Monday, December 6, 2010
Excellent Article on the TSA's Security Theatre...
From John Wohlstetter at NRO. His conclusion:
Does anyone really believe that Americans, if given a choice between intimate patdowns and Israel-style interviews, would choose being groped?Go read the whole thing.
The bottom line is that Israel’s methods work. Instead of having ill-trained TSA agents search for bad things, have well-trained agents search for bad people. Profile by behavior and circumstance (cash ticket, one-way trip, etc.), and leave most of us alone. Compile accurate no-fly lists. Heed credible warnings. Ignore political correctness.
Instead, Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano reportedly has two more Bright Ideas: unionizing TSA employees and special reduced screening for Muslims in traditional garb. The former, rejected when the Department of Homeland Security was established, would make it harder to fire incompetent employees. The latter would have the unintended impact of so enraging most Americans that they will insist lawmakers make TSA apply uniform rules.
Israel’s skies have been friendly for 42 years. Not a bad record. We should learn from it.
More Handy-Dandy Linux Commands...
Some of these were completely new to me, and useful to know. Example:
man asciiCan you guess what that does?
MathJax...
Interesting new JavaScript library. Interesting, that is, if you want to display equations and formulae on your web site...
Friday, December 3, 2010
Peer Review...
Really.
Enceladus, Even Closer...
If you've been following the fascinating discoveries Cassini has been making about Enceladus, then you know that this moon is one of the most fascinating and surprising objects in our solar system. The jets visible so clearly in this photo are primarily composed of water – and the simple existence of that water is perhaps the most surprising finding of all the many surprises from Enceladus.
Cassini has now been making steady, amazing contributions to science for over five years. It's still going strong, though getting closer and closer to its end of life. The scientists are directing it now to missions that would have been deemed too risky earlier in its mission, such as this very close pass to Enceladus.
More Cassinis, please, NASA.
Marine Corps Bumper Stickers...
These gems nicely sum up the reasons why the U.S. Marine Corps is feared by all the bad guys in the world:
U.S. Marines – Travel Agents To Allah
When In Doubt, Empty The Magazine
The Marine Corps – When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be Destroyed Overnight
Death Smiles At Everyone – Marines Smile Back
Marine Sniper – You can run, but you'll just die tired!
What Do I Feel When I Kill A Terrorist? Just a little recoil..."
Marines – Providing Enemies of America an Opportunity To Die For their Country Since 1775
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Anyone Who Threatens It
Happiness Is A Belt-Fed Weapon
It's God's Job to Forgive Bin Laden – It's Our Job To Arrange The Meeting
Artillery Brings Dignity to What Would Otherwise Be Just A Brawl
Machine Gunners – Accuracy by Volume
A Dead Enemy Is A Peaceful Enemy – Blessed Be The Peacemakers
Except For Ending Slavery, Fascism, Nazism, and Communism, WAR has Never Solved Anything.
The Four Cats...
For some reason, my mom thought of us when she read this:
The Four CatsI hope my mom thought of us because of the cat theme, and not because she thinks we want to be government employees!
Four men were bragging about how smart their cats were. The first man was an engineer, the second man was an accountant, the third man was a chemist, and the fourth man was a government employee.
To show off, the engineer called to his cat, "T-square, do your stuff."
T-square pranced over to the desk, took out some paper and pen and promptly drew a circle, a square, and a triangle.
Everyone agreed that was pretty smart.
But the accountant said his cat could do better. He called his cat and said, "Spreadsheet, do your stuff."
Spreadsheet went out to the kitchen and returned with a dozen cookies. He divided them into 4 equal piles of 3 cookies.
Everyone agreed that was good.
But the chemist said his cat could do better. He called his cat and said, "Measure, do your stuff."
Measure got up, walked to the fridge, took out a quart of milk, got a 10 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured exactly 8 ounces, without spilling a drop, into the glass.
Everyone agreed that was pretty good.
Then the three men turned to the government employee and said, "What can your cat do?" The government employee called his cat and said, "Coffee Break, do your stuff."
Coffee Break jumped to his feet...
Ate the cookies...
Drank the milk...
Crapped on the paper...
Screwed the other three cats...
Claimed he injured his back while doing so.
Filed a grievance report for unsafe working conditions...
Put in for Worker's Compensation...and went home for the rest of the day on sick leave.
AND THAT, MY FRIEND, IS WHY EVERYONE WANTS TO WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT!
Truth and Peer-Reviewed Science...
Reader Doug W. forwarded this fascinating Atlantic article (by David Freedman), about a scientist who is systematically studying the errors in science as it is practiced today. It's longer than most of what I link to, but if you're at all interested in understanding the process of science, it's well worth your time.
Though the article focuses on medical science, Doug points out that what it says is obviously applicable far more broadly – such as to climate research. I read the article with that thought in mind, and this passage jumped out at me:
The overall conclusion is that science is a messy, error-filled process that nonetheless drifts in the general direction of increasing truth and knowledge. I'd argue that skepticism is an essential part of the scientific process, in particular helping with the direction of the drift...
