Monday, July 30, 2012
Doctor Says...
Via my mom, who says a doctor friend sent it to her:
When I was young my intent was to go to medical school. The entrance exam included several questions that would determine eligibility. One of the questions was “Rearrange the letters ‘P N E S I’ to spell out an important part of the human body that is more useful when erect.” Those of us who spelled ‘SPINE’ became doctors. The rest ended up in Congress...
Eyjafjallajökull...
Eyjafjallajökull is the Icelandic volcano that erupted in 2010, disrupting air traffic and spewing immense amounts of ash, carbon dioxide, and sulphuric acid into the atmosphere. The appearance of the eruption is magnificently captured in this photo – from APOD, of course.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Toyota Sequoia: 0, Grizzly Bear: 1...
Much more here and here...
How Many Guns in the United States?
This question came to me as I was pondering the consequences of a disarmed citizenry. It occurred to me that I had no idea how many people had how many guns. Most people I know here in the San Diego area do not own a gun, and probably wouldn't under just about any circumstance. It's far easier to get illicit drugs here than it is a concealed carry permit, so I know there aren't too many citizens packing heat on the street. So I did a little research, and came up with a Wikipedia article on the guns per capita (by country), and this Washington Post article with gun ownership rates per household (by state).
If you accept the 88.8 per 100 residents gun ownership rate for the U.S., then there are roughly 275 million privately-owned guns in the U.S. That's a lot of guns, and personally I find that very comforting. I suspect that number only includes legally owned guns, so it's probably on the low side.
The households with guns rate varies widely by state, from 3.8% of Washington, D.C. households to 59.7% of Wyoming households. In California, the rate is 21.3% – and in Idaho (where it's likely we're headed) the rate is 55.3%. It's easy to pick out the strong correlation between the lefty states and low gun ownership rates, and vice versa.
If this year's elections keep us on the train to Progressive hell, I think the likelihood of Greek-style “youth riots” in our cities goes up dramatically. If and when that happens, I want to be far from any big city, and surrounded by solid citizens with guns. I love the mountains of San Diego County...but they don't meet these criteria...
If you accept the 88.8 per 100 residents gun ownership rate for the U.S., then there are roughly 275 million privately-owned guns in the U.S. That's a lot of guns, and personally I find that very comforting. I suspect that number only includes legally owned guns, so it's probably on the low side.
The households with guns rate varies widely by state, from 3.8% of Washington, D.C. households to 59.7% of Wyoming households. In California, the rate is 21.3% – and in Idaho (where it's likely we're headed) the rate is 55.3%. It's easy to pick out the strong correlation between the lefty states and low gun ownership rates, and vice versa.
If this year's elections keep us on the train to Progressive hell, I think the likelihood of Greek-style “youth riots” in our cities goes up dramatically. If and when that happens, I want to be far from any big city, and surrounded by solid citizens with guns. I love the mountains of San Diego County...but they don't meet these criteria...
Two Economic Leading Indicators...
...and both are pointing down, strongly. Dang. Looks like we might not be headed for a recovery just yet...
The New York Times Offers a Solution...
Long time readers know that periodically I rail on about the sorry state of math and science education in the U.S. One of my oft-expressed worries is the rather evident superiority of the schooling of so many kids from other countries. I have personal experience in this regard with the kids from Estonian and Russian school systems.
Now the New York Times (in the person of Andrew Hacker, an emeritus professor of Political Science at Queen's College, and frequently quoted by the same crowd that quotes Noam Chomsky – in other words, he's a far-left “Progressive”) offers us a simple solution: get rid of algebra. In other words, if a subject is “too hard” for American students, the answer is to get rid of the subject. To quote the good professor:
It's illuminating to see the liberal mind at work. Depressing, but illuminating...
