April 28, 2008
Quick thought on Immigration.
I know I've made this point before, but...
People walk a thousand miles to come to this country, through forests and deserts, entrusting their lives and fortunes to people with every incentive to kill and rob them. When they get here they find work as virtual slaves in a society that doesn't care to offer them the most basic protections. They do this to make a better life for their children.
Why aren't we welcoming them with open arms? Seems like the sensible thing to do...
Posted by Andrew at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)
April 08, 2008
The Torch
Until very recently, I thought the torch-- or at least the flame traveled from Greece to wherever the games were being held. That is, I didn't realize they marched a bit in a city, extinguished the flame, and then few it to a whole other city to repeat the process.
It would be so cool if they actually had a team of people walking, running, biking, etc a lit torch around the world. It would probably take too long, I guess.
Posted by Andrew at 07:13 AM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2008
Happy birthday:
At 426 years old, you don't look a leap day over 400!
I'd like to write a bit more about the history, but Wikipedia does an admirable job of it. So, go ahead and post your favorite Gregorian Calendar fact in the comments bellow.
Posted by Andrew at 09:16 AM | Comments (0)
November 16, 2007
The estate tax
Warren Buffet, who is worth many billions of dollars, is calling on Congress to keep the death tax in place, because repealing it would benefit rich people and widen the widen the income disparity, as though there's something wrong with benefiting rich people and widening the income disparity.This isn't satire.
The death tax doesn't benefit rich people. After all, the rich people who have to pay the death tax are already dead. The death tax affects those who would inherit estates or portions of estates -- wealth that has already been taxed at least one time.(from)
The death tax affects people who inherit more than 2 million a year-- how much more depends on the exact year they die. So: If I inherit 2million dollars, I become... rich. Therefore the estate tax only effects the... rich. This isn't complicated.
If you think Paris Hilton (or the Gates' kids, for that matter) have some sort of moral right to being given money they didn't earn, by all means speak up. Me? I think inherited riches are destructive to democratic society.
Posted by Andrew at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2007
Race against Music
Not much to add here; I don't really listen to much radio. Still, food for thought...
Alternative-Rock Radio's Race Problem | The A.V. Club
Posted by Andrew at 01:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 30, 2006
Time is the fire in which we burn
Would the United States be better off with only one time zone? - By Tim Harford - Slate Magazine
My annual inner monologue suggests two reasons to get up in the morning and go to bed at night: first, to enjoy the sunshine, and second, because that is what everybody else does. But what if the two imperatives collide? What matters more, waking up at the same time as everyone else or waking up with the sun?
Just a simple exploration of an interesting subject...
Posted by Andrew at 08:36 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 30, 2006
Me-Sa going home!*
I got the job in SF. Not politics, but it is money. My exile seems to be about to come to an end...
*this is a Jar-Jar Binks, reference, if it’s not clear...
** Yes, I'm still on vacation...
Posted by Andrew at 03:16 AM | Comments (3)
July 28, 2006
What I'm reading
Ok, folks, I’m on vacation, and not posting anything. That doesn’t mean that I’m not posting, though. If I find anything worth your reading, I’ll add it to the list below. Check back often...
Posted by Andrew at 09:10 AM | Comments (3)
July 17, 2006
Want
Just so you know, Dad, this would let the family stay in touch as we exile ourselves all over the country. Just sayin'...
Posted by Andrew at 12:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 14, 2006
Capitalism without money
You may have heard of This guy, who, through a series of trades, turned a giant red paper clip into a brand new house. My friend afaeyremaede says that she still think[s] it's interesting how this goes against the capitalist model. Usually, we want something better for less, not something "worse" for more....
What she doesn’t seem to see is that this is exactly what capitalism is all about. Each person in the system freely (if it’s not “freely”, it’s not capitalism) exchanges something they feel to be of lesser value for something they feel to be of greater value. For instance: I exchange 8 hours of my day for the money with which to survive the other 16...
To look at it slightly differently: I was once musing about Ebay with a stock-owning friend. I asked what was stopping Ebay from selling stock. She replied that Ebay was an auction site, whereas stock prices were... well, stock prices. I just looked at her blankly “who do you think set’s stock prices?” She replied (very hesitantly) “Alan Greenspan?” I tried not to gape. I also tried not to make a single comment about the value of inheritance taxes...
