As reported here, authorities in Sydney claim that by having the “blacklist” leaked, it will ‘”the concerned parent’s worst nightmare” as curious children would inevitably seek it out.’. Oh come on! Kids can find anything they want anyways. I certainly could when I was younger – and it didn’t require the internet. Encyclopedias, libraries, talking [...]
Category Archives: commentary
guess it’s good this server is in the united states
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Because this link to wikileaks would be illegal in Australia. That’s right – if you operate a website in Australia, just linking to a banned site will cost you $11k per day. So. Mr Australia government guy… you’re banning domains? What happens when folks copy data from places like http://wikileaks.org to their own sites? Or [...]
jim hansen – climatologist
Friday, February 20, 2009
A friend pointed-out Jim Hansen’s profile page on the NASA site: http://www.giss.nasa.gov/staff/jhansen.html. I find this quote amazing on his profile, “The hardest part is trying to influence the nature of the measurements obtained, so that the key information can be obtained.” He flat-out admits to manipulating data to better his study’s goal. I’ve seen brazen [...]
how is this racist?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Yes, I am aware of regional American history in which black people were sometimes referred-to as ‘porch monkeys’. But please tell me how this cartoon is racist? According to Roland Martin, it’s a racist attack on the president. “The cartoonist didn’t hang a sign around the neck of the chimp, so he left it up [...]
blacksburg is in the news too much
Sunday, January 25, 2009
I heard this morning of the murder that took place in Blacksburg VA this past week. There were several other people in the Virginia Tech cafe when this happened, and while they called 911, none tried to stop the attack. The opening scenes of Boondock Saints has the following excerpt of the priest’s homily: “And [...]
store brands are sometimes better
Thursday, January 22, 2009
I shop at various grocery stores, and the cashiers generally look at my purchases a little askance: clementines, milk, ice cream, pot pies, beer, Ensure – they seem to get confused when I checkout with my selections. I was raised with a thrifty mindset, but am not afraid to spend money for better quality. For [...]
eating at home has other benefits
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Not merely saving money, but it’s also healthier. I’ve been eating dominantly at home – either mine or friends’ places – and have noticed that not only is each meal less expensive, but I can eat better food, too. Don’t get me wrong, those McDonald’s breakfast burritos are awesome. They’re also 300 calories a pop [...]
eating at home
Thursday, January 15, 2009
After finding Mint yesterday, I was freshly reminded of how expensive it is to eat out. For example, the least expensive meal I know of when I go out for lunch that isn’t fast food (though Chik-Fil-A is darned tasty) is about $8 including a soda; $6 with water. However, a bowl of soup and [...]
al qaeda greets obama victory with an insult
Thursday, November 20, 2008
From http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/19/mideast/qaeda.php: “In Al Qaeda’s first response to the American election, Osama bin Laden’s top deputy condemned President-elect Barack Obama as a “house Negro” who will continue a campaign against Islam begun by President George W. Bush.” … “American officials dismissed the new video as spin control and a desperate tactic by a terror group that [...]
jersey city
This week I have the pleasure of working in Jersey City. No, that’s not sarcasm. Getting the PATH from my hotel in Manhattan to work is a cinch, and cheaper than taking the subway anywhere (fares on the subway are $2.25; the PATH is $1.75). It would’ve been nice to be at the hotel across [...]