Perspective... Acquiring a little perspective (aka “wisdom”) may be the main benefit of getting older. I've been a working engineer long enough to see several engineering management fads come and go. These are all about managing the process of engineering, rather than doing the actual engineering work itself. The broadest need for such processes these days is for software engineering, which often has large teams of engineers working on the same product (or parts of it).
All of these processes have the same objective: to reduce the process of engineering to something predictable, measurable, and manageable. So far as I can tell, all of them can be successful when used by a gifted manager, of which there are approximately 3 in the world at any given time. The rest just impede the engineers' work, frustrate both the engineers and their managers, and provide fodder for Scott Adams (Mr. Dilbert). Meanwhile, so far as I can tell, most successful engineering management is driven by one of three things: the teams are small and cohesive (so process is much less needed), there's a gifted leader of the team who holds the whole effort together single-handedly, or the team had a run of amazingly good luck. I've never – not once – seen an engineering methodology actually work well myself.
The last company I worked for was in the throes of kind of, sort of, but not really adopting “agile” methodologies when I retired. This post could have been written about them...
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Story of the day...
Story of the day... Via ScrappleFace:
Reports from the International Space Station (ISS) indicate that Russia has effectively annexed several modules of the orbiting laboratory, allegedly at the invitation of a Russian-speaking scientist aboard.Scott Ott cracks me up :)
President Vladimir Putin said his forces moved in “peacefully and are committed to protecting the interests of pro-Russian persons on the ISS” — which currently comprises cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, who felt threatened by some laboratory rodents run amok.
AGW skepticism is going mainstream...
AGW skepticism is going mainstream... Here's an article in Forbes, reporting something as news that was actually reported by several AGW skeptics (Steve McIntyre, Anthony Watts, Jo Nova) well over a year ago. To me, the most interesting thing here is that this quite skeptical view is being reported credulously as straight-up news...
At-will out-of-body experiences...
At-will out-of-body experiences... Seems that out-of-body experiences are explainable after all, and without invoking magic, deities, or hallucinations. This is another in a large set of examples where a single human (or occasionally, an animal) has provided the means to study and explain a phenomenon that was previously completely mysterious...
Progressive racism?
Progressive racism? Some of these are a stretch, but there's enough that's plausible to make a thought-provoking read...
Monday, March 10, 2014
Older than dirt, part II...
Older than dirt, part II... Via reader and friend Doug W., whose daughter sent this to him:
Newspapers: In days before everyone had computers at home and in their pockets, printing presses made paper versions of websites. People would then drive around and throw them on your lawn.Awesome!
Gotcha! Well, really, got me!
Gotcha! Well, really, got me! A friend who shall remain unnamed told me today that he was looking for work outside his current employer. I texted to him:
I hope you know that you can feel free to use me as a reference, professional or character.He replied:
No... They're not gonna listen to some hermit who lives in the mountains.I think I damaged something by laughing too hard :)
Older than dirt...
Older than dirt... Via my mom, who really is older than dirt!
'Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?'Last week, while I was up in Utah, I visited the home of one of our new neighbors. This fellow happens to be an electrical engineer, and he looks like he's probably in his late 30s. We talked shop a little bit, and he asked me what the first project I ever worked on was. When I told him about the vacuum tube transmitter I once designed, he looked at me and said:
'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him. 'All the food was slow.'
'C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?'
'It was a place called 'at home,'' I explained. 'Mom cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'
By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.
But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have handled it :
Some parents NEVER owned their own house, never wore Levis, never set foot on a golf course, never traveled out of the country or had a credit card.
In their later years they had something called a revolving charge card. The card was good only at Sears Roebuck. Or maybe it was Sears & Roebuck.
Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore. Maybe he died.
My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was mostly because we never had heard of soccer.
I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed (slow).
We had a television in our house. It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at midnight, after playing the national anthem and a poem about God; it came back on the air at about 6 a.m. and there was usually a locally produced news and farm show on, featuring local people.
I was 21 before I tasted my first pizza, it was called 'pizza pie.' When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too. It's still the best pizza I ever had.
I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in the house was in the living room and it was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.
Pizzas were not delivered to our home But milk was.
All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers-- my brother delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which he got to keep 2 cents. He had to get up at 6AM every morning.
On Saturday, he had to collect the 42 cents from his customers. His favorite customers were the ones who gave him 50 cents and told him to keep the change. His least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.
Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies. There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or most anything offensive.
If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren
Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.
Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?
MEMORIES from a friend :
My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it.. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to 'sprinkle' clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old.
