July 30, 2008

Poll Question

Should atheists be barred from public office?

When PZ linked to this a while ago he noted that a quarter of the votes so far say "yes"?

At this time, 14:33 PDT, 3% (103) of the votes say yes.

Posted by Steve on July 30, 2008

July 29, 2008

Pardoning the Unpardenable

Avedon argues that impeachment will prevent bush from pardoning the many criminals in his administration:

Brent Budowski is predicting Bush will issue mass pardons of all the criminals in his administration, and I have no reason to think he's wrong, because there is only one thing that can prevent it: impeachment.
Well, it may take more than simply impeaching bush. There is, you see, a line of succession. You will have to take out cheney before he becomes president. Then numbers 2 and 3 are democrats, byrd and pelosi, who have spent the past 7 years enabling the bush debacle.

byrd might be more likely than pelosi to not issue pardons before the next president takes office. But, really, what makes you think a president obama would not issue pardons? Bringing all these perps to trial would lead to a diminishment of the very power obama seeks.

On the less dim side of this: it will be clear that anyone bush pardons was, indeed, guilty!

Posted by Steve on July 29, 2008 | Comments (1)

July 28, 2008

Marketing That Does Not Work

I still receive quite a bit of snail mail spam. If it is a credit card solicitation I'll send the postage paid envelope back stuffed with all the paper that doesn't have identifying information on it.

Once in a while I'll open something to glance at the come on which led me to this blatant lie:

Dear Home Owner,

Recently while in your neighborhood I noticed that your cedar shake roof may need some attention soon.

Except that, well, we had our cedar shake roof replaced a year ago.

Really, Platinum Roofing, if you are going to use a half-baked come on like this at least do your fieldwork.

The one thing they did gain from this is name recognition.

I will remember to mention them whenever I talk to someone about roofing: don't use these guys. They lie.


Posted by Steve on July 28, 2008

Kitty Skritch'n Monday

You know what to do:

Posted by Steve on July 28, 2008

July 27, 2008

Let Us Now Give Thanks...

...to our government:

We now depend on a few corn and soybean strains for the majority of calories (both animal and vegetable) eaten by U.S. citizens. Our addiction to just two crops has made us the fattest people who've ever lived,dining just a few pathogens away from famine.

Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, 2007, pg 54

A long series of government interventions in and regulation of many different aspects of the market system has led to this state.

Those who find "the answer" in more government intervention and regulation should consider exactly what that approach has achieved to date and whether what we now have writ larger is really their goal.

If it is then we must ask whether this goal is really the health, life and liberty of this country's and the world's people.

Posted by Steve on July 27, 2008

July 26, 2008

The 6 Top Reasons Not To Buy An Iphone

No, I'm not going to do much Apple bashing here.

My MacBook Pro has been running continuously for 9 days and 23 hours including multiple bus commutes where it is a treat to be online immediately on opening the lid while my traveling companions, using various Windoze machines (generally shiny Dell Computers), are tapping their fingers for 2-3 minutes...

The Free Software Foundation, though, thinks that you should buy their phone instead of an iPhone 3G. Here are their 5 real reasons to avoid iPhone 3G:

  • iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can't be on everyone's phones.
  • Ed: Well this is not exactly a tax-you won't go to jail if you don't pay it. This is not to say I think Apple's closed model is a good thing.
  • iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.
    • Ed: A good point.
  • iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.
  • Ed: How is this is different from any other cell phone?
  • iPhone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.
  • Ed: This might be a reason to choose something else but, really, how many folks are using anything besides ACC and MP3 on their players?
  • iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don't spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software -- like the FreeRunner.
  • Ed: Yep, lot's of choices out there. For my purposes the little Sanyo works just fine.
The sixth, and number one reason not to buy an iPhone in the US:
  • You will be supporting a criminal organization: AT&T.
    • It is clear that AT&T committed illegal acts prior to being granted immunity by a cowardly congress and it is clear that AT&T continues to commit immoral and unconstitutional acts to this day. We do not need to quietly accept the behavior of war criminals or the illegal and immoral acts of corporations.

    The iPhone may be cool and, yes I want one, but I'm not buying anytime soon. Why are you supporting AT&T?

    Both a boycott and picketing are reasonable first steps to reestablishing justice in the US. If enough join in perhaps even congress will mend its ways.

    Via Just Well Mixed.

