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On time for once - 10 December 2008
Dec. 11th, 2008 12:31 amGreetings, you new-media savvy types. One of your peers has made it possible to get through a rather long book without too much waiting. No, not Cliffs Notes - Austenbook and Hamlet, Facebook Edition. Clever - and without having to go through the Choose Your Own Adventure Austen, either. And, of course, there’s Another scintillating review of Twilight, now with the sex scene that probably should have been there, instead of waiting for a few more books to do the whole horizontal mambo thing. Actually, for those who have read it, [Yo, Spoilers] is there actually a scene where Bella gets herself preggers, or is it one of those “kiss, kiss, cut away to the next morning” kind of deals? Answer: Apparently, yeah. And it’s abrupt.[/Spoilers]
And now, news for your edification and snark.
In news that goes up top, Have you called in Gay today? Perhaps tomorrow, instead. Although, as far as I know, the DSM did remove homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism, and most of the related staes of mind and body from the list of deviancies. (There’s a lot more they could get rid of that’s consensual adult kink, too.) Still, calling in gay to an employer that’s not friendly to them, especially en masse, would be pretty cool. Assuming they didn’t, say, retaliate and fire you in such a way that could stick under the ensuing unfair labor practices suit. Hey, speaking of homosexuals, Newt Gingrich thinks you, or some subset of you, are fascists intent on imposing your will on the deeply religious and G-d-fearing American populace, using the government to do your bidding, if you can get control of it. Supposedly, those were narrowly focused comments on the people who have taken the protests to the churches and other places, but they don’t read as such. The General has his own take on the matter, including Jack Black and shrimp. Finally, Jon Stewart gives Mike Huckabee hell about Prop 8 and the idea of homosexuality as a choice.
Not unexpectedly, places where religious belief (and most likely, monotheism of the Abrahamic tradition) is strong, acceptance of nanotechnology is not strong. This is not all bad, as it provides a necessary thinky-spot for the ethical and moral implications of using nanotechnology, but at the same time, too much retards the growth of the science into something that can be ethical and responsible.
Internationally, now we have to worry about the dangers of kissing. No, not kissing that leads to the things Bella never does on a first date, but the posibilty, however rare, than a good kiss could create a vacuum that hurts your eardrum and makes you temporarily deaf.
Indian police release names tying Mumbai attackers to Pakistan. Anyone else starting to sweat that this could boil over? Or worrying that the terror group, while the focus now, will not be at some point?
A break from your “Iraq is successful” coverage for a HumInt... well, okay, CanInt story about the members of the Canis family that are detailed to Iraq. The other HumInt for today is painting as heroic the death of an Iraqi policeman who was fighting the flu while he did his checks of bombs and was killed by a carbomb going off during his inspection. And the requisite rah-rah letter from the front lines of Iraq. I think, by now, the populace is rady to wash their hands of the affair, saying, “Yay, victory (of some definition). When are you going to fix X?” The populace has lost interest until he troops are drawn down and out, to see whether this is a house of cards or a well-supported Jenga-style construction. I don’t think there’s much that people can do to change that opinion. I doubt they’re going to be outraged that just about everyone in Washington knew there would be IEDs in Iraq, and troops were sent without gear and vehicles tough against IEDs anyway.
The Sphinx statue intially a lion's head? Well, it’s a possibility. It does rely on the suggestion or confirmation that the Sphinx is older than the surrounding area.
Domestically, the story of the corrupted Illinois governor gets more bizarre - even trying to get Warren Buffet and/or Bill Gates into some deals. The continuing revelations means The President-elect ensures that he stays distant from Governor Blagojevich, as his opposition party tries to insinuate that this is how Democratic business is done. Some start to wonder what it is about Illinois that generates such corruption scandals. Others note the boneheadedness of the Governor, now caught on tape, expletive deleted and all. And humorists use the opportunity to make comparisons between the governor and Tony Soprano.
With no testimony from the defendants, the jury will soon be in deliberations on the fate of five men accused of plotting an attack on Fort Dix.
Reporting on an earlier story, the Palm Pistol is not a medical device, thankfully. It stays a firearm.