Though the article focuses on medical science, Doug points out that what it says is obviously applicable far more broadly – such as to climate research. I read the article with that thought in mind, and this passage jumped out at me:
Though scientists and science journalists are constantly talking up the value of the peer-review process, researchers admit among themselves that biased, erroneous, and even blatantly fraudulent studies easily slip through it. Nature, the grande dame of science journals, stated in a 2006 editorial, “Scientists understand that peer review per se provides only a minimal assurance of quality, and that the public conception of peer review as a stamp of authentication is far from the truth.” What’s more, the peer-review process often pressures researchers to shy away from striking out in genuinely new directions, and instead to build on the findings of their colleagues (that is, their potential reviewers) in ways that only seem like breakthroughs—as with the exciting-sounding gene linkages (autism genes identified!) and nutritional findings (olive oil lowers blood pressure!) that are really just dubious and conflicting variations on a theme.These are exactly the points that many AGW skeptics make about the IPCC reports and much of the “settled science” of climatology, and the reaction (both by the scientists and the press) is exactly as described.
Most journal editors don’t even claim to protect against the problems that plague these studies. University and government research overseers rarely step in to directly enforce research quality, and when they do, the science community goes ballistic over the outside interference. The ultimate protection against research error and bias is supposed to come from the way scientists constantly retest each other’s results—except they don’t. Only the most prominent findings are likely to be put to the test, because there’s likely to be publication payoff in firming up the proof, or contradicting it.
The overall conclusion is that science is a messy, error-filled process that nonetheless drifts in the general direction of increasing truth and knowledge. I'd argue that skepticism is an essential part of the scientific process, in particular helping with the direction of the drift...
Smackdown...
If you're unfortunate enough to know who Keith Olbermann is, then you know that what he needs more than anything is a good smackdown. That's exactly what has happened here, delivered by none other than Bristol Palin, of all people. Money quote:
I have never claimed to be perfect. If that makes me the "worst person in the world" to Mr. Olbermann, then I must apologize for not being absolutely faultless like he undoubtedly must be.Definitely read the whole (short) thing.
Wealth vs. Health, Over Time...
Not only is the information presented here interesting in and of itself, but the video is a terrific example of the power of well-done visualizations. You won't regret spending a few minutes with this video:
Lileks...
Mostly I get to read Lileks, or listen to him on the Ricochet podcast. Here's a video interview. Oh, would that our newpapers and online media were full of wit like his!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Gray Lady Hypocrisy...
Via reader Cliff F.:
It's been over 20 years since I last read the New York Times regularly. This is a good example of why.
New York Times editors, as cited in James Taranto's Best of the Web Today column at WSJ.com, Nov. 29:The original Best of the Web Today article.
"The documents appear to have been acquired illegally and contain all manner of private information and statements that were never intended for the public eye, so they won't be posted here."—New York Times, on the Climategate emails, Nov. 20, 2009.
"The articles published today and in coming days are based on thousands of United States embassy cables, the daily reports from the field intended for the eyes of senior policy makers in Washington. . . . The Times believes that the documents serve an important public interest, illuminating the goals, successes, compromises and frustrations of American diplomacy in a way that other accounts cannot match."—New York Times, on the WikiLeaks documents, Nov. 29, 2010.
It's been over 20 years since I last read the New York Times regularly. This is a good example of why.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
If You're Wondering About Your Fellow Humans...
...here's a story that will cheer you up. Grab some Kleenex, and read:
In the grand scheme of prayer requests, theirs seemed fairly simple.The rest of the story...
Dave and Melanie Stieglitz were asking for friends at their church to pray for the youngest of their three daughters, the one who was born with Down syndrome. Not that they wanted God to change anything about her. To the contrary, they were hoping, praying, to change those around her. Specifically to change her classmates at Fletcher High School. Not all 2,000 of them. Just one.
God, they asked, send a friend to Cara.
One friend.
Someone to sit with her at lunch.
At the time, Cara Stieglitz was 14 years old, a Fletcher freshman. And if you had wandered into the school and, just at a glance, tried to pick who was least likely to be named homecoming queen, you might have pointed at the girl who was eating by herself.
"As a parent, that pulls at your heart," Melanie Stieglitz said of picturing her daughter sitting alone.
So every Tuesday, she went to school and ate lunch with Cara. And on Sundays, they prayed that someone else would join her.
They never imagined that four years later Cara would be standing on a football field, wearing a purple dress that she and her mother picked out for homecoming. The court already had been narrowed from more than 80 nominees to 10 boys and 10 girls. One by one, the runners-up were announced. Then the king.
Jesse Hughes fits the traditional mold of a homecoming king. Star basketball player, 4.2 grade point average, good-looking, popular. He was the nominee of the senior class.
But the queen ...
Several television stations were there that night, so you may have seen video of the moment. The queen leaping up and down, her grin making the king's grin grow even bigger. Everyone in the stands on their feet. Parents dabbing their eyes. And not just Cara's parents.
The king said his mom was crying.
"And not for me," he said with a laugh.
So beyond prayer, how did this happen? How did Fletcher High become the scene of a story that feels almost too good to be true, like something straight out of a movie script? How did Cara go from sitting by herself in the lunchroom to standing by herself on the football field, the crowd cheering as the time-honored symbol of high school popularity was placed onto her head?
This is Cara's story. But it is also her classmates' story.
Dog Found!
Original post: Reader Kathy reports that they have found a dog wandering about. From her email to me:
We found a dog tonight about 4 PM wandering on Lyons Valley Rd near Jamul Intermediate. He was scared and was almost hit several times. He looks like a young Rotweiler. He has a collar, but no tags. He is a sweet dog, but really wants to go home. Our phone number is 669-2923.Does this sound like any dog you know? If so, please give Kathy a call. Meanwhile, I'll see if she can supply a photo...
