Right, then.
Dec. 13th, 2006 12:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silveradeptTwo down, one to go. Tomorrow at noon, I officially finish another semester’s worth of classwork. One more to go. Will I manage to survive long enough? We’ll see. If my classwork assignments don’t try to trip me up. (Fools. I’ll destroy them all.)
There’s a new tax credit available - if you've been paying long distance federal excise taxes in the last three years, you may be able to claim a tax credit. Apparently, this was instituted a while ago as a luxury tax, before phones became ubiquitous. With the way the money’s being spent out of the coffers, maybe they should keep the tax for a little while longer.
Regarding the war, P! reminds us of the way things were supposed to go, according to the Republican script, and the way things are going to go, according to the Democratic one. Neither of which reads like a stunning example of democracy and good government in action.
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jokermage peeks inside the psychology of memes. I’m sure there’s more than can be discovered than what’s there, so give it your best thoughts.
For those who practice the art of magic, Key23 has a few thoughts to share about the nature of the art. Magic, perhaps like any other art, just is? (For those who don’t have any reason to believe or practice magic, perhaps you can find a suitable substitute word that will give the piece meaning to you.)
In terms of the VEWPRF, please be reminded that many Christmas symbols have ancestry that predates the Christians. (Actually, the piece is really about how you should be able to bury war dead with their preferred religious symbol, which a pentacle is still apparently lacking from.) Also, Pinko Feminist Hellcat gives a better send-up of the Falwell gaffe (pagan backpack mail) I mentioned a few days earlier. In something that’s purely about the VEWPRF, however, from what we know of science, the jolly old fat man's skills might be possible. He just has to have some serious tech and advanced knowledge up at the North Pole.
Kofi Annan pulls no punches on what he thinks the U.S. should do in the Middle East in his farewell speech today. After 10 years, Mr. Annan steps down from the post of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Once can only hope that his successor will continue to have faith in the organization, while having the might and foresight to change and update it to reflect the modern world.
As yesterday’s comments proved, there are always at least two sides to any issue, if not more. The Vorlon in me says that it’s unlikely either side has made it to the truth yet, mostly because you can only predict. Thus, you can have the debunker’s guide on one end, and a simulation that says Arctic ice may be gone by 2040, researched by scientists at the University of Washington, McGill University of Canada and the United States National Center for Atmospheric Research. In these cases, I suppose, it’s as much a matter of who(m?) you want to believe. I would hope, though, that all persons involved agree that moving toward a more environmentally conscious policy, replete with less polluting, more efficient, fully renewable technology and resources is a smart idea. If they truly believe so, though, I would expect to see more money being poured into research and a heavier emphasis on developing those kinds of technologies as replacements for the current breed. (Also, quite possibly, a push for mandatory and university programs to train more people in the ways of science (SCIENCE!), but one thing at a time.) If the DOE’s study that says off-peak power generation could recharge nearly every car in the country if it were a plug-in hybrid is true, then there might be a big push toward electric vehicles. Gas tanks and engines might still be needed, in the short term, for longer-distance trips than the daily commute, but even then, if you can recharge your car overnight for cheaper than the gas you use to make the commute... emissions down, savings up, possibly more money to make better power plants faster? These sorts of options should probably be looked into. (And if we had things like fully-electric Smart cars for our commute to complement our gasoline vehicles... we could do a lot for the environment, potentially.)
Another area that probably needs an overhaul in thinking is the War on (Some) Drugs, a war that we're no closer to winning that the War on Terror. But if Mr. Bush takes the same attitude towards this war that he has toward the war in Iraq, which appears to be if it's not going well, I don't want to hear about it, then it still could be a long time before any progress is made.
33 names of things you never knew had names. Proving that once you have a concept, you really have to have a name for it before you can communicate it effectively. Even if it means making a word up out of whole cloth.
IBM develops Deep Thunder, a computer able to weather forecast to a one kilometer radius from your current position . (As an aside, are all IBM projects named “Deep X” or something? You’d think the informer for Watergate was an IBM creation, too.) Hyper-personalized weather for those that really, really need it. Like those of us deciding whether we need an umbrella or not. In other science, moving significantly down the scale size - silicon chips, tiny molecule strands, and nanomagnets may be used to detect cancers and other molecular toxins. So you give up a few drops of blood and have everything tested, yo. Or something like that.