How many of these do you remember?
- Head lights dimmer switches on the floor.
- Ignition switches on the dashboard.
- Heaters mounted on the inside of the fire wall.
- Real ice boxes.
- Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.
- Soldering irons you heat on a gas burner.
“What’s a vacuum tube?”Dirt is starting to look young to me...
Always ask, never assume...
Always ask, never assume... Via my lovely bride:
His request approved, the CNN News photographer quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport to charter a flight. He was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport. Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger. He jumped in with his bag, slammed the door shut, and shouted, “Let's go!”
The pilot taxied out, swung the plane into the wind and took off. Once in the air, the photographer instructed the pilot, “Fly over the valley and make low passes so I can take pictures of the fires on the hillsides.”
“Why?” asked the pilot.
“Because I'm a photographer for CNN,” he responded, “and I need to get some close up shots.”
The pilot was strangely silent for a moment, finally he stammered “So, what you're telling me is ... you're not my flight instructor?”
Global warming skepticism for dummies..
Global warming skepticism for dummies... Roy Spencer is a climatologist, with university degrees to suit and publications in peer-reviewed journals. He used to work for NASA as a Senior Scientist for Climate Studies. He's also skeptical about anthropogenic global warming. Even better: he can write about it for a non-scientist audience. Go read!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
The family will be weeping...
The family will be weeping... Me too... Via reader and friend Simon M...
Seven year old singing a Billie Holiday number...
A hole in Mars...
Back home, for now...
Back home, for now... I've returned from my latest adventure in Utah, and am back in our home in Jamul. During the past 10 days I was very busy meeting with lawyers, water rights engineers, various government officials, inspectors, appraisers, realtors, insurance companies, construction companies, plumbers, and a variety of future neighbors – all in pursuit of due diligence on purchasing our new home there. Well, the due diligence is finished, and we're on the way to closing on April 4th. I'm going to be “camping” in the house for a few weeks while we get some repairs and changes done. Then we move!
One big challenge we have is how to move our animals (4 dogs, 9 cats) 850 miles. Anyone have experience with this, and advice?
One big challenge we have is how to move our animals (4 dogs, 9 cats) 850 miles. Anyone have experience with this, and advice?
Dr. Seuss, rewritten and read by Sarah Palin...
Friday, March 7, 2014
Incredible flight story that I'd never seen before...
Watch a modern musician make music...
Wait – did someone think he would?
Wait – did someone think he would?
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said there is “no way” he will recognize Israel as a Jewish state and accept a Palestinian capital in just a portion of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, rejecting what some Palestinians believe will be key parts of a forthcoming U.S. peace proposal, the Associated Press reported on Friday.Surely there can't be more than zero people surprised by this! Via al Arabiya...
Corruption in science...
Corruption in science... Probably not the kind you're imagining. Consider these thoughts:
Oh, who wrote this rant? Sydney Brenner, biologist, professor, and 2002 Nobel Laureate. He knows a thing or two about this subject...
I think peer review is hindering science. In fact, I think it has become a completely corrupt system. It’s corrupt in many ways, in that scientists and academics have handed over to the editors of these journals the ability to make judgment on science and scientists. There are universities in America, and I’ve heard from many committees, that we won’t consider people’s publications in low impact factor journals.The first thing I thought of were the scrupulously peer-reviewed publications of Michael Mann and the rest of the IPCC gang of climatologists. They are a perfect example.
Now I mean, people are trying to do something, but I think it’s not publish or perish, it’s publish in the okay places [or perish]. And this has assembled a most ridiculous group of people. I wrote a column for many years in the nineties, in a journal called Current Biology. In one article, “Hard Cases”, I campaigned against this [culture] because I think it is not only bad, it’s corrupt. In other words it puts the judgment in the hands of people who really have no reason to exercise judgment at all. And that’s all been done in the aid of commerce, because they are now giant organizations making money out of it.
Oh, who wrote this rant? Sydney Brenner, biologist, professor, and 2002 Nobel Laureate. He knows a thing or two about this subject...
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Firefly freaks out...
Quote of the day...
Quote of the day... This time from Eric Raymond (ESR), on the climatology models that are the basis for the IPCC's prediction of global warming:
It's junk science all the way down.Indeed. Don't miss the comments...
I can't decide...
Epic old man...
Downingia pulchella...
Another sad story of government ineptness...
Another sad story of government ineptness ... this time, it involves American veterans who were killed (or are still missing) in overseas wars. Bottom lines: incredibly large amounts of money while obtaining almost no results. That's a familiar pattern when the federal government is involved, but it's particularly sad and infuriating in a situation like this...
