Monthly Archives: June 2012

On a related note:

In no particular order:

The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years by Bernard Lewis. I’ve already started this, I just need to finish it.

The Mongoliad: Book One by EVERYONE, but mostly because Neal Stephenson.

Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal. Her first book Shades of Milk and Honey was a fun read, like the best Jane Austen fanfic you ever read, I expect this to be equally fun.

The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz.

The Wizard of Karres by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint and Dave Freer. Because Baen.

War Maid’s Choice: N/A (The Bahzell) by David Weber. When it comes out next month.

I have no problem with requiring Congress pay for the wars we choose to participate in up front.

The best Toto cover recorded in a pizza joint you will ever hear. I guarantee it.

IF scientists have found something significant, they won’t announce they’ve found the Higgs Boson, they’ll announce they’ve found some statistical thing that makes it likely and have to run more tests. Which I’m all for, but is way to math-like for me to be excited about.

The TSA: not a service.

The TSA should not be streamlined. Administrators should not “review screening procedures.” Screeners don’t need additional training. The TSA doesn’t need to be tweaked. It didn’t “go too far” in these specific instances. Its very existence goes too far. The TSA never should have been created in the first place, and it should be abolished now. Immediately. Without hesitation.

Boris speaks out about Greece. It’s better if you read it in his voice. I have no strong opinions about his conclusions, though, I only care about the Eurozone insofar as it is going to drag down my portfolio just as the stock market is (finally) making a recovery.

Canada has big plans for the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

It was a tie!

Everybody wants to cut the deficit, nobody wants to cut programs.

My solution: 10% cut across the board. Everything. Everyone. Defense, Medicare, Social Security, Unemployment, Education, DHS, FBI, all the Departments, if it’s federal, 10% percent budget cut. I don’t care what happens to the children, elderly or economy. Do eet. Go.

This is one of the things that amazes me most about the human body. Stupid cells, why duplicate yourself in an aged state instead of your pristine one?

You can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can judge a person by their shoes. Mine say, can’t be bothered to buy new ones.

Unfortunately, neutrinos don’t travel faster than light, but they might be transforming.

Israel wants more credit for Stuxnet. Which is weird. Shouldn’t they be happy to let the CIA take the credit? Isn’t that part of the whole “spy” thing, not telling others what you’re doing?

Sometimes doing nothing is the best option. Which isn’t to say there isn’t a better plan of action, just that I find it unlikely Congress will find the better plan.

The commencement address I would give, more or less, if I anyone asked and I could write well.

I would have to add Have I Got News For You, QI, Would I Lie To You and The Graham Norton Show, but yeah.

The FBI didn’t steal MegaUpload’s information from New Zealand police because — wait for it…. it’s digital and therefore not theft.

A gamechanging writer in science fiction. Not my favorite perhaps, but undeniably brilliant.

“If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business, because we’d be cynical. Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.” -Ray Bradbury

Lileks goes to town on the power hungry food police.

Being concerned about fat people like being concerned about Tibet; it requries nothing but expression of the proper sentiment, usually containing sadness for The Children, but also some righteous anger for Big Food, which has tricked everyone into eating more. The idea thatsome kids are fat because they have lousy parents doesn’t apply, because whoa whoa whoa now we’re blaming the victims, the people who for some mysterious reason can’t arrange a family meal and influence their progeny’s ingestion. For those people, obesity just happens, somehow.

Personally, I think the tide has turned, America is about as fat as it’s going to get and as a nation were on the way back to thin. Which will make the food police look like winners, but hey, way to identify the way the wind’s blowing.

If the mucky-mucks aren’t going to read what they are signing, which I have no problem believing, then there’s no point in having them sign them.

Figure out how far up the chain people actually care about what they are signing and stop the buck there. Granted this will mean some relatively low-level staffers have the actual responsibility, but surely the higher-ups would welcome the lack of blame that can be attached to them since they are clearly just figureheads.