Two Golden Retrievers Found in Jamul...

Do you have two dogs that have gone missing?  Lyndsay from Steele Canyon Veterinary Clinic tells me that someone brought in two golden retrievers that were found running together in Jamul.  Call them at 619/669-7274...

In-A-Hurry Link Dump...

George Will likes the idea of a U.S. VAT, with certain conditions.  Ain't gonna happen...

Words matter, and I'm not the only one who doesn't much like his...

Our healthcare future, I'm afraid...unless we kill the bill!

Mark Steyn wishes you happy Zimbabwe Day...

Ice news...

Global warming, global wetting...

Anthony Watts finds a huge problem with METAR temperature data – most likely you won't be surprised to hear that the problem causes false reports of higher-than-actual temperatures...

18 Bazillion Are On Order...

Via my mom. 

The only problem I have with this idea is that you'd need quite a few urinals to hold the entire rogue's gallery that I'd like to piss on...

Encouraging...

Tech hiring is picking up...

Where Have All the Hackers Gone?

Interesting piece that's related to a plaint I make often: young programmers often (but certainly not always!) know relatively little about how computers actually work.  I keep getting surprised by how possible it is for such engineers to be very creative and productive – but every once in a while, the knowledge that was so essential as I began my career is still essential.  And becoming less and less commonly available, despite the vastly larger number of programmers these days than in the days of yore when I first met hexadecimal...

Light Blogging Warning...

There's likely to be little-to-no blogging here, from tomorrow through next week.  My company is putting on its annual user conference, and I'll be there presenting and meeting our customers.  This year's attendance is much higher than we anticipated, and the event is completely sold out.  Should be exciting!  And busy...

Steyn on Obama's “Nuclear Security Summit”...

Here's his intro:

In years to come – assuming, for the purposes of argument, there are any years to come – scholars will look back at President Barack Obama's Nuclear Security Summit and marvel. For once, the cheap comparisons with 1930s appeasement barely suffice: To be sure, in 1933, the great powers were meeting in Geneva and holding utopian arms-control talks even as Hitler was taking office in Berlin. But it's difficult to imagine Neville Chamberlain in 1938 hosting a conference on the dangers of rearmament, and inviting America, France, Brazil, Liberia and Thailand … but not even mentioning Germany.

As always with the inimitable Mr. Steyn, read the whole thing...

Political Cartoons of the Day...

Obama Popularity Map...

Interesting map via Real Clear Politics in a post I linked to yesterday.  This map got me thinking, so I'm highlighting it here.  The dark blue states are where Obama has a +10% or more approval rating, the light blue a +5% or more, and so on down to the dark red where his rating is -10% or more.

Note first that the blue states are all those with our largest cities, the traditional strongholds of both Democrats and unions.  The dark red states are all completely unsurprising – exactly where you'd expect a (now proven) progressive to be disliked.

But there are a few surprises to me on this map, and I think this bodes very ill for the Democrats in November, barring some kind of miracle (like, say, a spectacular economic recovery).  Consider these states: Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Florida.  These are all states you'd expect to be gung-ho supporters of a progressive President – but they are not.  There are varied reasons for this per state, but overall it looks like Obama has managed to alienate an interesting percentage of even his base.  Great!

Combine this with the high level of energy on the anti-Obama side of the equation, and I'm starting to feel downright optimistic about November.  The past tells me I shouldn't be – there are just too many sheeple running around worrying about weighty matters like pink disco balls – but I just can't help it...

You'd Think They'd Be Saying “Thank You!”

So said Obama on Thursday, referring to Tea Party “tax day” protests.  First he claimed to have reduced taxes, next he mocks the citizens protesting (amongst other things) high taxes.

This really pissed me off.  Two main reasons: (1) his claim to have lowered taxes is a breathtaking lie, and (2) the President of the United States is mocking citizens of the United States for exercising their rights.

I'm not the only one who's upset about this: I'm in excellent company with Darleen, No Sheeples, Allahpundit, Krauthammer, Rush, and Scott Brown.