The foreign language effect...
The foreign language effect... I've read about this several times before – another one of those peeks into how the human brain works that is very surprising. At least I find it so!
A science mystery...
A science mystery ... leads to a fascinating discovery about simple, homogenous materials in motion. It never ceases to amaze me how many things we don't know about the world we live in, and not all of those things are esoteric or obscure...
Geek: automated color detection...
Geek: automated color detection... I've tried to do this myself, years ago, when trying various ways of compressing color spaces for a remote control product. It's far more difficult than you might think...
I wonder why...
I wonder why ... Intel is producing a free open-source font? What on earth does that have to do with their business?
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Solar prominence...
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
God help me, I do...
Quote of the day...
Quote of the day...
“We have created a leadership vacuum in the world, and it is being filled by the Putins of the world, by people without our values or our interest, and it’s to the detriment of the United States and our friends and allies around the world,” he said. “It is the United States that’s injected that instability into the world equation.”Donald Rumsfeld. I miss that guy...
Ukrainian-Russian Tensions Dividing U.S. Citizens Along Ignorant, Apathetic Lines...
Ukrainian-Russian Tensions Dividing U.S. Citizens Along Ignorant, Apathetic Lines... The Onion nails it...
Cooper!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Let the whining commence...
Let the whining commence... Here's what our Secretary of Weakness had to say this morning, on the subject of the Russian invasion of Crimea:
The only possible response from Putin when he reads that ... is a big, hearty, belly-laugh.
You just don’t in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pretext. It is serious in terms of sort of the modern manner with which nations are going to resolve problems. There are all kinds of other options still available to Russia. There still are. President Obama wants to emphasize to the Russians that there are a right set of choices that can still be made to address any concerns they have about Crimea, about their citizens, but you don’t choose to invade a country in order to do that.The naivete, ignorance, and mental dysfunction on display in that quote are just stunning. What's scarier is that Kerry, I'm sure unwittingly, is saying the same sorts of things that Neville Chamberlain said before his famous trip to Munich...
The only possible response from Putin when he reads that ... is a big, hearty, belly-laugh.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
A 20 year old knucklehead speaks out...
Stunning views of Mt. Everest...
Quote of the day...
Quote of the day...
It’s pretty clear by now that Putin will do pretty much anything he wants in Ukraine, as Obama and especially Secretary of Weakness John Kerry have indicated that we won’t do much of anything because this “shouldn’t become a great power crisis,” or whatever nonsense Kerry keeps dribbling out of his mouth. I almost wish he’d stick with talking nonsense about climate change.That's from Steven Hayward, writing at Powerline. “Secretary of Weakness” – laughing and crying at the same time...
Every one of them...
Every one of them...
My country is being run by a cabal of fools. Our national credibility is on a par with that of Iran. Our chief executive issues blustering communiques that are never followed up on, and which no foreign actor believes – and does so repeatedly. This most recent one – which Putin quite understandably simply ignored – contained no direct consequence at all, just a vague warning that there “would be costs.” Today we find out that the first such costs are: (1) boycotting a planned summit meeting, and (2) a strongly worded letter. Can't you just feel Putin quaking in his boots?
“Putin's aim is to show that he is in the catbird seat, and there is nothing we can do about it,” this former officer said. “He's like a kid with a can of gasoline and a book of matches, and he laughs as Obama tries to deliver lectures on how fire is dangerous. Indeed, Putin throws banana peels on the ground, and Obama manages to slip on every one of them. I've never seen anything like it.”Yes.
My country is being run by a cabal of fools. Our national credibility is on a par with that of Iran. Our chief executive issues blustering communiques that are never followed up on, and which no foreign actor believes – and does so repeatedly. This most recent one – which Putin quite understandably simply ignored – contained no direct consequence at all, just a vague warning that there “would be costs.” Today we find out that the first such costs are: (1) boycotting a planned summit meeting, and (2) a strongly worded letter. Can't you just feel Putin quaking in his boots?
Friday, February 28, 2014
Poem, with a twist of surprise...
Poem, with a twist of surprise... Friend and former colleague Aleck L. sent this along. A 14 year old boy wrote a poem. Here's the beginning of it:
But wait until you see the rest of the story. Be sure to read the whole article!
Our generation will be known for nothing.
Never will anybody say,
We were the peak of mankind.
That is wrong, the truth is
Our generation was a failure.