    Posted by Steve on July 26, 2008 | Comments (1)

    July 25, 2008

    Friday Ark #201

    In Memory of Sherry, publisher of What Did You Eat?, cat blogger and food blogger extraordinaire who passed away on July 20. Sherry was a strong supporter of Weekend Cat Blogging which grew out of the food blogging community and frequently linked to and escorted boarders to the Friday Ark. From #85 here is Upsie watching dad change a lightbulb.

    We'll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and....?

    Visit all the boarders, Link to the Ark and check back for updates through Sunday afternoon!

    You can board the Friday Ark by submitting your post here, leaving a comment or a trackback to this post or emailing fridayark AT themodulator.org.

    You can find previous editions at the not quite up to date Arkives page.

    Cats

    Birds

    Invertebrates

    Other Vertebrates

    Dogs

    In Memoriam

    Didn't Make It

    • x

    Exceptions (inclusion not guaranteed)

    • x

    Extra, Extra: All Ark boarders are invited to shout out at the Friday Ark Frapper Map.

    Cat folks: remember to submit your links to:

    Birders: I and the Bird: A Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is published every 2 weeks.

    For the spineless: Circus of the Spineless. A monthly celebration of Insects, Arachnids, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Worms and most anything else that wiggles.

    Dog folks: remember to submit your links to:

    • The Canine Carnival hosted by Pamibe
    • The Carnival of the Dogs hosted by Mickey's Musings
      • has been out of operation since July 2007

    For other current carnivals check out The Blog Carnival and The TTLB Uber Carnival

    Posted by Steve on July 25, 2008 | Comments (5)

    July 24, 2008

    Lets End the Medical Marijuana Raids

    Reason.tv asks:

    Should medical marijuana be kept from minors at all costs?
    We should also ask:
    Should Sheriff Pat Hedges, the local deputies and the federal thugs who accompanied them on the raid of Charley Lynch's medical marijuana dispensary be arrested and tried for crimes against humanity?
    If the entrenched legislative bodies and criminal justice system will not properly deal with these perps then it is time to create a replacement system.

    Via Winston Smith.

    Posted by Steve on July 24, 2008 | Comments (1)

    Time to Follow the French

    The French are taking a step, albeit a small one, that the rest of the world, especially the United States, should follow:

    France's military will slash its ranks by 54,000 personnel and close dozens of air, army and other bases in an overhaul meant to slim forces at home while making it easier and faster to deploy troops abroad, the prime minister announced Thursday.

    Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the 15 percent cut in manpower and base closings will save billions of dollars but still permit an agile military suited to the country's security needs.

    This small beginning in demilitarization will open the doors to our future just a bit wider. A future of free human beings creating and evolving rather than nation states destroying and killing.

    It is unfortunate that opposition to these clearly desirable actions comes from those who live off the milk of the state:

    Officials in towns slated to lose their bases argue the plan will be disastrous for local economies and say they will fight the closures.

    Fillon said he understood people's fears and promised $503 million in aid to the most affected regions, many in France's depressed northeast. He also said measures would be taken to encourage investment in the those regions.

    Fight the closures they might but their futures will be much stronger if built locally rather than on the backs of taxpayers and at the whim of national or state governments.

    These bases should not have existed in the first place and that they have is no rationale for either maintaining them or subsidizing local economies once they are gone.

    Posted by Steve on July 24, 2008

    Summer Olympic Birds

    In an on line exclusive, I and the Bird #80 introduces the participants in the first ever I and the Bird Summer Olympics.

    Go check out the competitors!

    Posted by Steve on July 24, 2008

    July 23, 2008

    Knols and 'Pedias

    I think we are all familiar with the mass produced Wikipedia, right?

    Today Google opened a bit of a competitor, Knol, to everyone:

    Knols are authoritative articles about specific topics, written by people who know about those subjects. Today, we're making Knol available to everyone.
    .....
    The key principle behind Knol is authorship. Every knol will have an author (or group of authors) who put their name behind their content. It's their knol, their voice, their opinion. We expect that there will be multiple knols on the same subject, and we think that is good.
    It is interesting that also today the Medpedia Foundation made more information on their project available:
    The Medpedia Project today announced the formation of the world’s largest collaborative online encyclopedia of medicine called Medpedia. Physicians, medical schools, hospitals, health organizations and public health professionals are now volunteering to collaboratively build the most comprehensive medical clearinghouse in the world for information about health, medicine and the body. This free public site will officially launch at the end of 2008, and a preview site becomes available today at www.medpedia.com.
    Both look like very interesting and potentially valuable projects.