But Rush is right: November is coming...

Are you pissed off yet?

ClimateGate: Roundup...

The British Royal Statistical Society has come out with strong criticism of the math behind Michael Mann's infamous “hockey stick” graph.  The British press is all over the report; naturally, the American press is not.  The blogs are covering it, of course. 

Steve McIntyre (mentioned positively in the RSS report) proceeds with his usual calm but merciless examination of it.

Jean catches NASA's GISS data in direct conflict with the actual measured data.  Oops.  How's that linear interpolation thing working out for you, James Hansen?

An Optimistic Look at November...

Interesting analysis by a pollster...

Sad and Inspiring...

Many of you will instantly recognize the man at right, but some of my younger readers probably won't even recognize his name: Audie Murphy.  He was a Marine in World War II, and the most decorated American soldier in that conflict – a hero by any measure.

After the war, Audie earned a fortune in the movies – then squandered it all on wine, women, and gambling.  When he died in 1971, his widow inherited only a large debt.

I knew that story, both sad and inspiring, but didn't know the rest of the story – all inspiring – until I read about the death of his wife (at left) this week.  She spent the last 35 years taking care of wounded and sick soldiers at a VA hospital in Sepulveda. 

I'd say Audie married a woman above his rank...

Whether We Like It or Not...

Obama said this yesterday:

"It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or another we get pulled into them."

My emphasis.

I suspect that remark was unintentionally revealing.  The man does not like it that America is a superpower, and especially that we are the only one still standing.

Personally, I think it's absolutely essential that America remain a superpower – and preferably the only one still standing.  I'd much prefer that America be the world's cop rather than, say, Iran, India, Israel, or (shudder) France...

Whitewash Meets Steve McIntyre...

Whitewash loses...

Tea Party Ad...

My favorite bit is at the end...

Yesterday's Boston Tea Party...

Aerial video on YouTube (embedding was disabled)...

This Guy Gets His Girl...

Steve Jobs Meets Donald Knuth...

Excellent!

Mountain Goats...

A beautiful slide show...

A Conversion Story...

Sometimes – not too often, though – people make dramatic changes in their political mindset.  “Robin of Berkeley– is one such person, and tells the story of the conversion in dramatic fashion.  A teaser:

But a funny thing happened on my way to the revolution. That lightning bolt hit, and I changed forever.

And now I see that that progressivism is simply children acting out, thumbing their noses at Mommy and Daddy and God Himself. This explains the perpetual temper tantrums and the lost, vacant looks.

While kids are naturally self-centered, when adults behave this way, they're narcissists. Growing up means no longer placing oneself at the center of the universe.

It requires facing the facts: This existence is unfair and imperfect. No human being, no matter how charismatic, can change the nature of reality.

But go read the whole thing – 'tis fascinating...

Same Old, Same Old...

For most of my career as a programmer, languages in the “C family” (C, C++, and Java) have dominated the industry – and that's still true even today.  For this past year, the “big news” is that Java fell from #1 to #2 (and C rose from #1 to #2). 

For such a dynamic industry, this is remarkable stability.  Why is this so?  The only reason that seems plausible to me is inertia...

Geek Blast of the Day...

I wish I'd thought of this!  What a cool little home experiment, and simple as all get out.  And pretty results, too!

The Next Reagan?

Wouldn't it just be ironic as hell if the path out of our descent into the progressive morass was blazed by a New Jersey governor?

I'd have to stop with my New Jersey jokes.  But not quite yet...

Bow-ometer...

You Picked a Fine Time to Lead Us, Barack...

Via my (eclectic) mom:

Best Burger Ad Evah...

Via my mom (seriously!):

ClimateGate: Roundup...

Steve McIntyre shows how the IPCC simply ignored well-founded criticism of a statement that followed their preferred narrative...

Willis Eschenbach ponders the presentation of temperature data and its effect on our perceptions of climate change.  Very interesting...

The IPCC's new math, wherein non-existent trends (supporting their narrative, of course) are invented...

American-Israeli Policy...