Class tours, with live autopsies, of the Oakland County Medical Examiner's office are canceled after complaints erupted from the parents of a class witnessing the autopsy of someone from the same school district.
Logistics continues to be a problem for the District of Columbia, where the President-elect will take the oath of office to record crowds. Those crowds, at least for now, threaten to overhwlem the city and its resources.
Bailout concerns - once poised to pass, the Republican Party has now found its objection voice, both in the legislative houses and the executive branch. This is probably the normal workings of government - once th Democrats have found it to their satisfaction, then the Republicans have a go at it until both sides agree or the automakers asking for the bailout fold under completely. It confuses some people at the WSJ why the outgoing administration would want to let Democrats control Detroit, with their sinister agenda of making them produce cars people actually want to drive and that are good for the environment (and apparently protecting the UAW to an inch of their lives), but that could be a decision of “Okay, I did it, but when it flops, it’s YOUR problem.” The WSJ suggests that the outgoing administration hold out and let the companies die or file bankruptcy. Others suggest tax incentives to achieve a private-sector "bailout". Still others blame fuel-economy standards as killing otherwise viable businesses, because they force the automakers to build cars that nobody wants to buy, so they can get economy enough to produce the 8mpg Hummers and such.
The SEC says, "Don't sack your compliance team in your cost-cutting frenzy", which makes sense, considering there would probably be worse penalties for noncompliance that gets found out.
In the opinions, ruminations on the role of the First Spouse - and why it should probably be a paid position, considering all the work the First Spouse does.
Marvin Olasky still fears that the President-elect will turn the country into socialists through economic promises, taking on the idea of removing as much “chance” from people’s lives and deleting the risk of failure. Or, in other words, giving to the populace what the outgoing administrator gave to the banks and the businesses. Not that it necessarily did them any good, other than making great fare for funny parodies. And not so funny parodies.
Robert Poole thinks that the mayors of cities are asking for pork when they send on a list of infrastructure projects, singling out sport and life complexes as wasteful, thinking that the money should be spent, instead, on reducing congestion and possibly developing semitruck-only toll lanes to deliver good faster around the country.
The WSJ complains that the FDIC's plans on restructuring mortgage agreements are doomed to failure based on data that suggests more than half of restructured plans end up in delinquency again. Which, to me, suggests something fundamentally wrong about the agreements and mortgages - the FDIC is probably barking up the wrong tree as well, trying to modify current agreements into something that works and that banks will accept. To really do the job right, they would probably have to make agreements shift hard enough that they become affordable for the person and basically worthless to the lender. At that point, I’d suggest that the lenders content themselves with the idea of getting their principal back, or some fraction thereof, without any more interest, and be happy that they’re getting something. That’s most likely bailing out people who bought more house than they could afford, but at this point, having the live-in house seems more important than the interest to the corporations and banks. Besides, they have bailout cash to borow from already.
Mona Charen suggests much of the recession worry is needless fear, and that we're still doing really well, despite the panic.
Last out, Mark Hilman on the need for a big Republican tent that courts social conservatives, ending with “Because the Democrats will soon remind us why we banded together in the first place.” John Andrews concurs, talking about the great strength of the life-affirming Republican Party, because of their anti-slavery stance, anti-choice stance, and anti-equality stance, which somewhat contradicts the anti-slavery stance.
In technology proper, Google's Book Search now has magazine capability, which makes me wonder when Google will offer a comparable service under one roof to what libraries get now in their research databases under several. Additionally, a device that creates a Wi-Fi hotspot by using the local mobile broadband networks, so you can connect all your Wi-Fi enabled devices through your mobile data plan, the one that may be getting better thanks to new chip development for more bandwidth, lab-on-a-chip devices that use paper as their substrate, better controls to make fusion reactors more commercially viable, remote-controlled robots to do consultation, and perhaps some preliminary work, on the battlefield while the medic or a specialist doctor stays relatively safe, and a computer chip that is almost completely clear, which will mesh well witht he HP flexible display prototype. Soon! A computer that you can not only misplace or forget, but that will be a beast to find, because it belnds in so well with the surrounding area! Knowing us, though, we’ll just go wearable - the HUD, computing clothes, et cetera.
