A Million Frames per Second...

Suppose you've invented a video camera that can capture up to one million frames per second. How would you advertise this marvel of technology?

Why, you'd take cool movies of bullets striking targets, of course!

Where Does the Earth's Magnetic Field Come From?

For most of my adult life, the scientific consensus seemed to be that convection cells in the Earth's core, circulating molten metallic material, induced electric currents and created the earth's magnetic field. There has never been any proof for this consensus theory, however – nor has there been any good alternative theory.

But now a scientist has shown, through calculations, that variations in the observed magnetic field could, theortetically, be explained by electric currents flowing in our salt oceans (which are conductive). Fascinating stuff, and an interesting view of science being made...

Cassini Spots Ring Bumps...

Everything I've ever read about the rings of Saturn says that they are remarkably thin and sparse collections of dust and pebbles, swirling around Saturn in the same plane as the Saturn's satellites. Now I learn that there are mile-high “bumps” in the rings that were predicted by computer models of the rings, but never seen.

Until now, that is. Cassini took pictures!

Light Blogging Alert!

I'm away from home, on a business trip, and my attention will be largely on my work. Airlines willing, I'll be back home on Friday evening.

That is all.

Bumper Snicker...

“We're Not Happy!” - Iranians

The people of Iran (well, some of them, anyway) are not happy about the results of yesterday's elections. News reports are saying that many Iranians believe the election results were faked by the incumbent Ahmadinejad, and that the “reformist” candidate Mousavi actually won (and of course, Mousavi is claiming this). It would be nice to think that this presages some kind of internally-fomented revolution, but I think the mad mullahs are in firmer control than that.

Dang it.

Bumper Snicker...

The G8 Says “Undo It!”

The G8 finance ministers just finished their meeting in Lecce, Italy. As usual, they released a statement afterwards. Most unusually, the statement actually contained something very interesting and unexpected:

We discussed the need to prepare appropriate strategies for unwinding the extraordinary policy measures taken to respond to the crisis once the recovery is assured. These “exit strategies”, which may vary from country to country, are essential to promote a sustainable recovery over the long term. We asked the IMF to undertake the necessary analytical work to assist us with this process.

Whoa! The finance ministers want the G8 countries to unwind the remaining portions of the bailout programs once “recovery is assured” (a phrase that could be interpreted in all too many ways).

Unwinding is accounting-speak for "undo". In the U.S., the vast majority of the money from all the bailout programs has yet to be spent – and in some cases, it has yet to be borrowed. Unwinding these programs would mean repaying the borrowed money that has not yet been spent, and abandoning any future borrowing under these programs. In addition, unwinding would include converting any options, warrant, stock, etc. acquired by the government as part of the bailout (for example, the government's majority position in AIG) to cash, to repay the money borrowed to acquire them.

Dare we hope? Would the Obama administration have the good common sense to follow the G8's recommendations? Would they give back the money that they and the Bush administration stole from us?

My bet would be “No way, Jose!” But I would surely love to be wrong on this one...

Bumper Snicker...

Bolton on Israel and Iran...

Today's Wall Street Journal has a fascinating short analysis piece by John Bolton (aka “The Mustache”). His forthright manner and adult analysis stand in stark contrast to the gobbledegook we're treated to by the Obama administration on this topic. His conclusion:

This brief survey demonstrates why Israel's military option against Iran's nuclear program is so unattractive, but also why failing to act is even worse. All these scenarios become infinitely more dangerous once Iran has deliverable nuclear weapons. So does daily life in Israel, elsewhere in the region and globally.

Many argue that Israeli military action will cause Iranians to rally in support of the mullahs' regime and plunge the region into political chaos. To the contrary, a strike accompanied by effective public diplomacy could well turn Iran's diverse population against an oppressive regime. Most of the Arab world's leaders would welcome Israel solving the Iran nuclear problem, although they certainly won't say so publicly and will rhetorically embrace Iran if Israel strikes. But rhetoric from its Arab neighbors is the only quantum of solace Iran will get.

