Spent the day putting away Xmas decorations. Was very cold and I hurt. Tomorrow will see a few extra hours at the hospital to keep in the groove. So not much time on the internets today and probably not a lot tomorrow.
Riding a horse over a frozen lake in Siberia. Wow.
What comes as a surprise (to no economist who works without an ideological bent) is that the austerity measures the IMF enforced on the European (and other) countries needed economic help turns out to not work they way they thought it would. Instead of having an economic impact multiplier of 50%, it runs out it's actually 150% (that is, every euro of government spending cut removed 2.5 euros form the economy - the original euro and the 150% multiplier). That's one quick way to decimate your economy. Of course the correction isn't getting nearly as much press as the whole, "You've gotta cut to the bone" original advice did. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Another economics article, this time on how the gold standard in Middle Earth allowed Smaug to cause a long term economic crisis. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Why the robot apocalypse will be short lived. Norman, coordinate! (Pointed to by Dan)
A long (but fascinating) story about Apollo Robbins, pickpocket. I think I remember seeing him on a PBS special (NOVA I think, at least I remember some of the things being discussed). (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Jay Lake outlines one of the reasons I continue to support health care reform. Health insurance often is not so much insurance, especially when it comes to statistics. Insurance companies are companies,their goal is to make money. And if they can make money by denying you service, they will.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
Linkee-poo will be the round about, the words will make you out in out
Cory Doctorow on where characters come from. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)
The Guardian with a squib about where SF is going in 2013. Mostly, "woohoo, SF rocks!", but some other things in there. Given last weeks Writing Excuses was also about four ways the industry is changing I'm starting to see a meme emerging. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
You know how some evolution deniers like to talk about how evolution isn't reproducible in or could be studied in a laboratory (you know, unlike Creation which has oh so many lab applications)? Well, they're even more wrong. In this case it isn't so much forcing animals to evolve (that's been done for a while, but mostly on bacteria), but to prove and theory held about evolution and the rise of larger-brained animals. In this case they bred guppies for larger brains and saw a decrease in other organ size and the size of the broods. Which is what was predicted. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"… Roughly 1 in 5 families with children are not getting enough food…For some, free or reduced-price school meals have become a major source of basic nutrition. When schools close for the holidays, many of those families struggle to fill the gap." (Full disclosure, I qualified for free lunches when I was in school) Good thing we're cutting food stamps and the other social net programs. After all, if we're going to have a 3rd world economy with 3rd world income disparities, we have to have the starving kids with Kwashiorkors to go along with the package.
Physicists have created a gas which can reach "sub-Kelvin temperatures." There's going to be various technical arguments about exactly what they did and the definition of absolute zero, but it's this line that is the payoff. "Another peculiarity of the sub-absolute-zero gas is that it mimics 'dark energy',". (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Someone else's thoughtful insights into the 2nd Amendment. (Grokked from Mirandi Suri, I think, although Eric shows up in the comments)
Oh, what might have been. Actually it does make sense that Steve Jobs nixed putting a cellular phone in the Newton, as he killed the product off a short time later. But what if Apple had started the smart phone revolution (rather than upsetting the cart later)? (Pointed to by Dan)
The DCCC is being helpful by sending Freshman Conservative Representatives Tea Party Membership cards. Before you get irate, read the last paragraph on what the NRCC sent Democratic Freshmen. (Pointed to by Dan)
Empathy is a long climb. Isn't it strange that when people have direct and deep contact with our healthcare system they tend to have the scales drop from their eyes. It isn't just Medicare that limits PT visits, when I broke my leg I ran up against my insurance's yearly PT visit limitation. For mental health issues, most insurance in Ohio limits you to 4 visits per year (and even that was an epic battle to change regulations to require mental health coverage at all, such a battle would be impossible in today's environment).
Another take on Sen. Kirk's epiphany regarding Medicare. That leap, the one saying, "Hey, I know about this one thing, but this is one of many things" is a difficult one. It is doubly so in some conservatives' brain spaces which can compartmentalize how their actions are just but if someone else does the same thing, they're wrong (see the number of "my abortion was necessary and right, all yours are because your selfish and want to kill babies" stories). On in other words, learning to walk the walk means you need to do more than put one foot in front of the other. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The Day's Quote: (brought to you via Teri Windling) "In order to write the book you want to write, in the end you have to become the person you need to become to write that book." ― Junot Díaz
The Guardian with a squib about where SF is going in 2013. Mostly, "woohoo, SF rocks!", but some other things in there. Given last weeks Writing Excuses was also about four ways the industry is changing I'm starting to see a meme emerging. (Grokked from John Scalzi)
You know how some evolution deniers like to talk about how evolution isn't reproducible in or could be studied in a laboratory (you know, unlike Creation which has oh so many lab applications)? Well, they're even more wrong. In this case it isn't so much forcing animals to evolve (that's been done for a while, but mostly on bacteria), but to prove and theory held about evolution and the rise of larger-brained animals. In this case they bred guppies for larger brains and saw a decrease in other organ size and the size of the broods. Which is what was predicted. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"… Roughly 1 in 5 families with children are not getting enough food…For some, free or reduced-price school meals have become a major source of basic nutrition. When schools close for the holidays, many of those families struggle to fill the gap." (Full disclosure, I qualified for free lunches when I was in school) Good thing we're cutting food stamps and the other social net programs. After all, if we're going to have a 3rd world economy with 3rd world income disparities, we have to have the starving kids with Kwashiorkors to go along with the package.
Physicists have created a gas which can reach "sub-Kelvin temperatures." There's going to be various technical arguments about exactly what they did and the definition of absolute zero, but it's this line that is the payoff. "Another peculiarity of the sub-absolute-zero gas is that it mimics 'dark energy',". (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Someone else's thoughtful insights into the 2nd Amendment. (Grokked from Mirandi Suri, I think, although Eric shows up in the comments)
Oh, what might have been. Actually it does make sense that Steve Jobs nixed putting a cellular phone in the Newton, as he killed the product off a short time later. But what if Apple had started the smart phone revolution (rather than upsetting the cart later)? (Pointed to by Dan)
The DCCC is being helpful by sending Freshman Conservative Representatives Tea Party Membership cards. Before you get irate, read the last paragraph on what the NRCC sent Democratic Freshmen. (Pointed to by Dan)
Empathy is a long climb. Isn't it strange that when people have direct and deep contact with our healthcare system they tend to have the scales drop from their eyes. It isn't just Medicare that limits PT visits, when I broke my leg I ran up against my insurance's yearly PT visit limitation. For mental health issues, most insurance in Ohio limits you to 4 visits per year (and even that was an epic battle to change regulations to require mental health coverage at all, such a battle would be impossible in today's environment).
