technical considerations around the FBI vs Apple fight. (Grokked from Dan)
Yep, no need for gun control. Again, it's hardly ever a good guy with a gun who stops a bad guy with a gun. It's that the bad guy gets tired or sloppy.
In case you ever wondered why the US military trains and keeps bases all over the world, here's a reason why. Because driving an M1A1 in the desert is a whole lot different than driving them in snow and ice (and different in mud). These are good lessons to learn before you need them. Note the demonstration of Newtons Laws of Motion. While ice isn't a vacuum, it does have a lower friction-coefficient than other surfaces. Also, this isn't for getting experience driving a tank over snow and ice, this is also to work out how to maintain and repair those items in cold weather climes. (Grokked from Dan)
"Republican presidential candidate John Kasich acknowledged humans’ contribution to climate change Saturday, though he stopped short of accepting that humans are the main driver of the global problem." He must have missed us in Ohio, because he's now toast. Of course he later corrected to saying he didn't know exactly how much human activity has contributed to climate change. Which, as the article points out, is a losing proposition. "Despite expressing support for renewable energy in Vermont this weekend, Kasich signed a bill in 2014 that froze Ohio’s Renewable Energy Standards for two years… however, Kasich did say that the idea of freezing the standards indefinitely was 'unacceptable,' and that he wanted to 'work with the Ohio General Assembly to craft a bill that supports a diverse mix of reliable, low-cost energy sources while preserving the gains we have made in the state’s economy.'" Dear John, good news, we already have one. It's the one you signed the freeze order on. Come back home, there's plenty of work for you to do here. You haven't completely wrecked out economy in Ohio. Yet. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
Your government at work. "Britain's surveillance agency GCHQ, with aid from the US National Security Agency, intercepted and stored the webcam images of millions of internet users not suspected of wrongdoing, secret documents reveal." And now you know why I usually tape over the integrated webcam, you know, besides the various hacks into Flash which allows people to remotely activate your computer's camera. (Grokked from Xeni)
Kasich apologizes for his comment about women coming out of the kitchens to support him. Which was taken out of context (he really meant for his campaigns in the 70s, which is still kinda out of touch with those times). 'Cause he loves the women. Except he likes to screw them over to advance his hard right conservative politics. Don't let the media fool you, Kasich is only a moderate in comparison to the other looney tunes running for President in the GOP. He's hard right in his politics.
You keep using that word, I don't think it means what you think it means. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach calls the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the League of Women Voters communists. Rep Darrell Issa believes closing GITMO is just like the Trail of Tears. And then Dr. Ben Carson doesn't think Pres. Obama is black enough. He then goes on to state he's never experienced racism from the GOP, only the Democrats talking about racism is the real racism, and he's offering a pony in every pot and a unicorn for all his voters.
Hey Kettle, Pot is on the phone and wants to tell you something. Although Gingrich is really saying that Fox and Friends are providing Trump a lot of free press and promotional space, not that it's the politics of the Fox Network and their development of the Angry White Base that Trump is exploiting that is leading him to win.
God is back to his old tricks again. "Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) father said last year on a syndicated radio program that his son decided to launch a bid for the White House after his wife, Heidi, was sent a sign from God… Cruz said he then felt as if a 'cloud of the Holy Spirit' had filled the room." The jokes just write themselves, folks.
"Look, I get it. Honest men differ. A lot of good people describe these things as torture. The definitive legal judgment under which the agency was operating and you know sooner or later, Robert, someone has gotta call balls and strikes and that's the way it is." Dear Gen. Hayden, with all due respect, let me call bullshit on this. If you want to excuse the CIA operatives who actually did the torture because they had a legal ruling allowing them to, then we have to prosecute those who called the balls and strikes. This is NOT a question, if you have operatives that have no historical context, who can't see beyond the limited viewpoint offered by a legal memo, then you are running an organization that needs to be shut down because it's being staffed by imbiciles. Also, I'll note, you didn't say we got operational, actionable, intelligence from our torture programs. If you want to say that we saved lives or stopped attacks, or eliminated opposition leaders, I want you to show your work. It can easily be washed to sanitize any instances. After all, it's been nearly a decade and it's not like the opposition doesn't know what happened.
Majority leader in Senate which does not work promises to not do any work.
