politics

Randomness for 7/10

Standard

1) Ever wonder why the left protests G8 and G20 meetings? It’s because of this sort of thing.

2) Rick Riordan goes from adult midlist mystery writer to bestselling kids author. How sad is it that I didn’t even *know* the dude wrote mysteries for adults?

3) Furniture designed for small spaces. These designs are fantastic.

4) Lady Gaga in everyday situations.

5) And you thought authors got a small cut: How much do musicians really make?

6) This randomness collection is more political than most: Friedrich Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom in comic book form, which first appeared in 1945. BTW, did you know that Hayek thought we should have universal health care?

7) Quote of the day: “…it’s an easy, quick read, suitable for wallowing in decadence for a day on the beach and then entirely forgetting about afterward. Alternatively, one can forget about it ahead of time — and that’s what I recommend.” Andrew Wheeler, reviewing Bret Easton Ellis’s Imperial Bedrooms.

Child of Fire reviews, part 15

Standard

I’m only going to link to one this time: Compelling Women Who Kick Ass: Child of Fire by Harry Connolly written by Casey Lybrand.

I really enjoyed reading that review (and not just because it’s positive). It hits on a number of things I tried to do in the book, and also on ways that I know the book falls short. It’s also interesting in the way that a reader’s completely reasonable perception of a character can be so different from what I intended. There are still a lot of lessons to learn.

I’m also unsure if I should respond, and if so, how. I don’t want to be defensive, because the book has to stand for itself. I don’t want to talk about “Dumbledores” because if the author is the only one who knows a particular character is gay then does that even count[1]?

I don’t even know.

But this review touches on something that I’ve been trying to focus on: it’s easy to populate books with tv/movie types–good-looking folks who are pleasant to look at. I know why they cast roles that way, and I don’t blame them. I like looking at pretty people the same as anyone else.

There’s no reason to do that in a book, though. In books, you can “cast” a fat person in that dignified role as easily as a model, and you can include older folks, or whatever. You can show a truer representation of the world, because you’re working with words instead of faces.

But I’m not really sure how to talk about that.

[1] Toward a more accurate representation of the world, I mean.

How to marginalize yourself

Standard

I knew touring comedian Gallagher had did conservative schtick, but I never realized he’d become such a pathetic asshole. Sample quote: “If Obama was really black, he’d act like a black guy and get a white wife.” Jesus. James Nicoll would mark this with the “memetic prophylactic recommended” tag.

Can YOU reduce the government’s debt to GDP ratio?

Standard

The Center for Economic and Policy research has a debt calculator that allows people to see the implications of various policies. I managed to drive the number down below the magic (according to some budget hawks) 60% line by pulling out of Iraq and Afghanistan, reducing our nuclear stockpile, instituting a carbon tax to fight climate change, allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, opening up a buy-in “public option,” increasing the social security tax cap, instituting a tiny financial speculation tax to slow speculative buying and selling, allowing the Bush estate and gift tax cuts to expire, and change the mortgage tax deduction (which only serves to inflate home prices anyway) to a 15% credit.

And all that policy allows me to increase investment in infrastructure, education and other government programs (aka stimulus spending), and increase social security benefits for low earners.

How much money can you save the government?

Randomness for 6/23

Standard

1) Carnage on Hoth, the cake.

2) The rule, usually, is “Don’t read the comments,” yes? But look at this post about a delicious salad sandwich and then scroll down to the fourth comment by “Brownhornet”. WTF? I don’t understand that at all.

3) A trailer for all Academy Award Winning Movies. This is funny.

4) So is this: The angry police captain. Seen via the-isb.

5) White guys for rent.

6) Want to have a good-looking kid? Talk to the sperm (and egg, supposedly) donors at beautifulpeople.com. Money quote: “Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded.”

7) “Do you think the author wanted you to learn something?”
“No screaming.”

In which I reveal my ignorance, part two

Standard

Who knew jaywalking as a pedestrian norm was safer than a norm of crossing at the crosswalk?

I’ll admit that it pings my skepticism meter (along the lines of “Volvos are dangerous because people feel safe in them and drive like idiots”) but I still hmm over it.

Seen via this article about the punching incident earlier this week, when the Seattle police officer used “the punching technique” when a bystander objected to a jaywalking arrest.

In which I reveal my ignorance, part one

Standard

I will shamelessly reveal my ignorance here, because everyone is ignorant about different things, yes? First, I want to link to Oil spill crisis as opportunity, a rather detailed post that covers a lot of ground, including a much friendlier analysis of Obama’s “War on the Oil Spill” speech than my own, a clip of Rahm Emmanuel that I can’t watch, and a really awesome graph (I mean REALLY AWESOME) that shows what our energy sources are and what they go to.

