Archive for December, 2008

Addicted to blogs

December 29, 2008

Counting comment feeds, I just set a new record for the number of feeds in my RSS reader:  302.

Mind you, I probably read 25% of those.  As for the rest, I use Google Reader as a blog bookmarking service.  It’s far easier than trying to have 275 or so additional del.icio.us bookmarks, with the added [...]

When the police state comes – oh, it’s already here. And we are asking for more…

December 29, 2008

From Don’t Tase Me, Bro!
Citizen surveillance system, costing $2 million and composed of 13 closed-circuit cameras turns citizenry in to “virtual deputies” surveiling the border for signs of suspicious activity and illegality.  21 thousand virtual deputies from all across the USA have already volunteered, sending over 1000 reports of suspicious activity on the border. The [...]

On not trusting doctors

December 29, 2008

Marcia Angell lays some deadly-fucking-serious smack down on the medical profession in a New York Review of Books article:
The problems I’ve discussed are not limited to psychiatry, although they reach their most florid form there. Similar conflicts of interest and biases exist in virtually every field of medicine, particularly those that rely heavily on drugs [...]

Calvin & Hobbs’ Explanation of the Mentality of the Auto Industry

December 28, 2008

I’d say it’s also generally indicative of corporate capitalism, but yeah, it really does peg the auto industry.
h/t cnd

How not to write a poll question

December 24, 2008

I have to say I think this is a terrible poll question.  From the LE:

I say that for two reasons:
1) It’s written in a biased fashion.  It lends itself to a ‘yes’ answer as a result.  A good poll question is worded in a neutral manner.
2) I don’t think it’s the place of a newspaper [...]

It makes me wonder if he understands cause and effect

December 23, 2008

Shorter Hering: Science should be ignored when it’s not convenient.

Profgrrrrl on teaching

December 23, 2008

I found this post while cleaning up my del.icio.us site.  It’s not that old – from 2008 – but I hadn’t thought about it in some time.  It’s frackin’ awesome:
Why I Teach:
If I had to put it in a sentence, I’d say –> I teach to break down the barriers between research and everyday life.
I [...]

Capital’s response: Suck on this

December 23, 2008

This proposal from rok for dean, via Hilzoy, is tactically very sharp (and great theater), but will never, ever actually happen:
I’ve been wondering why such different standards are applied to financial executives and Detroit’s auto workers. Consider:
* The financial executives helped cause the present meltdown. Auto workers did not.
* The financial executives run their firms, [...]

When pirates are smarter than whoever is in charge of US foreign policy

December 19, 2008

From a Newsweek interview of a Somali pirate, a pair of answers that blew me away:
Now the European Union is sending an additional naval force. Are you worried about the increased naval presence?
We know the EU and NATO forces are coming, but that is not the solution. The solution is to restore peace in Somalia [...]

The Internet Anagram Server

December 18, 2008

Oh, this is cool.

My idea of fun is…

December 18, 2008

… slowly watching economists and well-educated lefty bloggers arrive at the conclusion that there’s somthing fundamentally unsound about capitalism, as all their pet theories/fixes are found wanting.
Sadly, I fear that many of them will be too skittish to entertain that as a possible conclusion.

Crap or Not Crap?

December 18, 2008

Well?
Full credit to Jessica Hagy of indexed.

Michael Bérubé on Obama’s Rick Warren Problem

December 18, 2008

I’m taking this as the declarative statement on Obama’s stupid choice to have Warren deliver the invocation:
And then, a few minutes later, I heard this news about Dr. Rick Warren giving the invocation.  My god, man, what are you thinking?  Rick Warren alone undoes all the good of Elizabeth Alexander and Aretha Franklin combined.  Yes, [...]

[UPDATED] Should ‘the left’ celebrate Obama? A few thoughts…

December 18, 2008

[See below for new stuff - the conversation continued.]
An interesting comment from Drew Poe, a DC area activist and anarchist, recently showed up in my inbox:
“I am absolutely appalled that anarchists and other leftists are issuing calls to celebrate the inauguration.
I’ve got a message to every one of you anarchists and leftists out there who [...]

Phone Bleg

December 17, 2008

Someone talk me out of getting a Blackberry Storm (which requires a new 2-year contract with Verizon, who I despise).
Please.