Linkee-poo, when you reach 100 feel free to offer your advice
Mark Oshiro's Facebook post on erasure, harassment, and people acting stupidity while he was a guest of honor at a convention. Mary Robinette Kowal has some thoughts on how to avoid such situations (from a concom standpoint). Unfortunately I think part of the issue isn't ignorance or lack of self-awareness, it's the thought process that says, "There's nothing wrong with what we are doing because we have always done it this way." That's the mind space where the comment about being mid-westerners comes from. It's wrong. It's terribly fucking wrong.
Let me give you an example (note here the example I am giving has nothing to do with what happened to Mark Oshiro, but is provided as an example of how supposedly "enlightened" people in the midwest react when they're presented with something outside what they consider the "normal"). For the x-ray job I've seen things (no, I won't do my Roy Batty impression here). I've seen people at their worst. Yes, we do talk about the patients when we're back in the workroom, mostly as a way to process what we've been through. And lately one of things that gets the other techs worked up is men wearing women's underwear while being obviously (or at least outwardly) hetero (please don't make me explain bi to these people, although I don't think these these guys were). There's been a few cases recently, and some of the techs find it difficult to understand. Not that one of them was a cutter (I noticed, the others didn't see the scars), and that the other had a severe, untreated infection. Nope, it's the Vicky Secrets being worn by men that throws them. To me, I couldn't care. Because if it makes them happy, who the fuck am I to criticize? They don't need my permission to be who they are. But it challenges the other techs world view. Being in fandom, I've seen (what the other techs would think of as) far "worse" infractions of the socially mandated binary chasm. To me it's like telling a patient who told me that she didn't want to cuss that it was okay, I know a lot of Senior Chiefs and she couldn't shock me. Then you have a grandmother in her 70s try her best to blister the paintwork with her invectives (no storyline or plot, only used 3 words, repeated them often, however she had the conviction of what she was saying, I give that a C). Other techs were somewhat shocked, but it helped her deal with her pain and she was relaxed afterward. Being "midwestern" isn't an excuse for being a prudish prick or not accepting people as they are. Or if you want to accept the "midwestern" as an excuse, sorry, midwesterners are polite. Mark Oshiro was their invited guest. They were very far away from being polite.
Ayn Rand and Modern Economics walk into a bar. Look, I know a lot of people (and some of my friends) don't want to hear this, but I have two theories about Ayn Rand. The first is she's just a common-place sociopath who dressed up her emotions in scientifically sounding rhetoric to make them more palatable. She was more than happy to take the benefit of social collectivism when it worked in her favor, but when she felt she didn't get any benefit then it was fuck all. My second theory is she was a deep mole sent to the US to destroy capitalism. The USSR didn't believe their version of the world would win because it was inherently superior (as we did in the West), just that capitalism at its heart was corrupt and would destroy us. They felt by our own success and our own theories we would tear ourselves apart. Maybe Ayn was sent here to hasten that along. In the last decade there's been at list six attempts to create a libertarian community. Have any of them succeeded? (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
So, you may wonder at my use of the term whackaloon. It's a combination of lunatic and the whack-a-mole game. That's basically what's happening here. And you think I may be harsh in that judgement. "Why does United States President Barack Obama have a soft spot for homosexuals? Because he was a gay hooker in the '80s, reports Mary Lou Bruner, a Republican candidate for the Texas State Board of Education." Oh, she was a mayor for a while. Yes, this is an elected official. Still think I'm being harsh. Also it's a presidential election year, whackaloon futures are up. Actually I'm forming a theory that State of Texas is a piece of elaborate performance art.
"These dog-whistles are the RULE, and they are the rule for a reason; they have, for decades, allowed a white population to vent their xenophobia, their nationalism, and yes, their racism in small bursts at the ballot box each election cycle while still feeling good about themselves and how progressive they are compared to their slave-owning ancestors. These euphemisms have been essential to the steady grind toward the extreme right that the GOP has been taking since the days of Reagan." And Jeb! is out.
Why is the GOP being so obstructionist about appointing a new Supreme Court Justice? "Anti-government attorney Kory Langhofer argued over the weekend that the Supreme Court could continue to decide cases 5-4 in favor of conservatives after the death of Antonin Scalia because the deceased justice could effectively cast votes from the grave." Because they know they're going to start losing is Pres. Obama chooses either a left-leaning or moderate judge. I know, we should develop that "head-in-a-jar" technology they had on Futurama. (Grokked from Vince O'Conner)
"President Barack Obama said it best this week… When it comes to who gets to appoint Supreme Court justices, the Constitution is pretty freaking clear."
