Scary Graph... ?

The graph at right shows the ratio of civilian employment to total population, over time.  You can see that in the current recession this ratio fell faster and further than in any other recession since 1948.  Bad, right?

Not so fast.  There are two classic games being played here.

First, why did the author of this graph pick 1948 as the starting point?  This leaves out the Great Depression, which would have looked pretty bad on here.

Second, note the vertical scale: it's not zero-based.  Rather, it shows only numbers between 54 and 65 percent, in effect greatly magnifying the vertical scale. 

I don't have the raw data, so I can't re-graph it for you.  But trust me...this is a very misleading graph.  The current recession is bad, no doubt about it – but it is not quite the calamity implied by this “cleverly” drawn graph...

South Pole Telescope...

Here's something I completely missed when it went operational in 2007, and somehow I've never run into it since: an advanced radio telescope with a 10 meter diameter antenna, located right at the South Pole (at the Amundsen-Scott Pole Station).  It's called, simply, the South Pole Telescope., and it's regularly delivering quality science data.

This is an interesting piece of science kit.  The antenna is cooled to reduce background noise.  At the pole, of course, it's located in one of the quietest (in the radio noise sense) places on Earth.  One little construction detail that amused me: at the poles, an alta-azimuthal mount is basically the same thing as an equatorial mount – making the construction of the South Pole Telescope a bit simpler.

You can read more about it on the telescope's home page, or on its blog...

...an unelected group of people...

That phrase jumped out at me as I read Obama's remarks yesterday:

For years, what we've heard is the biggest problem on the bench was judicial activism or the lack of judicial restraint, that an unelected group of people would somehow overturn a duly constituted and passed law. And I'm pretty confident that this court will recognize that and not take that step.

That unelected group of people he's referring to is the Supreme Court.  Part of their job, under the Constitution, is to serve as final arbiter of whether the actions of the other two branches of government (the executive branch and the Congress) are “Constitutional” (that is, conforming to the Constitution).  In other words, the Supreme Court's role is to act as a counter-balance to the other two branches, to make sure they don't go too far off the tracks.

Obama, like many progressives, sees that as “meddling” and “undemocratic”.  In their view, if an elected body declares something, that should be the end of it.  Who cares if what they declare isn't allowed under the Constitution?  It's democratic, and that should override everything else.

One wonders what they think the purpose of the Supreme Court is in our government...

Reading things like this, and realizing that it reflects the world-view of a substantial number of my fellow Americans, makes me feel rather hopeless about our future.  Why?  Seriously, folks.  Take a look at our duly-elected Congress.  Tell me that you feel comfortable about the legislation they pass, so democratically.  Do you really want that collection of bozos and perverts telling you how to live your life?

I wonder what's going to happen at the ballot box in November...

Deuterium Oxide...

Deuterium oxide, otherwise known as “heavy water”, is an interesting substance – as demonstrated in this video.



I discovered that you can buy heavy water online, quite easily, from multiple sources.  What a world we live in!

Julia...

Julia is a newish programming language, intended for scientific programming (where general mathematics capabilities are very important, especially statistics).  It's getting some rave reviews, especially when compared to the venerable R.  I'm going to have to check it out...

Tungurahua Erupts!

From APOD, this gorgeous photo of the Tungurahua volcano (in Ecuador).  As always, click to enlarge.  The photographer (Patrick Taschler, a pro) caught a perfect moment filled with glowing molten lava, volcanic ash, lenticular clouds – along with blue sky and sunshine.  Totally awesome!

Escape from Camp 14...

This is one of the most intense non-fiction books I've read in years.  I've read a lot of history, which of course includes much about man's cruelty to man.  Only a few of the books I've read have the sheer emotional impact of this book.  Highly recommended, especially for anyone interested in current affairs.  You'll come away with a much better understanding of the cauldron of evil that is North Korea – and the reasons why it won't be easy to rid ourselves of it...

Blaine Harden's Escape from Camp 14 is the story of a North Korean man (Shin Dong-hyuk) who was born into what was intended to be a short, cruel life in the harshest of North Korea's slave labor/concentration camps.  For most of his life, he knew nothing of the world outside the camp.  He'd been taught to read and do basic arithmetic, but only so that he could perform the work in the camps.  His life was completely dominated by the daily struggle for food.  Though his parents were also in the camp, he knew nothing about familial love – his relatives were, basically, competitors for food.

The litany of what Shin endured in Camp 14 is mind-boggling: starved for years, recovered from injuries with no medical care, brutally punished frequently by guards and teachers for things like eating a few kernels of corn (or nothing at all), turned his mother and brother in for attempting escape – and then watched as both were brutally executed. 