    However, if you look at the many sample Knols on the Knol front page you will see that most of them are oriented toward medicine and written by professionals.

    I can't visualize medical professionals having bundles of time to write and maintain the types of expert articles that both Knol and Medpedia visualize. In fact, this is one reason at least one observer expects Knol to fail.

    Is Google trying to preempt Medpedia?

    Via Wired Campus.

    Posted by Steve on July 23, 2008

    July 21, 2008

    Gmail Recycling Tip of the Day

    From the information bar right above the Archive button:

    You can make a lovely hat out of previously-used aluminum foil.
    Yours may say something different...

    Being Google I also expected to see links to the best tin-foil hat design pages.

    Posted by Steve on July 21, 2008

    July 20, 2008

    They Are Not Mocking

    Radley: I don't mean to mock...

    Kip: My Point is not to mock...

    The subjects handle the mocking just fine...

    Posted by Steve on July 20, 2008

    July 18, 2008

    Friday Ark #200

    200th Edition!!! Whew, that's a lot of boardings.

    Thanks so much to all of you, past and present, who have made each boarding a unique and fascinating event.

    We'll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and....?

    Visit all the boarders, Link to the Ark and check back for updates through Sunday afternoon!

    You can board the Friday Ark by submitting your post here, leaving a comment or a trackback to this post or emailing fridayark AT themodulator.org.

    You can find previous editions at the not quite up to date Arkives page.

    Cats

    Other Vertebrates

    Invertebrates

    Dogs

    Birds

    In Memoriam

    Didn't Make It

    • x

    Exceptions (inclusion not guaranteed)

    • x

    Extra, Extra: All Ark boarders are invited to shout out at the Friday Ark Frapper Map.

    Cat folks: remember to submit your links to:

    Birders: I and the Bird: A Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is published every 2 weeks.

    For the spineless: Circus of the Spineless. A monthly celebration of Insects, Arachnids, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Worms and most anything else that wiggles.

    Dog folks: remember to submit your links to:

    • The Canine Carnival hosted by Pamibe
    • The Carnival of the Dogs hosted by Mickey's Musings
      • has been out of operation since July 2007

    For other current carnivals check out The Blog Carnival and The TTLB Uber Carnival

    Posted by Steve on July 18, 2008 | Comments (7)

    July 17, 2008

    Thieves At Work

    senator carl levin (d-irs) is holding hearings:

    This morning the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which I chair, is holding a hearing to look at two banks that have relied on secrecy and deception to hide, not just the tax avoidance schemes of their clients, but the actions they themselves took to facilitate U.S. tax evasion.
    On the surface it sounds like these banks are providing a level of secrecy and privacy that should be automatic at all banking institutions.

    levin goes on to note:

    Each year, the United States Treasury loses an estimated $100 billion in tax revenues from offshore tax abuses. Tax havens are engaged in economic warfare against the United States and honest, hardworking American taxpayers.
    A slightly different way of stating this:
    Each year, Americans protect an estimated $100 billion in assets from the United States Treasury.
    I can't say rather they are hard working or honest Americans. If the assets they are protecting have been acquired via theft or fraud than these folks should find their way to court and be required to return the funds to the victims.

    Otherwise, the mafia US Government should put their guns away and leave these folks alone.

    Posted by Steve on July 17, 2008

    July 16, 2008

    It's A F***ing Cartoon....

    Thanks, Jon!

    Via Brilliant At Breakfast

    Posted by Steve on July 16, 2008

    One Thing That obama May Not Be Changing...

    ....ongoing increases in the defense budget.

    As Henley, who is not a mean old man, says: this is not change we can believe in.

    Posted by Steve on July 16, 2008

    Who Wants To Be "led?"

    Mark Brady asks:

    ...presidential hopeful Barack Obama yesterday explained his foreign policy. He called for "America -- once again -- to lead", to be "ready to engage the world", "to lead the world anew."

    Does it ever occur to the Columbia-and-Harvard-educated Barack Obama that perhaps the world does not want to be "led" by the United States?

    I'm sure it has no more occurred to him than to the current occupant, to mccain or to any of the previous presidents.

    Nor has it probably occurred to him that most of us, we the people, don't want to be "led" either. At least not by fiat.

    Rather, be a good government*: do your basic job of dealing with perps who use force or fraud to get their way; deliver a judicial system that provides timely services and response times; and leave the rest of us to our lives, our liberty and our pursuit of happiness.