Putting two and three together and coming out with about seven, here’s what appears to be a children’s toy called the Avenging Narwhal. I suspect we’ve found another source of why today’s children all seem to be more violent than before. Next, obviously taking that idea and going somewhere with it, we have the Avenging Unicorn. Probably still meant as a kid’s toy, albeit for a child with a significantly more wicked sense of humor. Or parents with that kind of humor. Or something. Honestly, I can’t make horns or tails out of the whole matter.
The last link for tonight is accurately termed “low-hanging fruit” for those who would like someone to safely ridicule, WTF, or generally have a laugh at someone else’s expense. (Unless you believe it, and then, well, tough noogies.) Namely, a conclusion drawn that soy is responsible for homosexuality. Apparently, babies being fed soy milk are getting so much estrogen that they’ll turn out to be homosexuals. The boys will have small penises and develop late, while the girls will hit puberty really quickly. There will be infertility for the boys, too. And then it’s also apparently going to cause an increase in cancer, So now I expect to see Fred Phelps boycotting soy products, because they obviously produce homosexuals. You may laugh your arses off at any point.
And with that stunning finale, off to bed.
There’s a new tax credit available - if you've been paying long distance federal excise taxes in the last three years, you may be able to claim a tax credit. Apparently, this was instituted a while ago as a luxury tax, before phones became ubiquitous. With the way the money’s being spent out of the coffers, maybe they should keep the tax for a little while longer.
Regarding the war, P! reminds us of the way things were supposed to go, according to the Republican script, and the way things are going to go, according to the Democratic one. Neither of which reads like a stunning example of democracy and good government in action.
jokermage peeks inside the psychology of memes. I’m sure there’s more than can be discovered than what’s there, so give it your best thoughts.For those who practice the art of magic, Key23 has a few thoughts to share about the nature of the art. Magic, perhaps like any other art, just is? (For those who don’t have any reason to believe or practice magic, perhaps you can find a suitable substitute word that will give the piece meaning to you.)
In terms of the VEWPRF, please be reminded that many Christmas symbols have ancestry that predates the Christians. (Actually, the piece is really about how you should be able to bury war dead with their preferred religious symbol, which a pentacle is still apparently lacking from.) Also, Pinko Feminist Hellcat gives a better send-up of the Falwell gaffe (pagan backpack mail) I mentioned a few days earlier. In something that’s purely about the VEWPRF, however, from what we know of science, the jolly old fat man's skills might be possible. He just has to have some serious tech and advanced knowledge up at the North Pole.
Kofi Annan pulls no punches on what he thinks the U.S. should do in the Middle East in his farewell speech today. After 10 years, Mr. Annan steps down from the post of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Once can only hope that his successor will continue to have faith in the organization, while having the might and foresight to change and update it to reflect the modern world.
As yesterday’s comments proved, there are always at least two sides to any issue, if not more. The Vorlon in me says that it’s unlikely either side has made it to the truth yet, mostly because you can only predict. Thus, you can have the debunker’s guide on one end, and a simulation that says Arctic ice may be gone by 2040, researched by scientists at the University of Washington, McGill University of Canada and the United States National Center for Atmospheric Research. In these cases, I suppose, it’s as much a matter of who(m?) you want to believe. I would hope, though, that all persons involved agree that moving toward a more environmentally conscious policy, replete with less polluting, more efficient, fully renewable technology and resources is a smart idea. If they truly believe so, though, I would expect to see more money being poured into research and a heavier emphasis on developing those kinds of technologies as replacements for the current breed. (Also, quite possibly, a push for mandatory and university programs to train more people in the ways of science (SCIENCE!), but one thing at a time.) If the DOE’s study that says off-peak power generation could recharge nearly every car in the country if it were a plug-in hybrid is true, then there might be a big push toward electric vehicles. Gas tanks and engines might still be needed, in the short term, for longer-distance trips than the daily commute, but even then, if you can recharge your car overnight for cheaper than the gas you use to make the commute... emissions down, savings up, possibly more money to make better power plants faster? These sorts of options should probably be looked into. (And if we had things like fully-electric Smart cars for our commute to complement our gasoline vehicles... we could do a lot for the environment, potentially.)