Thinking that
We actually succeeded
Is a waste. And we know
Living only for money and power
Is the way to go.
Onlookers gape...
Onlookers gape... The Onion, on the subject of ObamaCare. Via reader and friend Larry E.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Autonomous freighters...
Shocking mugshots...
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Cache Valley scene...
This afternoon I visited the County Recorder's office to pick up plats and legal property descriptions for the parcels of land we're buying. If you've ever done something like this in San Diego (I have), you know it's a most painful experience: city traffic, scarce (and expensive) parking, long waits, surly clerical help, expensive and slow (and probably crappy) copies, and absolutely zero chance of meeting anyone with any real authority on a walk-in visit.
Here in Cache County, I drove up to the County Administration building and discovered a vast parking lot behind it, with dozens of empty spaces. Those spaces were, of course, free. Then I went to the wrong place to pick up what I needed, and some very friendly folks gently told me where I really needed to go (the Recorder's actual office). I went there, and asked about getting the documents – and the County Recorder himself (a fellow named Mike Gleed) helped me locate and copy them. Just like every other County employee I've met (about 10 at this point), he was extremely helpful, took the time to answer all my questions, no matter how crazy or ignorant – and had a smile and a cheerful attitude throughout. Oh, and those documents cost me a whopping $3.50!
For anyone from southern California, getting quality, cheerful, friendly service from a government employee is a head-exploding experience. Feels good, though. Makes me want to go back for more...
What is this?
The two that are shining here are operating power stations, and the mirrors around them have been aimed so that each of them reflects the sun onto the tower. These mirrors move all day long, as the sun moves across the sky, to keep the reflected sunlight on target. Thousands of these mirrors surround each tower, and collectively they focus enough light onto the flat black material of the tower to boil the water circulating under the skin. That generated steam powers turbines that generate electricity – enough for 70,000 homes.
The black tower is just one that's not operational at the moment I took this photo. It's mirrors are aimed so that they reflect light anywhere but on the tower.
These power stations have been in the news recently because birds have been flying near the towers. When they do so, they are killed by the intense heat, and even partially cooked by the time they hit the ground below. Environmentalists are, of course, trying to shut the power stations down. Because the power stations are in California, I'd bet that they'll succeed...
Intermittent blogging alert!
Intermittent blogging alert! I'm back up in Utah (drove all day yesterday), and I'll be up here for a couple of weeks doing the not-so-much-fun part of buying a new home: due diligence. I get to spend my time with appraisers, inspectors, lawyers, and so forth. Oh, joy!
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Ajanta Caves...
We live in ridiculously convenient times...
We live in ridiculously convenient times... That's the first sentence of a Wall Street Journal piece by Dave Barry (actually an excerpt from his latest book). Go read, but please put down your hot morning beverage first...
Pater: We were manly men before we were ten...
Pater: We were manly men before we were ten... Another post from my brother Scott, with a story about our dad:
My own memories of that trip mostly agree with Scott's. Those heavy backpacks on the way up to Chimney Pond – oh, those I definitely remember. I didn't think I'd survive that hike :) The relief on arriving at our Adirondack shelter was utterly overwhelming. The swim in Chimney Pond is also an indelible memory, though I'm pretty sure the temperature was actually below freezing, due to dissolved minerals or salts – and there was ice along the edges. I also remember sitting on the cliffs with our light packs, and throwing rocks over the side. But most of all I remember the hike along the “Knife Edge” between Baxter Peak and Pamola Peak. The photo at right (not mine) gives you a feeling for it. That photo was taken looking south, toward Baxter peak. That narrow rocky ridge is present for a good part of the length of the trail, and in places there are iron handholds pounded into the rock so that you can safely traverse especially narrow places. I was thrilled by the feeling of height you get with a near-cliff on both sides of the narrow trail, and that knife edge in front of you as far as you could see. Before I joined the Navy, I took one last hike on Katahdin, by myself, and I hiked the knife edge three times in a week – my favorite part of that entire gorgeous mountain...
We were manly men before we were ten.
At the tender age of six our father strapped a huge army issue back-pack jammed full of heavy camping gear onto my short little self. It felt like it weighed a ton. Was wondering if maybe my brother had a lot less weight in his backpack although it looked sort of about the same bulky size. We had a long way to walk before we could park this tortuous load which seemed like cruel and unusual punishment. At the same time though it made me feel more grown up.