After reading the book, what seemed even worse to me was Shin's making it all the way to adulthood in near-complete ignorance of the evilness of his context.  He had no idea that the world offered anything better, and no hope of ever obtaining better.  His dreams were of roast meat, as he knew nothing else to dream about...

Agile and Introverts...

Fascinating stuff, if you're an introvert working at a company using agile development methodologies with open floor plans...

Welcome Home, Soldier...

A dog greets his soldier as he returns home from an eight month deployment in Afghanistan:

Not Quite...

An awesome Dilbert for today:

I Come from a Family With Unusual Abilities...

But we're all different.  This is my brother Scott:

Taxes...

I'm “doing” my taxes today. 

In other words, I'm spending my own time (valuable at least to me) computing how much money our federal and state governments are going to steal from me.  I do this only because I will be fined or jailed if I do not.  I know that 90%+ of the money they steal will be spent in ways that I do not approve of.  I have no choice in this matter; the bureaucratic thieves are going to win.  It's as if I were forced to allow burglars to come into my home, hold me at gunpoint for a day while I compute how much they're going to steal, and then help them load up their truck.

You can probably guess my mood.

That is all.

More Dog Humor...

Mac Hacks...

Here's a nice collection of little OS/X hacks.  One example, from many: have you ever wanted to change your keyboard's repeat rate?  Now you can!

Graphs in Google Search...

I don't know when this happened, but Google's search bar graphs now.  Who knows what else it does?  To see an example, click on the link...

Nine Peeves...

Looking at things from a dog's perspective...  If your dog could talk, some things he might say. Via my mom:

1. Blaming your farts on me... Not funny. Not funny at all!
2. Yelling at me for barking. I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG!
3. Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?
4. Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose. Stop it!
5. The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Woo hoo!  What a proud moment for the top of the food chain!
6. Taking me to the vet for 'the big snip', then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!
7. Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.
8. Dog sweaters. Hello ??? Haven't you noticed the fur?
9. How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth. You're just jealous.

Now lay off me on some of these things. We both know who's boss here! You don't see me picking up your poop do you?

Airport Security Debate: Bruce Schneier Kicks Butt!

The Economist has been hosting a debate on airport security for the past 10 days.  The motion:

This house believes that changes made to airport security since 9/11 have done more harm than good.

Defending the motion: Bruce Schneier, who should be well known to readers of this blog.
Opposing the motion: Kip Hawley, former TSA Administrator.

The debate has been lively.  For me, the arguments were familiar; the debate has essentially been held in a much less formal way over the past several years, through the many writings of Schneier, Hawley, and many others.  It's been a real pleasure to see Mr. Schneier make his arguments, though – he's got a real flair for exposition.

The debate is now over, though.  The motion has been carried: 89% of the votes were “aye”.  Mr. Schneier carried the day, rather dramatically.  Adam Barnes was the moderator.  An excerpt from his announcement of the winner:

Voters have roundly declared that the frustrations, the delays, the loss of liberty and the increase in fear that characterise their interactions with airport-security procedures vastly outweigh the good these procedures achieve. For some, indeed, the benefits are essentially non-existent: any sensible terrorist can find a work-around or choose a different point of attack, as Bruce Schneier explains. And so the widely expressed hope is that changes made to security in the (near) future will make the whole regime less reactive, more rational, more flexible and more intelligence-driven. The results of this debate suggest that these changes should be made with some urgency: passengers are angry.

Now if only our (insert your own epithets) Congresscritters would listen up.

The Open Mic...

The always-interesting Martin Peretz on President Obama's recent “open mic” moment with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev:

Additional "give" to Moscow on the nuclear issue was not something he admitted to the relevant senators that he was contemplating when they were weighing and approving the New Start Treaty a bare year ago. Yet it is a matter of deep interest to the Kremlin which, without any moral credit and without much material credit either, seems to be charting the cartography of another Cold War. (Remember, it pursued the last one from an impoverished base.) Mr. Obama's pliancy on the matter will encourage them to think that we are, in this matter, a patsy.

Precisely my own reaction, albeit articulated much more clearly than I could have.

Read the whole thing (in today's WSJ)...

Not That Sad...

Peggy Noonan's column is up in today's WSJ.  She's reflecting on the disappointment he's been to his own supporters.  An excerpt:

If you jumped into a time machine to the day after the election, in November, 2012, and saw a headline saying "Obama Loses," do you imagine that would be followed by widespread sadness, pain and a rending of garments? You do not. Even his own supporters will not be that sad. It's hard to imagine people running around in 2014 saying, "If only Obama were president!"

Go read the whole thing...

Preserving Hope...

I found this satirical take on Obama's performance on, of all places, the Huffington Post.  Four years ago, you could depend on the Huffington Post for completely unadulterated Obama adoration.  These days?  Not so much...

My level of hope is enhanced :-)