Another take on Sen. Kirk's epiphany regarding Medicare. That leap, the one saying, "Hey, I know about this one thing, but this is one of many things" is a difficult one. It is doubly so in some conservatives' brain spaces which can compartmentalize how their actions are just but if someone else does the same thing, they're wrong (see the number of "my abortion was necessary and right, all yours are because your selfish and want to kill babies" stories). On in other words, learning to walk the walk means you need to do more than put one foot in front of the other. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The Day's Quote: (brought to you via Teri Windling) "In order to write the book you want to write, in the end you have to become the person you need to become to write that book." ― Junot Díaz
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Linkee-poo ain't a beauty, but you're all right
For all the new people, what is it about this linkee-poo post that is driving such crazy numbers? Something that I did must have rung true with a lot of people, I just can't figure it out.
Now that I'm not really submitting short stories I haven't looked at Duotrope in a while, but I did happen to like the service (although I never used the submission tracker part of the site). While I support Duotrope, I'm not sure I'd do it through a subscription, for many of the reasons pointed out in this article with some alternatives to using Duotrope. (Grokked from Jason Sanford)
"If I want a house-cleaning business, the second I gather all of my cleaning supplies and a vacuum together in the back of my SUV and print off some business cards, I am a house-cleaning business. Even before my very first client." Kristen Lamb on the lies that can poison your dreams and what it takes to be a real, gosh darn writer. Or as Jim Hines has said in many a panel, "IF you need someone to tell you you're a writer before you believe you're a writer, fine, you're all writers."
What fan fiction can tell us about writing. Back when I was a younger writer and I discovered fanfic, I was immediately dismissive. However some very good friends have disabused me of that prejudice. And here's 7 things you could learn fro reading or writing fanfic. (Grokked from Tor.com)
More this is your brain, this is your brain on stories. Story does more than inform, it's actually the way our brains remember. If you don't believe this, just go listen to any of the "motivational" speakers out there. They all use story. Story is how we think and how we process information. Also, just a hint, our brains are very good at "mirroring". It's what's been colloquially known as the "monkey see, monkey do" function. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)
Speaking of brains, new research shows your cognitive functions work better when exposed to nature. So put down the internets and walk away from the computer. Although what I think they're really seeing is the vacation effect (people who take vacations are more "energized" and able to focus on tasks when they return). Which has already been well documented. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Want to see something uplifting? Terri Windling shares a film teaser for "Landfill Harmonic". That's a film about people using recycled material (trash) to create musical instruments so their kids can grow up with music. There are literally millions of children who grow up in these desperately poor communities, but even they value art (where in the US, the most prosperous nation, we cut it from our schools' curriculums). Art finds a way. And if you don't tear up as Bebi tells you about his cello and plays the Prelude to Bach´s Cello Suite No. 1… well you might want to check your conscious. Sure, it's not Yo Yo Ma's Davidov (a Stradivarius), but he plays it well and it's beautiful music.
Apparently witchcraft, spells, and curses are no longer just third world plagues. This time it's in Wales (all my neo-pagan friends in the UK, start hiding the matches). Before you smirk, it's not like we don't have people here in the US who have this problem. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
Speaking of, the Slactivist is collecting any stories you have about being discriminated against for playing Dungeons and Dragons (or any of the many alternatives). I played AD&D back in the 80s and have quite a few good memories of it, and I definitely have ideas about what makes a good DM and adventure experience. I also remember encountering the whole, "You're going to go insane" or "Only devil worshipers play those", but I've always been one to brush off those comments when I'm doing something I want to do.
It happens every time there is a new technology people don't really understand, the quacks come out of the woodwork to fleece the masses. At CES 2013 a company is supposed to "demonstrate" (but mostly "sell") a "veterinary tricorder" that will, though the power (read: Magic Happens Here) of "quantum computing" download a healing package directly to your pet's brain. How's that for awesome sauce, you know, the rancid kind of awesome sauce that gets all over your shoes and won't come out. Another device with a long history that includes "sunshine" therapy (with magnifying lenses so you to can understand what it's like to be an ant), corn flakes for masturbation prevention (stop laughing, I'm serious), electrifying various parts of the anatomy (you know this is how they start the animal artificial-insemination process), crystals, and long distance faith healing (which this seems to be a direct descendent of). Although for me it's very interesting because I have a short story where a computer can connect via a tele-neural interface (which I started rewriting Tuesday, no, really, I did). (Pointed to by Dan)
So, here's something that should be a real inspirational poster. In case you ever want to complain about your job, think about these guys. Feel better? The good thing is that these days cleaning the screens in the "waste water treatment plant" is automated (although some older plants may still do it manually). It really doesn't make the job that much better. As a councilman, one of my first jobs was liaison to the water board. As a part of that I learned all I could about our village's water supply and treatment. Fortunately we were just finishing a brand new treatment plant (of which my name is up on the dedication plaque with the other councilmen). It's still a dirty job (I believe Mike Rowe did several episodes in various water treatment plants). What the photo isn't showing is the presence of flies, and although I am experiencing an olfactory memory you probably aren't. (Grokked from Elizabeth Shack)
Another response to Wayne LaPierre's (can I just call him Black Jacque Shellac, it has the same number of syllables?) screed. Okay, we agree that "There exists in this country… (a) corrupting shadow industry that sells… violence against its own people" (Hey Wayne, the 80s are calling, they want their cause celeb back), now do something about it. (Grokked from Justine Larbalestier)
"Now, researchers who've studied the effect of the laws have found that states with a stand your ground law have more homicides than states without such laws." I'm sure the NRA has an answer for this, something about liberty, protection, whatever. I wonder when this fact becomes know, "this analysis found the additional deaths caused by the laws were largely concentrated among white men" if people will reconsider these laws. I know, I'm being cynical, but lately in my mind when I hear Stand Your Ground Laws being defended as the "Right to Protect Yourself" I automatically substitute the phrase, "Your Right to Shoot Brown People." I guess I need to rethink that prejudice.
Lastly on gun control, well, that didn't take long. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @pourmecoffee: Everyone pay tribute to the expiring 112th Congress today by doing absolutely nothing with occasional bursts of great harm.
Now that I'm not really submitting short stories I haven't looked at Duotrope in a while, but I did happen to like the service (although I never used the submission tracker part of the site). While I support Duotrope, I'm not sure I'd do it through a subscription, for many of the reasons pointed out in this article with some alternatives to using Duotrope. (Grokked from Jason Sanford)
"If I want a house-cleaning business, the second I gather all of my cleaning supplies and a vacuum together in the back of my SUV and print off some business cards, I am a house-cleaning business. Even before my very first client." Kristen Lamb on the lies that can poison your dreams and what it takes to be a real, gosh darn writer. Or as Jim Hines has said in many a panel, "IF you need someone to tell you you're a writer before you believe you're a writer, fine, you're all writers."