On the other hand, the Obama administration's increased pressure on Israel concerning the "two-state solution" and West Bank settlements demonstrates Israel's growing distance from Washington. Although there is no profit now in complaining that Israel should have struck during the Bush years, the missed opportunity is palpable. For the remainder of Mr. Obama's term, uncertainty about his administration's support for Israel will continue to dog Israeli governments and complicate their calculations. Iran will see that as well, and play it for all it's worth. This is yet another reason why Israel's risks and dilemmas, difficult as they are, only increase with time.

My read of his piece is that he fully expects Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, and sooner rather than later. He sees the Obama administration's stance as accelerating this possibility, rather than delaying it (as Israel must be less certain of U.S. support now than at any time since at least the Carter era, and probably back to the time of Israel's founding). The longer Israel waits, the worse the tactical situation. Mr. Bolton also believes that the inevitable Iranian retaliation for such an Israeli attack will most likely take the form of “unleashing” Hezbollah and Hamas for terror attacks inside Israel.

I'd sure feel better about the Obama administration's foreign policy if we got this kind of analysis, supporting their positions, from someone on the team...

Poster Contest...

Over at Michelle Malkin's place. There's lots more like the one at right...

Bumper Snicker...

Anna's Pull Gs...

The male Anna's hummingbird (a species abundant around our home) turns out to be the record-setting vertebrate in terms of pulling Gs. This happens in the tight turns the males make while showing off to the females. Read all about it here (and watch some cool video)...

What a Great Idea!

I wish I'd thought of this! A school system in New York City is experimenting with the notion of “paying for grades” – offering cash rewards for students who get good grades. I know from my own experiences that kids in general have a lot of trouble connecting their education to their earning potential. This program removes that trouble very nicely: learn something, prove that you've done it (by scoring well on a test), and you get paid. In cold, hard, cash. Wonderful! The young lady at right certainly looks as though she's made the connection between educational attainment and earning potential...

Read more about the program here.

But I can't help thinking that … if they were going to complete the lesson, they'd flash the cash, then deduct the government's share and hand over the remainder. That lesson would do more for the education of these future voters than anything else I can think of...

Doing Business In California...

From serial entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell:

California's government is the problem. The state is business-hostile. It is merit-hostile. It has the highest tax rates and returns less in services to its average citizens. Massive pension abuses are not dealt with.

Worst of all, the state's crazy regulation structure creates uncertainty, cost, and risk in doing business here. The system is chilling to investment and innovation. This is true for businesses of all types, from technology companies to basic franchises.

Many businesses founded elsewhere now try to avoid for as long as possible doing business in California. Meanwhile, I have watched company after company leave the state. And, as you might imagine, it is much harder to get businesses back than to keep them from leaving.

This is so sad for those of us who love California...

I'm lucky enough to work for one of the very few entrepreneurial efforts that's doing so well it still works in California, despite the government's best efforts to prevent it. But there aren't many software startups like this one, and California is going to pay for this foray into brain-dead liberalism. It's not hard to see that the startups are going to go elsewhere – and with them will go the best engine for economic growth that the world has ever seen. A few years from now, the name “Silicon Valley” may refer instead to someplace in Montana, Nevada, or some other business-friendly state. Or worse, in some other country.

An Odd Experience...

I've posted several times before about the Descanso Junction Restaurant. It's one of our favorite places to eat, with terrific food at prices that make it an equally terrific value (kinda nice during this downturn). The decor, the people who work there, and everything else about it contributes to a homey, comfortable atmosphere.

Recently they completely redid their menu, with lots of new dishes we haven't had time to try yet. The first few things we've tried have been really good, and sometimes even surprising. For example, who would have expected top-notch crème brûlée way out in the sticks? Even better, they've been doing very well (despite the recession), and they've gone back to a 7-day-a-week schedule. Woo hoo!

Well, Friday night Debbie and I were up there for dinner. We sat at a booth, and the table (like all the others) was covered with a glass top that has lots of photos, clippings, cards, etc. underneath it. As is my habit, I started reading the pieces – some of them were new to me (the staff there changes them frequently). One review was upside-down from where I sat, so I struggled to read it, very slowly. The review seemed vaguely familiar – and that's when I noticed that it was from this very blog, almost three years ago. What a hoot! And what an odd feeling to see that clipping of my article there.