Ed Koch is very worried...

M66...

Hubble snaps a picture of one element within M66 (the “Leo Triplet”).  As usual, click to enlarge.

I can never decide whether Hubble's more important contribution is its excellent science data production, or its revelations of the beauty of the cosmos...

How'd He Do That???

I Envy This Man...

It's been 35 years since I made my last jump (my 424th), but I still remember the thrill.  High altitude jumps were my favorite, with the long freefall (up to 70 seconds when the pilot was willing to push the limits a bit).  The highest jump I ever made was from 18,000', with oxygen, from a U.S. Navy plane in the Philippine Islands.  I was doing it for fun, along for the ride with several SEALs who were practicing for real.

Felix Baumgartner is going to jump from 120,000', and will likely go supersonic.

Tales From the Front Yard...

This is the old-age, out-of-condition edition.  Debbie and I spent half the day yesterday working on our front yard.  We're cleaning up a small section (about 300 square feet) and planting it. 

Our first step is to rip out some old flagstones, perhaps 30 of them.  Some of the flagstones are fairly large, up to 8 or 9 square feet.  All of them had been set in a thin layer of poor concrete, about one inch thick.  The largest ones approached 200 pounds; I could just barely lift them up to put them on a little two-wheeled truck. 

After three hours of flagstone-lifting, we were beat – especially me.  This is the first hard physical work I've done this year, and my lack of condition really showed.  We have a nice pile of flagstones now, sitting up against a post – but we're only about half finished!  We spent another hour hoeing some weeds and grass off an embankment under a liquid amber tree, and laying down some pine-bark mulch.  Should make the tree happy!

By the time I got back into the house last night, I was sunburned and my muscles felt like quivering jello.  Everything hurt.  A nice warm shower felt oh-so-good.  When I got out of the shower, the smell of grilling steaks filled the air – Debbie was outside on the grill with two huge slabs of beef, and some potatoes were in the oven.  Sure tasted good after all that hard work!

This morning I don't feel quite so bad.  I think there are three, maybe four fingers that are pain-free.  One earlobe, too.  Everything else still hurts...

Warm Feet...

I have a condition that causes my extremities to feel much colder than conditions would warrant.  I'm not sure what triggers this, but occasionally it can be quite uncomfortable, especially for my feet.  Last night after I went to bed was one of those uncomfortable times, and I jokingly said to Debbie that I needed a hot water bottle.  We both remember these from our childhood, though I haven't seen one in a good many years.

A few minutes later, Debbie appeared, laughing, with a towel that she stuck under my feet.  It was warm, and it felt absolutely heavenly on my feet.  But it wasn't actually just a towel, it was a SnuggleSafe pet warmer – for several years now she's been warming up a few of these every night for our outside cats.  You nuke them in the microwave for a few minutes, and they stay warm all night. 

Well, I can now attest to their effectiveness as a foot-warmer!  I think the manufacturer is missing a huge market opportunity &dnash; these things beat the pants off a hot water bottle because they stay warm so long.

If you're wondering how they work, they're filled with fairly exotic stuff called a “phase change material” – far more effective than water at storing heat.  The one that Debbie heated up for me last night was still warm when we got up this morning...

Miki's Peculiar Ability...

Miki (at right) is our youngest field spaniel, who's about four years old now.  He's a little short for a field spaniel, with a very sturdy appearance.  He has one ability that surprises everyone who takes his leash to walk him: he can pull with a force all out of proportion to his size.

I don't own a linear scale, so I can't measure it with precision – but I'm reasonably good at estimating weight.  My best guess is that he can pull with 75 to 80 pounds of force – not bad for a dog that weighs 40 pounds! 

But there's more to his ability than just his pulling force: he can sustain that force over a long period with remarkable steadiness.  Once he's decided he wants to head in some direction, it is for all the world like a small tractor is pulling you along, slowly and steadily, in low gear.