What fan fiction can tell us about writing. Back when I was a younger writer and I discovered fanfic, I was immediately dismissive. However some very good friends have disabused me of that prejudice. And here's 7 things you could learn fro reading or writing fanfic. (Grokked from Tor.com)
More this is your brain, this is your brain on stories. Story does more than inform, it's actually the way our brains remember. If you don't believe this, just go listen to any of the "motivational" speakers out there. They all use story. Story is how we think and how we process information. Also, just a hint, our brains are very good at "mirroring". It's what's been colloquially known as the "monkey see, monkey do" function. (Grokked from Morgan J Locke)
Speaking of brains, new research shows your cognitive functions work better when exposed to nature. So put down the internets and walk away from the computer. Although what I think they're really seeing is the vacation effect (people who take vacations are more "energized" and able to focus on tasks when they return). Which has already been well documented. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Want to see something uplifting? Terri Windling shares a film teaser for "Landfill Harmonic". That's a film about people using recycled material (trash) to create musical instruments so their kids can grow up with music. There are literally millions of children who grow up in these desperately poor communities, but even they value art (where in the US, the most prosperous nation, we cut it from our schools' curriculums). Art finds a way. And if you don't tear up as Bebi tells you about his cello and plays the Prelude to Bach´s Cello Suite No. 1… well you might want to check your conscious. Sure, it's not Yo Yo Ma's Davidov (a Stradivarius), but he plays it well and it's beautiful music.
Apparently witchcraft, spells, and curses are no longer just third world plagues. This time it's in Wales (all my neo-pagan friends in the UK, start hiding the matches). Before you smirk, it's not like we don't have people here in the US who have this problem. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
Speaking of, the Slactivist is collecting any stories you have about being discriminated against for playing Dungeons and Dragons (or any of the many alternatives). I played AD&D back in the 80s and have quite a few good memories of it, and I definitely have ideas about what makes a good DM and adventure experience. I also remember encountering the whole, "You're going to go insane" or "Only devil worshipers play those", but I've always been one to brush off those comments when I'm doing something I want to do.
It happens every time there is a new technology people don't really understand, the quacks come out of the woodwork to fleece the masses. At CES 2013 a company is supposed to "demonstrate" (but mostly "sell") a "veterinary tricorder" that will, though the power (read: Magic Happens Here) of "quantum computing" download a healing package directly to your pet's brain. How's that for awesome sauce, you know, the rancid kind of awesome sauce that gets all over your shoes and won't come out. Another device with a long history that includes "sunshine" therapy (with magnifying lenses so you to can understand what it's like to be an ant), corn flakes for masturbation prevention (stop laughing, I'm serious), electrifying various parts of the anatomy (you know this is how they start the animal artificial-insemination process), crystals, and long distance faith healing (which this seems to be a direct descendent of). Although for me it's very interesting because I have a short story where a computer can connect via a tele-neural interface (which I started rewriting Tuesday, no, really, I did). (Pointed to by Dan)
So, here's something that should be a real inspirational poster. In case you ever want to complain about your job, think about these guys. Feel better? The good thing is that these days cleaning the screens in the "waste water treatment plant" is automated (although some older plants may still do it manually). It really doesn't make the job that much better. As a councilman, one of my first jobs was liaison to the water board. As a part of that I learned all I could about our village's water supply and treatment. Fortunately we were just finishing a brand new treatment plant (of which my name is up on the dedication plaque with the other councilmen). It's still a dirty job (I believe Mike Rowe did several episodes in various water treatment plants). What the photo isn't showing is the presence of flies, and although I am experiencing an olfactory memory you probably aren't. (Grokked from Elizabeth Shack)
Another response to Wayne LaPierre's (can I just call him Black Jacque Shellac, it has the same number of syllables?) screed. Okay, we agree that "There exists in this country… (a) corrupting shadow industry that sells… violence against its own people" (Hey Wayne, the 80s are calling, they want their cause celeb back), now do something about it. (Grokked from Justine Larbalestier)
"Now, researchers who've studied the effect of the laws have found that states with a stand your ground law have more homicides than states without such laws." I'm sure the NRA has an answer for this, something about liberty, protection, whatever. I wonder when this fact becomes know, "this analysis found the additional deaths caused by the laws were largely concentrated among white men" if people will reconsider these laws. I know, I'm being cynical, but lately in my mind when I hear Stand Your Ground Laws being defended as the "Right to Protect Yourself" I automatically substitute the phrase, "Your Right to Shoot Brown People." I guess I need to rethink that prejudice.
Lastly on gun control, well, that didn't take long. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @pourmecoffee: Everyone pay tribute to the expiring 112th Congress today by doing absolutely nothing with occasional bursts of great harm.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Story Bone
Watching PBS's Nova special on the Doomsday Volcanoes in Iceland.
"Grimsvotn lies beneath Europe's largest glacier." If that isn't the start of an Icelandic epic saga, it should be. In some places the ice is over a thousand feet thick.
"Grimsvotn lies beneath Europe's largest glacier." If that isn't the start of an Icelandic epic saga, it should be. In some places the ice is over a thousand feet thick.
Linkee-poo is watched by empty silhouettes, who close their eyes but still can see
Just a little wave to everyone who has shown up in the past few days, especially the hundred or so from Russia. Hi, everybody. Things are again, a bit hectic, so a somewhat off balance linkee-poo.
I don't often talk about the day thing here, and for good reason(s). However when we get included in news I can take the opportunity to talk about some of the cool stuff I get to work with. Like last night's 60 Minutes piece on robotic limbs being directed by neural interfaces. While we aren't doing the medical research ourselves, the arm and hand being used was developed by us and we licensed it out to PU Hospitals. While we aren't pursuing this side of the business (we're focusing more on what Scott Pelley looks at in his overtime piece where you can see our logo on the arms), this arm was developed with neural interfacing designed into the arm with the intent to use it as a prosthetic. Right now robotics is a very small part of our business, however we have high hopes for this tech.
Why I love the SF/F fan community, because it does things like showing a rough cut of "Star Trek Into Darkness" to someone who has less than 2 months to live. And there are hundreds of stories like that every year. (Grokked from Tor.com)
Chang is keeping up with the cool quotes re: creativity.
Ever wanted to remember/know just how fucked up we were during the Cold War? How about Project Sanguine and it's goal of using the entire Earth as a transmitter to "transmit tactical orders one-way to U.S. nuclear submarines" (read: "send the launch orders as the rest of civilization died"). Also a little on the Soviet "Dead Man" system (read: "we're all dead, so fuck the world"). (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
Slightly related to the post on how yo use trees as radio antenna and transmitters. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Apparently some Fox News viewers have realized they've been had. Some of their "talking head" shows have lost significant viewership post-election. While it's not point at them and laughing in the street, a drop n the target market audience will translate into lower ad revenues. You might remember that was the disease that Glenn Beck suffered. It hasn't turned all that bad for him, and all those "talking heads" still have their radio shows. (Grokked from Mat Staggs)
You might Remember my squib about artificial sweeteners, and I think I did mention that high-fructose corn syrup (aka "corn sugar") wasn't all that much better. Here's a Scientific American article on how HFCS trick the brain into thinking you're less satisfied/full which then causes you to eat/drink more. While they talk about how the body processes Fructose in the brain, they don't mention how your liver works (processes fructose before glucose which it has to store as fat until the liver can get to it, the fructose is also processed into fat before it will be used by the body). Also they mention how Glucose and Fructose are "molecularly" the same, which is only true as far as chemical composition. They're actually quite different morphologically. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
Alligator Quotient: Well, it's good to see they missed me over the holidays. Bite, bite, bite.
