Just in time for the Oscars, Debbie and I present the Third Annual Best and Worst Movies We Watched Last Year List! Herewith, the 2003 Awards go to...
Continue reading "The Third Annual Best and Worst Movies We Watched Last Year List!" »
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How rich bastards like me rip off taxpayers for millions of dollars
| Welfare |
Evidently, the Unabomber would have no trouble.
| Education | Hemingway | Shakespeare | Gertrude Stein | Unabomber |
The Wadministration would like you to now believe that their belief that Saddam Hussein possesed WMDs was based on faulty intelligence from the CIA. Read Soldier for the Truth, an interview with Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski, formerly of the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans. Then tell me if you believe that line.
| CIA | Military | Iraq | WMD | Neoconservatives |
I've been saying it for a while: gays are the new blacks. The subculture that defines America as its Other; the group that it's OK to laugh at a stereotype, or to hate with a wink, or to fear with fascination. And yet the group that we look to for an "authentic" culture. Today's metrosexual is the equivalent of the "wiggers," white suburban teens listening to angry hip-hop. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"? I can imagine the equivalent: "Black 'Tude for the White Dude," in which 5 African-Americans tutor a white guy on how to dress, what music to listen to, etc.
So here's my prediction:Bush's call for a constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage is election-year fright-mongering, Constitution-bashing, and discrimination at its worst. Why does he feel the need to throw red meat to the religious right? Are they going to vote for someone else? (TPM notes that even Tom Delay is backpedaling on this one.) Does he think this will win over undecided voters? This is wrong. This is madness. He wants to print a Bush-Cheney election poster, using the Constitution for paper.
Someday, we'll look back on this like we look back on anti-miscegenation laws.
Let me be clear: I think gay people should be able to get married. I think if San Francisco and Massachusetts want to recognize gay marriages, fine. The rest of California and the rest of the nation can consider those marriages null and void if they want to. What the hell do we need an amendment for?
But here's my worry: the reason this is coming now is because Kerry is in the lead. I think they'll try and link gay marriage in MA to Kerry (never mind that he's opposed to it, or that as a US Senator he's got nothing to do with what the state court rules.) They'll just keep repeating, "Gay Marriage, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Liberal, Kerry" until it sinks in. Willie Horton redux.
So, is this a reason to vote for Edwards on Tuesday?
| Race & Ethnicity | George W. Bush | Law | 2004 Election | Marriage | John Kerry | John Edwards |
The TSA can't even do a proper background check on one of its own employees. And these are the people who can put you on a no-fly list, forever, with no appeal.
| Security | TSA | Identity | Civil Liberties |
I first saw this phenomenal play in 1985; it seems even more telling in the post-9/11 era. See it.
Last week, Nat Hentoff (you know, the music critic?) wrote about the growing conservative-libertarian opposition to Ashcroft's agenda.
This on the heels of O'Reilly's apology for accepting President Bush's claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.: "I was wrong. I am not pleased about it at all and I think all Americans should be concerned about this."
And now Andrew Sullivan has declared: "The president launched a war today against the civil rights of gay citizens and their families. And just as importantly, he launched a war to defile the most sacred document in the land."
Is the big tent getting smaller?
| Civil Liberties | WMD | Bill O'Reilly | Andrew Sullivan | Gay Marriage |
Our own Matt F-B has an article in this week's Voice! Check out Cereal Killer, a review of Against The Grain by Richard Manning, which tells of the evils of corn, rice, and wheat. Go read the review, Matt describes it much better than I can. (Of course, he's getting paid to!)