On this morning's walk, I had a demonstration of exactly this.  Our nocturnal visitor had returned, and all three field spaniels were heading in exactly the same direction.  I had Lea and Moi's leashes in my left hand, and together they pulled with perhaps 50 pounds of force, intermittently.  Miki's leash was in my right hand, and he was pulling steadily with about 75 pounds of force – no perceptible variation at all.  Between the three of them I had quite a job staying on my feet!

Multi-Culti Madness...

One doesn't know quite what to say.  Except “If you live in England, leave while you still can!”

Crockford on JavaScript...

Transcripts and videos of Douglas Crockford's lecture series on JavaScript.  I haven't read or watched them yet, but hey, it's Crockford – you know it's going to be good...

The Reflex of the Unreflective...

George Will on one of the differences between politicians...

Stupid Crook Ponder...

Watching the video below, my first reaction was to laugh at the nearly implausible incompetence of the burglar.  But then the ponder started...  When this idiot is in jail, my tax dollars are paying for his care.  When he's out of jail, chances are he's on welfare of several varieties – and my tax dollars are once again paying for his care.  Plus I'm paying for the cops to catch him (though clearly that isn't particularly difficult in his case) and the prosecutors, defense attorney, and courts to try him.

Hmmm...  That whole “transport to Australia” thing starts to sound more reasonable.  We just need to substitute something for Australia to bring the plan up to date.  Perhaps Johnson Atoll?  Yeah, that's the ticket!

Quote of the Day...

From Cassandra at Villainous Company:

If they start tweeting, I'm out of here.

Shadows...

Strange but fascinating talent, on display.  Via my mom:

A Letter to the President...

This letter was written in November 2009 by Harold Estes, aged 95, and a decorated veteran of WWII.  Snopes has verified its authenticity:

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year.  People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate.  Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.

So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can't figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like: "We're no longer a Christian nation" "America is arrogant" - (Your wife even announced to the world, "America is mean-spirited." Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a
whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)

I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said, "America hasn't lived up to her ideals."

Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.

I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.

Shape up and start acting like an American.  If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue.  You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts, who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son.   Do your job.  When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him.  But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out.  The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.  You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy.  That's not our greatest threat.  Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.  And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle...

Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes

Mr. Estes, you just made my day.  Here's hoping that you win that final battle.  I'm doing what I can to help, and so are many other Americans...

Here's another letter to the President from last summer.

One Problem with the Voters...

I'm far from expert on economics, or on government spending, but even my basic level of understanding lets me observe that the vast majority of voters are woefully ill-equipped to understand how taxation and government spending are inter-related.  Sure, they understand the simple precept that nobody – not even the government – can forever spend more than they take in.  But when the discussion wanders around to cutting programs (especially entitlements) versus raising taxes, flights of sheer fantasy are more the norm than sober analysis.

I've long noted that a very high percentage of voters (including the majority of those who could be characterized as conservative, or fiscally-conservative liberals) instinctively believe that there's always another source of tax revenues to tap (generally it's some group of evil, money-grubbing people who are somehow escaping the tax man).  The most recent example of this was in the healthcare bill, which establishes new taxes and cost controls on the medical insurance industry.  These were clearly motivated by the desire to curb excesses there – but equally clearly (and unarguably) there have been no such excesses – the profit margin of medical insurance companies is quite low by comparison to other industries.

Where does this belief in magic come from?  Megan McCardle takes a look at a recent poll and attempts to find some answers...

I Knew It!

Via the indispensable Megan McCardle:

The Ghost of Economies Yet to Come?

A detailed look at how the fraction of U.S. government spending that is entitlement (rather than discretionary) has grown – followed by a close look at some of the consequences of this.  These two make for depressing, but important reading.  Then add to this picture the inevitable demographic changes we're heading for (especially the growing fraction of our population over 65). 

My conclusion: nothing but radical economic reform at the federal level can solve this problem.  The key two elements of such reform: (1) a simple, minimally-progressive income tax (tiny Estonia provides an excellent example), and (2) the outright elimination of most entitlement programs (yes, I really do mean to include Medicare and Social Security in that – what good are entitlements that can't possibly be funded?).