I don't often talk about the day thing here, and for good reason(s). However when we get included in news I can take the opportunity to talk about some of the cool stuff I get to work with. Like last night's 60 Minutes piece on robotic limbs being directed by neural interfaces. While we aren't doing the medical research ourselves, the arm and hand being used was developed by us and we licensed it out to PU Hospitals. While we aren't pursuing this side of the business (we're focusing more on what Scott Pelley looks at in his overtime piece where you can see our logo on the arms), this arm was developed with neural interfacing designed into the arm with the intent to use it as a prosthetic. Right now robotics is a very small part of our business, however we have high hopes for this tech.
Why I love the SF/F fan community, because it does things like showing a rough cut of "Star Trek Into Darkness" to someone who has less than 2 months to live. And there are hundreds of stories like that every year. (Grokked from Tor.com)
Chang is keeping up with the cool quotes re: creativity.
Ever wanted to remember/know just how fucked up we were during the Cold War? How about Project Sanguine and it's goal of using the entire Earth as a transmitter to "transmit tactical orders one-way to U.S. nuclear submarines" (read: "send the launch orders as the rest of civilization died"). Also a little on the Soviet "Dead Man" system (read: "we're all dead, so fuck the world"). (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
Slightly related to the post on how yo use trees as radio antenna and transmitters. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Apparently some Fox News viewers have realized they've been had. Some of their "talking head" shows have lost significant viewership post-election. While it's not point at them and laughing in the street, a drop n the target market audience will translate into lower ad revenues. You might remember that was the disease that Glenn Beck suffered. It hasn't turned all that bad for him, and all those "talking heads" still have their radio shows. (Grokked from Mat Staggs)
You might Remember my squib about artificial sweeteners, and I think I did mention that high-fructose corn syrup (aka "corn sugar") wasn't all that much better. Here's a Scientific American article on how HFCS trick the brain into thinking you're less satisfied/full which then causes you to eat/drink more. While they talk about how the body processes Fructose in the brain, they don't mention how your liver works (processes fructose before glucose which it has to store as fat until the liver can get to it, the fructose is also processed into fat before it will be used by the body). Also they mention how Glucose and Fructose are "molecularly" the same, which is only true as far as chemical composition. They're actually quite different morphologically. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
Alligator Quotient: Well, it's good to see they missed me over the holidays. Bite, bite, bite.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Linkee-poo bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn
Happy New Year, everyone. May the next New Year see us in better places and more prosperous.
Chuck Wendig with 25 resolutions for writers. Lately I've been thinking about a great many of these. I might have to read this list a few more times.
John Scalzi shares a little more of the story of how he sold Old Man's War on the tenth anniversary of having made the sale.
"Instead we have a million [science] magazines [and] sit around the table and talk about how people came up with their ideas and what we would do differently." Just in case you ever wondered how those kids you hear about develop industry changing technology and excel at school. That's from an article about Jack Andraka, who at 15 developed a new, less expensive and more sensitive enzyme test which can detect pancreatic cancer before it becomes invasive. Most kids probably don't need parents with advanced degree (although it doesn't hurt), but mostly parents who encourage, feed and excite their curiosity. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Vince shares an excellent quote for GRR Martin that explains some of what is wrong with us. It's very much like Madonna's rebuttal over having one of her videos banned on MTV.
"The suggestion that online piracy may not be all that bad for the box office is in line with two recent academic studies. The first showed that the US box office is not suffering from movie piracy at all, and another one came to the counter-intuitive conclusion that the Megaupload shutdown negatively impacted ticket sales… The challenge for the movie industry is to make legal offerings more appealing than their pirated counterparts." You know, like what happened with the music industry. What this means for the book publishing industry remains to be seen. Part of that would be to remove DRM (which is fortunately happening). I'm not sure the less than $10 ebook price is a part of that, but it could be. I think what we're seeing is that easy access to quality digital content is the key.
Math is hard, let's go to Bible study. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"The entire opposition to the UN treaty existed for no other reason than to create a cottage industry of opposing the UN treaty. And given their increasing dependence on the media machine, the GOP had no choice but to acquiesce and put the profitability of that machine above its own political and policy interests." In case you don't think there is a vast right-wing conspiracy, but their motive isn't so much to advance their ideals as it is to generate money. I'm not sure if I linked to it before, but there was an article that had the money line of "there's money in making people angry." Also a little perspective of why the Fiscal Cliff avoiding deal couldn't be made in time (because "solving" issues doesn't bring in enough money as letting us fall over the cliff would). (Grokked from the Slactivist)
"After weighing the evidence on both risks and benefits, the study proved that the risks of having a gun in the home greatly outweighed the benefits or perceived benefits." Actually, as the research shows, guns in the home aren't used to stop crimes or anything else the NRA likes to get their membership to believe. Guns in the home are most often used to kill spouses and children and a to a lesser extent, parents. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"An Indiana man convicted of setting fire to a mosque in Ohio told a judge on Wednesday that he committed the crimes because Fox News and conservative talk radio had convinced him that 'most Muslims are terrorists.'" While I think it has more to do with the 45 beers he consumed in the 6 hours before driving to Toledo and setting fire to the Mosque, but given his statement to police when he was arrested, I'm not so sure this was just a ploy to get a reduced sentence. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
Just in case you still think the rich are just like the rest of us. That a story about Dick Army's exit from Freedom Works. After all, he "couldn’t leave with empty pockets."(Grokked from Jay Lake)
And, apparently the rich can change when they die to avoid higher estate taxes, the so called "death elasticity" factor. This is what happens when statistics goes bad. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
So just how rich are the rich today? Well, according to this paper the rich are more rich when compared to the rest of us than the Tzar was to his peasants. You know, that Tzar whose economic policies brought forth the dream of the Communist movement. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Chuck Wendig with 25 resolutions for writers. Lately I've been thinking about a great many of these. I might have to read this list a few more times.
John Scalzi shares a little more of the story of how he sold Old Man's War on the tenth anniversary of having made the sale.
"Instead we have a million [science] magazines [and] sit around the table and talk about how people came up with their ideas and what we would do differently." Just in case you ever wondered how those kids you hear about develop industry changing technology and excel at school. That's from an article about Jack Andraka, who at 15 developed a new, less expensive and more sensitive enzyme test which can detect pancreatic cancer before it becomes invasive. Most kids probably don't need parents with advanced degree (although it doesn't hurt), but mostly parents who encourage, feed and excite their curiosity. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Vince shares an excellent quote for GRR Martin that explains some of what is wrong with us. It's very much like Madonna's rebuttal over having one of her videos banned on MTV.
"The suggestion that online piracy may not be all that bad for the box office is in line with two recent academic studies. The first showed that the US box office is not suffering from movie piracy at all, and another one came to the counter-intuitive conclusion that the Megaupload shutdown negatively impacted ticket sales… The challenge for the movie industry is to make legal offerings more appealing than their pirated counterparts." You know, like what happened with the music industry. What this means for the book publishing industry remains to be seen. Part of that would be to remove DRM (which is fortunately happening). I'm not sure the less than $10 ebook price is a part of that, but it could be. I think what we're seeing is that easy access to quality digital content is the key.