Our destination for the day was Chimney Pond. The backpack frame would scrape on the ground every once in a while and I found myself leaning forward more than usual to prevent this from ruining the thing. Seemed like we almost had to run with all that weight (50-60 pounds?) to keep up with Dad's long strides. Every once in a while Dad let us stop to drink some water and have a small snack – like a few handfuls of gorp or maybe some pemmican. What a relief it was to take off the backpack for a few minutes. For a teasing brief moment in time it felt like I weighed as much as a feather.
My way of thinking was to sneak as much weight in water and food as possible into my gut so that the backpack would weigh less. Dad taught us some survival skills along the way and spoke to us about the critters that lived around there. He also joked around some. It seemed like it took forever to get to where we were going but it probably wasn't that many miles. No kid on earth knows what a perfect night of sleep feels like unless they have endured that much slavery and then experience breathing that cool clean mountain air while in la la land tucked in a warm sleeping bag.
Early next morning we were back on a trail heading for the top of Mt. Katahdin. There was a slight difference. The backpacks weighed much less than the day before. After scrambling over humungous boulders and hiking quickly up steep slopes we did make it to the top. A brass marker on a cairn let us all know that we were a mile high. Off to the south (?) maybe about 100 feet away from the cairn was a cliff that Dad wanted us to sit on top of. We did as we were told. Problem was our backpacks were now just about empty and they felt like sails on our backs with a 60 m.p.h. wind blowing hard at us. Thought for sure I was going to sail right off the top of that cliff. He instructed us to pick up rocks, throw them over the side and listen carefully for the sound of these rocks hitting bottom. “Shout when you hear them hit. I'm going to time you so I can calculate how far down it is to the bottom of that cliff.” We all decided that this was one heck of a tall cliff because it took a while before we heard those rocks hit anything.
The next cliff experience was phenomenal. The knife edge. A scary long cliff on each side of you as you ran leaping over gaps in this narrow pathway. At times it was not all that narrow, but when it was narrow it gave you thrills and chills – that's for sure.
After another heavenly night of sleep there was a treat in store for us who knew not what was next. A cool and refreshing swim for 5 minutes and not a second less. Actually this was cooler than your average cool refreshing swim. 35 degrees Fahrenheit I believe was the recorded temperature. We had no choice in the matter. We were not allowed to leave the water until the 5 minutes were up. We asked several times if the 5 minutes were up and of course they weren't. That was the longest 5 minutes I'll ever experience. When back at camp ( Long Pond, Lincoln Center, Maine ) my lips were bright blue and purple and I was still shivering from that swim. Caught a pneumonia or something about as bad and Mother Dear was pretty pissed off at Dad for almost killing me which was carrying it a little too far.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
I tow the line...
I tow the line... A liberal (identified as only as DGCJ) writes something and uses the phrase “I tow the party line” – plainly meaning “I toe the partly line” instead. Conservative commentator Daniel Greenfield calls him out on it, rather gently correcting him. What do you suppose the result was?
Naturally, DGCJ asserted his correctness – certified by his political persuasion (liberal), credentials (Ph.D.), and makes several assertions he apparently considers belittling and conclusive, such as:
Naturally, DGCJ asserted his correctness – certified by his political persuasion (liberal), credentials (Ph.D.), and makes several assertions he apparently considers belittling and conclusive, such as:
Thanks. we both realize you were mentally outclassed from the beginning, but now you know why. It's because I was born with superior cognitive functions, as a homosexual male.and
I tow the party line, dummyDaniel uses this as a teaching moment. Go learn...
I just corrected you. Nobody toes their car, do they? They TOW it. DUH!
And, the last laugh will be on you, my friend. I don't troll. I speak the truth and conservatives hate facts. Science is not your friend.
The view from Mars...
The shame of That One...
The shame of That One... Niall Ferguson on America's global retreat. Very sad, for us old-fashioned Americans. The progressives are cheering, though...
Fort Caroline found – in the wrong place...
Fort Caroline found – in the wrong place... Fort Caroline was the first French settlement in the U.S., long believed to have been near present-day Jacksonville, Florida, but never found. Until now, possibly: researchers recently announced that they've discovered the remains of the fort – in southern Georgia! This is a controversial discovery, overturning decades of scholarship – but it has the interesting advantage of actual, you know, evidence. I'll be keeping an eye on this one...
Solar time vs. local time...
More Mann-ly takedown...
More Mann-ly takedown... From the irreplaceable Steve McIntyre, of course. This time he demolishes Mann's characterization of the Muir Russell inquiry...
Ukraine – events happening too fast to keep up with...