Give me that old-time religion. "A New Hampshire state representative who once said Donald Trump is the only politician she believes in came to the Republican candidate’s defense during his tiff with Pope Francis on Thursday, calling the Pope 'the anti-Christ.'" Because the 14th Century was so much fun to live through the first time.
Let me give you an example (note here the example I am giving has nothing to do with what happened to Mark Oshiro, but is provided as an example of how supposedly "enlightened" people in the midwest react when they're presented with something outside what they consider the "normal"). For the x-ray job I've seen things (no, I won't do my Roy Batty impression here). I've seen people at their worst. Yes, we do talk about the patients when we're back in the workroom, mostly as a way to process what we've been through. And lately one of things that gets the other techs worked up is men wearing women's underwear while being obviously (or at least outwardly) hetero (please don't make me explain bi to these people, although I don't think these these guys were). There's been a few cases recently, and some of the techs find it difficult to understand. Not that one of them was a cutter (I noticed, the others didn't see the scars), and that the other had a severe, untreated infection. Nope, it's the Vicky Secrets being worn by men that throws them. To me, I couldn't care. Because if it makes them happy, who the fuck am I to criticize? They don't need my permission to be who they are. But it challenges the other techs world view. Being in fandom, I've seen (what the other techs would think of as) far "worse" infractions of the socially mandated binary chasm. To me it's like telling a patient who told me that she didn't want to cuss that it was okay, I know a lot of Senior Chiefs and she couldn't shock me. Then you have a grandmother in her 70s try her best to blister the paintwork with her invectives (no storyline or plot, only used 3 words, repeated them often, however she had the conviction of what she was saying, I give that a C). Other techs were somewhat shocked, but it helped her deal with her pain and she was relaxed afterward. Being "midwestern" isn't an excuse for being a prudish prick or not accepting people as they are. Or if you want to accept the "midwestern" as an excuse, sorry, midwesterners are polite. Mark Oshiro was their invited guest. They were very far away from being polite.
Ayn Rand and Modern Economics walk into a bar. Look, I know a lot of people (and some of my friends) don't want to hear this, but I have two theories about Ayn Rand. The first is she's just a common-place sociopath who dressed up her emotions in scientifically sounding rhetoric to make them more palatable. She was more than happy to take the benefit of social collectivism when it worked in her favor, but when she felt she didn't get any benefit then it was fuck all. My second theory is she was a deep mole sent to the US to destroy capitalism. The USSR didn't believe their version of the world would win because it was inherently superior (as we did in the West), just that capitalism at its heart was corrupt and would destroy us. They felt by our own success and our own theories we would tear ourselves apart. Maybe Ayn was sent here to hasten that along. In the last decade there's been at list six attempts to create a libertarian community. Have any of them succeeded? (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
So, you may wonder at my use of the term whackaloon. It's a combination of lunatic and the whack-a-mole game. That's basically what's happening here. And you think I may be harsh in that judgement. "Why does United States President Barack Obama have a soft spot for homosexuals? Because he was a gay hooker in the '80s, reports Mary Lou Bruner, a Republican candidate for the Texas State Board of Education." Oh, she was a mayor for a while. Yes, this is an elected official. Still think I'm being harsh. Also it's a presidential election year, whackaloon futures are up. Actually I'm forming a theory that State of Texas is a piece of elaborate performance art.
"These dog-whistles are the RULE, and they are the rule for a reason; they have, for decades, allowed a white population to vent their xenophobia, their nationalism, and yes, their racism in small bursts at the ballot box each election cycle while still feeling good about themselves and how progressive they are compared to their slave-owning ancestors. These euphemisms have been essential to the steady grind toward the extreme right that the GOP has been taking since the days of Reagan." And Jeb! is out.
Why is the GOP being so obstructionist about appointing a new Supreme Court Justice? "Anti-government attorney Kory Langhofer argued over the weekend that the Supreme Court could continue to decide cases 5-4 in favor of conservatives after the death of Antonin Scalia because the deceased justice could effectively cast votes from the grave." Because they know they're going to start losing is Pres. Obama chooses either a left-leaning or moderate judge. I know, we should develop that "head-in-a-jar" technology they had on Futurama. (Grokked from Vince O'Conner)
"President Barack Obama said it best this week… When it comes to who gets to appoint Supreme Court justices, the Constitution is pretty freaking clear."