Afaeyremaede is exhibiting a similar—but much more understandable—misunderstanding. The entire economy is one giant auction. Every transaction is a bid on the value of an item. Since prices in the Western Economies tend to be “set” by stores, this process is usually unscrutinized. Most bookstores have a “former best sellers” section, in which books that used to go for US$30 are now going for US$5. Does this “go against the capitalist model”? No! it is rather the very workings of capitalism: the buyer was unwilling to buy at US$30, but is totally willing to buy at a much lower price. Other buyers knew that if they could just wait the price would be lower. To them, however, having the book now was worth an extra US$25...
This is what capitalism is all about. Parties trading for things that are worth less to them for things that are worth more. The aggregate of these trades create what we call “market value”, but market value is not an objective measure of “true value”. It is merely the summation of many people’s subjective valuations...
If I’ve explained this point poorly take a read at Naked Economics. It’s a wonderful book about the (second) most important subject there is...
Posted by Andrew at 12:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 13, 2006
demon duck of doom
'Ferocious fossils' found in Australia - Yahoo! News
Nature is weird.
A saber-toothed kangaroo and a giant 10-foot-tall, 881-pound bird scientists nicknamed the "demon duck of doom" were among the largely unknown species uncovered in the dig, Archer told reporters Wednesday.
Calling Monty Python...
(Via afaeyremaede)
Posted by Andrew at 11:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 11, 2006
Random news:
New speakers + Wynton Marsalis = hot jazzy time...
Also: I have an interview today. And possibly one on Monday. Wish luck...
Posted by Andrew at 01:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 05, 2006
submitted without comment
Well, mayhap a whimper of homesickness...
Posted by Andrew at 01:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 28, 2006
Duck!
capshunika 's FotoPage - Fotopages.com
Posted by Andrew at 12:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 20, 2006
Cleaning out the inbox:
Just some articles I’ve been holding to comment on:
A small victory in the culture wars. The good guys won here! The Episcopalian church has decided that women, too, are human beings. As human beings they are capable of offering moral instruction and being good leaders. If I were Christian, I’d look long and hard a the Episcopalian church; they seem to have a better understanding of the universe than most churches. Of course, since they only admit to one deity that grasp is perforce kind of shaky (This is humor, for the irony impaired)
Even in games, episodes are better. Though I’m not sure how much more actually gameplay time you get. I guess time will tell...
Bubble wrap! click and find out...
This article qualified for me what it is I miss about my most recent EX. And, of course, since the qualities he names are not exclusive to her—but rather are general trademarks of a relationship—I don’t have to miss her...
Games are not sexy. This penetrating article explores why that might be. Sorry about the juvenile penetration joke...
This article is stupid on so many levels. See, games can be addictive, sure. But not the way drugs and alcohol are. More like the way food is. Humans play games. All higher-level animals play games. It’s actually a sign of higher brain functions. It’s possible to use games to compensate for some other, missing, function. The problem is not then with the game but rather with the player. The same way food or sex addition is...
Quick! Name all the Demons!
Are graphing calculators necessary? A friend of mine saysno...
And now my links bar is clear of all things I’ve wanted to bring to your attention. Until I wake up tomorrow, anyway...
Posted by Andrew at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2006
Be excellent to each other
(Stolen from Castewar)
Posted by Andrew at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)
April 02, 2006
I’d always kinda wondered about that.
Still Evolving, Human Genes Tell New Story - New York Times
Humanity’s adaptations seem to be more social than physical—creating new social patterns and technologies seems much quicker than letting evolution do the job. Yet is seems we humans are still evolving. It would seem that certain pressures just don’t go away without biological help. I would guess that we’d see a huge period of evolution were we ever to stick people on other planets, but that’s an experiment for another day...
Posted by Andrew at 02:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Who, me?
Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating. My profile name: AndrewCory |
Posted by Andrew at 12:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 26, 2006
Never mind the soul, treat the body.
The worst part about this story? the hospitals have probably been making the correct decision...
Think about it this way: Hospital beds cost a lot of money to run. Having them used for someone who is healthy is an almost criminal misuse of resources that could be used to help the sick and injured. The problem is not that the homeless are being “dumped” downtown, but that the city, or county, or state, or someone-- that society isn’t setting aside enough resources to help those so powerless that even their cloths can be taken from them...
The problem here is not the hospitals. The problem is that we have left the hospitals no choice but to do what they’re doing. If we don’t like the results, we should work on the underlying problem...