This amounts to my advocating for increased self-reliance – an almost-forgotten American tradition.  As one of the articles point out, this gets very hard to accomplish in a democracy if those on the government teat are in the majority.

That last observation has led to my continuing interest in this.  I'm not quite ready for it yet ... but I'm also not ready to rule it out.

ClimateGate: Roundup...

Another climate scientist voices some skepticism, with the commonsensical observation that large temperature swings greatly predate the dawn of human civilization.  I guess SUVs didn't cause the medieval warming period after all...

Steve McIntyre follows the trail of evidentiary suppression (and some internal dissent on that) within the IPCC group with respect to the Holocene Optimum (aka Holocene Thermal Maximum).  This is another warm period very much like the medieval warm period (MWP) that's much discussed in climate science literature.  Most of the scientists involved in this internal discussion come off as petty and driven by their agenda; the few exceptions who seem to be driven by the truth stand out...

Steyn on Taxes...

With his usual wit and insight, Mark Steyn takes a look at the structural disaster looming in the U.S. income tax system...

A Crashing Bore...

Peggy nails it.

It Comes To This...

If you're a libertarian or conservative in California, you can't help but feel like you're living in a loony bin.  Sometimes reality here is stranger than fiction, as in this case: there's a Democrat running for the Senate who in many ways seems more attractive (to libertarians and conservatives) than any of the Republicans in the race.  This state's political class is so dominated by brain-dead “progressive” Democrats that this seems exceedingly unlikely. 

Yet it is so.

$200 Million per Arrest...

Seems a little expensive, doesn't it?  This is what happens when political theater becomes more important than, like, actual results.

We should be spending this money on intelligence and emergency response services, not easily-sidestepped “security” measures...

A Chaparral Morning...

Last night I enjoyed a nice glass of wine – a Spanish wine, new to me, that was a gift from a friend and colleague.  It was delicious, and put me right to sleep.  I slept well, but woke early, and I was out walking our dogs by 3 am.  The moon was still well below the horizon, and the sky was very dark.  As my eyes accommodated, familiar constellations popped into view.  In a few minutes, the Milky Way swam into view – at first a faint swath from north overhead to the east, but soon a bright feature full of texture and even color.  The clear high-desert sky was on full display.

At the same time, the morning's cool air sinking down the hillside above me wafted the chaparral scents – sage, ceanothus, mountain mahogany, and others.  It was very quiet; still too early for the birds to be awake, and no coyotes were howling.  Our dogs (well, the three field spaniels, anyway) smelled something else.  They were completely focused on analyzing the path that this unknown animal had taken through our yard.  Prime possibilities: bobcat, coyote, mountain lion, or fox.  I'm sure they knew which it was, but I didn't.  Meanwhile our one border collie completely ignored all the smells and sights, and simply did his two favorite things: ran around the yard at near-supersonic speeds, and brought me pine cones and sticks to throw for him to retrieve.  The behavior of the field spaniels and the border collie is so different that one could be excused for thinking they were separate species.

I love these chaparral mornings...

This Is A Problem...

When the government steals takes as taxes such a high percentage of your income, how do you encourage the kids to follow the classic American path – work hard and prosper?  Via Amy L.

Last night as I drove home, I got to pondering the high taxes that loom in our near future.  As many others have noted, the younger a person is, the more they are screwed by these impending taxes.  I probably won't be in the workforce for more than another ten years or so – but someone who is (say) 30 years old today will likely be in the workforce for forty years, and maybe more.  For four decades they will watch 40% or more (I'm guessing) of their paycheck disappear into the maw of Big Government – and reappear in the hands of those content to mooch from the public teat.

Doesn't sound like a great motivator to me.  Here's an easy prediction: the more we move in that direction, the more of our young citizens will decide that mooching is better than the alternative.

Are you pissed off yet?

Waxman Is Confused...

Heh!

In Defense of Capitalism...

Doctor Zero has a nice one...

Here's One Reason Why the Tea Parties Are Multiplying...

Nearly half (47%) of all American households pay zero income tax. 