Ukraine – events happening too fast to keep up with... It appears that in the past 24 hours, a peace agreement was signed, a truce immediately violated, Parliament restored the 2004 Constitution and voted to release the former Prime Minister (Yulia Tymoshenko), police and military reportedly “defected” to the protesters, current President Viktor Yanukovych fled the capital of Kiev, the Parliament voted to remove Yanokovych, Tymoshenko is released and is heading for Independence Square, and demonstrators took over the entire city of Kiev, including all government offices. Yanokovych vows to remain in the country and in power, calling the demonstrators “bandits”, as he has for the past three months.
After months of sometimes-bloody conflict, this is quite an amazingly rapid progression. So far as I can tell, it's all good news, too – but it's certainly not over yet. Yanokovych could conceivably lean on Putin to supply the muscle needed to restore himself to power. Internal forces may yet be able to do the same. I have no idea how it's going to end up, but it looks hopeful right at the moment...
Some relevant reading for you here, here, and here...
After months of sometimes-bloody conflict, this is quite an amazingly rapid progression. So far as I can tell, it's all good news, too – but it's certainly not over yet. Yanokovych could conceivably lean on Putin to supply the muscle needed to restore himself to power. Internal forces may yet be able to do the same. I have no idea how it's going to end up, but it looks hopeful right at the moment...
Some relevant reading for you here, here, and here...
Friday, February 21, 2014
The Mann he loves...
The Mann he loves... Michael Mann, the posturing, stuffed-hat, litigation-prone “climatologist” from Penn State filed a libel suit against Mark Steyn for articles Steyn wrote poking fun at Mann's work. Now Steyn has filed a counter-suit (text here) with two multimillion dollar claims against Mann (a fairly standard tactic in the defense of any lawsuit – make it as painful for the other guy as you can). Between these two lawsuits, a vigorous discovery process is almost certain. That means all of the emails and documents that Mann has so carefully be refusing to make public ... will become public if introduced in the trial. From the ClimateGate emails, we already know there's a rich trove of material there that will defend Steyn's statements – and you can bet those will be introduced into evidence. Read the text of Steyn's complaint – it's far better written, with wit and humor, than any complaint I've ever read.
Stock up on popcorn, folks!
Stock up on popcorn, folks!
A murmuration of starlings...
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Farmer's Almanac: 1, NOAA: 0...
Farmer's Almanac: 1, NOAA: 0... The Farmer's Almanac predicted an unusually cold winter this year. The NOAA did not. Neither did the IPCC, who said global warming would be particularly “visible” this winter. Yeah, not so much. Via reader and friend Larry E...
What's the alternative to ObamaCare?
What's the alternative to ObamaCare? Well, at one point we had BushCare proposed. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, as it was obviously dead on arrival at Congress. Now, looking back on it, it sure sounds good by comparison...
Music of the printer...
They have free time all week long!
They have free time all week long! 10 tips for Japanese travelers to the U.S. I've always found it interesting to learn how other cultures view ours...
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Okay, now I know that I'm never flying to Bilbao, Spain!
Okay, now I know that I'm never flying to Bilbao, Spain! Watch the videos of Bilbao landings below to see why:
It hurt my sphincter just to watch these – imagine what it would be like to be on those planes!
It hurt my sphincter just to watch these – imagine what it would be like to be on those planes!
“Risk Corridors” being extended?
“Risk Corridors” being extended? There's lots of chatter about this at the moment. Extending the ObamaCare risk corridors is such a stupid idea, and will so obviously cost the taxpayers money, that we can pretty much assume That One's administration of bozos will do it. Megan McArdle has the skinny, and she concludes (after stating the obvious: that extending the risk corridors would be illegal):
Of course, the administration has gotten creative before, so don’t count it out. But if it does extend the program, it is basically confessing two things: It thinks the law is whatever it says it is, and it never really cared how much the program cost.Yup.
If you've been paying attention, this isn't news...
If you've been paying attention, this isn't news... But if you don't know much about North Korea, this report may shock and surprise you...
A craftsman at work...
A craftsman at work... Steve McIntyre absolutely demolishes one of Michael Mann's key assertions in his ridiculous libel suit against Mark Steyn and the National Review. It's a pleasure to read Steve's meticulous work...
Another Communist state is dying before our very eyes...
Another Communist state is dying before our very eyes... I'm speaking of Venezuela, of course. Progressives – the heretofore loud promoters of Hugo's variety of Communism, rebranded as “socialism” to make to more palatable to Americans – are studiously ignoring the ugly collapse. People suffering? Move along now, nothing to see here.