Give me that old-time religion. "A New Hampshire state representative who once said Donald Trump is the only politician she believes in came to the Republican candidate’s defense during his tiff with Pope Francis on Thursday, calling the Pope 'the anti-Christ.'" Because the 14th Century was so much fun to live through the first time.
Friday, February 19, 2016
Linkee-poo, when love walks in the room everybody stand up
You never know when a family of frogs is watching you. Okay, that's a story bone of some type. (Grokked from Kelly Link)
"A plant known as hairy panic has left parts of a small town in southeastern Australia overwhelmed with tumbleweeds, and global news media attention, with residents and journalists recording bizarre scenes of dry, yellow grass piling up around cars and doorways." And that's a story bone of another type.
Clueless rich people remain clueless. Dude, seriously, you don't want to live in a city, you want a gated community. If they'll let you in. Also points for not getting the full ramifications of living with "a free market society." Really, jerks, what happened to Marie Antoinette when she made similar points? This is where the real revolution will come from, not from the privileged idiots who are pissed they can't drive their ATVs down the street. And when it happens, the phrase "eat the rich" comes to mind. (Grokked from Hannah Bowman)
"While she invoked the number of the beast in her request for damages, Cox listed a wide array of people she plans to subpoena, including: ranchers in the western U.S.; judges and prosecutors; Oregon's current and former governor; local and state police officers; FBI agents; and 'various law professors.'" I'ma just gonna go make some popcorn now.
There's this conservative talking point about how, under Pres. Obama, the world doesn't trust America. Yea, unfortunately the world disagrees. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
On the same day. In the same city. One white guy with a fake gun, one black guy with a fake gun. One points it directly at police, the other appears to reach for it. One is dead, the other has a $2,000 bail bond. Guess which is which. Having lived in Oxford and worked in Cincinnati, I'm not surprised. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Because "servicing the market" is a priority, Rent-a-Minority. For those times you need to appear diverse or non-racist/non-sexist. (Grokked from John)
"Lech Walesa… was a paid informant for secret police during the Communist era." That sound you heard was my jaw hitting the desk. I mean, I shouldn't really be that surprised because these things are happening all over (Apple is cooperating with government warrants and writs all the time). But that's a serious stunner.
"Tyson is America’s biggest meat producer, and each week it processes 35 million chickens, 400,000 hog, and 128,000 cattle. The full tally of amputations at its facilities is likely higher than the number obtained by Monforton, which does not include information from Tyson factories in 10 states that run their own OSHA programs." Yea, that's can't be good. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"Our politicians don’t stand up there on that stage debating which one of them is more willing to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, heal the sick, educate our children, or colonize Mars. No, they intend to make America great with their fists, by bombing entire populations out of existence, by waterboarding our enemies, through military force, by fear." When all you have is a hammer, everything begins looking like nails.
We're boned. "Impacts of Arctic warming are usually considered in isolation, and that’s a mistake, (Rafe Pomerance) says. 'It’s unraveling, every piece of it is unraveling, they’re all in lockstep together,' Pomerance says. 'What tends to happen is, everybody nationally reports on the latest piece of news, which is about one system. You hear about the sea ice absent the temperature trend. So you really have to think of it as a whole.'" I'm sure Rush Limbaugh can explain this all away. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
Conservative appointee backs more liberal ideas when faced with the realities of conservative idealism. Always happens. In this case, one of Bush's appointees who finagled a permeant position is sounding the bell that banks are still too big to fail, and we should regulate the crap outa them (unless they voluntarily break up, like that'll happen).
Clueless Trumpster supporters (is that an oxymoron, or just being redundant) remain clueless. Yes, the Pope is so duplicitous for calling out the Trumpster as not being Christian for wanting to build a wall between the US and Mexico because someone noticed that the Vatican is a walled city-state (okay, they just pointed out the Vatican had walls, no indication they realize it's a city-state). Next up, we'll make fun of the Swiss Guard for wearing those fru-fru uniforms. (Note, never make fun of the Swiss Guard, the Swiss may be technically a neutral state, but that's because of their history of supplying some of the deadliest mercenaries to the rest of Europe)
Crazy Uncle LePage goes off his meds, again. I know Mainers like their little jokes, but seriously, this isn't funny anymore, Maine. Only hipsters are still laughing at this clown.
Okay, how about now.