Last for tonight, an NC-17, but very good, holiday tradition - Saturnalia, the story of a holier-than-thou who finds out that there’s more than one holiday in the season. For more family-friendly fare, consider Jumping in Art Museums. And for a laugh, think how a prominent scientific publication ended up posting a brothel ad on the front of one of its issues.
And now, news for your edification and snark.
In news that goes up top, Have you called in Gay today? Perhaps tomorrow, instead. Although, as far as I know, the DSM did remove homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism, and most of the related staes of mind and body from the list of deviancies. (There’s a lot more they could get rid of that’s consensual adult kink, too.) Still, calling in gay to an employer that’s not friendly to them, especially en masse, would be pretty cool. Assuming they didn’t, say, retaliate and fire you in such a way that could stick under the ensuing unfair labor practices suit. Hey, speaking of homosexuals, Newt Gingrich thinks you, or some subset of you, are fascists intent on imposing your will on the deeply religious and G-d-fearing American populace, using the government to do your bidding, if you can get control of it. Supposedly, those were narrowly focused comments on the people who have taken the protests to the churches and other places, but they don’t read as such. The General has his own take on the matter, including Jack Black and shrimp. Finally, Jon Stewart gives Mike Huckabee hell about Prop 8 and the idea of homosexuality as a choice.
Not unexpectedly, places where religious belief (and most likely, monotheism of the Abrahamic tradition) is strong, acceptance of nanotechnology is not strong. This is not all bad, as it provides a necessary thinky-spot for the ethical and moral implications of using nanotechnology, but at the same time, too much retards the growth of the science into something that can be ethical and responsible.
Internationally, now we have to worry about the dangers of kissing. No, not kissing that leads to the things Bella never does on a first date, but the posibilty, however rare, than a good kiss could create a vacuum that hurts your eardrum and makes you temporarily deaf.
Indian police release names tying Mumbai attackers to Pakistan. Anyone else starting to sweat that this could boil over? Or worrying that the terror group, while the focus now, will not be at some point?
A break from your “Iraq is successful” coverage for a HumInt... well, okay, CanInt story about the members of the Canis family that are detailed to Iraq. The other HumInt for today is painting as heroic the death of an Iraqi policeman who was fighting the flu while he did his checks of bombs and was killed by a carbomb going off during his inspection. And the requisite rah-rah letter from the front lines of Iraq. I think, by now, the populace is rady to wash their hands of the affair, saying, “Yay, victory (of some definition). When are you going to fix X?” The populace has lost interest until he troops are drawn down and out, to see whether this is a house of cards or a well-supported Jenga-style construction. I don’t think there’s much that people can do to change that opinion. I doubt they’re going to be outraged that just about everyone in Washington knew there would be IEDs in Iraq, and troops were sent without gear and vehicles tough against IEDs anyway.
The Sphinx statue intially a lion's head? Well, it’s a possibility. It does rely on the suggestion or confirmation that the Sphinx is older than the surrounding area.
Domestically, the story of the corrupted Illinois governor gets more bizarre - even trying to get Warren Buffet and/or Bill Gates into some deals. The continuing revelations means The President-elect ensures that he stays distant from Governor Blagojevich, as his opposition party tries to insinuate that this is how Democratic business is done. Some start to wonder what it is about Illinois that generates such corruption scandals. Others note the boneheadedness of the Governor, now caught on tape, expletive deleted and all. And humorists use the opportunity to make comparisons between the governor and Tony Soprano.
With no testimony from the defendants, the jury will soon be in deliberations on the fate of five men accused of plotting an attack on Fort Dix.
Reporting on an earlier story, the Palm Pistol is not a medical device, thankfully. It stays a firearm.
Class tours, with live autopsies, of the Oakland County Medical Examiner's office are canceled after complaints erupted from the parents of a class witnessing the autopsy of someone from the same school district.
Logistics continues to be a problem for the District of Columbia, where the President-elect will take the oath of office to record crowds. Those crowds, at least for now, threaten to overhwlem the city and its resources.