I used to buy slide rules (which, as my long-time readers know, I collect) from a fellow in Caracas. We had a few email conversations about the politics after Hugo took power. Then one day he stopped responding to my emails. A little later, I got a reply saying that his email address had been deleted. I sent snail mail; it was returned. His ads are no longer on eBay. I fear the worst for him, and I am afraid that his political openness on email may have contributed to his undoing...
I used to buy slide rules (which, as my long-time readers know, I collect) from a fellow in Caracas. We had a few email conversations about the politics after Hugo took power. Then one day he stopped responding to my emails. A little later, I got a reply saying that his email address had been deleted. I sent snail mail; it was returned. His ads are no longer on eBay. I fear the worst for him, and I am afraid that his political openness on email may have contributed to his undoing...
Situation: deteriorating, with people dying...
Americans have been struggling with how to respond to human rights outrages in foreign countries ever since the U.S. was founded. There's a continuous spectrum of positions, from complete isolationism (no foreign involvement unless there's a direct threat to the U.S.) to being the world's policeman (intervening militarily every time a foreign government does something we don't like). I struggle with this myself. In this case, I don't think we should intervene militarily in Ukraine – but I do think we should be doing everything we can, covertly and overtly, to support the people fighting for their freedom. I also think we should be doing everything we can to make life difficult for the supporters of the thugocracy there – mainly Vladimir Putin and his Russian thugocracy. Unfortunately, That One's administration is doing virtually the opposite.
Well, what else would you expect from a would-be thugocrat with Hugo-envy?
Everybody seems to have their own “facts”...
Historical experience: every single time in American history that the minimum wage was raised (including it's initial establishment in 1938), employment has gone down significantly. Two major factors contribute to the reduction of employment. First, as the minimum wage rises some jobs cost more than they are worth to the employer. When I was a kid, sweepers and floor cleaners were a ubiquitous feature of retails stores. I haven't seen a floor cleaner for years; now that job is done much less often (and usually less skillfully) by other employees as an adjunct responsibility. Second, as the minimum wage rises some jobs can be economically replaced by automation. For an object lesson in this phenomenon, visit a modern warehouse (such as Amazon's) or a modern shipyard (like Newark or Los Angeles). The number of “muscle” jobs is remarkably small compared to what they were like when I was a kid.
The CBO: operating under bizarre and politically biased rules, even the CBO predicts that raising the minimum wage will cost jobs (though less than experience would suggest).
Obama: raising the minimum wage will cost zero jobs. Their main arguments seem to be that the CBO has no idea what it's talking about, and historical experience is irrelevant – it'll be different this time.
Food for thought...
Food for thought... Peggy Noonan:
My second thought: Debbie and I just experienced government of a very different – call it old-fashioned – kind, on our recent visit to Utah. It was refreshing and invigorating, and I want more...
We’re at a funny point in our political culture. To have judgment is to be an elitist. To have dignity is to be yesterday. To have standards is to be a hypocrite—you won’t always meet standards even when they’re your own, so why have them?My first thought: I'm so very tired of this.
My second thought: Debbie and I just experienced government of a very different – call it old-fashioned – kind, on our recent visit to Utah. It was refreshing and invigorating, and I want more...
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Curiosity looks back after crossing Dingo Gap on Mars...
The most beautiful formula...
How North ended up on top...
It reminds me a bit of early Arctic explorer's astonishment when Eskimos were given photos – they never bothered to turn them right side up. To them, any viewing angle worked just fine. Research discovered that our inclination to turn photos right side up was correlated with reading – as soon as Eskimos learned how to read, they turned their photos right side up too!
How wolves change rivers...
Sunday, February 16, 2014
A sad day here...
Our wonderful vet, Dr. Christine Wilson (aka “Dr. C”), let us come in today (on a Sunday!) to check Boots out. She confirmed the labored breathing and the bad short-term prognosis, and added that she could go into respiratory distress (in other words, start suffocating) at any time. We decided it was time to say goodbye, before she started to suffer. Dr. C gave her some oxygen to make her breathing easier, and Boots shoved her little face into the mask to suck up that air; it clearly made her feel better. We held her and talked to her as she went, very peacefully. A little later, I buried her under our pines with some of her former companions.
It will be sad around our house for a while. Boots was the third kitty we've lost to the complications of old age in just the past six months...
Koch brothers are only the 59th most evil...