    And, as far as leadership goes: set a good example and if you can be persuasive enough perhaps you will generate a consensus to complete certain activities. Otherwise, go away.

    *Possible oxymoron acknowledged.

    Posted by Steve on July 16, 2008

    July 14, 2008

    Economists Weep With Joy Over the Discovery of the Cause of Inflation

    Here is the headline:

    Apple Licensing May Contribute to Inflation
    and here is the meat:
    If it seems prices of the latest iPod and iPhone accessories are rising, you may have Apple’s licensing department to thank, according to a story in Popular Mechanics. Though the company is typically reticent to discuss the details of arrangements such as the one that allows some electronics manufacturers to place a “Made for iPod” designation on their products, managers and decision makers for both retailers and manufacturers indicate Apple’s licensing fees and specially made chips that allow gadgets to work with Apple gear can add 10% or more to the price consumers pay for an item.
    Yep, licensing agreements may indeed drive up the price of these accessories.

    But, contribute to inflation? Naw, not unless these accessories are part of your price index and people actually bought them at the higher prices while also buying the rest of the goods in the index at the same or higher quantities and prices.

    Which would mean that people had more money than they had before which suggests that the real cause of the inflation was most likely an increase in the money supply.

    All of which is to say that I thought that headline was really broken.

    NB: The headline in the Popular Mechanics article linked in the above quote is much more accurate:

    How the "Apple Tax" Boosts Prices on iPod & iPhone Accessories

    Posted by Steve on July 14, 2008

    July 13, 2008

    An Early Retirement Wish for bush..

    From Spencer Ackerman:

    Through his blindness, his incompetence, his pathetic smallness in the face of a very big enemy, Bush was the greatest gift bin Laden could have asked for. May Bush's last years come in a CIA black site somewhere in eastern Europe, never to be acknowledged to the Red Cross, nor to Laura, to Jenna and Barbara or his grandchildren. And may his only companion in that hideous nightmare of his own creation be his cellmate, Usama bin Laden. Because today, they have lost and we have won.
    I'm torn.

    While they are truly deserving of each other, complete isolation might be better. Together they will have too much opportunity to enjoy camaraderie and rehash their great achievements of the first decade of the twentieth century.

    .
    Posted by Steve on July 13, 2008

    July 12, 2008

    If It Is Broken, What Do You Do?

    Thoreau is unhappy with the ongoing revelations of executive branch lawlessness and the failure of our supposed great system of checks and balances to reign in immoral and illegal executive branch behavior. What to do?

    Yes, an argument can be made that however much Reid and Pelosi and their cohort deserve punishment, the other side deserves even more punishment. That’s assuming that you continue to accept the premises of the system, and dutifully choose between the party that commits the crimes and the party with a leadership that will not actually stop the crimes.
    Well, a close look at the last 100 years might suggest that both parties have been busy both committing a wide variety of legislative crimes, coming up with ways to mask the crimes and, more importantly, committing even more crimes of a moral nature.

    Thoreau than explores possible courses of action in the upcoming election season:

    If nobody else is voting third party, it’s irrational for you to vote third party. However small the difference between the parties might be, if there’s any difference at all, and if those are the only viable options, then you are being completely rational by voting for the guys who promised to at least pick the undigested corn kernels out of the sh!t sandwich.
    This sounds to me much like the old "I chose the lesser evil argument." I've mistakenly gone down that road myself more than once. I'm reminded of this:
    Moreover, if we look at the techniques of totalitarian government, it is obvious that the argument of "the lesser evil"--far from being raised only from the otside by those who do not belong to the ruling elite--is one of the mechanisms built into the machinery of terror and criminality. Acceptance of lesser evils is consciously used in conditioning the government officials as well as the population at large to the acceptance of evil as such.

    Hannah Arendt, "Personal Responsibiity Under Dictatorship," in Responsibility, pgs 36-37

    If you have not read this essay previously it is time to do so now; if you have read it before, read it again (PDF).

    As to the title question: we can start by withdrawing our support from a broken system lurching toward an abyss. We can follow by encouraging others to withdraw their support and to begin working together to build a new system truly built on the idea that we each have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

    Posted by Steve on July 12, 2008

    Streaming Today: 39th Oregon Country Fair

    The 39th Oregon Country Fair is being streamed live on KLCC: Great Music, Great Food, Great Fun and, well, a whole lot more that you really need to be there to appreciate.

    For the Deadheads out there Downtown Deb's Dead Air will broadcast from the fair tonight at 7 PM PDT.

