Linkee-poo sees no reason gunpowder treason should ever be forgot

An interview with William Gibson. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)

Jay Lake on writing Endurance (different from writing endurance, which Jay also has), being surprised by your own work, and integrating life experiences.

A Politifact Ohio report on that "public workers make 43%" (Pro SB5) commercial. I could write a whole dissertation based on the American Enterprise Institute's (the organization that released the figure) assumptions that helped them get to that figure (note, for straight pay to pay, public workers earn 2.5% less than private workers, and then that's not even comparing equal education and licensure requirements). "Mostly False". Yeah, that about sums up most of the Pro SB 5 side of the argument.

Some new reports on fracking (hydraulic fracturing) causing earthquakes. There's also concern surrounding a well just south of Youngstown that's been hit by a series of quakes after a well was fracked. But don't worry, it's all "perfectly safe." Say, did you know that most of your drinking water (if you're in Ohio) is sourced from archaic water resources? Those underground rivers of century old water run just a little bit above the shale layer. But I'm sure there's nothing to worry about.

Juan Cole with a little future prediction about global climate change and a lot of links for how far "green" energy has come lately. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

The Pew Charitable Trusts updates their high cost of long-term unemployment study. Note that as you get older, you're more likely to be unemployed longer. If you want to know why I'm going through hell to get another degree, it's that chart right there. I'm in an industry where 35 if often considered "too old" and "out of touch".

As he often does, Jim Wright channels much of my own thoughts on the morphing of OWS. I've posted a lot of links showing the frustration (and the numbers of why that frustration is well founded) of the OWS movement. And, in truth, my heart is with them. But for reasons Jim points out, you probably won't see me at any of their events. For me, there are triggers that would get me out (in several directions, actually), but right now I'm content to watch and see what evolves out of it. I think the people who started it had great intentions, but the movement is growing beyond them, and I'm not all that sure what kind of seed they planted. It's sort of how I felt about the Tea Party at the beginning (don't we all want lower taxes and less government intrusion?), however they quickly showed the darker side of their movement (IMHO), and I couldn't support their goals.

And here you can tell me that "without your support/commitment, the OWS will never be able to achieve what they/you want." Yeah. I've heard that before. I've done my bit for King and Country. I tilt at the windmills of my choosing, and right now I'm too busy to get distracted once again. Show me I can trust you, and you'll get me out (that's one of the triggers).

And speaking of TPers, you know that whole, "they're calling us bad names" meme they like to run. Yeah, you all started it first. (And a nice reaction by Elizabeth Warren, of course that's our weakness as bleeding heart liberals, we try to understand where you're coming from).

Robert Reich on how OWS has already succeeded. "The old view was anyone could make it in America with enough guts and gumption. Being rich was proof of hard work -- and lack of money proof of indolence or worse. But hard work doesn't seem to pay off as it once did. Instead, to an increasing number of Americans the game seems rigged in favor of people who are already rich and powerful." Reason #3 why I'm no longer a Republican (or I should say, the major political shift in my thinking came about when I realized that last sentence's revelation).

Oh, and about that "highest corporate taxes in world" thing. Yeah, not so much. While the nominal rate is 35%, most companies pay way less, if they pay anything at all.

"'Our conference is opposed to tax hikes, because we believe that tax hikes will hurt our economy and put Americans back to work,' Boehner said." I believe that's the classic definition of a Freudian Slip.

Gunpowder treason and plot

There's been a weird vibe going on all week. I haven't been able to lock it down, but it feels like things are now converging. Something is about to happen, or at least that's what it feels like. The hairs on the back of my mind's neck are standing up. It feels like today, tomorrow or Sunday. And it's a strong enough feeling that I thought I should share.

This is what they mean when intelligence analysts say that "chatter is up." It feels the same. Visuals, news, music, casual talk, there's a pulse there. I don't have a clear sense of what that pulse means, though. Hopefully, nothing. But Nov. 5th is echoing through the cobwebs of my mind.

Scenes from a Commute

Those photos are fine, it's the world that's blurry in the morning.

Linke-poo knows a woman with a collection of sticks

Re: the link yesterday about the Gaines Center withholding the video recorded of a debate between Jerry Coyne and John Haught on if science and religion are compatible, they've released the video. (Pointed to by Dan)

A new font to help dyslexics read better. Sometimes I love my profession. (Pointed to by Dan)

Goldline, guilty of hucksterism? Well, knock me over with a feather. (If you have gold as an investment, my guess is you're about to lose some of it's value… consult your financial planner, blah blah, yadda yadda).