Speaking of grains, Debbie and I have sworn off the carbs, at least for a couple of weeks. Yep, we're dieting. But no, it's not the dreaded Atkins / hunter-gatherer diet. Instead we're following the South Beach Diet. My stepmom and dad went on it, and I started reading the book when we were visiting them in DC. It makes a lot of sense, especially given what I've read about the evils of processed food. Basically, the point of the diet is to eat foods that turn into sugar more slowly. So far we're in Day 3. I'll let you know when I can fit into my old pants.
| Friends | Agriculture |
CBS's reality tv programmers now plan to rip the overalls off of Amish teens and push them into the Real World. I agree with the Republican Congress members that this is a tacky idea for a show, although I'm predicting that a few viewers will get religion after watching it and seeing the contrast between the kids' Amish home lives and their clumsy attempts at achieving decadence. (It's going to be set on the Sunset Strip.) Just please notice that the minority portrayal that most quickly gets the GOP out of their seats involves not black pimps, sleepy-eyed chicanos, etc., but pasty faces who don't even speak our language.
Pentagon continues some 'data mining'
| Surveillance Society | Security | Military | Civil Liberties |
| Virtual Reality |
Garry Trudeau is offering 10 grand to anyone who can prove GWB showed up for Guard duty in Alabama. Although there's a hitch, which kind of puts a damper on the glee of this project.
Thanks to SF Liberal for the link -- feel better, David!
| Vietnam | Military | National Guard |
"It is smaller than a dime, can think for itself and is part man, part machine.". A chip that can interact with brain cells. But can it be implanted in vampires to keep them from attacking humans? No word yet.
| Bionics | Buffy |
Ennis asked me to post up this table "proving" that Democratic Presidents are better for the U.S. economy than Republicans. On every metric -- GDP growth, unemployment, inflation, lower federal spending (!), national debt, stock market returns -- we have fared better under Democratic leaders than Republicans.
Here's the interesting question: which way does the causality run? The table links to this article by Carol Vinzant in Slate which looks at the performance of the stock market under various combinations of leadership in both Congress and the White House. But are we looking at:
Democratic leadership --> Liberal policies --> Better economy
Or are we looking at
Better economy --> Economic confidence of voters --> Willingness of voters to "spend" on liberal policies --> voting in of Democratic leaders
Well, what do y'all think?
| GOP |
Hey, this is pretty cool: Inkjet goes 3D.
Three-dimensional printers use high-intensity lasers to harden extremely thin layers of liquid plastic or melt and fuse metal or plastic powders to build up three-dimensional forms, and are used in industry for both rapid prototyping and manufacturing. Lasers are relatively expensive components, however.I love this stuff that sounds sci-fi but is actually going to happen. Like this, also from Technology Review: Electricity Teleportation DevisedResearchers from the University of Southern California have fashioned a printer that makes three-dimensional forms without the use of a laser.
Instead of using a laser beam to selectively melt material, the researchers' selective inhibition sintering method uses an inkjet nozzle to treat portions of a powder with an anti-sintering agent like saltwater so that it resists melting, then exposes the entire form to high-intensity heat.
Researchers from Leiden University in the Netherlands have devised a way to teleport electricity.Now if they could just come up with a way to teleport me. They're working on that, right?Teleportation is possible at the atomic scale, and was discovered a decade ago for photons in free space. The researchers' proposal works for electrons contained in conductors, and could eventually be used within computer circuits.
A major obstacle to quantum teleportation is that in a metal or semiconductor electrons exist in a crowd, dubbed the Fermi sea, making individual electrons difficult to isolate and manipulate.
When the two carriers of electrical current -- negatively charged electrons and positively charged holes -- meet, they cancel each other out. The researchers have postulated that an entangled electron, however, could continue its existence at a distant location.
Entangled electrons are connected in such a way that specific properties of the electrons remain synchronized regardless of the physical distance between them.
The method could eventually be used to instantly transport information between the quantum bits, or qubits, of a quantum computer if electrons could be transported over distances of around 100 microns. Quantum computers use the properties of particles like photons, electrons and atoms to compute and are theoretically very fast at certain large problems, including those that would render today's encryption-based security systems obsolete.
| Quantum Mechanics | Cryptography |
For some reason, the GOP thinks that my wife is a Republican. Not only a Republican, but someone who is likely to join the Bush-Cheney '04 Team as a Charter Member in New York. Debbie's rec'd two letters from Mark Racicot, the first with a personalized 5x7 picture of the President and the First Lady. The second included an 8x10, which is hanging proudly on our fridge as a shining example to our children.