Marco (Polo) Rubio says he "wouldn't go that far" in calling Hillary Clinton a traitor over the emails, and then he goes that far talking about Benghazi. Next!
"However, according to reporting from Politico, people close to Scalia's family said the president was making the right move and that Friday was a more appropriate time for his presence." Sometimes it's more important to not show up to something.
Tweet of my heart: @JonathanCohn Marco Rubio is the embodiment of the GOP elite's view that the problem is not their policies, only the packaging.
"A plant known as hairy panic has left parts of a small town in southeastern Australia overwhelmed with tumbleweeds, and global news media attention, with residents and journalists recording bizarre scenes of dry, yellow grass piling up around cars and doorways." And that's a story bone of another type.
Clueless rich people remain clueless. Dude, seriously, you don't want to live in a city, you want a gated community. If they'll let you in. Also points for not getting the full ramifications of living with "a free market society." Really, jerks, what happened to Marie Antoinette when she made similar points? This is where the real revolution will come from, not from the privileged idiots who are pissed they can't drive their ATVs down the street. And when it happens, the phrase "eat the rich" comes to mind. (Grokked from Hannah Bowman)
"While she invoked the number of the beast in her request for damages, Cox listed a wide array of people she plans to subpoena, including: ranchers in the western U.S.; judges and prosecutors; Oregon's current and former governor; local and state police officers; FBI agents; and 'various law professors.'" I'ma just gonna go make some popcorn now.
There's this conservative talking point about how, under Pres. Obama, the world doesn't trust America. Yea, unfortunately the world disagrees. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
On the same day. In the same city. One white guy with a fake gun, one black guy with a fake gun. One points it directly at police, the other appears to reach for it. One is dead, the other has a $2,000 bail bond. Guess which is which. Having lived in Oxford and worked in Cincinnati, I'm not surprised. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Because "servicing the market" is a priority, Rent-a-Minority. For those times you need to appear diverse or non-racist/non-sexist. (Grokked from John)
"Lech Walesa… was a paid informant for secret police during the Communist era." That sound you heard was my jaw hitting the desk. I mean, I shouldn't really be that surprised because these things are happening all over (Apple is cooperating with government warrants and writs all the time). But that's a serious stunner.
"Tyson is America’s biggest meat producer, and each week it processes 35 million chickens, 400,000 hog, and 128,000 cattle. The full tally of amputations at its facilities is likely higher than the number obtained by Monforton, which does not include information from Tyson factories in 10 states that run their own OSHA programs." Yea, that's can't be good. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"Our politicians don’t stand up there on that stage debating which one of them is more willing to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, heal the sick, educate our children, or colonize Mars. No, they intend to make America great with their fists, by bombing entire populations out of existence, by waterboarding our enemies, through military force, by fear." When all you have is a hammer, everything begins looking like nails.
We're boned. "Impacts of Arctic warming are usually considered in isolation, and that’s a mistake, (Rafe Pomerance) says. 'It’s unraveling, every piece of it is unraveling, they’re all in lockstep together,' Pomerance says. 'What tends to happen is, everybody nationally reports on the latest piece of news, which is about one system. You hear about the sea ice absent the temperature trend. So you really have to think of it as a whole.'" I'm sure Rush Limbaugh can explain this all away. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
Conservative appointee backs more liberal ideas when faced with the realities of conservative idealism. Always happens. In this case, one of Bush's appointees who finagled a permeant position is sounding the bell that banks are still too big to fail, and we should regulate the crap outa them (unless they voluntarily break up, like that'll happen).
Clueless Trumpster supporters (is that an oxymoron, or just being redundant) remain clueless. Yes, the Pope is so duplicitous for calling out the Trumpster as not being Christian for wanting to build a wall between the US and Mexico because someone noticed that the Vatican is a walled city-state (okay, they just pointed out the Vatican had walls, no indication they realize it's a city-state). Next up, we'll make fun of the Swiss Guard for wearing those fru-fru uniforms. (Note, never make fun of the Swiss Guard, the Swiss may be technically a neutral state, but that's because of their history of supplying some of the deadliest mercenaries to the rest of Europe)
Crazy Uncle LePage goes off his meds, again. I know Mainers like their little jokes, but seriously, this isn't funny anymore, Maine. Only hipsters are still laughing at this clown.
Okay, how about now.
Marco (Polo) Rubio says he "wouldn't go that far" in calling Hillary Clinton a traitor over the emails, and then he goes that far talking about Benghazi. Next!