Another area that probably needs an overhaul in thinking is the War on (Some) Drugs, a war that we're no closer to winning that the War on Terror. But if Mr. Bush takes the same attitude towards this war that he has toward the war in Iraq, which appears to be if it's not going well, I don't want to hear about it, then it still could be a long time before any progress is made.
33 names of things you never knew had names. Proving that once you have a concept, you really have to have a name for it before you can communicate it effectively. Even if it means making a word up out of whole cloth.
IBM develops Deep Thunder, a computer able to weather forecast to a one kilometer radius from your current position . (As an aside, are all IBM projects named “Deep X” or something? You’d think the informer for Watergate was an IBM creation, too.) Hyper-personalized weather for those that really, really need it. Like those of us deciding whether we need an umbrella or not. In other science, moving significantly down the scale size - silicon chips, tiny molecule strands, and nanomagnets may be used to detect cancers and other molecular toxins. So you give up a few drops of blood and have everything tested, yo. Or something like that.
Putting two and three together and coming out with about seven, here’s what appears to be a children’s toy called the Avenging Narwhal. I suspect we’ve found another source of why today’s children all seem to be more violent than before. Next, obviously taking that idea and going somewhere with it, we have the Avenging Unicorn. Probably still meant as a kid’s toy, albeit for a child with a significantly more wicked sense of humor. Or parents with that kind of humor. Or something. Honestly, I can’t make horns or tails out of the whole matter.
The last link for tonight is accurately termed “low-hanging fruit” for those who would like someone to safely ridicule, WTF, or generally have a laugh at someone else’s expense. (Unless you believe it, and then, well, tough noogies.) Namely, a conclusion drawn that soy is responsible for homosexuality. Apparently, babies being fed soy milk are getting so much estrogen that they’ll turn out to be homosexuals. The boys will have small penises and develop late, while the girls will hit puberty really quickly. There will be infertility for the boys, too. And then it’s also apparently going to cause an increase in cancer, So now I expect to see Fred Phelps boycotting soy products, because they obviously produce homosexuals. You may laugh your arses off at any point.
And with that stunning finale, off to bed.
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no subject
Date: 2006-12-13 05:58 am (UTC)The problem with the "at this rate" statement is people drop it, or they misinterpret the data a little or even worse some reporter gets a hold of it and suddenly a statement like "At this rate it is probable that there may be no ice at the poles by 2040" is turned into "There will be no ice at the poles by 2040 and we have the PROOF!"
Then, when nothing happens because smart people who actually calmly saw the danger change the course and actually do something (in the case of the Great Lakes they did a lot of clean up) then it seems like those statements were wildly inaccurate. In the end, those broad statements really hurt the cause of rational environmentalists.
Also, I knew about half those 33 names. Not that I use them in every day speech, but about half of them rang a bell with me.
I also wonder how soy products affect women. I mean if they cause teh gay, how does the evidence he put forward relate to lesbians?
no subject
Date: 2006-12-13 12:37 pm (UTC)Almost half? Neat. Obviously you've got plenty of weird in your life.
I suspect from the undertones in the article, lesbians happen through the same over-estrogenization. Girls get so hooked on having so much estrogen around that they want to be with girls, not boys, who can give them their needed testosterone balancing. Or something. I'm sure he has an argument for it that's about the same quality as what was linked to.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-13 04:32 pm (UTC)Right, well, I was fed soy formula as a baby because of the whole lactose intolerant thing, and pretty much continued to drink soy milk and eat soy products....
i'm pretty sure I'm not a lesbian, though I suppose we could make the argument....
no subject
Date: 2006-12-14 09:25 am (UTC)OR! Perhaps, we could just admit this guy is full of shit and go on with our lives.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-13 02:33 pm (UTC)Yes, that was partially overblown hype and scaremongering, and it is doubtful that, even if things had been left to themselves, the result would have been as catastrophic as many predictions claimed. However, the reason pretty much nothing happened was because a gigantic effort went into fixing the things that were going to break.
In the end, what people remember is the sensationalisation, not the effort that avoided the problem, and thus most people know of it as a 'farce' rather than a 'success'...