Koch brothers are only the 59th most evil... And most of the really big political cash donations go to Democrats. No real surprise here, but it does very nicely highlight the outrageous hypocrisy of the left in their complaints about campaign donors. Stripped of hypocrisy and spin, what the progressives are really saying is that it's evil for people to donate money to conservatives or libertarians, in any amount – and it's laudatory for people to donate to progressives, in any amount...
Debbie and I just finished spending two weeks in a place where conservatives are the overwhelming majority (Cache Valley, Utah). We also experienced some novelties unseen in California for decades, such as efficient, competent government. Friendly, readily available, and expert civil servants. And common sense, pragmatic people as far as the eye can see. It was refreshing and invigorating. If there has to be a revolution in this country to rid ourselves of the progressive plague, it's communities like that who will supply the revolutionaries. And the guns...
Debbie and I just finished spending two weeks in a place where conservatives are the overwhelming majority (Cache Valley, Utah). We also experienced some novelties unseen in California for decades, such as efficient, competent government. Friendly, readily available, and expert civil servants. And common sense, pragmatic people as far as the eye can see. It was refreshing and invigorating. If there has to be a revolution in this country to rid ourselves of the progressive plague, it's communities like that who will supply the revolutionaries. And the guns...
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Quote of the day...
Quote of the day... This time, from a young former colleague of mine who is still a good friend. He has spent his entire short career in small companies – startups – but the company he works for now (the same company I retired from) is growing very quickly, and now has well over 1,000 employees.
Small technology startups are generally fairly pure meritocracies – the people who do well are those who are good at their work. As companies get bigger, the “political” aspects of organizations start taking effect. In particular, it (usually) becomes possible to advance and become powerful within the organization without actually being very good at what you do. Those “political” skills can serve a person just as well – or even better – than actually being good at your job. Some people thrive in such an environment. I do not.
My friend is just starting to learn what this means. He sent me an email yesterday describing a situation that occurred at work, and made some astute observations about exactly what happened – and he's projected the political maneuverings forward and realized he's about to have others take credit for the good work that he's done. Most people, including him, really hate having other steal the credit for good work they've done.
At the end of his email, my friend said this:
Small technology startups are generally fairly pure meritocracies – the people who do well are those who are good at their work. As companies get bigger, the “political” aspects of organizations start taking effect. In particular, it (usually) becomes possible to advance and become powerful within the organization without actually being very good at what you do. Those “political” skills can serve a person just as well – or even better – than actually being good at your job. Some people thrive in such an environment. I do not.
My friend is just starting to learn what this means. He sent me an email yesterday describing a situation that occurred at work, and made some astute observations about exactly what happened – and he's projected the political maneuverings forward and realized he's about to have others take credit for the good work that he's done. Most people, including him, really hate having other steal the credit for good work they've done.
At the end of his email, my friend said this:
I can only imagine such politics must happen all the time. It is a crafty and despicable art.It's sad when innocence is lost – but it's a valuable life lesson. I think my friend will be just fine...
Back home...
Back home... We got back home late last night, and now we face the giant pile of chores, mail, maintenance, etc. that managed to accumulate while we were gone...
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Despondency is a rational reaction...
Despondency is a rational reaction... Fifty eight percent of American young adults (18 - 24) believe that astrology is either “scientific” or “sort of scientific” (see page 7-26). In China, it's only eight percent of the entire population, and it's even less in their young adults...
“Trophy kids”...
“Trophy kids”... The Atlantic is running a piece adapted from Megan McArdle's new book, which I have not yet read. These paragraphs sound like my own concerns about the young engineers I was hiring in the U.S. a few years ago:
About six years ago, commentators started noticing a strange pattern of behavior among the young millennials who were pouring out of college. Eventually, the writer Ron Alsop would dub them the Trophy Kids. Despite the sound of it, this has nothing to do with “trophy wives.” Rather, it has to do with the way these kids were raised. This new generation was brought up to believe that there should be no winners and no losers, no scrubs or MVPs. Everyone, no matter how ineptly they perform, gets a trophy.Time to order that book!
As these kids have moved into the workforce, managers complain that new graduates expect the workplace to replicate the cosy, well-structured environment of school. They demand concrete, well-described tasks and constant feedback, as if they were still trying to figure out what was going to be on the exam. “It’s very hard to give them negative feedback without crushing their egos,” one employer told Bruce Tulgan, the author of Not Everyone Gets a Trophy. “They walk in thinking they know more than they know.”
The martyrdom of Mark Steyn...
The martyrdom of Mark Steyn... Excellent piece by James Delingpole about Mann v. Steyn...
Speechless, I am...
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