Phobos...
I remember vividly the science fiction stories of my youth, wherein the authors could plausibly posit that the two satellites of Mars were not of natural origin, but were (depending on the story) either remnants of Martian civilizations, remnants of prior Earth civilizations, or artifacts of alien civilizations. They could do this because we knew so little about these tiny little moons. Now all those lovely story lines are destroyed because of sharp photos like this – but now we've got an even more intriguing series of questions and mysteries!
Via APOD.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Morning Walk...
Got up just a bit early this morning; just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. The dogs were just as eager for their morning walk; they don't seem to care what time it happens.
We walked out into a clear, cold night. The stars were bright overhead, with Orion high in the southern sky and the waning moon hanging low in the east. Despite the moonshine (bright enough to walk in, and to leave shadows), the Milky Way was clearly visible.
Also visible were some meteors, “shooting stars”. There's no predicted meteor shower on this date, so these were just randomly occurring – probably the remnants of a small comet or asteriod collision debris. Over the course of around five minutes I counted 14 meteors; one of them a very bright one with a visible smoky trail in the moonlight.
Just as we turned around to head back into the house, a pack of coyotes starting their eerie howling on the hill opposite us, roughly 400 yards (meters) from where we stood. The three field spaniels took little notice – just a couple glances toward the hill, and then they went back to their important work of snuffling up every wisp of odor along our track. Race, the border collie, went on full alert. He stood up straight and tall, hackles up, directly facing that distant hill and his distant relatives making such a racket. For 30 seconds or so I couldn't budge him – it was as if he had turned to stone and I was trying to move a ten ton sculpture. But then with no warning he decided that there was no immediate danger, and went back to playing with a pine cone – dropping it on the ground in front of me so I would kick it for him to chase.
When I'm playing with the dogs like this, I often wish it was as easy to motivate and lead people as it is to lead my dogs. I can easily get Race to go anywhere I want him to go – I just have to throw a pine cone in that general direction. The field spaniels would follow me into the fires of hell if I promised them a dog biscuit. Employees are ever so much more difficult...
We walked out into a clear, cold night. The stars were bright overhead, with Orion high in the southern sky and the waning moon hanging low in the east. Despite the moonshine (bright enough to walk in, and to leave shadows), the Milky Way was clearly visible.
Also visible were some meteors, “shooting stars”. There's no predicted meteor shower on this date, so these were just randomly occurring – probably the remnants of a small comet or asteriod collision debris. Over the course of around five minutes I counted 14 meteors; one of them a very bright one with a visible smoky trail in the moonlight.
Just as we turned around to head back into the house, a pack of coyotes starting their eerie howling on the hill opposite us, roughly 400 yards (meters) from where we stood. The three field spaniels took little notice – just a couple glances toward the hill, and then they went back to their important work of snuffling up every wisp of odor along our track. Race, the border collie, went on full alert. He stood up straight and tall, hackles up, directly facing that distant hill and his distant relatives making such a racket. For 30 seconds or so I couldn't budge him – it was as if he had turned to stone and I was trying to move a ten ton sculpture. But then with no warning he decided that there was no immediate danger, and went back to playing with a pine cone – dropping it on the ground in front of me so I would kick it for him to chase.
When I'm playing with the dogs like this, I often wish it was as easy to motivate and lead people as it is to lead my dogs. I can easily get Race to go anywhere I want him to go – I just have to throw a pine cone in that general direction. The field spaniels would follow me into the fires of hell if I promised them a dog biscuit. Employees are ever so much more difficult...
Awesome Robot!
Mechanically, this is a very simple robot: just a “wagon” that can traverse back and forth. I was impressed when I saw it balance the inverted pendulum, though I can easily imagine how it could do so. But then I saw it balance the double inverted pendulum – and that just looks like magic. I wouldn't have guessed it was even possible (for human or robot)!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Our Morning...
Our morning began a tad earlier than usual today, thanks to our menagerie. Race (our border collie) was curled up tightly on our bed, between Debbie and I. His nose was resting on my arm. Maka Lea (our cutest little cat) was tucked up in a fold of the blanket behind the crook of Debbie's knee. Mo'i (one of our field spaniels) was in his usual place, under the blankets down by Debbie's feet. Miki (our youngest field spaniel) was lying on my feet.
This was the setup when the fun began.
It started with Miki at about 1 am, who decided to crawl up the length of my body, snuffling right into my face, his tail wagging like mad. You could almost hear him saying “Get up! Get up! It's time to play!” Then Race decided he was jealous of the attention Miki was getting, and he started nipping playfully at Miki, and generally getting rowdy. This was more than Maka Lea could take, so he started acting all grumpy – whacking away at any passing limb.
Debbie and I gave up any hope of sleeping until some reasonable hour (like 3 am). We turned on the light and saw Maka Lea blinking furiously, and still grumpy. We hissed at Race, which always gets him frantically playful, trying to kiss our faces to make us stop hissing (we have no idea why he does this!). Miki left in disgust, then came back because he was jealous of the attention being paid to Race.
Mo'i just slept through it all, even when Miki and Race stepped on him. That's our Mo'i...
We got up.
Sigh...
This was the setup when the fun began.