Math is hard, let's go to Bible study. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"The entire opposition to the UN treaty existed for no other reason than to create a cottage industry of opposing the UN treaty. And given their increasing dependence on the media machine, the GOP had no choice but to acquiesce and put the profitability of that machine above its own political and policy interests." In case you don't think there is a vast right-wing conspiracy, but their motive isn't so much to advance their ideals as it is to generate money. I'm not sure if I linked to it before, but there was an article that had the money line of "there's money in making people angry." Also a little perspective of why the Fiscal Cliff avoiding deal couldn't be made in time (because "solving" issues doesn't bring in enough money as letting us fall over the cliff would). (Grokked from the Slactivist)
"After weighing the evidence on both risks and benefits, the study proved that the risks of having a gun in the home greatly outweighed the benefits or perceived benefits." Actually, as the research shows, guns in the home aren't used to stop crimes or anything else the NRA likes to get their membership to believe. Guns in the home are most often used to kill spouses and children and a to a lesser extent, parents. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"An Indiana man convicted of setting fire to a mosque in Ohio told a judge on Wednesday that he committed the crimes because Fox News and conservative talk radio had convinced him that 'most Muslims are terrorists.'" While I think it has more to do with the 45 beers he consumed in the 6 hours before driving to Toledo and setting fire to the Mosque, but given his statement to police when he was arrested, I'm not so sure this was just a ploy to get a reduced sentence. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
Just in case you still think the rich are just like the rest of us. That a story about Dick Army's exit from Freedom Works. After all, he "couldn’t leave with empty pockets."(Grokked from Jay Lake)
And, apparently the rich can change when they die to avoid higher estate taxes, the so called "death elasticity" factor. This is what happens when statistics goes bad. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
So just how rich are the rich today? Well, according to this paper the rich are more rich when compared to the rest of us than the Tzar was to his peasants. You know, that Tzar whose economic policies brought forth the dream of the Communist movement. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Monday, December 31, 2012
Riding the hill down
What comes as a surprise to few people, the House of Representatives couldn't get off their fat asses and get a deal done. So I'm stuck with two metaphors and one life lesson.
I'm an old style Cleveland Browns fan, but the new Browns seem to have brought the playing style of the old Browns back to life. When I was a younger man, the Browns' nickname was the "Kardiac Kids." It was a combination of some of the players names and the fact that they would wait to bring the A-game until the two minute warning. For a while this worked spectacularly. Those were very exciting games. Seriously, on the edge of your seat, yelling at the TV, blood pressure inducing, cathartic experiences. Right up until Red Right 88. If you don't know, that's the play that killed our dreams, which was then smashed during The Drive. But what it's come down to today is the Browns come on very strong in the first half, only to lose a lot of ground in the second half, but then rally near the end to either win or lose the game narrowly. Most often these past few years those games have gone into the "loss" category. So this is the lesson to be learned from this: bring your A-game the whole damn time. Don't wait until the last minute to pull the ball across the line, or make a field goal, to win the game by 1 or 2. Eventually that strategy fails. And then it keeps on failing.
My day job is very concerned with deadlines, many of which are outside my own control and driven by our client. I've been involved on many big projects, all of which have had deadline extensions. But here's the thing that drives me crazy with team work dynamics. For me, okay, the customer has given us more time, I don't want to take it. By the time the extension comes down we've already aligned all the resources (sure, it's a burden on most of them), all the cats have been wrangled, and our ducks are marching in formation. Then suddenly we get two more weeks (or extra months) and instead of saying, "okay, maybe we could use an extra day or two, but let's keep the heat on since we have all the resources dedicated, let's take the ball over the line. With the extra time we can polish it if needed." Instead what normally happens is the team goes their merry way and the work gets put on the shelf until it's crunch time again. Which then makes it twice as hard to gather all the team back together. And I don't think the end product is ever as good as it could have been. But here's the thing, with the extension we should have no problem meeting it. After all, we were on track to make the first deadline (which would have been a struggle, but still). Instead we've come very, very close to missing deadlines (and in fact have been saved by some further extensions of the deadlines). So if we could have just kept going as we were to meet the first deadline, we could have saved ourselves all the heartache and stress. Believe me, studying ahead this past semester saved my ass more than once (ie. I'm trying not to wait until the last minute). I keep this thought because eventually you run out of extensions, especially if you start expecting them.
When you're on a roller coaster, the roughest ride is in the last car. It's also the fasted ride. The front car you get the horrendous sights of going down the hill and seeing things coming at you, but you don't reach full speed until that last car goes over the top of the hill. Having ridden many roller coasters before the advent of all these new safety harnesses I can tell you the most fun you can have is to be able to raise your arms and shout like an idiot as you go over the hill. As you raise up out of the seat, it's tempting to grab the bar in front of you. Resist, keep your hands up and scream louder. Because once you're going down the hill, there's no getting off the coaster until it stops.
Wooohooooooo!
I'm an old style Cleveland Browns fan, but the new Browns seem to have brought the playing style of the old Browns back to life. When I was a younger man, the Browns' nickname was the "Kardiac Kids." It was a combination of some of the players names and the fact that they would wait to bring the A-game until the two minute warning. For a while this worked spectacularly. Those were very exciting games. Seriously, on the edge of your seat, yelling at the TV, blood pressure inducing, cathartic experiences. Right up until Red Right 88. If you don't know, that's the play that killed our dreams, which was then smashed during The Drive. But what it's come down to today is the Browns come on very strong in the first half, only to lose a lot of ground in the second half, but then rally near the end to either win or lose the game narrowly. Most often these past few years those games have gone into the "loss" category. So this is the lesson to be learned from this: bring your A-game the whole damn time. Don't wait until the last minute to pull the ball across the line, or make a field goal, to win the game by 1 or 2. Eventually that strategy fails. And then it keeps on failing.
My day job is very concerned with deadlines, many of which are outside my own control and driven by our client. I've been involved on many big projects, all of which have had deadline extensions. But here's the thing that drives me crazy with team work dynamics. For me, okay, the customer has given us more time, I don't want to take it. By the time the extension comes down we've already aligned all the resources (sure, it's a burden on most of them), all the cats have been wrangled, and our ducks are marching in formation. Then suddenly we get two more weeks (or extra months) and instead of saying, "okay, maybe we could use an extra day or two, but let's keep the heat on since we have all the resources dedicated, let's take the ball over the line. With the extra time we can polish it if needed." Instead what normally happens is the team goes their merry way and the work gets put on the shelf until it's crunch time again. Which then makes it twice as hard to gather all the team back together. And I don't think the end product is ever as good as it could have been. But here's the thing, with the extension we should have no problem meeting it. After all, we were on track to make the first deadline (which would have been a struggle, but still). Instead we've come very, very close to missing deadlines (and in fact have been saved by some further extensions of the deadlines). So if we could have just kept going as we were to meet the first deadline, we could have saved ourselves all the heartache and stress. Believe me, studying ahead this past semester saved my ass more than once (ie. I'm trying not to wait until the last minute). I keep this thought because eventually you run out of extensions, especially if you start expecting them.