Posted by Andrew at 11:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 18, 2006
This must have been designed by a man.
What woman wants to squat directly onto a toilet where a man has pissed on the lip? Alternately, what woman wants to hover over a toilet just in case? And what kind of form-over-function moron doesn’t take this into account when designing the thing?!?!
Posted by Andrew at 11:02 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 16, 2006
What "race" am I?
How African Are You? - What genealogical testing can't tell you. By John Hawks
From a practical point of view, that is the biggest problem with today's genetic genealogy tests. In many cases, they can't tell you what you don't already know. And unlike DNA fingerprinting tests with error rates of one in a billion or less, the chance of misidentifying ancestral groups in these genealogy tests may be 5 percent or higher. With this chance of error, the test won't be wrong about a full Native-American grandparent, but it might be wrong about a great-great grandparent. In addition, SNPs that separate central Africans from northern Europeans aren't nearly as good at separating Ethiopians from Arabs. So, in the test results of some African-Americans, European means Europe, while in others, it may mean East African, or Arab, or Indian.
This is because of all that pesky inter-breeding humanity has one. See, boy and girl meet, then fuck like bunnies humans. Then have kids. “Races” don’t stay “pure”, we intermingle and produce new groups...
A deeper problem with admixture testing is its claim to identify the "ancestral components" of different populations. For example, admixture testing considers people from India to be a mixture of "Indo-European" and "East Asian" ancestors. And indeed, Indians have some alleles otherwise common in Europe, and some otherwise common in China. But Indian populations have been on their subcontinent for tens of thousands of years, and they have many alleles that don't come from anywhere else. Anthropologists studying genetic variation have always found complexity rather than simple one-plus-one racial mixtures.
So, as science tells us, “race” means almost nothing. Ancestors are from all over, save that humanity started out in Africa. Human beings have not speciated even to the same extent as dogs. Which is a good thing...
Posted by Andrew at 07:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 12, 2006
Now they’re just randomly shooting people!
CNN.com - Cheney accidentally shoots fellow hunter - Feb 12, 2006
Isn’t this the stuff we’ve been half-joking about for a long time? What sort of punishment will Cheney face, do you think?
Posted by Andrew at 01:25 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 05, 2006
Japanese Zombies?
Man-made blood won't carry bacteria, viruses
Posted by Andrew at 06:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 27, 2006
Risk architecture
A recent study tells us that men who do well on a short quiz tend to enjoy risk more than others. On the other wrist, women who do well tend to enjoy risk less. So, how’d you do?
1) A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?2) If it takes five machines five minutes to make five widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
3) In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half the lake?
The test measures not just the ability to solve math problems but the willingness to reflect on and check your answers. (Scores have a 0.44 correlation with math SAT scores, where 1.00 would be exact.) The questions all have intuitive answers — wrong ones.
As it happens, I got all 3 correct. And my taste for risk is low...
(Full article and answers at the NY Times)
Posted by Andrew at 11:10 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 10, 2006
Great myths of science!
LiveScience.com: The Most Popular Myths in Science Results
Posted by Andrew at 10:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 08, 2006
American Hero: Dead at 62
Hugh Thompson, 62, Who Saved Civilians at My Lai, Dies - New York Times
Once upon a time some Americans were involved in a very bad thing. We’d sent some of our sons (and daughters) over to a country called Vietnam. Now, this wasn’t bad in and of itself. But during this war some of our soldiers started slaughtering the very civilians they were there to protect. Well, one young man came in the middle of all this. He turned his guns on his own countrymen and placed his life between civilians and “war’s desolation”* He showed outstanding physical and moral courage and deserves remembrance in America’s Pantheon on Heroes. Requiescat in Pace
* This is a line from our National Anthem. The 2nd and 3rd stanzas really are something Americans ought be more familiar with...
Posted by Andrew at 10:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 29, 2005
That’s the way the pastry crumbles...
Posted by Andrew at 06:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 28, 2005
Experimental Cooking
So, as I rebuild my kitchen, I’ve decided to pick up one new spice every time I hit the grocery store. This time I got some paprika. So, um, what exactly does Paprika do?
