This morning's walk was glorious... A sharp scent of sage was in the air, a consequence, I think, of our rains a couple days ago. The ground is damp, and new growth is springing up all around. The moon was high in the sky, just over Orion's head. It's brightess washed out all but the brightest stars. Jupiter hung over the western horizon. I couldn't make out the Milky Way at all; the sky was just too bright. The moonlight was more than bright enough to walk confidently by. It cast sharp shadows; the pine tree shadows I walked through were particualrly lovely, reminding me of the shadows cast by lights on the Christmas tree.
The dogs, of course, know none of this. The three field spaniels were agog over the smells exposed by the soils dampness. They ran to and fro, in random directions but with huge energy. This morning they found nothing to focus on. They were like canine vacuum cleaners, zooming around sucking in all the joyous odors. They were clearly very happy dogs. Race, on the other hand, noticed none of this. All he had eyes for was his pine cone. As usual, he repeatedly laid it in my path so that I would walk over it and kick it. This is how he gets his joy: chasing a kicked pine cone. He runs it down, snags it in his jaws, then lifts his head high in sheer joy as he scampers about for 30 seconds or so of victory laps that take him all over the yard. Then he comes back and lays his pine cone down again.
Another morning out in the chaparral...
Monday, November 14, 2011
Cocaine Prices vs. Crime Rates...
An interesting piece by Llewellyn Hinkes-Jones explores the idea that lower cocaine prices on the street are the cause for the declining rate of violent crime in the U.S. over the past 15 years or so.
I have no idea whether that notion has any merit. However, inadvertently the article makes many points that bolster the case for legalizing drugs like cocaine. One of the consequences of making such a high-demand item (as evidenced by the price people are willing to pay for it) illegal is that people will finance their desire by committing crimes – property crimes and violent crimes. This country saw that during Prohibition, and rolled it back. I, along with many others, believe we should do the same thing with other illegal drugs. There's nothing special about alcohol, which manifestly has the same sorts of undesirable impacts on people and society that the illegal drugs do...
I have no idea whether that notion has any merit. However, inadvertently the article makes many points that bolster the case for legalizing drugs like cocaine. One of the consequences of making such a high-demand item (as evidenced by the price people are willing to pay for it) illegal is that people will finance their desire by committing crimes – property crimes and violent crimes. This country saw that during Prohibition, and rolled it back. I, along with many others, believe we should do the same thing with other illegal drugs. There's nothing special about alcohol, which manifestly has the same sorts of undesirable impacts on people and society that the illegal drugs do...
He Is A Second Dirac, Only This Time Human...
That's a quote by Dr. Eugene Wigner, taken from J. Robert Oppenheimer's letter of recommendation for Richard Feynmann. The letter is addressed to Professor Birge at U.C. Berkeley. The letter is reproduced below, but do click to read the whole story...
Bicycle Wheel, Reinvented...
The noise would make me crazy, but it's an interesting concept. It reminds me of the old Lunar Rover design. I'll bet if you put a layer of tire material on the outside of the thing, the noise wouldn't be so bad...
Sunday, November 13, 2011
CO2 - Where Does It Come From?
A nice piece that clearly articulates one of the key questions raised by skeptics of anthropogenic global warming: if CO2 produced by human activities is a tiny amount compared to the CO2 produced by Mother Nature, then how can it be the cause of global warming?
Lost Faith...
Thomas L. Day has lost his faith in the leadership of his parents' generation. An excerpt:
Read the whole thing.Our parents’ generation has balked at the tough decisions required to preserve our country’s sacred entitlements, leaving us to clean up the mess. They let the infrastructure built with their fathers’ hands crumble like a stale cookie. They downgraded our nation’s credit rating. They seem content to hand us a debt exceeding the size of our entire economy, rather than brave a fight against the fortunate and entrenched interests on K Street and Wall Street.
On Heretic Scientists...
An interesting piece on two facts seemingly at odds:
- About 90% of all scientists who make breakthrough discoveries are heretics, in the sense that they held unorthodox views widely rejected by their contemporaries.
- About 90% of all scientists who are heretics (in the sense described above) are whacked out loonies – only about 10% of them actually make real breakthrough discoveries.
Newt Wipes the Floor...
...with the debate moderator. He certainly doesn't sound like your average politician – the guy has knowledge and IQ, and can use it even in hostile circumstances...
An Inch and a Half...
The early wetness has some of our plants changing their usual timing. We have bulbs popping up all over the place, and the grass is growing strongly – we're going to have an unusually long growing season this year, assuming we get our usual rainy season. Our aleppo pines are normally looking a little sad (dry) this time of year; now they're fully greened up and their sap is flowing. Take that, bark beetles! Our eucalyptus trees are putting out new growth. The ground is soft down to at least three feet, and the gophers are tunneling like crazy (good for some plants, bad for others). The manzanitas that happen to be full of berries right now have big, juicy berries. And the moss on the rocks is bright green.
I wouldn't mind a bit more of this. An inch or so every couple weeks would be quite nice!
Three Years Old...
This video is over three years old, and I just now discovered that it existed. I have no idea who created it – probably another ServiceNow employee, though it certainly could have been a customer. In any case, it's a great humorous look at ServiceNow's product vs. its competitors. I've heard many comments from our customers that reflect the comparisons in this video. Note that being three years old, the video has our old logo, company name spelling, and artwork...
Beerology...
I can't stand beer myself (I'm more of a Cabernet kinda guy), but that didn't keep me from enjoying this beer wisdom, forwarded by reader Jim M.:
Sometimes when I reflect on all the beer I drink, I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. I think, "It is better to drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."Babe Ruth~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."Lyndon B. Johnson~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."Paul Horning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not."H. L. Mencken~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"When we drink, we get drunk.. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!"George Bernard Shaw~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."Benjamin Franklin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."Dave Barry~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Beer: Helping ugly people have sex since 3000 B.C.!W. C. Fields~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Remember "I" before "E," except in Budweiser.Professor Irwin Corey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a Support Group - Salvation in a can!Leo Durocher~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~One night at Cheers, Cliff Clavin explained the" Buffalo Theory" to his buddy Norm:"Well, ya see, Norm, it's like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine!That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Airport Fail...
At Dulles in Washington D.C., this past Tuesday morning, on the departures monitors all over the terminal:
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