A photo library from the Mexican Drug War (which is now an actual shooting war, unlike our "War on Drugs"). (Pointed to by Dan)

Okay, so can we all get that Herman Cain's campaign strategist smoked on the commercial so it would get free air time play, much more than they could have ever afforded? Can we stop showing the commercial now?

In this day and age of technology, the truth will out. The recovery of Dr. Livingstone's personal diary (yes, that Dr. Livingstone) from the time worn ravages of palimpsest and berry ink show insight into a massacre of slaves that even old Livingstone couldn't bare to write the truth about when he was alive. Reminds me of when I read reprints of the journals a Jesuit priests in colonial America. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

So, in the Wisconsin Legislature, you can carry concealed weapons in if you're on the floor, but not in the Galleries or Offices. I debated on how to go about this. I could call the members chicken in that they want the guns, but you all are screwed. I then thought I should go on the "if it's for defense, then the legislatures should know that a person up in the gallery would have a clearer shot." Then I thought about the "fear of a man in the tower with a gun." The "got mine, screw you, buddy" track. But in the end, I think I'm just going to go with "Lame."

I think I've said this before, the black economy is what greases the legit economy. Well, here's some fodder to think on if you doubt that. The "Shadow Economy" is now $10 trillion. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

"'Republicans favor tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, but these had no stimulative effect during the George W. Bush administration, and there is no reason to believe that more of them will have any today,' writes Bruce Bartlett." Another one bites the dust. Oh, who am I kidding. They'll keep flogging that dead horse until it's a revenant. It's still better to speak truth to power. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Micro Lab Test 3

Tonight, score 20/20 (22 possible points). It's entirely possible I will get more points as there was 1 question he just said, "everybody put a ? next to it, I'll grade it on my own" ("What does a Mordant do during differential Gram staining?" - it intensifies the clumping of the Gram+ stain, or in photo terms, it fixes the image) and there's another one that I put half of the answer ("What corrects for UV genetic damage?" and I just said, "Light Repair Mechanism", but it's also the "Dark Repair Mechanism" - which they function differently and solve different problems, since the UV damage question was specifically going for "Thyamine Dimer", I went with just the mechanism that fixes that problem). But I know I got 20.

Linkee-poo packed my bags last night for flight

A discussion on why and how some people become writers. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

On the cool scale, the first manned flight of a multi-copter (more than one lift producing blade). When I was young, I had a recurring dream of flying various magical carpets, I think this would be close to that feeling. Although that seat belt looks a little flimsy for a safety harness. (Pointed to by Dan)

Some truth about Amazon being a printer of books. There a lot of insider baseball in there about the publishing world, and a lot of inferred numbers for Amazon's stuff. Truth to Hype. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)

Year of the palindrome. A little on numerology of the dates. (Pointed to by Dan)

Just goes to show than men, through out time, will chase anything in a skirt (or the biological equivalent). (Grokked from Jay Lake)

If you can't win the debate, censor the release of the tape. So the theologian lost the debate, and now he doesn't think the debate "(met) what (the theologian) consider(ed) to be reasonable standards of fruitful academic exchange." There seems to be a growing meme on "we want this to be open, we'll accept whatever happens" and then when it doesn't go their (mostly social conservative) way, they'll walk back their pledge to openness. (Pointed to by Dan)

Nathan with a great sendup of the 53%ers. And that's why I read his blog.

Sure, we can trust outsourcing. So much for the vaunted conservative money management to end corruption and waste. Dems don't get off much better, as the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan seals its report for 20 years. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Dog whistles, anybody?

Who mourns for Adonais? Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac.

Okay, officially tired of the meme of Fanny(Mac) and Freddie(May) was forced by Congress to make "imprudent" loans and that's what lead to the economic doom that was 2007-2009 (ie. our latest recession and the implosion of the construction industry and everybody's job).

The thing is, Fanny and Freddie default rates overall are less than 3% (for some origination years it's over that, 2006/2007 originating loans are almost 4.5%). That's for all the mortgages F&F bought/originated/secured. In 2008 their default rate was less than 1.15%, when other mortgagers were facing default rates of "1.47 percent for prime mortgages, 8.35 percent for Alt-A mortgages, and 20.74 percent for subprime mortgages" at the same time.