If you're not one of them (as we most certainly are not!), think about what that means.  It means that you are paying for their government services.  And in many cases, it means that you are handing them a check, as most of these non-taxpayers actually get cash back from the government (the so-called “earned income credit”, which is really just welfare by another name).

Does this piss you off?  Join a tea party...

Introversion...

The longer I spend amongst my fellow workers who are extroverts (as so many are), the more I realize that the way they “process their world” is profoundly different than the way I do.  This piece touches on some of this in a way that resonates with me.  One tiny item that jumped out at me: I am very easily startled, to the point where it's a great source of amusement to others...

The Next Big Thing...

The company I get paid to play work for is doing very well...

And Bugs Are All That You Can See...

For the programmers amongst my readers (via Aleck L.):

Sonar Has Come a Long, Long Way...

The image at right, of a sunken Russian submarine, was made entirely with sonar data.  Thirty five years ago, when I was in the Navy, we'd be lucky if we could detect the submarine at all.  Now it looks like we could inspect their latest repairs!

Awesome Optical Illusion...

That is not a blue spiral, but rather concentric blue circles...

Why We're Skeptical of the IPCC...

Steve McIntyre does what he does best: analyzes temperature data and follows the ClimateGate email trail to expose in detail the games that were played.  With our money, too...

Tea Parties...

Of all people, the usually mindlessly progressive Juan Williams has a surprisingly level-headed piece on Tea Parties in the WSJ...

Flowers...

Poignant story of Olga Grushin's reactions to the news of the recent bombings in Russia.  She's living in America, but her parents live very near the site of the bombings...

Kinda Scary...

The video below shows a robot, a “copy” of a flesh-and-blood human.  While it's not a perfect replica, it's far better than the animatronic devices I saw in Disneyland as a kid...

Rocking and Rolling: Update...

We've not felt any aftershocks at our home, but as you can see from the map at right there have been a great many of them (all much smaller than the magnitude 7.2 initial quake).

Check back with the USGS site for updates...

Rocking and Rolling...

We just felt a strong earthquake – lots of sideways motion, subsonic rumbling, and of quite long duration (about 45 seconds at a guess).  The USGS initial automated report puts it at magnitude 6.9, about 20 miles south of the Mexican border.  That's roughly 60 or 70 miles from our house...

The report is preliminary and these often get revised.  USGS map at right and info below; click to enlarge...

A Movie I'd Watch...

I haven't watched a movie for months, but here's one I think I might enjoy.  When it comes out on DVD, I'm gonna get it:

A Pox on Us All...

Public sector employees, that is.  Reason has a nice piece on the problem, with video.

I was at our local post office the other day, picking up a package, and overheard a conversation between two patrons waiting in the agonizingly slow line.  The conversation started off by noting the injustice of low-skill Post Office jobs commanding top-tier salaries and benefits, paid for by taxes on private-sector workers like the two people talking.  I was cheered by this common-sense observation. 

But then the conversation veered into a direction Obama would be delighted with: the two started wondering out loud how they could go about getting one of these cushy jobs, too. 

This is the road Europe has traveled, and the results ain't pretty... 

Spike!

For the past few months, the Google unemployment index has been bouncing around the same high level.  This week it spiked upwards to set a new high (click graph to enlarge).

This index measures frequency of unemployment related Google searches, so it's an indirect measure – more a measure of interest in unemployment, rather than of unemployment itself.  But why should even that have peaked last week?

In an odd coincidence, my good friend and neighbor lost his job just over a week ago when his company filed for bankruptcy.  Maybe the spike is due to his queries?

Bumper Snickers...

Some excellent bumper snickers, via my mom.  More at the “Read more...” below...

ClimateGate: Roundup...

Once again, the European press makes the U.S. press look like incompetent lapdogs for the progressives.  I just finished reading Der Spiegel's 8 part series on ClimateGate and the subsequent impact to climatology (English version).  Considering it's in the mainstream media, it's a notably level-headed, detailed, and broad review of the whole topic.  Recommended.