Posted by Andrew at 05:23 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
December 24, 2005
Brief holiday thought:
Not infrequently at work I am wished, or wish, a merry Christmas. Now, Christmas isn’t a holy day to me, but it certainly is a holiday. And, all things considered I’d rather have a merry one than not. In that spirit, I will sometimes tell my customers that I wish for them to have a happy Chanukah. Because 1 Merry day followed by 7 happy ones (Chanukah and Christmas overlap this year) sounds like a damned good week to me. And since the whole thing drops off in time for New Years—like I said, a good week...
What’s odd is the reaction I get. Everyone assumes that I am being “PC”. Sample Dialogue.
Me: “Merry Christmas. And, even if you don’t celebrate it: Happy Chanukah”
Customer: (Bemused smile and wry grin) “yes, same to you. We wouldn’t want to be unPC”.
Um? I don’t think I’ve offended anyone. But I find it rather strange that they’re not just accepting that they can have a happy 7 day period which happens to fall on someone else’s holy days. I mean, I do it every year on 25 December, and whenever Easter falls*. And since the actual date of Christmas is arbitrary, there isn’t any special attachment to the date itself. Millions of Orthodox Christians celebrate it on 7 January and don’t have any problems...
Well, whatever. May your next year be a happy one. Even the days that are holy to someone who is not you...
*The first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equino. Yup. Not Pagan there. No Ma'am!
Posted by Andrew at 08:59 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 22, 2005
Solstice
Earth is tilted in such a way that between the Gregorian dates of 21 and 22 December, the Northern Hemisphere experiences more hours of night than at any other period. All of which is very scientific, and has almost nothing to do with the screaming willies a seemingly endless nighttime brings to the human nervous system. Looking into the night is as close as we are going to come to looking into entropy itself. On a solstice eve, in the northern hemisphere, we can be forgiven if it seems the hour of the wolf has turned into an age...
It is not a surprise then, that holy days celebrated in December feature candles. Candles are some small way we humans have of holding back the darkness; of using our innate humanity to create spaces for ourselves to live and thrive. It may well be impossible to defeat entropy, but we will certainly try...
And that is why to us Pagans this night is different from all other nights. It is at this moment when the night is at its most dark that we must celebrate our very lives. When life itself is at its lowest ebb, we step forward and cast a small flame against the dark; in celebrating we become a small flame against the dark. Else all will be consumed...
Posted by Andrew at 12:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 04, 2005
Ready! Aim! Fire!
I can't wait to work in a cubicle...
Posted by Andrew at 03:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 16, 2005
Silly quiz thing
Handholder
You go out of your way to build bridges with people of different views and beliefs and have quite a few religious friends. You believe in the essential goodness of people , which means you’re always looking for common ground even if that entails compromises. You would defend Salman Rushdie’s right to criticise Islam but you’re sorry he attacked it so viciously, just as you feel uncomfortable with some of the more outspoken and unkind views of religion in the pages of this magazine.
You prefer the inclusive approach of writers like Zadie Smith or the radical Christian values of Edward Said. Don’t fall into the same trap as super–naïve Lib Dem MP Jenny Tonge who declared it was okay for clerics like Yusuf al–Qaradawi to justify their monstrous prejudices as a legitimate interpretation of the Koran: a perfect example of how the will to understand can mean the sacrifice of fundamental principles. Sometimes, you just have to hold out for what you know is right even if it hurts someone’s feelings.
What kind of humanist are you? Click here to find out.
Posted by Andrew at 01:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 05, 2005
Citizenship test
| You Passed the US Citizenship Test |
 |
Posted by Andrew at 07:04 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 31, 2005
Sometimes we get bored at work
Since we’re literary types, we get a bit more creative...
Apparently there is some confusion on why this is funny. If you are not getting it, click here to clear things up...
Posted by Andrew at 08:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 28, 2005
Don't click
Posted by Andrew at 05:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 08, 2005
New Camera phone + cats=
Saturday Cat Blogging!
Here are our cats Pixel (the closest) and Janus (far). Janus is fairly new to our household, and given that he likes to lounge around in doorways, I though the name was appropriate. The GirlFriend doesn’t agree, preferring either Zen or Laysabout. What do you guys think?
Here we see Janus gearing up to fight for Truth, Justice, and the American way! Actually, he’s just about to wander in front of my monitor...
And finally, we have Purrbox, sitting on top of my monitor. Purrbox is a kitten that we’re fostering. He’s not very bright, but loves to be cuddled. If you live in near Sacramento and are looking to love a cat, drop me a line and we’ll work something out...