As someone who writes fundraising letters, I read the Bush-Cheney letter with interest. The handling of the photo is especially well done, as they ask Debbie to "Send back the enclosed Receipt Confirmation Form to let me know that your photograph arrived in good condition and is suitable for framing and display. This may seem like a little thing, but it is very important to me personally to know that your support has been properly acknowledged." I'm going to have to use that one someday.
It's also interesting to see what they say about their opponents:
Continue reading "What They're Saying" » | 2004 Election |
More on Novak, Plame, and the CIA, from the American Prospect:
Two government officials have told the FBI that conservative columnist Robert Novak was asked specifically not to publish the name of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame in his now-famous July 14 newspaper column. The two officials told investigators they warned Novak that by naming Plame he might potentially jeopardize her ability to engage in covert work, stymie ongoing intelligence operations, and jeopardize sensitive overseas sources.These new accounts, provided by a current and former administration official close to the situation, directly contradict public statements made by Novak. He has downplayed his own knowledge about the potential harm to Plame and ongoing intelligence operations by making that disclosure. He has also claimed in various public statements that intelligence officials falsely led him to believe that Plame was only an analyst, and the only potential consequences of her exposure as a CIA officer would be that she might be inconvenienced in her foreign travels.
The two administration officials questioned by the FBI characterized Novak's statements as untrue and misleading, according to a government official and an attorney official familiar with the FBI interviews.
I'll repeat my advice to W: it's best to make good with the CIA, the agency in your government that knows how to overthrow governments.
| Valerie Plame | CIA |
There are times when I need to spend a few months with a good thousand-page book. My problem is that when I get within a hundred pages or so to the end of a book, I can't pace myself. I just finish it. With a long book the temptation's removed, and I can read it in small chunks. (Infinite Jest and Mason & Dixon got me through months of business school. [Has anyone else ever written that sentence?])
So since August I've been living in Gormenghast, or rather, I've been reading The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake. I found this book through this list of 20 Strange Books and was intrigued. It's hailed as an underappreciated fantasy classic that compares favorably to the Lord of the Rings; how could I not give it a try?
Continue reading "Gormenghast" » | Science Fiction | Tolkien | Mervyn Peake | The Curious Bookshelf |
Robot Stories, that is. Greg's movie opens tomorrow night at the Cinema Village East for a week long run! Go Greg!!! Go see this movie!
| Greg Pak | Friends |
So last night I slayed the beast -- a large, troublesome dragon whose spirit had, annoyingly to the local townspeople, animated the corpse of a barbarian king -- and thus ended playing "Icewind Dale," another D&D game for the PC. Icewind Dale was the third such game that I've played from the folks at Black Isle Studios, including Baldur's Gate and BG2: Shadows of Amn. The basic set-up of all three is the same: you control a party of adventurers, hacking and slashing and maging your way through quest after quest. They've done a great job at turning the D&D rules into a very playable computer game.
So how does ID stack up? The major difference is that in the two Baldur's Gate games, you created one character, and along the way decided which of the characters you met along the way would join your party. In ID, you create the entire party yourself, deciding on your balance of classes and skills. For a challenge, I decided to play ID with only 4 in my party, instead of the allowed 6. This meant that everyone had to be a fighter, instead of the usual let-your-spell-casters-hang-out-in-the-back tactic. So I had The Lady Drimmere (Paladin), Xo Shaku (fighter / thief), Jibril Kohar (fighter / cleric), and Edomas (fighter / mage). There's a lot of swarming enemies in ID, so having only 4 was a fun challenge (hint: summon lots of undead). Unlike BG2, you don't go up against a lot of powerful mages, so not being able to cast many spells in the midst of battle wasn't too much of a drawback.