Now the New York Times (in the person of Andrew Hacker, an emeritus professor of Political Science at Queen's College, and frequently quoted by the same crowd that quotes Noam Chomsky – in other words, he's a far-left “Progressive”) offers us a simple solution: get rid of algebra. In other words, if a subject is “too hard” for American students, the answer is to get rid of the subject. To quote the good professor:
Instead of investing so much of our academic energy in a subject that blocks further attainment for much of our population, I propose that we start thinking about alternatives. Thus mathematics teachers at every level could create exciting courses in what I call “citizen statistics.” This would not be a backdoor version of algebra, as in the Advanced Placement syllabus. Nor would it focus on equations used by scholars when they write for one another. Instead, it would familiarize students with the kinds of numbers that describe and delineate our personal and public lives.So instead of teaching them one of the most basic mathematics skills, we should instead teach them how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide (the only arithmetic necessary to understand the CPI).
It could, for example, teach students how the Consumer Price Index is computed, what is included and how each item in the index is weighted — and include discussion about which items should be included and what weights they should be given.
It's illuminating to see the liberal mind at work. Depressing, but illuminating...
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Progamming Jargon...
This is definitely geek humor; everyone else can just skip it. Most of these were new to me. There were quite a few that made instant sense to me, and a lot more than were funny. Here's but one example of the latter:
27. Mad Girlfriend Bug
When you see something strange happening, but the software is telling you everything is fine.
U-550 Found...
Evidence suggests that several crewman (number unknown) survived after the U-boat sank and hit the ocean bottom, and then were able to escape using the standard breathing apparatus designed for that purpose. These crewman appear to have survived for some time at sea, but then died – most likely from some combination of exposure, thirst, and hunger.
The wreck of the U-550 has now been found. It's exact location has not yet been divulged, but it's within reach of expert divers. Modern diving technology has made it much easier to reach deep wrecks, though it's still a very dangerous thing to do. I suspect there will be some salvage efforts, though probably amateur, since (so far as I'm aware) there is nothing aboard the U-550 with the monetary or historical value that would justify professional salvage.
Holmes Claiming Amnesia...
Plus he's whining about the prison food.
From a legal perspective, does amnesia make it impossible to convict someone? Is that actually a means to get off? And is it possible to prove or disprove amnesia? Here's a discussion, but I have no idea if the answers are authoritative or accurate...
From a legal perspective, does amnesia make it impossible to convict someone? Is that actually a means to get off? And is it possible to prove or disprove amnesia? Here's a discussion, but I have no idea if the answers are authoritative or accurate...
Obama Built This, Too...
And there will be a whole lot more like this. From the news article in the Indianapolis Business Journal:
Remember this when you vote in November...
Cook Medical Inc. had been planning to open five new manufacturing plants over the next five years in small communities around the Midwest, including Indiana, but has shelved those plans because of the hit it will take from a new U.S. tax on medical devices.From the perspective of a medical device manufacturer like Cook, the new tax imposed by ObamaCare is a clear message: take your manufacturing offshore, where you'll get lower labor costs and no punitive tax. Exactly what we need in the middle of a recession, right?
The Bloomington-based medical device maker estimates it will pay between $20 million and $30 million once the tax takes effect in January, Pete Yonkman, executive vice president of strategic business units at Cook Medical, said this week.
The 2.3-percent tax on sales of all medical devices was created as part of President Obama’s 2010 health reform law to help pay for its expansion of health insurance coverage to as many as 30 million more Americans. The tax is projected to raised about $2.9 billion per year.
Remember this when you vote in November...
Obama Built That!
Screen capture of FoxNews front page yesterday. Pretty much says it, eh?
Via my mom:
Via my mom:
Friday, July 27, 2012
Sven and Ole...
Via my mom:
Two Minnesota engineers were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up. A woman walks by asks what they were doing.
“Ve're supposed to find da height of dis flagpole,” said Sven, “but ve don't haff a ladder.”
The woman took a wrench from her purse, loosened a couple of bolts, and laid the pole down on the ground. Then she took a tape measure from her pocketbook, took a measurement, announced, “Twenty one feet, six inches,” and walked away.
Ole shook his head and laughed. “Ain't dat just like a voman! Ve ask fer da height and she gives us da length!”
Sven and Ole have since quit their engineering jobs and are currently serving in the United States Senate.
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