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Still not totally settled - 31 March 2009
Apr. 1st, 2009 11:19 amWelcome on board, everyone. There's a lot to be seen. Starting with the wish for more people to tell utopian fiction instead of dystopian, because we could use some optimistic glances into the future. Because viruses and the like are quite depressing.
Maybe the interface that lets a human control an ASIMO with their thoughts could be a jumping-off point. Actually, maybe it will be Skype's appearance as an iPhone app and on Blackberry phones, which, if we get the country blanketed in wireless signals, could make Skype's free VoIP kill most cell services. Add on tools for getting education for free on-line, and optimism starts to look a little better.
New religious movements, including Wicca, are on the rise, showing one of the few growth spots in religious belief in an otherwise sinking spot.
The Strings of Freedom orchestra, whose latest concert was for Holocaust survivors, has been shut down by the Palestinian authorities, ostensibly because it put Palestinian children in a political issue. And there went an excellent chance for peace and dialogue. Stupid, stupid rat creatures.
Internationally, the royal house of Saud is having a small amount of succession infighting, the United States military is preparing for the day when they cut the Iraqis loose, a Taliban-associated group in Pakistan threatens to attack the White House, Hugo Chavez promoting an oil-based currency as the reserve currency instead of the dollar, a boat of migrants from Libya capsized, with most on board drowning, and the man accused of being the chief torturer for the Khmer Rouge asked for forgiveness in his testimony.
Domestically, a guilty plea to starving a child for religious purposes hinges on whether or not the child is resurrected. Upon resurrection, the plea is withdrawn.
Detroit and other urban areas going dead are becoming havens for artists to do revitalization projects - but the stuff cheap, make it into what you want it to be, hopefully forestall some of the decay or bring the neighborhood back into prominence faster. Intelligent handling of squatters and those who are homeless occupying vacant and foreclosed houses could also help prevent a neighborhood slide. Because, like Flint, which is having segments officially abandoned, they will happen.
Even the White House is getting in on the greening act, doing some work on its own grounds, and signing bills prohibiting oil and gas exploration on significant swaths of the country.
Politically, Sarah Palin was looking for prayer companions and couldn't find any before she went on to debate Joe Biden. There's probably a snarky remark about the self-styled God's Own Party abandoning one of its own in there.
HuffPo is embarking on investigative journalism through funding a nonprofit that will collaborate with journalism school residents. Hopefully, they'll teach them a good brand of journalism.
Opinionates: ddjango says "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" in explaining why there will not be prosecutions on the clear violations of law commited by the previous administration, The WSJ questions the President's commitment to the AfPak situation, with Messrs. Allison and Deutch claiming that the U.S. should focus on Pakistan over Afghanistan, as well as calling for the United States to shoot down the North Korean satellite launch, because it's an intimidation tactic that will be used to extract money and resources from the U.S. and others once the North demonstrates it can shoot long-range missiles.
Omegle, a service that lets perfect strangers chat with each other. I'm not sure what to think about this. I mean, good for social contact and all that, but what does it say about us that we need such service...wait, how different is this from blind dates or speed dating. Nevermind.
Messrs. Rivkin and Casey say that EFCA would be unconstitutional as it abridges the right of people to speak anonymously about controversial issues by forcing someone to sign their name to whether they want a union or not and not being a good solution to the problem of employer intimidation. Mr. Gerecht says that we need to remvoe the anonymity from National Intelligence Estimate reports, to prevent their politicization and to weed out the people who are wrong.
the WSJ complains about the new CPSIA law, saying that the politicos are requiring the CPSC to clean up their mess of a law, especially in regards to library books, because they won't admit to a mistake. This might be a job best suited for them, though, because the agencies have to write the rules, and they can more easily generate the correct exceptions, instead of requiring a bill be reintroduced and passed every time someone wants to make changes.
Ms. Toensing offers a commentary on the ludicrousness of government gift-acceptance rules, with the dire threat that corporations may have to work under them as well, as Mr. Bialosky decries the class warfare sentiments of the President, calling him the first European president (which is still apparently an insult of high order), wondering why the President resents success so much, instead of trying to encourage others to achieve the same success .
Last out, settle in, oh investors. It will take a while for your stocks to return to what they were.
Technology: Google are now venture capitalists, DNA as an assembly line for nanoparticles, microbes that can generate methane from electricity, discovering the switch that generates muscle mass, more progress on turning skin cells into stem cells, new Intel chips, using concentrated solar energy to generate electricity or to desalinate water, getting good farming yields without using soil, instead using gravel, nutrients, and water, and using fractals to make sense of the quantum world.