In the end, though, I'd say that ID is a good D&D game -- but it's not quite as much fun as BG2. Although you could only create one character in BG2, the NPC (Non-Player Characters) who join your party are quite fun. They have personalities, arguments, there's even romance. (See this run-down of the characters). And BG2 feels like more of a complete world -- there are many more side quests (some of them errands, really), characters, politics, etc. You can choose who to take with you, what quests to take on, etc. (Although there is an overarching plot, because of course You Are Destined Etc.) ID, on the other hand, is pretty straightfoward -- Quest A leads to Quest B leads to Quest C. Fun along the way, but I can't see replaying it again.
So, what's to play next?
| D&D |
W3C Wraps Up Semantic Web Standards
| Semantic Web |
According to this AP story, a Yale scientist and her graduate minions are turning dozens of cute wittle Sony AIBO doggies in "street-smart, wily" packs of robots with upgraded brains, super-sensing noses and interactive butt cameras. They then sic these mechanical hordes onto waste sites, where the scientist claims they are scouting out radioactive particles for the good of humanity, but where we all know there are simply awaiting the genetic mutation that will allow them to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!
(um, assuming they had genes, that is...I wish someone could alert me to a technology that hybridizes robotics and genetics so that I can continue my paranoid trajectory...)
| Robots | World Domination | Toxic Chemicals | Yale |
"I'm a war president."
-George W. Bush on Meet the Press
Hey, he said it, not me.
| Interviews | Meet The Press | Tim Russert |
All of the Democratic contenders say they're for increased fuel efficiency. But among the three front runners they've got 11 cars and not a one of them gets over 30mpg.*
Plus, they're pretty damn boring cars to boot. Props to Dennis Kucinich for keeping it real in a Ford Focus and to the Reverend Al for styling in the back seat of a DeVille.
John Kerry
(2) Chrysler minivans (~16/23)
Chrysler PT Cruiser (21/29)
Chevrolet Suburban (14/28)
John Edwards
1998 Buick Park Avenue (19/28)
1994 GMC pickup (~18/22)
1998 Volvo S90K (18/25)
2001 Ford Expedition (14/18)
Howard Dean
(2) Ford Explorers (~15/19)
Chrysler minivan (~16/23)
Dennis Kucinich
Ford Focus (28/36)
The Rev. Al Sharpton
No driver's license
Chauffeur drives a 2001 Cadillac DeVille (17/27)
Wesley Clark
Didn't respond, but his son noted that they used to live in a trailer, so I'm thinking maybe a refurbbed and souped up 1985 'Vette (16/22).
*When they didn't give details as to model and year, I just picked the first one I saw on the fuel efficiency web site. I'm lazy that way. Sorry if it misrepresents anything.
| Fuel Efficiency | Energy | Democratic Primaries |
Transit Museum, 2004
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News outlets are reporting that Howard Dean has sent an e-mail to his "Dean-iacs" announcing that if he loses Wisconsin, he'll quit the race. The e-mail actually reads (in part), "The entire race has come down to this: we must win Wisconsin ... Anything less will put us out of this race." Whether that is a true "promise to quit" is quite debatable, and official Dean spokesman Jay Carson wouldn't clarify, saying "It's a moot point because we are going to win Wisconsin."
But it got me thinking. This could be your last chance to jump on the Howard Deal Blogwagon. Oh, everyone knows about The Official Howard Dean Weblog, but how many of you have taken the time to explore some of the featured sites that highlight his core constituencies?
It can be overwhelming, of course. First, there is the problem of duelling sites: Who speaks for the Mormons? Mormons for Dean? Mormons for Dean 2? Or the Mormons for Dean Blog? The Unemployed for Dean probably have some time on their hands to Blog, but should you follow Unemployed for Dean Org? Or Unemployed for Dean Com? (I would pick .org. The .com seems counter-intuitive for the out-of-work).