When you're on a roller coaster, the roughest ride is in the last car. It's also the fasted ride. The front car you get the horrendous sights of going down the hill and seeing things coming at you, but you don't reach full speed until that last car goes over the top of the hill. Having ridden many roller coasters before the advent of all these new safety harnesses I can tell you the most fun you can have is to be able to raise your arms and shout like an idiot as you go over the hill. As you raise up out of the seat, it's tempting to grab the bar in front of you. Resist, keep your hands up and scream louder. Because once you're going down the hill, there's no getting off the coaster until it stops.
Wooohooooooo!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Linkee-poo is a bad banana, with a greasy, black peel
Britain, not satisfied with putting images of illustrated manuscripts online, has now put all the paintings held by the public online. That's over 211,000 images. (Grokked from Phiala)
Programming computers to see like painters. Pretty interesting. There's still a lot of skills a trained artist brings to the table that I don't feel threatened by this, but just the ability to recognize and prioritize information in photographs is a major leap forward. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
If you ever realy want to know why I love Apple products so much (you know, after the whole, "they just work, damn it" part), here's some early Apple prototypes. While they don't look like much now, you have to remember that these were cutting edge concepts in the mid 80s (with some functionality we've only achieved in the past 10 years). (Grokked from Dan)
On liberal bullying. Yeah, that. Many moons ago I often commented on John Scalzi's Whatever and the Nielsen Hayden's Making Light on their political posts and took a lot of conservatives to task for their world ignorant comments (at least that's what I wanted to believe). There have been times that I've been at conventions and people have recognized my name because of those comments. At first I loved that. And then I started thinking about what I was actually doing. This happened just at the time that my day job became much more complex and I no longer had the time or energy to keep up with comment threads (absolutely necessary if you're going to wade into battle, especially if you're going to call people on sock-puppetry). So I stopped doing that. It doesn't mean that I didn't follow some of their political posts, and I often read most of the comment threads, but I couldn't keep up with all of it and I was suspect of my own motives to post.
In an example of synchronicity, Jim Hines also does a post on the idea of just walking away from the argument. There's plenty of times I should have done that.
Here I will make the comment that I've seen what the opposite side of the political spectrum does with online arguments. I've seen comments that make Jim's example of watching a conversation devolve into those "throw the liberals into wood-chipper" statement seem tame. And sometimes that's why I have the fire in my belly. I've seen the other side take a no-holds-bared attitude and I won't let them get away with it because they think my side won't go the whole distance. But then, like Jim saw, you see whole evenings and days be taken away by an argument with someone who will never see the point.
"The tape of Petraeus and McFarland's conversation is an amazing document, a testament to the willingness of Murdoch and the wily genius he hired to create Fox News to run roughshod over the American civic and political landscape without regard to even the traditional niceties or pretenses of journalistic independence and honesty." An article on the burying of Bob Woodward's amazing story about how Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch tried to subvert American Democracy. Add in the rise of the SuperPAC and the various corporate shell games and you begin to see a whole different picture of the previous election and just how close we came to giving over our freedoms to corporate domination. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
And this is why the GOP is in the shape it's in. This is also why after three proposals from the White House to avoid the Fiscal Cliff you heard GOP leaders talk about how they were waiting for th eWhite House to propose something, like they don't have people who read the news and could tell them what has been proposed. Hey, GOP, you're the ones that want to cut spending, make your own gorram proposals. But then, they're much too much the cowards to actually put forward what they want to cut. (Grokked from Will Wheaton)
Tweet of my heart: @GerryDuggan: I'm sad it's only a metaphorical cliff, because throwing our Congress into a deep chasm is actually a fine idea.
Programming computers to see like painters. Pretty interesting. There's still a lot of skills a trained artist brings to the table that I don't feel threatened by this, but just the ability to recognize and prioritize information in photographs is a major leap forward. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
If you ever realy want to know why I love Apple products so much (you know, after the whole, "they just work, damn it" part), here's some early Apple prototypes. While they don't look like much now, you have to remember that these were cutting edge concepts in the mid 80s (with some functionality we've only achieved in the past 10 years). (Grokked from Dan)
On liberal bullying. Yeah, that. Many moons ago I often commented on John Scalzi's Whatever and the Nielsen Hayden's Making Light on their political posts and took a lot of conservatives to task for their world ignorant comments (at least that's what I wanted to believe). There have been times that I've been at conventions and people have recognized my name because of those comments. At first I loved that. And then I started thinking about what I was actually doing. This happened just at the time that my day job became much more complex and I no longer had the time or energy to keep up with comment threads (absolutely necessary if you're going to wade into battle, especially if you're going to call people on sock-puppetry). So I stopped doing that. It doesn't mean that I didn't follow some of their political posts, and I often read most of the comment threads, but I couldn't keep up with all of it and I was suspect of my own motives to post.
In an example of synchronicity, Jim Hines also does a post on the idea of just walking away from the argument. There's plenty of times I should have done that.
Here I will make the comment that I've seen what the opposite side of the political spectrum does with online arguments. I've seen comments that make Jim's example of watching a conversation devolve into those "throw the liberals into wood-chipper" statement seem tame. And sometimes that's why I have the fire in my belly. I've seen the other side take a no-holds-bared attitude and I won't let them get away with it because they think my side won't go the whole distance. But then, like Jim saw, you see whole evenings and days be taken away by an argument with someone who will never see the point.
"The tape of Petraeus and McFarland's conversation is an amazing document, a testament to the willingness of Murdoch and the wily genius he hired to create Fox News to run roughshod over the American civic and political landscape without regard to even the traditional niceties or pretenses of journalistic independence and honesty." An article on the burying of Bob Woodward's amazing story about how Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch tried to subvert American Democracy. Add in the rise of the SuperPAC and the various corporate shell games and you begin to see a whole different picture of the previous election and just how close we came to giving over our freedoms to corporate domination. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
And this is why the GOP is in the shape it's in. This is also why after three proposals from the White House to avoid the Fiscal Cliff you heard GOP leaders talk about how they were waiting for th eWhite House to propose something, like they don't have people who read the news and could tell them what has been proposed. Hey, GOP, you're the ones that want to cut spending, make your own gorram proposals. But then, they're much too much the cowards to actually put forward what they want to cut. (Grokked from Will Wheaton)
Tweet of my heart: @GerryDuggan: I'm sad it's only a metaphorical cliff, because throwing our Congress into a deep chasm is actually a fine idea.
Torture of Writing
Spent the day doing various chores and staying out of my wife's way. Also tried to get some writing done. All in all I think I got about 1000 words out, but it was split between several projects, and the words weren't all that good. Sigh.
Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow will be better.
Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow will be better.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Weekend Linkee-poo is a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich, with arsenic sauce
Phil Plait shares his most beautiful astronomical images from 2012. 'Nough said. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Ninety-nine life hack. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
Want some more space stuff, here's a radiolab episode on space. Yes, you'll have to listen to the audio. I recommend the part where they interview Neil deGrasse Tyson. You know, in case you're starting to get a big head about anything. (Hint, it's all about our perspective of the universe, always attempting to place us in the center and finding out we're wrong, not to mention that now with Dark Matter, while we may be made of star dust, we aren't made from what comprises 94% of the universe). "Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving, and revolving at 900 miles an hour…"
Remember when I said that for science, until it's observed and documented it's not real? Well, after decades of anecdotal evidence, science has now observed chemo brain. Now it just needs to permeate through the medical literature and doctors will finally stop telling people it's all in their head. Plus, as you may have heard, half of what you know is wrong, or will be proved wrong eventually. I remember a high-school-aged son of a friend who remarked how he didn't really pay attention in class because, "half of what they teach you are lies." As I responded then, "That may be true, but have you figured out which half?" Or as my A&P prof said, "Medicine, the best lies we know." Of course the problem is we still haven't figured out which half. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
There are parts of the world that are riddled with land mines, such as Afghanistan. The 'Stan is littered with mines dating back to the Soviet Occupation and endless tribal wars that raged after the withdraw of Soviet forces. We've tried lots of things to clear the mine fields including training rats to find explosives. But here's an idea that would work fairly well in Afghanistan. That's a "sculpture" sort of like a metallic tumbleweed. The idea is the wind will blow it across areas that we know are mind and it will eventually trigger most of the mines in the area. Or it'll lose enough limbs that it'll need replaced. I'm not sure it's entirely effective, but if you have the time and the wind, it'll do the job. Beats having kids lose arms, legs, and life because they found something shiny in the dirt. Now if we could make something similar that would work in Vietnam/Cambodia. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
The Slactivist with a link post about how the GOP continues to reach out to minorities, seniors, women, and all the other demographics they lost. It's called irony. I just thought I point that out because after reading those links I don't believe anyone knows what irony is anymore. Links include stories about how Florida Republicans are now admitting their election laws were designed to disenfranchise the young, the old, and the poor by making it harder for them to cast a vote. A NJ congressman who is going to vote against aid for Storm Sandy that would help their own constituents. So much for "compassionate conservatism." The continuing battle over a UN treaty covering discrimination based largely on our own ADA laws, and without any real enforcement provisions. Because, I don't know, the UN/Black Helicopters/FEMA Reeducation Camps or something. Also, the emerging post-election consensus is the GOP didn't clap hard enough. So Tinker Bell lay on the floor.
Cancer screening rates are dropping. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the increase in copays and reduced coverage for preventive medicine. I wonder if we'll see that as a "healthy choices" campaign for employment wellness programs. Probably not since there isn't any Tobacco Settlement Money in it (where there is for smoking cessation programs). (Grokked from Jay Lake)
It's a good thing in the wake of the Newton Shootings we aren't focusing on our gun crazed society, but instead on kids doodling in their notebooks. Okay, sure, it was the doodle and that he had "electronics" and "chemicals" at home that might have been, possibly, used to make a bomb. Let's see, I have electronics in various pieces and chemicals that I could, possibly, make into an explosive (albeit a low-yield, not much more than a pop, although a gas weapon, yeah, I've got those, and so does probably everybody else that cleans their own house) in my house and, ZOMG! I doodle on the edges of my notes in class! Oh noes! Hint to local police everywhere, most high schoolers who dabble in explosive neither use electronics nor "chemicals", most go for the good, old fashioned black powder pipe bombs. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
Then again, instead of tagging people who like to spout anti-government sentiments and also brandish weapons as terrorists, our government would rather tag peaceful movements like Occupy as terrorists. I feel so much safer now, don't you? (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @nickbilton: Going to Facebook has become the equivalent of opening the fridge & staring inside, even though you're not hungry.
Ninety-nine life hack. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
Want some more space stuff, here's a radiolab episode on space. Yes, you'll have to listen to the audio. I recommend the part where they interview Neil deGrasse Tyson. You know, in case you're starting to get a big head about anything. (Hint, it's all about our perspective of the universe, always attempting to place us in the center and finding out we're wrong, not to mention that now with Dark Matter, while we may be made of star dust, we aren't made from what comprises 94% of the universe). "Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving, and revolving at 900 miles an hour…"
Remember when I said that for science, until it's observed and documented it's not real? Well, after decades of anecdotal evidence, science has now observed chemo brain. Now it just needs to permeate through the medical literature and doctors will finally stop telling people it's all in their head. Plus, as you may have heard, half of what you know is wrong, or will be proved wrong eventually. I remember a high-school-aged son of a friend who remarked how he didn't really pay attention in class because, "half of what they teach you are lies." As I responded then, "That may be true, but have you figured out which half?" Or as my A&P prof said, "Medicine, the best lies we know." Of course the problem is we still haven't figured out which half. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
There are parts of the world that are riddled with land mines, such as Afghanistan. The 'Stan is littered with mines dating back to the Soviet Occupation and endless tribal wars that raged after the withdraw of Soviet forces. We've tried lots of things to clear the mine fields including training rats to find explosives. But here's an idea that would work fairly well in Afghanistan. That's a "sculpture" sort of like a metallic tumbleweed. The idea is the wind will blow it across areas that we know are mind and it will eventually trigger most of the mines in the area. Or it'll lose enough limbs that it'll need replaced. I'm not sure it's entirely effective, but if you have the time and the wind, it'll do the job. Beats having kids lose arms, legs, and life because they found something shiny in the dirt. Now if we could make something similar that would work in Vietnam/Cambodia. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
The Slactivist with a link post about how the GOP continues to reach out to minorities, seniors, women, and all the other demographics they lost. It's called irony. I just thought I point that out because after reading those links I don't believe anyone knows what irony is anymore. Links include stories about how Florida Republicans are now admitting their election laws were designed to disenfranchise the young, the old, and the poor by making it harder for them to cast a vote. A NJ congressman who is going to vote against aid for Storm Sandy that would help their own constituents. So much for "compassionate conservatism." The continuing battle over a UN treaty covering discrimination based largely on our own ADA laws, and without any real enforcement provisions. Because, I don't know, the UN/Black Helicopters/FEMA Reeducation Camps or something. Also, the emerging post-election consensus is the GOP didn't clap hard enough. So Tinker Bell lay on the floor.