Posted by Andrew at 02:51 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 10, 2005
How much steel would a claymore weigh if a claymore could weigh more?
Blah. Sorry about that title. Anyway, how much do you think a Medieval sword weighed? 15lbs? 10lbs?
I was suprized to learn that “the average weight of swords from the 10th to the 15th centuries was 1.3 kg [...]”
There’s more...
Posted by Andrew at 03:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 03, 2005
RIP Rehnquist
HoustonChronicle.com - Chief Justice William Rehnquist dies at 80
Posted by Andrew at 11:07 PM | TrackBack
September 02, 2005
Being Poor
Being poor is believing a GED actually makes a goddamned difference.
Being poor is people angry at you just for walking around in the mall.
Being poor is not taking the job because you can't find someone you trust to watch your kids.
Being poor is the police busting into the apartment right next to yours.
Being poor is not talking to that girl because she'll probably just laugh at your clothes.
There's more...
As it happens, I’ve never been poor. I’ve been am sans cash. But when my car breaks down, I know where I can turn to for an interest-free loan...
This last week, our nation has witnessed the effects of poverty. In New Orleans, the dead, dying and defenseless were those who simply didn’t have enough money to get the fuck out of the way of an oncoming hurricane. It stands as of a judgment against our nation that one would need money to do this, that it takes a US$3,700 limo ride to avoid a natural disaster, that even greyhound was closed. Why is our nation not doing more to prevent the sort of day-to-day squalor that condemned an entire city? What can I, and you, do to alleviate this? I refuse to believe the modern mantra "nothing"...
Posted by Andrew at 10:20 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 09, 2005
Unitarian Jihad!
My Unitarian
Jihad Name is: Sister/Brother Pepper Spray of Looking at All Sides of the Question.
Posted by Andrew at 01:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 19, 2005
Boom!
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Huge 'star-quake' rocks Milky Way
The flash of radiation on 27 December was so powerful that it bounced off the Moon and lit up the Earth's atmosphere. [...]"Had this happened within 10 light-years of us, it would have severely damaged our atmosphere and would possibly have triggered a mass extinction," said Dr Bryan Gaensler, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who is the lead author on one of the forthcoming Nature papers.
Posted by Andrew at 02:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 14, 2005
HIV/AIDS
Dean's World: FALSIFYING THE UNFALSIFIABLE HYPOTHESIS
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proofs, so I'd like to see a bit more proof regarding this claim. However, those graphs look damning. If there is anyone out there who didn't fail stats who wants to take a look at the numbers and let me know what they think, please feel free...
Posted by Andrew at 09:09 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 12, 2005
Dino hunters!
Wired News: Ancient Mammal Dined on Dinosaur
Posted by Andrew at 11:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 11, 2005
Nerd Score!
Posted by Andrew at 12:42 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 06, 2005
Free shipping
Free Shipping From Fed Ex To Help Tsunami Stricken Areas!
Well, what are you waiting for? Go help out!
Posted by Andrew at 09:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 24, 2004
Spider man! Spider man! No one does it like...
Yahoo! News - Israeli scientists spin first artificial spider's web
Posted by Andrew at 06:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 09, 2004
Wet Mars?
Article: Water coursed through Martian hills | New Scientist
Posted by Andrew at 07:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 06, 2004
Good and Evil
In the beginning God covered the earth with broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach, green, yellow, and red vegetables of all kinds; so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
Then using God's bountiful gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's and Krispy Kreme. And Satan said, "You want hot fudge with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "I'll have another with sprinkles." And lo and behold they gained 10 pounds.
And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that man found so fair.
And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane, and combined them. And Woman went from size 2 to size 10.
So God said, "Try my fresh green salad."
And Satan presented crumbled Bleu Cheese dressing and garlic toast on the side And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following there past.
God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them."
And Satan brought forth deep fried coconut shrimp, butter dipped lobster chunks and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man's cholesterol went through the roof.
God then brought forth running shoes so that his Children might lose those extra pounds.
And Satan came forth with a cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And man and woman laughed and cried before the flickering light and started wearing stretch jogging suits.
Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with potassium and good nutrition.
Then Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them in animal fats and added copious quantities of salt And Man put on more pounds.
God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite.
And Satan created McDonald's and the 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then Lucifer said, "You want fries with that?" and Man replied, "Yes! And super size' em!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.