    We plan to be there next year for the 40th edition!

    Posted by Steve on July 12, 2008

    July 11, 2008

    Friday Ark #199

    We'll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and....?

    Visit all the boarders, Link to the Ark and check back for updates through Sunday afternoon!

    You can board the Friday Ark by submitting your post here, leaving a comment or a trackback to this post or emailing fridayark AT themodulator.org.

    You can find previous editions at the not quite up to date Arkives page.

    Cats

    Dogs

    Invertebrates

    Birds

    Other Vertebrates

    In Memoriam

    Didn't Make It

    • x

    Exceptions (inclusion not guaranteed)

    Extra, Extra: All Ark boarders are invited to shout out at the Friday Ark Frapper Map.

    Cat folks: remember to submit your links to:

    Birders: I and the Bird: A Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is published every 2 weeks.

    For the spineless: Circus of the Spineless. A monthly celebration of Insects, Arachnids, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Worms and most anything else that wiggles.

    Dog folks: remember to submit your links to:

    • The Canine Carnival hosted by Pamibe
    • The Carnival of the Dogs hosted by Mickey's Musings
      • has been out of operation since July 2007

    For other current carnivals check out The Blog Carnival and The TTLB Uber Carnival

    Posted by Steve on July 11, 2008 | Comments (7)

    July 10, 2008

    A 3rd Anniversary...Join the Party

    The 3rd Anniversary Edition of I and the Bird, #87, is up at 10,000 Birds which also hosted the 2nd edition.

    It is a ways through the opening verbiage (if you ask Charlie a question you will get an answer) but it is interesting reading. Especially the story about the Sharpe's Longclaw.

    Fly on over to visit the Sharpe's and many other interesting feathered folks.

    Posted by Steve on July 10, 2008 | Comments (1)

    July 9, 2008

    Copping A Feel

    The Flint, Mich police are apparently a bit underworked so their interim chief has intitiated a war on saggy britches:

    Dicks, who took over the department last month on an interim basis, announced that his officers would start arresting people wearing saggy pants that expose skivvies, boxer shorts or bare bottoms.

    "Some people call it a fad," Dicks told the Free Press this week while patrolling the streets of Flint. "But I believe it's a national nuisance. It is indecent and thus it is indecent exposure, which has been on the books for years."

    It looks to me that it is more about copping a feel:
    coppingafeel.jpg
    MarcinSzczepanski/DFP

    Their focus seems to be on guys but, surely, the rules apply to the ladies as well. Imagine the possible outrage at the local swimming hole when all those thong bikinis are bared.

    Will these arrests stand up in court? I suspect that this Dicks' personal vendetta will be tossed out on its hind quarters somewhere up the judicial system.

    Via The Agitator who has a nice graphic explaining the rules.

    Posted by Steve on July 9, 2008

    July 8, 2008

    Quote of the Day #4

    An Admiral who defuses a tense situation in volatile territory should be commended by his superiors. Assuming that his superiors are grown-ups.

    Thoreau

    Posted by Steve on July 8, 2008

    July 7, 2008

    May HR 6068 Die In Committee

    Surely, surely if government has any role in inspecting hotel rooms for bed bug infestations it is a local role.

    representative butterfield, d-North Carolina, introduced legislation to authorize grants to states to fund bed bug inspections: the Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2008.

    I checked, the bill was introduced on on May 15 not April 1 and:

    The bill would create a grant program in the Department of Commerce and authorize $50,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012 for giving these grants to states.
    Interestingly it appears that a number of the findings listed in this bill may have been taken from Wikipedia...with a little laxity. For example;
    • Bill: in a study of 700 hotel rooms between 2002 and 2006, 25 percent of hotels were found to be in need of bedbug treatment
    • Wikipedia: The Steritech Group, a pest-management company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, claimed that 25% of the 700 hotels they surveyed between 2002 and 2006 needed bedbug treatment.
    • Bill: bed bugs possess all of the necessary prerequisites for being capable of passing diseases from one host to another.
    • Wikipedia: Bed bugs seem to possess all of the necessary prerequisites for being capable of passing diseases from one host to another, but there have been no known cases of bed bugs passing disease from host to host.
    There's more if you are interested. I wonder which pest control company wrote this up for the good representative who is surely more capable than this...

    Yea, bed bugs appear to be nasty little creatures but it strikes me that a few more well publicized damage awards to folks who get bit in hotel rooms would be a lot more effective than blowing away $50,000,000/year which, yes, the gov doesn't have anyway.