More problematic is trying to identify yourself. Are you best identified by your job? (If so, perhaps you should visit Graphic Designers for Dean, Pilots for Dean, or Petsitters for Dean). Your hobbies? (Drop by Cyclists for Dean, Deadheads for Dean, or maybe even Foodies for Dean). Your sexual identity? (try Gays for Dean, Dykes for Dean, or be inclusive and stick with Out For Dean).
There is no question the ladies have a better range of choices. There are Women For Dean and Women4Dean, but no Men For Dean. You can seek the advice of gentle Common Sense Mom or the more stern sounding Security Moms for Dean, but alas, the only male parent-figure willing to speak up is One Father For Dean (though there are also Two Uncles for Dean). And, what pining lass wouldn't stop by Crushies For Dean or Deanybopper at least once a day?
You can also go regional, though that can be confusing. Do you go statewide (California for Dean)? Or regional (Central Coast for Dean)? Do you go Collegiate (UC Berkeley for Dean)? Or Collegiate Team? (UCLA Bruins for Dean)? And who is supporting who? If you live in Taos, are you better off visiting New Mexico for Dean? Or Dean for New Mexico (and what exactly is New Mexico running for)?
I prefer obvious Dean sites (Dr. Dean the Fighting Machine, Howard Dean Goes to Washington, Dean Nation, etc.), but you can also go the subtle route, scanning completely non-intuitive pro-Dean sites like People Powered Graphics and Music For America (which covers "music and other social causes." Is music really a social cause? American Idol music, too?). My favorites? I like to visit the vaguely dirty-sounding ones like DeanPix, Nurses for Dean, or even Tabling for Dean.
The most obvious failing of the Dean site though? No link to Ishbadiddle.
Some candidates just don't get it.
| Howard Dean |
It's time for ashidome to wear comfortable shoes.. Our hearts and prayers are with you and your family, Liz.
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languagehat reports on the discovery of a unrecorded language in Siberia:
"We went looking for a language we weren't sure even existed," he says. "It had been misidentified and falsely lumped together with other languages in Russia for convenience and political reasons, and we didn't know if any speakers were left. No scientists had visited them in 30 years, and no one had ever recorded a single word of the language."In an almost completely unrelated note, yesterday I was delighted to realize that the book in Russian being read by the violin-toting straphanger next to me was in fact a translation of the Lord of the Rings. (Which, I would venture to guess, has not yet been translated into Chulym).
| Tolkien | Siberia |
Use this New York Times Link Generator to make links that won't expire into their paid archives. I'm pretty sure this link is thanks to Frank. Thanks, Frank!
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We all heard about the Ricin that was sent to Bill Frist. But did we ever hear about this earlier incident just last month?:
The FBI on Thursday offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to an arrest of anyone responsible for leaving a package containing the deadly poison ricin at a post office in October.A letter inside the package said the author could make much more ricin and will "start dumping" large quantities of the poison if new federal trucking rules went in effect, according to information released by the FBI and other federal agencies Thursday.
The rules, which require more rest hours for truck drivers, took effect Sunday.
The letter, signed "Fallen Angel," said the author was "a fleet owner of a tanker company."
Now imagine how we would have reacted if the same letter had used the slightest bit of Arabic or Islamic imagery? It would have been splashed all over the news, even though the threat associated with it would be the same. From a security perspective, that's dumb. But this is more about emotions than about security. The more we feel threatened by outsiders, the more we want to believe that "people who look like us" are safe.
| WMD | Al Qaeda | Vorks |
State Department bans Courier from documents. The font, that is, not actual couriers. I'm sure they still use those.
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Or, how does this rejection letter make you feel?
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| Doonesbury | 2004 Election | Comics |
I've been buying the Love and Rockets collection for some time now, and each volume gets better. Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez each have their own style, but they share a real love for their Dickensian breadth of characters. Duck Feet is more Gilbert-heavy, with the main story about a witch who curses the small town of Palomar; in The Death of Speedy, Maggie gets caught in a gang war. And she gains weight. Great stuff.