But I want to comment on this:

Someday when battery technologies improve, the fuel and power worlds will blend in the U.S., and there will be strong and direct economic relationships between the production of electric power and the use of oil.

His point is that Obama is using the oil spill (caused by the extraction of a fossil fuel used mainly for transportation) as a basis to regulate coal and natural gas, too, which are used for very different purposes.

And this is something I’ve thought a lot about, too. Once we have a sensible (unlike, say, flywheels) way to store a lot of energy inside a moving vehicle, people will be able to charge their vehicles at home/work, and we’ll be powering our transportation sector (or at least, large portions of it) off the grid.

The grid, of course, can get energy from hydro power, solar, wind, tides, whatever. It doesn’t have to be coal, for instance.

However, my understanding is that the real problem here is the battery (makes sad face). There is no great new battery tech breakthroughs, are there? Most of the advances (to take one prominent example) made in powering portable devices is in LEDs and other ways to reduce power usage, not storage.

But maybe I’m wrong. Have there been big advances in battery technology? As far as I can tell, the barium-titanate powders never panned out. Am I missing something or is this a pipe dream?

But be sure to check out that graph.

America Speaks Out

Standard

The GOP has put up a site (for now) asking regular folks to suggest ideas for their agenda. Of course, everyone who contributed did so in a serious and respectful manner…

“I should have the right to name my children using numbers. If I want to name my child l33t, I should be able to name him that, darsh gone it. Who is the guberment to say that I can’t name my children using numbers?”

“we should make english the official language of the US and stop spending tax dollars on translations for mexicans! if english is good enough for baby jesus, its good enough for americans. ”

“Give a pair of truck nutz to all americans! Because there’s nothing more manly and american than a pair of balls hanging from your pickup truck. Take THAT Al Qaeda!”

“Please put an end to the liberal elite trampling my rights to be free in a country founded on freedom. This only applies to me and other white people who were born here, though, nobody else.”

“Build a wall along our borders. Not a wimpy fence. China did it and the toursim dollars the wall brings in will more than pay for the cost. I’m thinking a 1000 feet high and a 100 feet or more thick. A man made mountain range. That’ll keep people out! P.S. Canadians are a bigger threat to our security than we realize. Did you realize the late Peter Jennings’ Canadian, yet hosted an American news program? They can blend in unnoticed into our society and our border with them is totally demilitarized!!! They can just sneak across and pretend to be Americans, with their stinkin’ European-wannabe socialism. P.P.S. Maybe anchor some mines along our coastal waterways so no one sneaks in on boats. ”

“let’s take away all of the guns from everyone and build a giant robot that has thousands and thousands of guns that will be fired and reloaded automatically by mechanical parts ”

“I think we should free Xenu from the electric mountain trap. Xenu would be able to get rid of two of America’s major problems: Bin Laden and Tom Cruise. All praise XENU! ”

“I think all americans should bathe in Nuclear Waste. This has been shown to be an effective tactic in the past of transforming the human body into something more powerful and superhuman. With a nation of powerful mutants, not only would we prevent ourselves from being invaded, we would have a wildly powerful offense with millions able to fly, shoot lasers from their eyes and take bullets. Ninja Cats would still prove to be a problem.”

“I would like to see a river of fire built between the US and Mexico. I would also like level 12 mages to guard the border just in case. ”

“Stop listening to so-called “scientists” with their “facts” and “knowledge”. Jesus didnt need science and neither do we! ”

“Force the Grand Ole Opry to reinstate Hank Williams, Sr. “

Non-controversial, given the speaker

Standard

So, much of the media is buzzing over U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul’s unwillingness to acknowledge what every knowledgable person knows he believes. He is a strict libertarian, and he does not believe government should be making rules for private businesses. According to a letter to the editor he wrote years ago, discrimination by the government = bad, but discrimination by private business = Nothing for the law to do about it.

Nothing surprising there, if you understand that he’s very much a libertarian. Personally, I’m not much interested in debating his position. I think it’s a terrible one that doesn’t even make much sense, but whatever. What’s interesting to me is that it’s an extremist position (for a US Senator, not a Usenet poster) and media–and hopefully voters–are giving him a second look.

Should the counter at Woolworth’s have remained segregated? Should there be a minimum wage? Can employers hire people under the age of 15 for full time work? How about under 10? Do we require that toy manufacturers test their products for lead? Can private liquor stores sell alcohol to teenagers?

Those are important questions for a man who’ll be able to filibuster bills and put holds on judicial appointments. Can “the base” get him elected? I hope not.

Hey, Americans

Standard

If you support our constitution, respond to the census. It’s necessary