"However, according to reporting from Politico, people close to Scalia's family said the president was making the right move and that Friday was a more appropriate time for his presence." Sometimes it's more important to not show up to something.
Tweet of my heart: @JonathanCohn Marco Rubio is the embodiment of the GOP elite's view that the problem is not their policies, only the packaging.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Linkee-poo gets the worm
Dear GOP, there was only one path that led to success, getting a nominee through quickly and hoping everyone would forget. All other paths lead to failure. Also, thank you for reminding a lot of the progressive vote that this election matters very much. You just did more to turn out the progressive vote in 2016 than anything Hillary or Bernie could have done or said. Your knee-jerk reactions not only solidified liberal control of the White House and increased their chances of taking the Senate back, but you've put the House in play as well. Well done. See, there is no conservative silent majority. Conservatives are reliable voters, the ones that vote. They vote in every election, which is why the GOP makes big gains in the off-year polls. The big dependent factor is how many progressives get off their asses in the presidential year. You've just lit the fuse on those people who think it just doesn't matter.
Apple's letter to customers regarding the FBI request to break into an iPhone.
"In some ways, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center got very lucky, as it seems the hackers haven't taken over the firmware for things like CT scanners, etc, and bricked them." Ransomware attack on a hospital. Okay, maybe people will pay attention to this now. I know, I'm kidding myself. But yea, the modern hospital runs on software to do everything. For the PRN job I have to know (and have logins to) 5 different pieces of software just to do my job. And that doesn't include the software that runs the x-ray machines, or the IV pumps, or monitors, or… And an update, the hospital paid the ransom.
More on that story about US Marshals arresting a man for non-payment of student loans. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
The double standard. "Over the last three years, Sarah Eddy and Daniel Grunspan have asked over 1,700 biology undergraduates at the University of Washington to name classmates whom they thought were 'strong in their understanding of classroom material.' The results were worrying but predictable. The male students underestimated their female peers, over-nominating other men over better-performing women." (Grokked from Hannah Bowman)
One of the problems with modern medicine is how interconnected body systems are and how disconnected our research tends to look at them. So when we "fix" one thing, we can screw something else up. In this case, using proton-pump inhibitors used to treat heartburn and acid reflux is linked to increased risk of dementia. Bet you won't see that on the label. (Grokked from CC Findlay)
Who benefits from cheap knockoffs? Chinese banks. Also why Visa and MasterCard aren't doing much about it.
You know how natural gas is supposed to best much better for our environment because of reduced CO2 emissions? Hell, there's a whole ad campaign and website dedicated to it (I frequently lampoon the bastards on twitter for their promoted tweets). Turns out it's not so much of a deal because of the leaks of methane into the atmosphere. The paper doesn't point to anything in particular (I haven't read the whole thing), but it does say the increase is coming from the middle of the country (so unlikely permafrost thaw or oceanic methane releases). Also, say, what's going on in the middle of the country this past decade? Think about it. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
Why is coal losing? It's not because of rhetoric. Note that Pres. Obama's environmental program is stalled in the courts, but coal continues to lose to cheaper and more flexible alternatives.
"In addition to processing logged cellular phone call data (so-called 'DNR' or Dialled Number Recognition data, such as time, duration, who called whom, etc.), SKYNET also collects user location, allowing for the creation of detailed travel profiles. Turning off a mobile phone gets flagged as an attempt to evade mass surveillance. Users who swap SIM cards, naively believing this will prevent tracking, also get flagged (the ESN/MEID/IMEI burned into the handset makes the phone trackable across multiple SIM cards)." One, yes, we have a program named SKYNET. And it's used to target and kill people. But then they're using a learning machine to make these decisions (this isn't new for the NSA, just google ECHELON if you want to know how far back this goes). But they're using "big data" to process out whom is a terrorist and whom is not. So, how well does Amazon's recommendations work for you? They're probably more accurate than the NSA. What could possibly go wrong? Maybe flagging a reporter as a terrorist. (Grokked from Steven Brust)
Yes, the wingnuttery surrounding Antonin Scalia's death is in full flail mode. Fortunately, so are the humor sites.
No, Dr. Carson, you're not supposed to say these things. Like if the GOP controlled the White House they wouldn't be talking about stalling a SCOTUS nominee. Seriously, you gotta learn how to dog-whistle and say your own team is as pure as Ivory Soap.