It started with Miki at about 1 am, who decided to crawl up the length of my body, snuffling right into my face, his tail wagging like mad. You could almost hear him saying “Get up! Get up! It's time to play!” Then Race decided he was jealous of the attention Miki was getting, and he started nipping playfully at Miki, and generally getting rowdy. This was more than Maka Lea could take, so he started acting all grumpy – whacking away at any passing limb.
Debbie and I gave up any hope of sleeping until some reasonable hour (like 3 am). We turned on the light and saw Maka Lea blinking furiously, and still grumpy. We hissed at Race, which always gets him frantically playful, trying to kiss our faces to make us stop hissing (we have no idea why he does this!). Miki left in disgust, then came back because he was jealous of the attention being paid to Race.
Mo'i just slept through it all, even when Miki and Race stepped on him. That's our Mo'i...
We got up.
Sigh...
Super-Weapon for Infantrymen is Now in Afghanistan...
The XM25 rifle fires 25mm (about 1 inch) diameter rounds that explode behind or over cover hiding enemy soldiers. It's a game-changer that has the potential to revolutionize infantry warfare – and very much to our troops' advantage, since our current enemies are unlikely to be able to duplicate (or even understand) the technology.
Combat trials of this weapon system have begun, and the initial reports are very positive. The weapon is at least as effective as advertised, and is unexpectedly easy for our troops to pick up and use.
The Taliban just got some bad news.
The video below explains how the XM25 works, and here's more information.
Combat trials of this weapon system have begun, and the initial reports are very positive. The weapon is at least as effective as advertised, and is unexpectedly easy for our troops to pick up and use.
The Taliban just got some bad news.
The video below explains how the XM25 works, and here's more information.
Excellent Investment Advice...
Before Google's IPO, they engaged several finance experts to come in and educate their millionaires-to-be about investment. One expert's advice:
...Stanford University’s William (Bill) Sharpe, 1990 Nobel Laureate economist and professor emeritus of finance at the Graduate School of Business. Sharpe drew a large and enthusiastic audience, which he could have wowed with a PowerPoint presentation on his “gradient method for asset allocation optimization” or his “returns-based style analysis for evaluating the performance of investment funds.” But he spared the young geniuses all that complexity and offered a simple formula instead. “Don’t try to beat the market,” he said. Put your savings into some indexed mutual funds, which will make you just as much money (if not more) at much less cost by following the market’s natural ebb and flow...The same advice was delivered by multiple investment experts. For about ten years now, it's what I've been doing (though I'm using ETFs instead of mutual funds, but same idea). I'm happy with the results. I know lots of people who are not happy with the results of their attempts to beat the market...
Think the TSA is a Pain Now? Just You Wait...
John Fund of the WSJ:
...But if you think TSA is dysfunctional and unpopular now, wait until it unionizes. This month, the Federal Labor Relations Authority ruled that 50,000 TSA personnel will be allowed to vote on whether or not to join a union with full collective bargaining rights. The American Federation of Government Employees and the National Treasury Employees Union are already gearing up their campaigns to win over the screeners.Read the whole thing...
After 9/11, Congress wisely decided to forbid TSA employees from coming under union work rules out of fear that it could compromise security. Imagine if every change in procedures had to be cleared with union shop stewards. While it is not easy to fire TSA personnel now, just think how difficult it will be to remove bad employees if they are covered by union job protection agreements...
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Jesus is Watching You...
Via reader Simi L., who says this is one of his favorites:
Burglar 0.
A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said "Jesus knows you're here."Parrot 1.
He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze. When he heard nothing more, after a bit, he shook his head and continued. Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard "Jesus is watching you"'
Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.
"Did you say that?" he hissed at the parrot.
"Yep", the parrot confessed, then squawked, "I'm just trying to warn you that he is watching you."
The burglar relaxed. "Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?"
"Moses," replied the bird.
"Moses?" the burglar laughed. "What kind of people would name a bird Moses?"
"The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus."
Burglar 0.
Another Lovely Day...
It's cold here today; the kind of day we used to call “raw”. The temperature has been around 43°F (5°C) all day, the humidity has been high most of the day, and the wind is howling. We got almost a quarter inch of rain last night (but no more expected for at least a week, dang it).
So it was the perfect day for soup. Debbie and I made tlapeno, a clear-broth Mexican chicken soup with garbanzo beans, carrots, potatoes, and rice. The broth is flavored with smoked chipotle peppers, and we serve it with a topping of cubed avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, and thinly sliced green onions. For ours, we substituted turkey meat and homemade turkey stock. Wonderful stuff!
We had fun making it, too – not least because of the assistance of our four-strong canine cleanup crew. For example, as I was preparing the carrots, the dogs ate the carrot ends I cut off before they could hit the floor. They didn't like the potato peels very well, but just about everything else was a hit – even the cilantro!
Yesterday the day was so lovely that we changed our plans and headed up for one of our favorite drives: forest road 14S05 from Pine Valley to Laguna Mountain. This one-lane paved road starts off in some of the prettiest sagebrush country around, and wends up over a few miles through various chaparral and riparian scenes, including a square mile or so of ground-cover manzanita that are only a couple of feet tall. Eventually it ends up in the pine forests of Laguna's heights.
Before we turned onto 14S05, though, we checked to see if Frosty Burger in Pine Valley was open. And it was! That meant we could enjoy a treat: the best fish sandwiches we've ever found in San Diego, along with the best french fries. Frosty Burger is a little mom-and-pop shop that makes great old-fashioned fast food: burgers, shakes (including malts), french fries – and an unreasonably good fish sandwich made with cod. Yum!