God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.
And Satan created HMOs.
Posted by Andrew at 11:06 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 03, 2004
Is this why Republicans oppose universal health-care?
Top News Article | Reuters.com
Get well soon, Bill...
Posted by Andrew at 10:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 21, 2004
Chuckle, Snerk
CollegeHumor.com : New Funny Pictures, Funny Movies, and Funny Hotlinks Daily!
Posted by Andrew at 01:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 10, 2004
Bad Ass!
Scientists formulate intelligent glass that blocks heat not light
I wonder how much it will cost?
Posted by Andrew at 06:41 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 09, 2004
Thank you President Truman
See, back about 60 years ago, my Grandfather was a soldier. He was slated to be among the first men to invade Japan. Instead, Truman decided to drop the second bomb, thus sparing my Grandfathers life...
Posted by Andrew at 01:39 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
July 20, 2004
And who can blame him, really?
The Onion | White House Declares War On DSL Provider
Posted by Andrew at 11:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 23, 2004
Neat Trick.
Wired News: Nano Killers Aim at Mini Tumors
I hope it works...
Posted by Andrew at 12:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 22, 2004
Yet more pirate fun
You are The Cap'n!
Some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any man that stands between them and the mantle of power. You never met a man you couldn't eviscerate. Not that mindless violence is the only avenue open to you - but why take an avenue when you have complete freeway access? You are the definitive Man of Action. You are James Bond in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. Your swash was buckled long ago and you have never been so sure of anything in your life as in your ability to bend everyone to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off their head if they show any sign of taking you on or backing down. You cannot be saddled with tedious underlings, but if one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones' locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.
What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!
Posted by Andrew at 11:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Game time:
So, when you study Game Theory, there are a number of different games that are learned early as standard Reference works. Prisoner's Dilemma is probably the most famous...
Prisoner's Dilemma is a game in which two players following rational strategy end up worse off than if they both had perused another course. It's basically the short, mathematical version of Hobbes's work...
There is another game, called the Pirate Game. The Pirate game involves 5 pirates trying to split up booty. I'd always seen it referred to in passing, with the solution given as a "Refresher" as the author went on to explain some other point. I sat down recently and figured it out. Below, I'll state the problem and give 25 points to anyone who comes up with the solution. You're on your honor that you haven't figured it out before...
There are 5 pirates, 1,2,3,4, and 5. They have just plundered a ship, and have 100 gold pieces to split between them. These pirates are democratic, so they get to vote on how the loot is split. However, pirate 1 is the captain, and as such he gets first say on how the division goes. Then everyone (including him) gets to vote on it. If there is a tie, he decides the tie. If he loses the vote, they shoot him and Pirate 2 gets to try, with the same rules. The pirates get to propose in sequential order until there is no one left. Assume the Pirates are Perfectly Rational Beings...
How much loot does Pirate 1 end up with?
Posted by Andrew at 01:48 AM | Comments (20) | TrackBack
June 21, 2004
Oh gods be good...
You really just need to look at it...
Posted by Andrew at 02:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 01, 2004
Hmmm. Private "Contractors" are committing atrocities. Shocking.
Americans follow Saddam"s traditions of torturing prisoners
Currently the name of only one torturer is known - sergeant Chip Frederic who had worked as a prison warder back in the USA and came to Iraq on a contract basis. He tried to find excuses for his conduct, but they did not sound convincing enough,"I was a good prison warder, and later was trusted with conducting interrogations. The criminals quickly admitted their guilt to us - in several hours".
Perhaps the worst bit of news is that apparently this guy runs prisons back here. I really have to wonder if perhaps things like this are happening under his authority here as well...
The sergeant and his fellow-warders claim that they had no idea of the Geneva Convention.So, they'd let the Geneva convention stop them, but only in places where it is in effect. Since said convention isn't in the US, I have to wonder about how well this guy protects his prisoners at home...
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March 22, 2004
Bitchen!
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January 14, 2004
Nice work sir!
Random Jottings: January 2004 Archives
Well, go check it out...
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January 08, 2004
This is not a Drill!
It's a web site.
Sheesh. Don't you people know what the right tool for the right job means?
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December 27, 2003
Mourning
deseretnews.com | Quake toll in Iran tops 20,000
I don't even have the words. How do I help the survivors?
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November 19, 2003
Scam!