    Via The Agitator.

    Posted by Steve on July 7, 2008

    July 4, 2008

    Friday Ark #198

    We'll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and....?

    Visit all the boarders, Link to the Ark and check back for updates through Sunday afternoon!

    You can board the Friday Ark by submitting your post here, leaving a comment or a trackback to this post or emailing fridayark AT themodulator.org.

    You can find previous editions at the not quite up to date Arkives page.

    Cats

    Dogs

    Other Vertebrates

    Invertebrates

    Birds

    In Memoriam

    Didn't Make It

    Exceptions (inclusion not guaranteed)

    • x

    Extra, Extra: All Ark boarders are invited to shout out at the Friday Ark Frapper Map.

    Cat folks: remember to submit your links to:

    Birders: I and the Bird: A Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is published every 2 weeks.

    For the spineless: Circus of the Spineless. A monthly celebration of Insects, Arachnids, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Worms and most anything else that wiggles.

    Dog folks: remember to submit your links to:

    • The Canine Carnival hosted by Pamibe
    • The Carnival of the Dogs hosted by Mickey's Musings
      • has been out of operation since July 2007

    For other current carnivals check out The Blog Carnival and The TTLB Uber Carnival

    Posted by Steve on July 4, 2008 | Comments (3)

    July 3, 2008

    If You Are Thinking About Donating Money to obama

    You might instead consider the obama Escrow Fund; a place you can park your pledge until obama quits walking and talking like bush lite.

    Better yet, do not contribute anything to any of the pretenders to the throne. Let's give an election and not attend!

    No One for president!

    Via Lambert.

    Posted by Steve on July 3, 2008

    Oxymoron of the Day

    In the best of all possible worlds, a wise Congress would figure out just which technologies will work best, and how they can be implemented most efficiently. (Ed: emphasis mine)

    The Greenback Affect, Bill Mckibbon, Mother Jones, May/June 2008

    It's an article that just keeps on giving and perhaps I'll come back to it over the next week or so either in part or at length.

    Do you think this guy might be a big fan of a centrally planned society of robots...?

    Posted by Steve on July 3, 2008

    July 2, 2008

    Following bush....

    ...on his tour of the disaster area:


    Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency


    Via Unqualified Offerings

    Posted by Steve on July 2, 2008

    Will the New Cell Phone Laws Increase Danger on the Road?

    New laws requiring that cell phone use in moving vehicles be handsfree are going into effect in many states this week. For instance, Washington and California. In California:

    The law requires use of a hands-free device by drivers over 18 except in a medical or traffic emergency. Text-messaging is not specifically banned for adults, but the California Highway Patrol said they can be cited for negligence under existing laws.

    A second law that took effect Tuesday bars drivers under age 18 from using a wireless telephone, pager, laptop or any other electronic communication or mobile service device while driving. The ban extends to hands-free usage and text-messaging.

    All these laws make me wonder whether our fine legislators have any kind of clue at all.

    If it is really about holding something in your hand shouldn't the thousands of espresso shops be required to provide your drink in a hands free cup?

    The problem, though, is not just that you are holding something in your hand. It is that you are carrying on a conversation. This creates a bit of a diversionary problem when your conversation partner is in the car. It is magnified when they are on the other end of the phone. You have to focus attention both on what you are say and on understanding what the other person is saying which will often include creating a mental image of their facial expressions and body language. Neither your driving or your conversation partner get full attention.

    You don't agree? Do the experiment yourself. Go do an honest comparison of your focus while driving: a) driving with no distractions; b) driving with music playing; c) driving while listening to your favorite talk radio show; d) driving while talking to some in the front seat; e) driving while talking to someone in the back seat and f) driving while talking to some one via a cellphone. Make sure the conversations are realistic. I'd be interested in your results.

    Forcing folks to go hands-free also compounds the problem for other drivers. When talkers were holding their phones it was relatively easy to attribute their poor driving to cell phone use as opposed to, say, being drunk. You would probably compensate a little differently and probably did not call 911.

    Now that the talkers are being forced to speakerphones and earpieces it will not be easy, if even possible, to determine whether the fool weaving back and forth or crawling along in the left lane is cell phone disabled or something worse.

    If you are driving you really should not be talking on your phone at the same time. Pull over.

    I encourage everyone to call 911 anytime they see reckless or impeding traffic. No excuses for why it is happening.

    Posted by Steve on July 2, 2008