By the time we got home, we weren't hungry enough to make a meal. But we had previously purchased a pint of beautiful blackberries. So I whipped up a zabaglione sauce (about 5 minutes work if you've never done it, and a first-class dessert) and we had zabaglione sauce over those luscious blackberries. Good enough to make your brains fall out!
The zabaglione recipe calls for four egg yolks, which meant we had four leftover egg whites. What to do with them? Why, whip them together with a little heavy cream and some nutmeg, and you've got the best dog treat ever invented! I did that, poured it into the dog dishes, and stood back to watch four dogs try to inhale their treat. Happy dogs!
So it was the perfect day for soup. Debbie and I made tlapeno, a clear-broth Mexican chicken soup with garbanzo beans, carrots, potatoes, and rice. The broth is flavored with smoked chipotle peppers, and we serve it with a topping of cubed avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, and thinly sliced green onions. For ours, we substituted turkey meat and homemade turkey stock. Wonderful stuff!
We had fun making it, too – not least because of the assistance of our four-strong canine cleanup crew. For example, as I was preparing the carrots, the dogs ate the carrot ends I cut off before they could hit the floor. They didn't like the potato peels very well, but just about everything else was a hit – even the cilantro!
Yesterday the day was so lovely that we changed our plans and headed up for one of our favorite drives: forest road 14S05 from Pine Valley to Laguna Mountain. This one-lane paved road starts off in some of the prettiest sagebrush country around, and wends up over a few miles through various chaparral and riparian scenes, including a square mile or so of ground-cover manzanita that are only a couple of feet tall. Eventually it ends up in the pine forests of Laguna's heights.
Before we turned onto 14S05, though, we checked to see if Frosty Burger in Pine Valley was open. And it was! That meant we could enjoy a treat: the best fish sandwiches we've ever found in San Diego, along with the best french fries. Frosty Burger is a little mom-and-pop shop that makes great old-fashioned fast food: burgers, shakes (including malts), french fries – and an unreasonably good fish sandwich made with cod. Yum!
By the time we got home, we weren't hungry enough to make a meal. But we had previously purchased a pint of beautiful blackberries. So I whipped up a zabaglione sauce (about 5 minutes work if you've never done it, and a first-class dessert) and we had zabaglione sauce over those luscious blackberries. Good enough to make your brains fall out!
The zabaglione recipe calls for four egg yolks, which meant we had four leftover egg whites. What to do with them? Why, whip them together with a little heavy cream and some nutmeg, and you've got the best dog treat ever invented! I did that, poured it into the dog dishes, and stood back to watch four dogs try to inhale their treat. Happy dogs!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Our Thanksgiving Day...
Usually we spend Thanksgiving Day with friends and family, at home (whether ours or someone else's). This year we did something completely different.
For starters, we got up before dawn and headed for our local mountains to see if we could spot some wildlife. We didn't do so well on the wildlife front, but we did see some unexpected beauty caused by the combination of rain and sub-freezing weather. Our drive took us up the short road to Stonewall Mine (in Cuyamaca State Park), through large meadows where we often spot deer and bobcats. Yesterday we saw the wintry scene at right: thick frost on all the plants in the meadow. It was melting before our eyes from the sun that had popped over the horizon just a few minutes before we got there.
Further along that same road, we came to a low split-rail fence that was particularly pretty (at left). Below you'll find a few close-ups that are interesting for the ice crystals that appear on the grain of the wood (some of which you can see at left). The temperature outside was about 30°F (about -1°C) – very cold for us Southern Californians!
Later we drove up to Laguna Mountain. There we saw something quite unexpected, and very difficult to capture in a photograph – the trees and bushes were covered in a thin layer (about 1/8", or 3mm) of ice that was as transparent as lead crystal glass. What really made this stand out is that the northern flanks of Laguna Mountain all burned three years ago, and there are vast stands of the trunks and branches of burnt, dead trees and shrubs. These were all coated with ice – and they were backlit by the early morning sun as we drove south on the Sunrise Highway. The result was large shiny patches and stripes all over the mountains and hills.
Debbie and I struggled for a while to explain why these shiny patches had suddenly appeared – but then we drove past a stand of ice-coated manzanita skeletons, and then we understood. The photo at right shows the lighting effects of the ice, though not very well. Try to imagine what this would look like if I had taken a good photograph...then multiply that by 100 billion or so, and you'll have an idea what we were looking at.
We finished our drive by about 10 am, and now we were hungry. Debbie made some delicious buckwheat pancakes (from 100% buckwheat flour, easy to buy on the Internet these days). We slopped some excellent maple syrup on them and had ourselves a grand breakfast. Later in the day, when we once again got hungry, we made ourselves a real treat: pan-fried eastern scallops (just butter and garlic – yum!), a casserole-like accompaniment made with bell peppers, mushrooms, sharp cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs, and milk, and rice.
The rest of the day we just relaxed, had a little wine, and were generally lazy and useless. A wonderful day!