So, I just got a call. The voice was pleasant enough. A sort of Indian with a nice English overlay. And female, which never hurts. The voice informed me that she had just sent
me an invitation to some resort (no, not like that. All business!). And as part of it, they entered me into a drawing for a Cadillac...
Of course, I knew that this was fishy. I thought it was just a telemarketer, though. the accent was a tip off; lots of call centers in India these days. Without taking much of a breath, the pleasant voice asked me if I would please update my information...
Warning!
Warning!
Warning!
The trick here is to not say "yes". Or even grunt in a way that indicates any sort of agreement. If you do, they can splice the sound together and bill you for whatever they are "selling". Sure, it can be fought. But it is a pain in the posterior.
"no" *click* Not even a chance at me. Go find some other victim...
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October 30, 2003
Whether, or not...
Weather.com says that it should be 57 degrees f. Seeing this, I tossed on a heavy coat (other places in the world may think of 57f. as balmy, but this is California). Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be closer to 75...
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October 14, 2003
God Speed Yang Liwei
China launches first astronaut into space
You make me proud to be human!
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September 14, 2003
My Inner Child...
My inner child is ten years old!
The adult world is pretty irrelevant to me. Whether
I'm off on my bicycle (or pony) exploring, lost
in a good book, or giggling with my best
friend, I live in a world apart, one full of
adventure and wonder and other stuff adults
don't understand.
How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla
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September 10, 2003
Hair
Hey ladies.
Headaches? Have more hair than even Sampson would know what to do with? Have you thought about donating it? Somewhere there is a kid who has cancer. Your hair could be the difference between that kid being bald and not...
Posted by Andrew at 09:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 02, 2003
Quitters
I've noticed that quitting while I am ahead is far easier than quitting when I am behind. Indeed, being ahead just makes me wish to bring the conclusion that much sooner, whereas quitting when I am behind is impossible: I'm behind!
Where did that phrase come from, anyway?
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August 24, 2003
Language
Redwood Dragon: August 10, 2003 - August 16, 2003 Archives
(thanks Mr. Weidner!)
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August 23, 2003
France
Lack of Air-Conditioning Cited in France's Death Toll
I can't even joke about this. This is just sad. In ever sense of that word...
(thanks to BTW
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August 14, 2003
Blame it on Davis!
California governor Davis is being blamed for this too...
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August 06, 2003
War and Remembrance
My Grandfather reportedly missed the two greatest invasions of all time- D-Day and the Invasion of Japan...
There is a rather amusing story about him breaking a foot on leave and waiting in the Dr.'s office so long that his leave actually expired. When he was finally admitted, they wouldn't take him; his leave had expired and he was now AWOL. I don't know if the story is true or not, or if my memory of it is true, but it's too good not to be, even if it isn't...
A story that I know to be true is the one about how he missed the invasion of Japan. See, My Grandfather was in the First Cavalry. After the meeting in which the plan was discussed with those who would have to carry it out (or at least their officers), Volunteers were asked for. The CO of 1st Cav. Stood up and said "General, the First is First!" and, so, saying committed his men to almost certain death. My grandfather reports that upon the CO informing his men of this, "a collective groan arose from the men"...
Anyway, today is the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. The bomb was dropped to save the life of my Grandfather, tens of thousands like him, and hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens and soldiers. Today, neither nation is the burned out wreck it still would be if America had invaded. I can't help but think that avoiding this is a good thing...
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July 24, 2003
Ding dong the witch is dead!
I didn't mention it before. Saddam's sons are dead. This is an unmitigated good. Hell, it is a large part of the reason I was willing to send my friends over there in the first place. I don't say this often, so GO BUSH!
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July 22, 2003
Word about my sponsor...
I work for a book store, Barns and Noble, specifically. And, yes, given the option, I buck internet tradition and link to them rather than Amazon. The reason is simple: I link to the company which pays my salary...
No, Barns and Noble does not pay me for any of the materials which are purchased off a link from my site, they most likely have not connected my site to their employee. Hell, all things considered I most likely don't want my corporate office to take notice of me. For that matter, I should state that nothing I write is in any way connected to my employer. I speak only for me...
And yet I have some very nice things to say about them. I just took a vacation. Paid. My company chooses to pay me (a part timer who works only about 25 30 hours a week) for vacation time, as well as provide me with a generous insurance package...