Bailout concerns - once poised to pass, the Republican Party has now found its objection voice, both in the legislative houses and the executive branch. This is probably the normal workings of government - once th Democrats have found it to their satisfaction, then the Republicans have a go at it until both sides agree or the automakers asking for the bailout fold under completely. It confuses some people at the WSJ why the outgoing administration would want to let Democrats control Detroit, with their sinister agenda of making them produce cars people actually want to drive and that are good for the environment (and apparently protecting the UAW to an inch of their lives), but that could be a decision of “Okay, I did it, but when it flops, it’s YOUR problem.” The WSJ suggests that the outgoing administration hold out and let the companies die or file bankruptcy. Others suggest tax incentives to achieve a private-sector "bailout". Still others blame fuel-economy standards as killing otherwise viable businesses, because they force the automakers to build cars that nobody wants to buy, so they can get economy enough to produce the 8mpg Hummers and such.
The SEC says, "Don't sack your compliance team in your cost-cutting frenzy", which makes sense, considering there would probably be worse penalties for noncompliance that gets found out.
In the opinions, ruminations on the role of the First Spouse - and why it should probably be a paid position, considering all the work the First Spouse does.
Marvin Olasky still fears that the President-elect will turn the country into socialists through economic promises, taking on the idea of removing as much “chance” from people’s lives and deleting the risk of failure. Or, in other words, giving to the populace what the outgoing administrator gave to the banks and the businesses. Not that it necessarily did them any good, other than making great fare for funny parodies. And not so funny parodies.
Robert Poole thinks that the mayors of cities are asking for pork when they send on a list of infrastructure projects, singling out sport and life complexes as wasteful, thinking that the money should be spent, instead, on reducing congestion and possibly developing semitruck-only toll lanes to deliver good faster around the country.
The WSJ complains that the FDIC's plans on restructuring mortgage agreements are doomed to failure based on data that suggests more than half of restructured plans end up in delinquency again. Which, to me, suggests something fundamentally wrong about the agreements and mortgages - the FDIC is probably barking up the wrong tree as well, trying to modify current agreements into something that works and that banks will accept. To really do the job right, they would probably have to make agreements shift hard enough that they become affordable for the person and basically worthless to the lender. At that point, I’d suggest that the lenders content themselves with the idea of getting their principal back, or some fraction thereof, without any more interest, and be happy that they’re getting something. That’s most likely bailing out people who bought more house than they could afford, but at this point, having the live-in house seems more important than the interest to the corporations and banks. Besides, they have bailout cash to borow from already.
Mona Charen suggests much of the recession worry is needless fear, and that we're still doing really well, despite the panic.
Last out, Mark Hilman on the need for a big Republican tent that courts social conservatives, ending with “Because the Democrats will soon remind us why we banded together in the first place.” John Andrews concurs, talking about the great strength of the life-affirming Republican Party, because of their anti-slavery stance, anti-choice stance, and anti-equality stance, which somewhat contradicts the anti-slavery stance.
In technology proper, Google's Book Search now has magazine capability, which makes me wonder when Google will offer a comparable service under one roof to what libraries get now in their research databases under several. Additionally, a device that creates a Wi-Fi hotspot by using the local mobile broadband networks, so you can connect all your Wi-Fi enabled devices through your mobile data plan, the one that may be getting better thanks to new chip development for more bandwidth, lab-on-a-chip devices that use paper as their substrate, better controls to make fusion reactors more commercially viable, remote-controlled robots to do consultation, and perhaps some preliminary work, on the battlefield while the medic or a specialist doctor stays relatively safe, and a computer chip that is almost completely clear, which will mesh well witht he HP flexible display prototype. Soon! A computer that you can not only misplace or forget, but that will be a beast to find, because it belnds in so well with the surrounding area! Knowing us, though, we’ll just go wearable - the HUD, computing clothes, et cetera.
Last for tonight, an NC-17, but very good, holiday tradition - Saturnalia, the story of a holier-than-thou who finds out that there’s more than one holiday in the season. For more family-friendly fare, consider Jumping in Art Museums. And for a laugh, think how a prominent scientific publication ended up posting a brothel ad on the front of one of its issues.