A few more photos from our drive:
Later we drove up to Laguna Mountain. There we saw something quite unexpected, and very difficult to capture in a photograph – the trees and bushes were covered in a thin layer (about 1/8", or 3mm) of ice that was as transparent as lead crystal glass. What really made this stand out is that the northern flanks of Laguna Mountain all burned three years ago, and there are vast stands of the trunks and branches of burnt, dead trees and shrubs. These were all coated with ice – and they were backlit by the early morning sun as we drove south on the Sunrise Highway. The result was large shiny patches and stripes all over the mountains and hills.
We finished our drive by about 10 am, and now we were hungry. Debbie made some delicious buckwheat pancakes (from 100% buckwheat flour, easy to buy on the Internet these days). We slopped some excellent maple syrup on them and had ourselves a grand breakfast. Later in the day, when we once again got hungry, we made ourselves a real treat: pan-fried eastern scallops (just butter and garlic – yum!), a casserole-like accompaniment made with bell peppers, mushrooms, sharp cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs, and milk, and rice.
The rest of the day we just relaxed, had a little wine, and were generally lazy and useless. A wonderful day!
A few more photos from our drive:
Nissan Leaf's EPA Gas Mileage Rating...
The Obama administration recently gave the Nissan Leaf plug-in electric vehicle a mileage rating of 99 MPG. That makes it look very good compared to almost any gasoline-powered vehicle. But what does an MPG rating even mean on an electric vehicle? And is it a fair comparison of the energy consumption of the Nissan Leaf to a gasoline-powered vehicle?
Many folks are skeptical of the benefits of all-electric vehicles. In fact, there are very good reasons to wonder about the wisdom of producing them at all. This debate is completely overshadowed, however, by the loud support that all-electric vehicles get from the usual suspects in the environmental wacko world, and from the Obama adminstration and their lapdog lamestream media.
So what's the actual truth here? Warren Meyer, of Coyoteblog fame, has an excellent analysis in the current issue of Forbes. If you're curious (and you should be, as your tax dollars are subsidizing GM's Volt), read it and understand...
Many folks are skeptical of the benefits of all-electric vehicles. In fact, there are very good reasons to wonder about the wisdom of producing them at all. This debate is completely overshadowed, however, by the loud support that all-electric vehicles get from the usual suspects in the environmental wacko world, and from the Obama adminstration and their lapdog lamestream media.
So what's the actual truth here? Warren Meyer, of Coyoteblog fame, has an excellent analysis in the current issue of Forbes. If you're curious (and you should be, as your tax dollars are subsidizing GM's Volt), read it and understand...
Public Sector Jobs Growing the Economy?
Why creating public sector jobs is useless for growing the economy:
The Fake Taliban Negotiator...
IowaHawk has the inside scoop. Put down your morning beverage first, swallow your last gulp, then read...
Thursday, November 25, 2010
If You're Traveling Over Thanksgiving...
Buck Howdy is thinking about you:
Meanwhile, we're thankful to be staying home all four days of this holiday (except for an excursion into our local mountains this morning)...
Meanwhile, we're thankful to be staying home all four days of this holiday (except for an excursion into our local mountains this morning)...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Blue vs. Red...
For the past 100 years or so, U.S. politics have been essentially a contest between two political parties: Republicans and Democrats. While other parties and independent candidates have most certainly run, not one of them has ever achieved even political importance, much less dominance.
The “movie” below shows graphically which parts of the country voted for Republicans (red) and for Democrats (blue). The saturation of the color represents the degree of dominance. The movie starts around 1920 and ends in 2008. It would be interesting indeed to see this movie extended to include the 2010 elections!
The “movie” below shows graphically which parts of the country voted for Republicans (red) and for Democrats (blue). The saturation of the color represents the degree of dominance. The movie starts around 1920 and ends in 2008. It would be interesting indeed to see this movie extended to include the 2010 elections!
Settled Science...
The term “settled science” appears in the IPCC reports and has become a key catch-phrase in the AGW debates. The basic notion put forth by AGW proponents is that the (alleged) consensus of “professional climatologists” must be true, as the magnitude of the consensus indicates that all scientific debate on the topic has been “settled”. Ergo, to all skeptics, they say STFU.
Well, anyone even modestly acquainted with the history of science knows that there are many, many examples of “settled science” (using the notion described above to define the term) that turned out later to be bogus. One of my favorite examples is from geology, where in my lifetime the theory of plate tectonics completely overturned the “settled science” of stationary continents.
This morning I came across a delightful list of such examples. Many of the entries were reminders for me, such as the relatively recent discovery that stomach ulcers are caused by bacteria (but the previous “settled science” attributed them to stress). Many other entries were entirely new to me. The simple existence of this (eminently verifiable) list is a wonderful refutation of the AGW proponents notion of “settled science” – and a reminder of the permanent importance of skepticism to science...
Well, anyone even modestly acquainted with the history of science knows that there are many, many examples of “settled science” (using the notion described above to define the term) that turned out later to be bogus. One of my favorite examples is from geology, where in my lifetime the theory of plate tectonics completely overturned the “settled science” of stationary continents.
This morning I came across a delightful list of such examples. Many of the entries were reminders for me, such as the relatively recent discovery that stomach ulcers are caused by bacteria (but the previous “settled science” attributed them to stress). Many other entries were entirely new to me. The simple existence of this (eminently verifiable) list is a wonderful refutation of the AGW proponents notion of “settled science” – and a reminder of the permanent importance of skepticism to science...
Oh, Boy...