After thinking about it a bit, I decided not to let the crew know who I was. I really don't want any special treatment, so if I'm still unknown to them, I'd rather keep it that way...

More Dyson...

I just love the way Freeman Dyson thinks. And then when I reflect on his age (85), I'm always astonished. A sampler:

No doubt that warming is happening. I don’t think it is correct to say “global,” but certainly warming is happening. I have been to Greenland a year ago and saw it for myself. And that’s where the warming is most extreme. And it’s spectacular, no doubt about it. And glaciers are shrinking and so on.

But, there are all sorts of things that are not said, which decreases my feeling of alarm. First of all, the people in Greenland love it. They tell you it’s made their lives a lot easier. They hope it continues. I am not saying none of these consequences are happening. I am just questioning whether they are harmful.

There’s a lot made out of the people who died in heat waves. And there is no doubt that we have heat waves and people die. What they don’t say is actually five times as many people die of cold in winters as die of heat in summer. And it is also true that more of the warming happens in winter than in summer. So, if anything, it’s heavily favorable as far as that goes. It certainly saves more lives in winter than it costs in summer.

So that kind of argument is never made. And I see a systematic bias in the way things are reported. Anything that looks bad is reported, and anything that looks good is not reported.

A lot of these things are not anything to do with human activities. Take the shrinking of glaciers, which certainly has been going on for 300 years and has been well documented. So it certainly wasn’t due to human activities, most of the time. There’s been a very strong warming, in fact, ever since the Little Ice Age, which was most intense in the 17th century. That certainly was not due to human activity.

And the most serious of almost all the problems is the rising sea level. But there again, we have no evidence that this is due to climate change. A good deal of evidence says it’s not. I mean, we know that that’s been going on for 12,000 years, and there’s very doubtful arguments as to what’s been happening in the last 50 years and (whether) human activities have been important. It’s not clear whether it’s been accelerating or not. But certainly, most of it is not due to human activities. So it would be a shame if we’ve made huge efforts to stop global warming and the sea continued to rise. That would be a tragedy. Sea level is a real problem, but we should be attacking it directly and not attacking the wrong problem.

Read the whole thing.

My Kind of Brunch...

Debbie is “down the hill” in Bonita to watch her friends compete in a dog agility competition. Next week is her first competition since she broke her arm (it's out of the cast as of Friday, but she's still wearing a wrist brace). She took Race (our border collie) with her, so I'm home with the three field spaniels.

I got hungry around 10 am, so I went scrounging in the refrigerator to see what goodies we might have available. Found some leftover roast chicken: a leg and thigh. Skinned it, and fed the pieces of skin to three very appreciative dogs. De-boned it and diced the meat. Let the dogs clean my fingers and the chopping board (and yes, then I washed them!). In a bowl, combined the diced chicken, a half-cup or so of frozen corn kernels, a can of chick peas (garbanzo beans), a teaspoon or so of mayonnaise, about the same amount of “juice” from the beans, and a generous sprinkle of dried tarragon. Let the tarragon soak up the bean juice, then mixed up the bowls contents until everything was coated and the corn had thawed.

Then I ate it all, while the dogs watched forlornly. Yum.

I did let them clean the bowl and spoon, though, and I was quickly forgiven...

Congressional Motors...

IowaHawk strikes again. Tip of the hat to Doug S. for pointing this out...
Heh: “...even in the choppy waters of a Cape Cod inlet.$rdquo;

Septic Tank Shenanigans...

We just found out that existing law on the books in California mandates septic tank inspections (by state-approved inspectors) and upgrades to ambiguous standards when the inspection results aren't up to snuff. Worse, these inspections will be paid for by us; estimates run up to $650 not including the cost of opening, draining, and cleaning the septic tank. Required repairs and upgrades could run into the thousands of dollars. Note that this isn't a requirement to fix broken septic tanks – this is a requirement to periodically inspect each and every residential septic tank in the state.

Just what we need. More nanny statism, more expenses.

Assemblyman Joel Anderson (Republican from El Cajon) is coauthor of a bill that would repeal this absurd regulation. He needs our support. You can reach him in several ways:

email: anderson@assembly.ca.gov
phone: 916/319-2177
mail: State Capitol, Room 2130, Sacremento, CA 95184