And last, a "polypill" that could reduce heart attack and stroke risks, from which many say "Hey. Lifestyle changes have to happen, too."
Maybe the interface that lets a human control an ASIMO with their thoughts could be a jumping-off point. Actually, maybe it will be Skype's appearance as an iPhone app and on Blackberry phones, which, if we get the country blanketed in wireless signals, could make Skype's free VoIP kill most cell services. Add on tools for getting education for free on-line, and optimism starts to look a little better.
New religious movements, including Wicca, are on the rise, showing one of the few growth spots in religious belief in an otherwise sinking spot.
The Strings of Freedom orchestra, whose latest concert was for Holocaust survivors, has been shut down by the Palestinian authorities, ostensibly because it put Palestinian children in a political issue. And there went an excellent chance for peace and dialogue. Stupid, stupid rat creatures.
Internationally, the royal house of Saud is having a small amount of succession infighting, the United States military is preparing for the day when they cut the Iraqis loose, a Taliban-associated group in Pakistan threatens to attack the White House, Hugo Chavez promoting an oil-based currency as the reserve currency instead of the dollar, a boat of migrants from Libya capsized, with most on board drowning, and the man accused of being the chief torturer for the Khmer Rouge asked for forgiveness in his testimony.
Domestically, a guilty plea to starving a child for religious purposes hinges on whether or not the child is resurrected. Upon resurrection, the plea is withdrawn.
Detroit and other urban areas going dead are becoming havens for artists to do revitalization projects - but the stuff cheap, make it into what you want it to be, hopefully forestall some of the decay or bring the neighborhood back into prominence faster. Intelligent handling of squatters and those who are homeless occupying vacant and foreclosed houses could also help prevent a neighborhood slide. Because, like Flint, which is having segments officially abandoned, they will happen.
Even the White House is getting in on the greening act, doing some work on its own grounds, and signing bills prohibiting oil and gas exploration on significant swaths of the country.
Politically, Sarah Palin was looking for prayer companions and couldn't find any before she went on to debate Joe Biden. There's probably a snarky remark about the self-styled God's Own Party abandoning one of its own in there.
HuffPo is embarking on investigative journalism through funding a nonprofit that will collaborate with journalism school residents. Hopefully, they'll teach them a good brand of journalism.
Opinionates: ddjango says "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" in explaining why there will not be prosecutions on the clear violations of law commited by the previous administration, The WSJ questions the President's commitment to the AfPak situation, with Messrs. Allison and Deutch claiming that the U.S. should focus on Pakistan over Afghanistan, as well as calling for the United States to shoot down the North Korean satellite launch, because it's an intimidation tactic that will be used to extract money and resources from the U.S. and others once the North demonstrates it can shoot long-range missiles.
Omegle, a service that lets perfect strangers chat with each other. I'm not sure what to think about this. I mean, good for social contact and all that, but what does it say about us that we need such service...wait, how different is this from blind dates or speed dating. Nevermind.
Messrs. Rivkin and Casey say that EFCA would be unconstitutional as it abridges the right of people to speak anonymously about controversial issues by forcing someone to sign their name to whether they want a union or not and not being a good solution to the problem of employer intimidation. Mr. Gerecht says that we need to remvoe the anonymity from National Intelligence Estimate reports, to prevent their politicization and to weed out the people who are wrong.
the WSJ complains about the new CPSIA law, saying that the politicos are requiring the CPSC to clean up their mess of a law, especially in regards to library books, because they won't admit to a mistake. This might be a job best suited for them, though, because the agencies have to write the rules, and they can more easily generate the correct exceptions, instead of requiring a bill be reintroduced and passed every time someone wants to make changes.
Ms. Toensing offers a commentary on the ludicrousness of government gift-acceptance rules, with the dire threat that corporations may have to work under them as well, as Mr. Bialosky decries the class warfare sentiments of the President, calling him the first European president (which is still apparently an insult of high order), wondering why the President resents success so much, instead of trying to encourage others to achieve the same success .
Last out, settle in, oh investors. It will take a while for your stocks to return to what they were.
Technology: Google are now venture capitalists, DNA as an assembly line for nanoparticles, microbes that can generate methane from electricity, discovering the switch that generates muscle mass, more progress on turning skin cells into stem cells, new Intel chips, using concentrated solar energy to generate electricity or to desalinate water, getting good farming yields without using soil, instead using gravel, nutrients, and water, and using fractals to make sense of the quantum world.
And last, a "polypill" that could reduce heart attack and stroke risks, from which many say "Hey. Lifestyle changes have to happen, too."