If this sounds like a social good, all things being equal, stop by a Barns and Noble to buy books. But don't tell 'em I sent you...
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Back from Vacation. And help is needed...
Well, I am back from vacation. I'll write about it in a bit. First, a friend of mine sent me this E-mail:
On Nov 2nd I'm participating in the 10th annual San Diego Triathlon Challenge. This half-ironman is a special event like no other I've done before and I need your help to make it successful. This event is a fundraiser for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. A 501c3 non profit organization that provides grants to athletes with a physical disability.When I arrive on race day, I'll bring my wet suit, my bike and my running shoes. Many of the athletes I will participate along side will swim in the same water with no limbs others will use handcycles to get through the hilly southern California coast line and many will use artificial limbs to run the 13.1 miles. We will all go through the same difficult course together but the challenge these athletes endure everyday is not one related to their disability but to funding.
It costs a lot of money for these artificial limbs that help them run. It takes special training for a person with no limbs to swim 1.2 miles. It costs about $1,500 to purchase a handcycle to carry them through the hills. My goal is to raise $1000.00 to help support these athletes in their mission to overcome their obstacles. I am asking you to partner with me today and make a donation through my web site link below. You can be a part of this special experience and make a dream come true.
Thank you for your support,
James Donohoe
By clicking here, you can donate. What are you waiting for?
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July 15, 2003
Just can't win
So, I have a new E-Mail address through school. This is my first sign that I am in the big leagues, for some reason JCs just don't give E-Mail Addys to everyone. There were some annoying and arbitrary restrictions on passwords. It was as though they took every "good idea" password protection scheme (a mix of upper and lower case, for instance) and made it law. Well, I am a big boy, I can deal. Though the guy behind the counter telling me "this is fairly standard" was either lying or cloistered; my bank doesn't recommend the sorts of security my school requires for its E-mail. But ok, I got a password set up and running...
I get home and try to set it up on a POP3 account. Doesn't work.
I try something else.
Doesn't work.
I called up tech support, spoke to that same guy (they must only have 1 or 2 over summer) and he put me strait. The problem resided in the SMTP configuration. They did warn me that the one they were giving me might not be the one that was actually used, but they didn't give me a clue as to what the actual settings might be. It turns out that this is a fairly common problem for them, though. Why it wasn't on the FAQ, I'll never know...
So, I make a simple rule in my mail program about sending any E-mail to that account to a certain folder. Yesterday, my first real mail came to that address...
But didn't rout to that folder...
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July 08, 2003
Wrong, wrong, wrong...
The Onion | Giant Girl Forces Playthings Cheney And Rumsfeld To Wed
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July 04, 2003
I just can't help myself...
To the (slightly out of) tune of Rudolf the red-nosed Reindeer
You know Jefferson
And Adams
And Lincoln
And Van Buren
You know Roosevelt
And FDR
And Not many Others.
But do you recall the most famous President of all?
George the blue-coated Washington
Had a very blue coat
And if you ever saw it (saw it)
You would even say: That's warm! (like Florida!)
All of the other founding fathers (fathers!)
Used to laugh and call him names (like depressing!)
They wouldn't let poor Washington
Join in any founding father games (like signing declarations!)
Then one foggy Christmas eve
The Hessians came to say:
"George with your coat-so bright
You have made us flee tonight!"
Then all the other Founding Fathers
Laughed and shouted out with glee:
"George the blue-coat Washington,
You'll go down in history" (like Franklin!)
[Fins]
I am so very, very sorry...
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July 01, 2003
Eh, Canada!
Oh, hell! I had forgotten about Canada Day!
Let me give a personal thank you to Canada, the only country in the world that was willing to take my family in during the war. No, not a recent war; the War. World War II...
You see, during Hitler's rise to power, My Great Grand Dad saw the writing on the wall. Knowing that the worst was coming, My G-GD took what he could and headed back to his old estates in Russia. This was a bad move; the communists had won that little scuffle, were still in power, and not fond of the capitalists who had moved in. So they went shopping for a new home. America turned them down. England turned them down. Canada, though, Canada said yes...
Eventually my grandmother (who was alive and accounted for during these moves) illegally immigrated to the United States. I still have family in Canada, and will remain eternally grateful to Great Frozen North...
As for my Grandmother, the lesson is: Don't smoke. She lived under both Hitler and Stalin, but it was the Lung Cancer that got her...
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