Steve McIntyre follows the email trail to document Phil Jones' rather overt misbehavior.  In doing so, he shows the British Parliamentary Committee what an actual investigation looks like, as opposed to the whitewash exercise they committed...

Journo-Politico Violence...

What you learn here may save your life...

Or induce spasms of laughter.  Or incline you to reverence of Iowahawk's satiric genius.  Or something...

Navy vs. Pirates...

Navy 1, pirates 0 (click to enlarge).

May it ever be so (and more like this, please)...

Human Stupidity...

The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity.  Humor or practical philosophy?  You decide...

The IPv6 Debacle...

Non-geeks, look aside.  This post can only cause you pain.

The Internet that most people know runs on the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4 for short).  Decades ago the Internet gurus realized that the 32-bit addresses in IPv4 meant that we'd run out of IP addresses relatively quickly (there are only 2^32, or about 4 billion, IP addresses available in IPv4).  IPv4 has some other problems as well, but the lack of address space was the biggie.

So along came Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6 for short).  IPv6 solved the address space problem by moving to 128 bit addresses (enough to give every molecule in the universe it's own IP address).  It introduces many other changes as well, but the address space expansion is the biggie. 

But there's one little niggling problem: nearly all the software written for every computer is incompatible with IPv6.  Almost everything will have to be revised or rewritten, and the fixes are not trivial.  Oops.

Around the same time (mid 1990s) that the IPv6 forces were trying to convince the whole world to rewrite all their software, technologies called Network Address Translation and Port Address Translation (NAT and PAT for short) started to become popular.  Very popular.  These technologies let enterprises (and homeowners) have multiple computers or other devices on their local area networks using “private” IP addresses. 

These are a bit like the street addresses we see in cities: Boston has a 100 Broadway, and so does New York and a bazillion other cities and towns.  But this doesn't cause confusion, because we know that 100 Broadway in Boston is in Boston, not New York.  Similarly I can have a computer with an IP address of 10.0.0.1 in my home (my “town”), and you can have one with the same IP address in your home.  NAT and PAT are what make this possible.

So with NAT and PAT, much of the driving force behind moving to IPv6 is removed.  We no longer need that gigantic address space.  Meanwhile, software writers are still creating new software packages that are incompatible with IPv6.  In fact, very few programmers have ever created an IPv6-compliant program – they don't even know how!  So IPv6 has become a “nice to have” instead of a “must have” – and since it's such a costly thing to move to IPv6, that means we'll likely never do it.

Here's a much more technical dive into the IPv4 vs. IPv6 struggle...

Billions for AGW Research...

Here's where the motivation for “cheating” on the AGW science comes from: billions of dollars falling out of the sky, but available only to those scientists whose research objectives contribute in some way to the AGW story.

To be fair, a good part of this money is going to strictly observational programs that are an unalloyed good.  For example, some of this money will pay for satellites to survey the polar region ice coverage, and for other satellites to measure basic climate data (temperature, humidity, pressure, albedo, etc.) worldwide.  But it's also true that over a billion dollars a year will go to projects like climate modeling, and these grants, you can be certain, will not go to AGW-skeptical scientists...

French Missile Technology...

Abandoned at WalMart...

Senators Questioning NASA About Faulty Weather Data...

ClimateGate has consequences...

This Is Why...

Well, that didn't take long!  This is why we need the Tea Parties, or at least their influence...

Militarism...

The world's press often portrays the U.S. as a militaristic nation, spending vast sums on weapons and armed forces.  And it's true, at least in absolute terms – and current events certainly make the U.S. appear to be the world's policemen.  But there's more to the story (with some very nice graphics)...

That Arctic Ice Shortage...

Remember all those breathless news reports just a few months ago about how the Arctic Ice levels had dropped precipitously, and Al Gore's minions were ranting about the poor polar bears?  Well, never mind...

Those Tea Parties...

Michael Barone weighs in...

Bumper Sticker of the Day...

Via my brother Mark:

Note that the license plate is from Maine – not exactly a conservative bastion...