Most of my readers know that I work in the software industry. This industry has the rare good fortune to suffer only the occasional bout of government interference. That may be about to change. I'd say that the chances of the government doing a good job at this, without undue burden on software companies, is approximately the same chance as the Post Office offering friendly and effective customer service, or the TSA providing real security instead of security theatre. If this bill passes, you can bet that software innovation will gradually migrate to a friendlier locale...
Rainy Morning...
Up at 3 am as usual, and out with the dogs for our morning walk at 3:20 am. When I opened our front door, I was surprised to hear a light patter of raindrops on our roof. The dogs, of course, couldn't possibly care less whether it was wet outside. They bounded out, happily, to do their morning business – and came back in only reluctantly.
It is amazing just how wet a dog can get on a five minute walk! You'd think our mutts had been swimming...
It is amazing just how wet a dog can get on a five minute walk! You'd think our mutts had been swimming...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Kristallnacht...
Just over 62 years ago, on November 9, 1938, the Nazis unleashed Kristallnacht on their Jewish citizens. This is a short video piece, with contemporaneous footage. Via reader Simon M.:
If you listen to the Arabs and Iranians today, you can't help but realize that 62 years later, this could happen again...
If you listen to the Arabs and Iranians today, you can't help but realize that 62 years later, this could happen again...
Down South...
Bill Cosby has some fun with a Southern accent and some confusing geography. YouTube has dozens of such video clips of Bill Cosby, and every one of them I watched was just as funny. Via my mom:
Drug Problem...
I had this kind of drug problem when I was a kid...
Honoring the Fallen...
A video news story you won't want to miss. I have to link, as the video is not embeddable. Via my mom:
An Excellent Story...
It combines SR-71s, pilot machismo, and geekiness. And it's allegedly a true story. What more could you possibly want?
Monday, November 22, 2010
Happy Dog Story...
So she gets a little special treatment now and then, and I make sure to pay attention to her each morning. Over the weekend, Debbie had the other three dogs at an agility meet (where they took 3 first places and 1 second place) – so Lea was home with me with no dogly companions. I made her a treat that she really enjoyed: I broke up a couple pieces of bread into small pieces, soaked them in milk, and warmed up the resulting concoction. Dog heaven! She dug into that with much more gusto than she normally expends on her food. It was obvious how much she enjoyed that treat. Sure felt good to make our old girl so happy...
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Rain!
Dew Drops...
TSA Bumper Snickers...
Marines, Guns, Nail Clippers, and the TSA...
Stupid TSA story of the day.
While traveling home from Houston on Friday night, I witnessed some of the TSA behavior that so many Americans find objectionable. As I was waiting in the security line, I watched a female TSA agent “pat down” a sweet little old lady (Caucasian, appearing to be in her 70s, speaking with a pronounced Texas drawl) who was absolutely mortified. “Pat down” is in quotes because you and I would have called it groping and fondling. At precisely the same time, a group of four men in their 20s and 30s, dressed in Arab garb, walked through the adjacent metal detector. They gawked at the little old lady being groped while they walked out of security with no other checks. I discovered later that the four young men were Yemeni – and if you're paying attention to the news, you know that Yemen is a hot spot of terrorist activity.
On what planet does this behavior make sense? Only on Planet Progressive, where political correctness trumps security every time...
By the way... Do you know how many terrorists the TSA has caught in their airport screening, in all they years they've been irritating us? Zero. That's right – zero. Not one. Nada. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent, and the only success they've had is in cowing the American public.
Time for them to go. Let's subcontract our airport security to the Israelis!
While traveling home from Houston on Friday night, I witnessed some of the TSA behavior that so many Americans find objectionable. As I was waiting in the security line, I watched a female TSA agent “pat down” a sweet little old lady (Caucasian, appearing to be in her 70s, speaking with a pronounced Texas drawl) who was absolutely mortified. “Pat down” is in quotes because you and I would have called it groping and fondling. At precisely the same time, a group of four men in their 20s and 30s, dressed in Arab garb, walked through the adjacent metal detector. They gawked at the little old lady being groped while they walked out of security with no other checks. I discovered later that the four young men were Yemeni – and if you're paying attention to the news, you know that Yemen is a hot spot of terrorist activity.
On what planet does this behavior make sense? Only on Planet Progressive, where political correctness trumps security every time...
By the way... Do you know how many terrorists the TSA has caught in their airport screening, in all they years they've been irritating us? Zero. That's right – zero. Not one. Nada. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent, and the only success they've had is in cowing the American public.
Time for them to go. Let's subcontract our airport security to the Israelis!
Ann Coulter Quotes...
A “25 Best” collection. Sample:
This is liberalism's real strength. It is no longer susceptible to reductio ad absurdium arguments. Before you can come up with a comical take on their worldview, some college professor has already written an article advancing the idea.She's the very definition of “pithy conservative”...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Light Blogging Alert...
I'll be on the road until late Friday night, so you may not see much in the way of posting for a few days...
The Upcoming Sovereign Debt Crisis...
Niall Ferguson (whose books I highly recommend) has an excellent presentation on the upcoming sovereign debt crisis. It's not too technical, and very informative if you're interested in the topic (and you should be)...
People Who Know Me Well...
Sounds Like...
Does anyone else remember “bubble” memory? At one time, we thought it was going to solve all storage problems. Is this the same thing, or is it actually something new?
Airport Security...