I just love how conservatives view the past as some sort of Eden. No, Dr. Carson, the communities you're thinking of are the Amish and the other separatists, which were built on principles we would now label as socialism. In the past, a lot of people died. They starved to death. If a worker got injured on the job, they and their families were thrown out of the company owned towns. If the major worker on the farm was injured, the farm typically was run by the spouse or a child, who also then had to take care of their injured family and most likely would lose the farm. Also, our economy isn't agricultural any more. If I break my leg, nobody is going to go into work for me, I know this because it happened. The mind just boggles at the idiocy of these people. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
Apple's letter to customers regarding the FBI request to break into an iPhone.
"In some ways, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center got very lucky, as it seems the hackers haven't taken over the firmware for things like CT scanners, etc, and bricked them." Ransomware attack on a hospital. Okay, maybe people will pay attention to this now. I know, I'm kidding myself. But yea, the modern hospital runs on software to do everything. For the PRN job I have to know (and have logins to) 5 different pieces of software just to do my job. And that doesn't include the software that runs the x-ray machines, or the IV pumps, or monitors, or… And an update, the hospital paid the ransom.
More on that story about US Marshals arresting a man for non-payment of student loans. (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
The double standard. "Over the last three years, Sarah Eddy and Daniel Grunspan have asked over 1,700 biology undergraduates at the University of Washington to name classmates whom they thought were 'strong in their understanding of classroom material.' The results were worrying but predictable. The male students underestimated their female peers, over-nominating other men over better-performing women." (Grokked from Hannah Bowman)
One of the problems with modern medicine is how interconnected body systems are and how disconnected our research tends to look at them. So when we "fix" one thing, we can screw something else up. In this case, using proton-pump inhibitors used to treat heartburn and acid reflux is linked to increased risk of dementia. Bet you won't see that on the label. (Grokked from CC Findlay)
Who benefits from cheap knockoffs? Chinese banks. Also why Visa and MasterCard aren't doing much about it.
You know how natural gas is supposed to best much better for our environment because of reduced CO2 emissions? Hell, there's a whole ad campaign and website dedicated to it (I frequently lampoon the bastards on twitter for their promoted tweets). Turns out it's not so much of a deal because of the leaks of methane into the atmosphere. The paper doesn't point to anything in particular (I haven't read the whole thing), but it does say the increase is coming from the middle of the country (so unlikely permafrost thaw or oceanic methane releases). Also, say, what's going on in the middle of the country this past decade? Think about it. (Grokked from Robert J Bennett)
Why is coal losing? It's not because of rhetoric. Note that Pres. Obama's environmental program is stalled in the courts, but coal continues to lose to cheaper and more flexible alternatives.
"In addition to processing logged cellular phone call data (so-called 'DNR' or Dialled Number Recognition data, such as time, duration, who called whom, etc.), SKYNET also collects user location, allowing for the creation of detailed travel profiles. Turning off a mobile phone gets flagged as an attempt to evade mass surveillance. Users who swap SIM cards, naively believing this will prevent tracking, also get flagged (the ESN/MEID/IMEI burned into the handset makes the phone trackable across multiple SIM cards)." One, yes, we have a program named SKYNET. And it's used to target and kill people. But then they're using a learning machine to make these decisions (this isn't new for the NSA, just google ECHELON if you want to know how far back this goes). But they're using "big data" to process out whom is a terrorist and whom is not. So, how well does Amazon's recommendations work for you? They're probably more accurate than the NSA. What could possibly go wrong? Maybe flagging a reporter as a terrorist. (Grokked from Steven Brust)
Yes, the wingnuttery surrounding Antonin Scalia's death is in full flail mode. Fortunately, so are the humor sites.
No, Dr. Carson, you're not supposed to say these things. Like if the GOP controlled the White House they wouldn't be talking about stalling a SCOTUS nominee. Seriously, you gotta learn how to dog-whistle and say your own team is as pure as Ivory Soap.
I just love how conservatives view the past as some sort of Eden. No, Dr. Carson, the communities you're thinking of are the Amish and the other separatists, which were built on principles we would now label as socialism. In the past, a lot of people died. They starved to death. If a worker got injured on the job, they and their families were thrown out of the company owned towns. If the major worker on the farm was injured, the farm typically was run by the spouse or a child, who also then had to take care of their injured family and most likely would lose the farm. Also, our economy isn't agricultural any more. If I break my leg, nobody is going to go into work for me, I know this because it happened. The mind just boggles at the idiocy of these people. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Linkee-poo, my five and dime queen, tell me what have you seen
Fasnacht, the other way to ring in Lent. (Grokked from Robert j Bennett)
A lensless camera? Okay, geniuses, the pinhole in a pinhole-camera is a lens. That's how it functions. I believe you meant to say "without a glass/plastic lens", which, yes, makes up the bulk of most cameras.