Morning in Lawson Valley...

I walked our dogs at around 3:30 this morning, and was treated to a cool, humid air (we're expecting rain later today) that carried the scent of blooming ceanothus down the hillside to my nostrils.  Absolutely lovely, that was.  A bit of sage was in there as well.  The nearly full moon peeked between clouds; when it was out the valley was lit brightly enough to see the green of the hillsides and the pink of the peach tree flowering in our front yard.

I love chaparral mornings like this...

ClimateGate: Roundup...

The British Parliamentary Committee report on ClimateGate is out.  It's exactly the whitewash the skeptics expected...

Yale to Greens: Climate change?  Fuggetaboutit...

NASA admits that its temperature data is even worse than the rest of the IPCC data.  A real accomplishment, that...

Weather forecasters are not drinking the Kool-ade...

Esquire writes about Marc Morano and the “global warming hoax”.  Amazing to see this in the mainstream media...

Nice piece on climate modelers adjusting the data to make their models produce the “expected” result.  Scientists behaving badly, and all that...

Our Economy is Going Where?

Wonky (and scary) analysis...

British Press on Obama and Obamacare...

I'm envious of a press that writes this pungently (Nile Gardiner in the London Telegraph):

Indeed, in the last few days, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have strutted across the country with a vain swagger that would make a peacock blush, from the vice president’s classless, foul-mouthed victory boast at the White House, to the president’s contemptuous mocking of his political opponents at a rally in Iowa. Both leaders have been beaming like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, living in their own Tim Burton-like fantasy. And what have they actually achieved? The passage of a massively controversial, divisive and hugely expensive health care reform bill via a Democrat-dominated Congress in the face of overwhelming public opposition, and without a shred of bi-partisan support.

I'd probably enjoy their liberal version of this just as much.  Their press is like a nice Thai food dinner – spicy and tasty – whereas the American press is more like a bowl of cheap oatmeal that's had all the flavor cooked out of it...

California Crazy...

Just when I thought Californians couldn't possibly get any crazier...

Small Business Tools...

An interesting collection of free or cheap web-based tools for small businesses...

The Solar System Musicbox...

Very cool.  Take a few minutes to understand what this is showing you, and enjoy the celestial music as you learn...

November...

Howard Fineman – not exactly a cheerleader for the conservatives – predicts a disaster for the Democrats in November...

McCardle vs. Waxman...

Megan wins.  Hands down.

The Cheonan...

Can you say “uh oh”? 

Last week the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan exploded and sank with considerable loss of life.  After an investigation, the South Korean government is now saying they think it was a North Korean mine.  Story and analysis.

The Korean peninsula is one of the least stable and most dangerous places on earth right now.  There's the potential for a human disaster of very large proportions there, and the paths to a peaceful resolution all seem improbable...

How Government Corrupts Science...

Fascinating 10 page article from the Science & Public Policy Institute...

ClimateGate: Another Prediction Bites the Dust...

For years now, the warmenists have been predicting (and Al Gore dramatized) that the Atlantic “conveyor belt” (a current with large climate influence) would slow down.  Not so much.

Quote of the Day...

Scott Adams:

Happiness is nature's way of informing Human Resources that you're overpaid.

Islam and Terrorism...

Reader Simi L. passes along this translation of an article by German psychiatrist Dr. Emanual Tanya:

A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. 'Very few people were true Nazis' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bucch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, b=fore we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'

We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.
The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous.

Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.

And who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points:
Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.

Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late. As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts--the fanatics who threaten our wa= of life.

Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world-wide, read this and think about it, and send it on - before it's too late.

Talking Private IP to Private IP...

Non-geeks: just look away.  This won't hurt you.

Very clever networking hack that allows one server on a private IP address behind a NAT to the Interenet talk to another such server behind a different NAT to the Internet – without requiring any firewall holes.  I haven't actually tried the code yet, but if you're a networking kinda person, the explanation of how it works is fascinating...

Deniers...

JoNova points us to an excellent speech by Lawrence Solomon.  Worth your time...