Addons like StayFocusd that limit your websurfing time are insidious, and very quickly demonstrate why they are needed. It's amazing how often I click on sites I've blocked, when I know perfectly well they won't come up, and it'll make fun of me instead. I click anyway. Clicking isn't a rational activit. And now, having said this, I am going to add this site to the block list, at which point I'll presumably find somewhere elso to go, kill 10 minutes, then add it as well... It at least drives you to forms of justifiable procrastination. Or, failing that, leads you to find new sites.
_
respond?
03:55:36 PM,
Wednesday 23 February 2011
-
Clive Crook on Wisconsin. This is vaguely where I am on the topic. I find trying to listen to either side of the debate entirely demoralizing. There are problems with our democracy being for sale, but you're never going to convince me that unions rules should have as much influence over how our public institutions run as they do, or that the answer to political corruption lies with organized labor. But as he said, that's not the issue. It's all theater, claptrap, fear-mongering and outright lies, and it's sucking up all the oxygen from actual reforms.
If I were a different sort of person, I'd go make a list of hypocrites who want to abolish the filibuster but don't see a problem with state representatives fleeing. But there's just no point. The basic and profound hackery of american political discourse is too obvious to even bother noting. It's a team sport, nothing more, nothing less. I'm going back to read about anarchy and oppression. I find it less depressing.
_
respond?
(8)
12:20:13 PM,
Wednesday 23 February 2011
-
The population of Wisconsin is only slightly smaller than the population of Libya. Egypt, on the other hand, has roughly the population of the US east of Lake Michigan and north of the Mason-Dixon.
_
respond?
12:21:11 PM,
Tuesday 22 February 2011
-
Watching Gadaffi. I'd try to paraphrase what he's saying, but I don't think it's humanly possible. It feels like I'm watching the last, sordid act of the tragedy of 20th century revolutionary socialism. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this. I keep thinking about King Lear. He's the same age as my mother. It's as though, instead of having children, she took over a country. I keep thinking, this man has made more mistakes than anyone should ever have the opportunity to make, is further out of his depth than all but a handful of people in history. His guilt and panic are shaking the world.
_
respond?
(5)
11:54:48 AM,
Tuesday 22 February 2011
-
Reading the news, or news vacuum, really, from Libya, makes me wonder what it would take for a new Egypt to liberate Libya. If there's any dictator without a viable route out, it's Qaddafi, so I can't see a peaceful revolution there. The border seems to be of the arbitrary colonial variety, and there's certainly such a thing as pan-nationalism. Their last war was in 1977. If anyone can point to some analysis showing this to be a foolish set of concerns and/or hopes, please let me know. Just because Glenn Beck is a twit doesn't mean revolutions don't spread, and that new government don't often end up fighting wars with neighbors operating under the old system. Even we invaded Canada. I feel vaguely that since Egypt hasn't really got a new revolutionary government, it's probably likely that everyone will Libya kill and imprison the protesters to a rather impressive degree. I can't see who would do anything, really, except Egypt. I guess that's why it's a concern and hope: concern that Libya might get very bad indeed, and hope that someone would do something, which might even work. I want to be glad that there are protests in Libya, but that requires me to concoct a scenario where it does some good.
_
respond?
(2)
10:39:44 AM,
Friday 18 February 2011
-
the story of OK
_
respond?
10:33:22 AM,
Friday 18 February 2011
-
Pop-Out Gaurantee. I kind of wish I had a job that didn't require me to know about such things. I'm too easily squicked. Also: it's slightly disturbing to me that the best place on the internet to learn about the rules for how Medicare reimbursement works for a particular product is maintained by the manufacturer. But telling doctors what they need to put in the chart is just... I mean, of course this happens, but bleh. It's also an example of how billing considerations shape medical practice, and, by extension, it shows the forces driving unnecessary procedures. The whole thing reminds me of those undersea vents supporting bizarre thriving ecosystems.
_
respond?
06:25:20 PM,
Tuesday 15 February 2011
-
I have stumbled into eating Gim, and am moderately addicted. I am absurdly pleased to find this is vaguely appropriately welsh of me. It also keeps getting this weebl song stuck in my head, though I am unsure if Dugong eat this particular sort of seaweed, and probably have difficulty roasting it in sesame oil. Also, in a bizarre and frighteningly accurate bit of market awareness, at least where I'm concerned, Cadbury is paying Weebl to make film spoofs.
_
respond?
03:22:35 PM,
Tuesday 15 February 2011
-
Whoever said that puns were the lowest form of humor must have predated the pop culture reference.
_
respond?
(1)
12:13:25 PM,
Monday 14 February 2011
-
A rough reconstruction:
"What non-primates most closely resemble humans, genetically?"
" Robots."
"All the DNA sequences are stored on computers.."
"You can split a computer in half with an axe. Assisted mitosis."
"If you did it right, it should become two smaller computers."
_
respond?
(1)
12:02:02 PM,
Sunday 13 February 2011
-
Obscure George Harrison lyrics explained: on his (excellent) posthumous album, there's a song called P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night). It's a reference to the whole God's Banker thing, where, among other issues, the Vatican appeared to be involved in laundering money for the mafia, and the possible assassination of John Paul I. P2 was the underworld masonic lodge of which Berlesconi may or may not have been a member. Before the solo, he says "lets hear it, Cardinal Marcinkus", who was never a Cardinal, or, as far as I can tell, a guitar soloist.
_
respond?
11:36:37 AM,
Sunday 13 February 2011
-
I love that there ane now two competing news photoblogs: Alan Taylor, creator of the Big Picture for the Boston Globe, is now doing In Focus for the Atlantic, while the Globe photo department is keeping the old one going.
_
respond?
01:41:37 PM,
Friday 11 February 2011
-
site & script courtesy of Moss