New optical storage technology using crystalline discs. Femtosecond lasers and nanostructure glass. We're those in the Time Machine? (Grokked from Stewart Sternberg)
Debt collecting companies are being used by the government to collect on student loans. They work to get judgements against delinquent payers. And then "(b)elieve it or not, the US Marshals Service in Houston is arresting people for not paying their outstanding federal student loans." So now can we do something about the stupidity of the student loan program? (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
And off-duty cop spots a teenager with what he thinks was pot, ends up firing 7 rounds killing the teen. Dear good cops, keep protecting these cops and you'll continue to lose the public trust. (Grokked from Steven Brust)
Why is the GOP pushing so hard on delaying nominating a replacement for Scalia? Because they're facing watching almost five decades of hard work skewing the judicial system to the far right collapse. The article doesn't mention how much the GOP has stacked the lower-courts for the past three decades, or the work of the Federalist Society.
Gee, cutting off funds to Planned Parenthood explodes the rest of the budget. Why, who could have known that? And while the article ponders that the Texas GOP lead legislature should be surprised and shamed into trying to halt the "unintended" consequences of this, the authors misunderstand that these are very intended consequences. Or at the very least they simply don't care, because they defunded Planned Parenthood. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"Residents of Flint, Michigan, began getting gravely ill and in some cases dying in summer 2014 in one of the worst outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in U.S. history, and a county health director says attempts to find the source were hampered when the state wouldn't request federal assistance." Compassionate conservatism in action. Seriously, if Gov. Snyder is able to finish his term I'll be very disappointed. (Grokked from Chia Evers)
"Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-FL) latest ad opens with the line, 'It's morning again in America,' but the ad features the Vancouver skyline and harbor, The Vancouver Sun reported Monday." It would have been better to just reused the Reagan ad footage and change the ending. Plus, I'm not so sure the Rubio campaign understands what "Morning in America" means.
A lensless camera? Okay, geniuses, the pinhole in a pinhole-camera is a lens. That's how it functions. I believe you meant to say "without a glass/plastic lens", which, yes, makes up the bulk of most cameras.
New optical storage technology using crystalline discs. Femtosecond lasers and nanostructure glass. We're those in the Time Machine? (Grokked from Stewart Sternberg)
Debt collecting companies are being used by the government to collect on student loans. They work to get judgements against delinquent payers. And then "(b)elieve it or not, the US Marshals Service in Houston is arresting people for not paying their outstanding federal student loans." So now can we do something about the stupidity of the student loan program? (Grokked from Chuck Wendig)
And off-duty cop spots a teenager with what he thinks was pot, ends up firing 7 rounds killing the teen. Dear good cops, keep protecting these cops and you'll continue to lose the public trust. (Grokked from Steven Brust)
Why is the GOP pushing so hard on delaying nominating a replacement for Scalia? Because they're facing watching almost five decades of hard work skewing the judicial system to the far right collapse. The article doesn't mention how much the GOP has stacked the lower-courts for the past three decades, or the work of the Federalist Society.
Gee, cutting off funds to Planned Parenthood explodes the rest of the budget. Why, who could have known that? And while the article ponders that the Texas GOP lead legislature should be surprised and shamed into trying to halt the "unintended" consequences of this, the authors misunderstand that these are very intended consequences. Or at the very least they simply don't care, because they defunded Planned Parenthood. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"Residents of Flint, Michigan, began getting gravely ill and in some cases dying in summer 2014 in one of the worst outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in U.S. history, and a county health director says attempts to find the source were hampered when the state wouldn't request federal assistance." Compassionate conservatism in action. Seriously, if Gov. Snyder is able to finish his term I'll be very disappointed. (Grokked from Chia Evers)
"Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-FL) latest ad opens with the line, 'It's morning again in America,' but the ad features the Vancouver skyline and harbor, The Vancouver Sun reported Monday." It would have been better to just reused the Reagan ad footage and change the ending. Plus, I'm not so sure the Rubio campaign understands what "Morning in America" means.
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