Cancer screening rates are dropping. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the increase in copays and reduced coverage for preventive medicine. I wonder if we'll see that as a "healthy choices" campaign for employment wellness programs. Probably not since there isn't any Tobacco Settlement Money in it (where there is for smoking cessation programs). (Grokked from Jay Lake)
It's a good thing in the wake of the Newton Shootings we aren't focusing on our gun crazed society, but instead on kids doodling in their notebooks. Okay, sure, it was the doodle and that he had "electronics" and "chemicals" at home that might have been, possibly, used to make a bomb. Let's see, I have electronics in various pieces and chemicals that I could, possibly, make into an explosive (albeit a low-yield, not much more than a pop, although a gas weapon, yeah, I've got those, and so does probably everybody else that cleans their own house) in my house and, ZOMG! I doodle on the edges of my notes in class! Oh noes! Hint to local police everywhere, most high schoolers who dabble in explosive neither use electronics nor "chemicals", most go for the good, old fashioned black powder pipe bombs. (Grokked from Neil Gaiman)
Then again, instead of tagging people who like to spout anti-government sentiments and also brandish weapons as terrorists, our government would rather tag peaceful movements like Occupy as terrorists. I feel so much safer now, don't you? (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @nickbilton: Going to Facebook has become the equivalent of opening the fridge & staring inside, even though you're not hungry.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Linkee-poo nauseates me with a nauseous super naus
Indie film career killers and how to avoid them. Also applicable to writers. (Grokked from Gabriel Novo)
More and more people own an e-reader or tablet. While the article talks about more people reading e-books while print reading drops, you have to read the actual Pew Report to get the numbers.
Chang shares some inspirational art for when you've received the latest rejection and watch all your peers getting publishing contracts. He also wishes to remind us just what a treasure Patrick Stewart is.
Why I like swords, a "samurai" slices speeding "bullet" with sword. On video tape. Well, okay, it's a pellet fired from an airgun and technically there are no samurai anymore (and samurai were more than bushido or the sword or fighting for that matter). (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
SpaceX's Grasshopper performs a 12-story hop test. What isn't talked about in the article is this… look Ma, no launch tower.
The historical prices of solar power. Watch them drop. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
You know my comment yesterday about it not being legal to own a TOW missile… yeah, about that… - look at the second picture. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"A suspect under arrest was shot and killed inside a police station in New Jersey early Friday after he obtained a weapon and opened fire on three officers, injuring one seriously, according to police officials." If you happen to be one of those people who think "more guns" is the solution, I want you to read that again and let the implications sink in. Now, if only the police carried loaded guns and were trained in situations where there is an active shooter, all of this could have been prevented… wait, no, that's not right. Or as I said when we started allowing pilots to carry firearms aboard airplanes, the terrorists will thank us for getting their weapons past security for them. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Fox News gets it wrong, again. So much for the post-election epiphanies. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @CRREdwards: … DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10AM WHEN SLIGHTLY MORE INTELLIGENT FOG MOVES IN …
Yeah, I've had days like that.
More and more people own an e-reader or tablet. While the article talks about more people reading e-books while print reading drops, you have to read the actual Pew Report to get the numbers.
Chang shares some inspirational art for when you've received the latest rejection and watch all your peers getting publishing contracts. He also wishes to remind us just what a treasure Patrick Stewart is.
Why I like swords, a "samurai" slices speeding "bullet" with sword. On video tape. Well, okay, it's a pellet fired from an airgun and technically there are no samurai anymore (and samurai were more than bushido or the sword or fighting for that matter). (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
SpaceX's Grasshopper performs a 12-story hop test. What isn't talked about in the article is this… look Ma, no launch tower.
The historical prices of solar power. Watch them drop. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
You know my comment yesterday about it not being legal to own a TOW missile… yeah, about that… - look at the second picture. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"A suspect under arrest was shot and killed inside a police station in New Jersey early Friday after he obtained a weapon and opened fire on three officers, injuring one seriously, according to police officials." If you happen to be one of those people who think "more guns" is the solution, I want you to read that again and let the implications sink in. Now, if only the police carried loaded guns and were trained in situations where there is an active shooter, all of this could have been prevented… wait, no, that's not right. Or as I said when we started allowing pilots to carry firearms aboard airplanes, the terrorists will thank us for getting their weapons past security for them. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Fox News gets it wrong, again. So much for the post-election epiphanies. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @CRREdwards: … DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10AM WHEN SLIGHTLY MORE INTELLIGENT FOG MOVES IN …
Yeah, I've had days like that.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
That Pesky Amendment Language and Originalism
Amendment IIPeople have been arguing the meaning of that one sentence for decades now. Originalists, Constitutionalists, and just plain whackadoodles have all said that they believe the Founders got it right, you know as long as you ignore the whole militia part and just focusing on what is said after that first comma. They then go on to say that we should take this at an absolute, even though almost all the other 9 Amendments of the Bill of Rights have been altered, amended, and in various ways infringed upon.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
But, okay, let's go with that. Let's go with the concept that the Founders wanted to make sure everybody has not only the right, but the social obligation to own their own firearm of some type. You know, for hunting, keeping the damn British off our shores, personal protection, keeping those kids from playing ZZ Top, or in case the "guberment" goes all tyrannical on their asses… or, you know, Zombie Apocalypse.
Here I could talk about what is really necessary for all of those, the practicality, the fantasy of being Lucas McCain in The Rifleman, or any of the other delusions held by the general public about firearms. Or I could talk about how there already are existing limitations on the 2nd Amendment that even the NRA doesn't seem to be talking about, like the restriction on full auto firing or that you can't own a grenade launcher or TOW missile.
So, basically, as the insult goes, we've already determined the occupation, we're just negotiating the renumeration.
But I have a different idea. One that doesn't run afoul of the Amendment as written, keeps the Founders as the wise demi-gods some people think they are, and takes us back to the true meaning of "right to bear arms."
I'm not saying it would work, or would actually be a good idea, but it's the "bold new ideas" all the crazy conservative cats seem to dig (except when they go against them).
At the time the Amendment was written and adopted, the concept of cartridges was beyond them. Sure, premeasured powder packs were coming into use, but a firearm with a receiver and the all in one powder and shot cartridge wasn't even in their dreams. At the time, most people who owned their firearms would pour their own shot, although you could buy commercially made musket balls.
So, to stop mass killers, we phase out of commercial ammunition except for military and law enforcement use. At first we prohibit sales of both premanufactured ammo and blank cases, and after a few years we then prohibit possession. We don't prohibit home manufacture of ammo, so people can pour and press their own shot without limit (although we may want to limit powder sales to only so much per month/year). And you can own any firearm you want. See, your right to bear arms is not infringed.
However most people don't have the skill, time, or patience to make their own ammo. Possession of manufactured ammo eventually becomes a crime which can be pursued for prosecution. Those people who do have ammo to use would by necessity be a little more skilled in the use of firearms. It also would be incredibly difficult to amass the overwhelming stores that seem to be the hallmark of recent mass shootings (most of which goes unused anyway).
Of course this is unworkable for more reasons than I can really count, besides the obvious cynical nature of the proposal. But, ammo is not covered by the 2nd Amendment, no matter how much the NRA will say it is. That would only show the NRA for not really being the defenders of the 2nd Amendment as they like to say, but just a organization based and funded to sell as many firearms and ammunition as possible to as many people as possible. Notice how their answer to every problem (shootings, crime in general, liberals getting elected to office, low flying airplanes, whatever) is "more guns", ever wonder why? Don't look at their finances if you don't want to know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)