Maglev is dead — Great post by the Yorkshire Ranter (I just love the name), and he nails home an important truth to boot. Read this part, and laugh out loud like I did: John Waclawsky said that there are two kinds of technology, the kind that provides a direct benefit to the end user, […]
I’ve long been a fan of the Skepticality podcast, and I cheered when they became the official podcast of Skeptic magazine. They just keep getting better; episode 49 is a must listen. Dr. Shermer talks to author and Stanford emeritus Professor Philip Zimbardo on the release of his new book, The Lucifer Effect which ponders […]
I’m working on a longer post on this, but I haven’t blogged in a few days. The more I read, the more I listen to, the more I think about it, the more I want good, kick-ass defense. Prohibition doesn’t work: doesn’t work for keeping bombs off of airplanes, doesn’t work for DRMing media, doesn’t […]
Short version: So…there’s this movie, called the 300, and it’s about Thermopylae, and I should be happy because people are learning about history, and instead I’m cranky because there are war elephants 150 years too early, and other discrepancies, and important history SHOULD BE ACCURATE. Then people slapped me, and I felt better. OK, there […]
Sometimes you have to hit ’em with a mackerel to get people to notice: Dispatch from Germany, Summer of 1939 (III): Building an Effective Resistance. He’s nothing if not subtle. I like that! And yes, I agree…attacking Iran would be criminal insanity. Also on:
I love the Internet. I love instant access information, I love hyperlinks, I love collaborative knowledge collections (for all their faults) like Wikipedia, and media sharing sites like Flickr and The Podcast Network. It’s so easy to get so lost, and have so much fun. Example of the day. I get an email from a […]
One of my resolutions for this year was to develop an informed position on universal health care. While I’m best described as an anarcho-libertarian nutball, I’ve always wondered about our health care system. I’ve also personally watched as people I know (without insurance) got sick, went into the hospital, got well, and had to declare […]
Wow. Wikileaks: Wikileaks is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Our primary interests are oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to those in the west who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their own […]
The blogosphere is a paradigm shift; a change in the way people interact. One of the interesting things to observe is changes in relationship balance of power; for example, the newfound ability for a customer to talk about a satisfying (or unsatisfying) experience, and have the world hear. Combine a weblog with search engines and […]
Well, late this month, my annual subscription fee to Second Life will come due. I’ve been thinking for several weeks now about whether or not to pay it and continue with a premium account. I think I will. On one hand, the decision is easy. I’ve succeeded in my desire to make the account self-funding; […]