I'm going to climb onto an airplane today to travel to Houston, Texas. The San Diego airport was recently equipped with the new “nudie” backscatter X-ray machines, so there's a good chance that I'll either be asked to submit to a virtual stripping, or to a groping of my nether regions. Neither possibility appeals, especialliy when I know that all of this is just “security theater” – it wouldn't even discourage a real terrorist.
This led me to thinking about Israeli airport security, which I've experienced first hand. They manage to accomplish two things that the TSA fails miserably at: (1) they actually add real security to their airports, and (2) they minimally inconvenience the innocent travelers. How do they do this? Well, here's a good summary. Why don't we do the same thing here? Damn good question. Our progressive ninnies would have some problems with the overt profiling, but surely that can't be the entire explanation. Another such factor must be the general ignorance of the American public with respect to the efficacy of the current security measures (many people believe they actually do something useful). My instinct is to follow the money. Where's teh money? It's in the inspection machines and in the TSA infrastructure. I'd be willing to bet that there's a money trail between those two things and the politicians who put it all in motion.
A housecleaning is in order, I think. Probably something drastic is required, like disbanding the TSA entirely, and putting the entire effort back into the airlines' hands, like it used to be...
This led me to thinking about Israeli airport security, which I've experienced first hand. They manage to accomplish two things that the TSA fails miserably at: (1) they actually add real security to their airports, and (2) they minimally inconvenience the innocent travelers. How do they do this? Well, here's a good summary. Why don't we do the same thing here? Damn good question. Our progressive ninnies would have some problems with the overt profiling, but surely that can't be the entire explanation. Another such factor must be the general ignorance of the American public with respect to the efficacy of the current security measures (many people believe they actually do something useful). My instinct is to follow the money. Where's teh money? It's in the inspection machines and in the TSA infrastructure. I'd be willing to bet that there's a money trail between those two things and the politicians who put it all in motion.
A housecleaning is in order, I think. Probably something drastic is required, like disbanding the TSA entirely, and putting the entire effort back into the airlines' hands, like it used to be...
Monday, November 15, 2010
Primer for Congressional Noobs...
And a darn good one, at that. From that well-known intellectual giant, Sarah Palin.
Her political clarity and ever-present common sense are a wonderful tonic for the politically disenchanted. In that sense, the Palin phenomena reminds me of another in my lifetime: Ronald Reagan's rise to the national political stage.
Her political clarity and ever-present common sense are a wonderful tonic for the politically disenchanted. In that sense, the Palin phenomena reminds me of another in my lifetime: Ronald Reagan's rise to the national political stage.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Colliding Galaxies...
What Is This?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Ho, Hum, this is Getting Boring...
Lakes Entertainment published their latest quarterly report. With respect to the Jamul Indian Casino, it continues to look like a failed project, with their investment being written off over time...
Whiffletrees...
When I first saw an IBM Selectric typewriter, I wanted to know how it worked. I never did figure it out. Today, thanks to Make, I found out – and it was even more interesting than I had imagined. It involves two mechanical digital-to-analog converters, called “whiffletrees”. Awesome geekiness ensues:
Giant Galactic Blobs...
It's fascinating that even today astronomers can discover an object that straddles more than half the sky...
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Progressive Mind...
The androgynous Robin of Berkeley is a “changeling” – someone who once was a full-on progressive, but has since turned their world upside-down and become conservative (or libertarian). Here's the end of a recent post in which Robin describes a conversation with a colleague. I particularly like the quote at the end...
The subject came up about a recent, horrendous crime where a bunch of hooligans in a middle school classroom literally stoned and beat up their teacher during class. Then those same thugs went outside and destroyed her car.This is a great example of the stark cognitive disjoint between progressives and non-progressives. I don't know anyone who would respond to this story in a non-polarized way; you either think like a progressive (like Robin's colleague) or you don't...
My colleague insisted that the youth beat their teacher to a bloody pulp because they were victims of racism. I said that they were a bunch of sociopaths who should be punished to the full extent of the law. We never spoke again, and I dropped out of the group. Since then I’ve realized it’s better if I keep my unpopular views to myself (or just share them with readers like you!). It’s a waste of time and energy to educate people who are that deluded (which is pretty much everyone in Berkeley, Oakland, etc.).
So I do my own thing and spend a lot of time chatting online with new conservative friends. It can be hard for me at times. But I try to remember what the Buddha said, “Loneliness is better than the company of fools.”
Battery Problem Approach?
One of the biggest problems with alternative energy approaches (especially solar and wind) is how to store energy produced at one time but needed at another time. This is what batteries do, so the problem is often called the “battery problem”. The batteries available today don't scale up to the very large sizes needed, and they're not very durable.
Here's a new approach to the problem, from MIT labs...
Here's a new approach to the problem, from MIT labs...
Security Theater Watch...
Maybe, just maybe, it's beginning to unravel.
I have to fly to Houston next week, and I'm not looking forward to my airport experiences...
I have to fly to Houston next week, and I'm not looking forward to my airport experiences...
History of the World...
Via my mom, this slightly condensed history of the world:
Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.
The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:
1. Liberals
2. Conservatives
Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement...
Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ's and doing the sewing, fetching, and making art. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.
Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. They became known as girlie-men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.
Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass for obvious reasons.
Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare..
Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.
Conservatives drink domestic beer, mostly Bud or Miller. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, engineers, corporate executives, athletes, members of the military, airline pilots and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.
Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America . They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.
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