Where are those other mortgager's now? Well, here's one that thinks with a 5.3% default rate they're doing ducky. As of Jan 31 of this year, 8.9% was the going statistic for those that report to the FHA. Granted, F&F accounts for 50% of all home loans in the US, so that less than 3% is a relatively large number of people, but as an overall business, they are still in fracking' fantastic land.

So, yeah, it's not Frannie and Freddie's (or Congress') fault. Anyone still flogging this desiccated horse carcass is intentionally lying to you.

Scenes from a Commute

Here is Monday heading to class. In Ohio, during Fall even our light is golden.

And then two shots from this morning's commute.

Linkee-poo won't forget when Peter Pan came to my house

I mentioned the other day that I really wanted to switch out my Halloween decorations for items that use the visual vocabulary of Dia de los Muertos. Well, here's a little bit of what that looks like (warning, last link plays music at you). The veil is at its thinnest. Put out the cakes and sugar skulls, wash the graves and bones of the ancestors, garnish the graves with flowers, light a welcoming fire, and say hello for me.

A collection of Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfield tips for NaNoWriMo.

And Chuck Wendig's 25 things about wiring advice (NSFW if your coworkers can read the subheads). #17, We need to talk about what we do or we'll go nuts. Yeah and verily. And #25, Every monkey constructs his own pen. As I remember, Luke Skywalker had at least two. YMMV.

More evidence that the world we live in is stranger than you think. A little article on parasitism and their zombified hosts. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

I see the War on Christmas is getting an early start this year.

The cards are stacked against you. Just like the TP wasn't about Republicans, so to the OWS isn't about Democrats. Not it just is a wait to see how much they're folded in, like the TP was. One telling difference is that there really isn't a progressive movement akin to the Social Conservatives who quickly used the TP to advance their agenda (and co-opting their organization).

A /. article on how government outsourcing doesn't reduce costs, but pays it's employees less (and has less protections and benefits). Where does all that money go, then? Really, you have to ask? (Pointed to by Dan)

Hey, you know the meme about how Obama is stifling job growth with all these new regulations? "Obama’s White House has approved fewer regulations than his predecessor… at this same point in their tenures, and the estimated costs of those rules haven’t reached the annual peak set in fiscal 1992 under Bush’s father…" History, it's a bitch. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

You know, there comes a time when you're lied to so many times by an individual that you just start categorizing everything they say as a lie. When do we draw that line with the conservative talking heads and political leaders? It's only fair, they call the progressive talking heads and political leaders "consummate" liars.

Scenes from a Morning Commute

Linkee-poo says by the time we got to Woodstock, we were 7 billion strong

Happy All Hallows Eve. The day we celebrate the cross quarter, just after the meat harvest, when the veil is thinnest by time and events. And like how the buzzards return to Hinkley every year, remembering the feasts of generations past, so to do the spirits remember the warmth of long dead fires. And it calls to them. Light a candle and put it in the window tonight. If you dare.

Tor.com is giving away books to celebrate All Hallows Read. Help spread the joy… well, the terror.

Sometimes the way toward redemption is a road of the greatest pain. It's a testament to the soul and the power of redemption that people regularly trod that path of thorns, often helped by those they vilified. (Pointed to by John)

Why biodiversity is important. Because it just may save ourselves. And you never know what will be important in the future. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Here' an article on (a new book that looks at) the role of luck and what that means to business success. While they somewhat say luck isn't all of it, that hard work plays a good part, if you read the article… yeah, luck has a lot to do with it. I think what they're saying is luck isn't the only thing, you have to be prepared to make an opportunity of luck (good or bad). Or, as the old saying goes, fortune favors the prepared. As a nit pick they give the case of Bill Gates asking a series of rhetorical questions, but what they don't ask is just how small of a pool were people who had all of those things come together (it's a statistical question). My answer is "relatively few." Final lessons, capitalize on your opportunities, and work hard to learn and overcome the setbacks. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

To those of you about to start NaNoWriMo, start your engines. "Prose should be a long intimacy between strangers with no direct appeal to what both may have known." - Henry Green

Oh great internet brain… Submission software

Any recommendations for submission software, websites, do it yourself paper versions. I'm getting close to submitting to agents and would like to do this a little more methodically that I've done before. If all else fails I might create a spreadsheet for it. So, duotrope, submissmash, story tracker, any experience with these?

Right now I think I just need to complete the query letter and compose a 1-2 page synopsis (that seems to be the majority of submission guidelines). How hard could it be?