tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post112710074172758063..comments2024-03-28T06:22:23.961-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Some suggestions to ponder... plus some cool science...David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127939959982612172005-09-28T13:39:00.000-07:002005-09-28T13:39:00.000-07:00This might be premature, but perhaps the news that...This might be premature, but perhaps the news that <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4291706.stm" REL="nofollow"> Tom DeLay <EM>finally</EM> faces a criminal charge</A> (emphasis mine) might mean that we're seeing the first signs of the avalance of indictments discussed earlier.<BR/><BR/>-- MattAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127922524993373482005-09-28T08:48:00.000-07:002005-09-28T08:48:00.000-07:00Hi folks,David wrote: "(Seeing Fukayama’s name her...Hi folks,<BR/>David wrote: "(Seeing Fukayama’s name here makes me wonder. Is he possibly less of a shill and court intellectual for the neocon-kleptocrat apocalypt troika than we thought? Could it be that, like Colin Powell, he is smart enough to notice some of what he has been a part of? Perhaps even enough to (tepidly) start to stand up?)"<BR/><BR/>Depending on who you talk to, you might be told that Fukuyama is a long way from being a die-hard neo-con. He has publicly criticized the Bush administration, for example, been pilloried by other hardliners, and lauded by democrats. The following page gives a good summary of what he wrote to cause the controversy, and the responses: http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-election2004/article_2190.jsp <BR/><BR/>Ta,<BR/><BR/>bntAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127267292312301842005-09-20T18:48:00.000-07:002005-09-20T18:48:00.000-07:00Dr. Brin, why is it startling that people in other...Dr. Brin, why is it startling that people in other countries would want to help disaster victims?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127254209801421982005-09-20T15:10:00.000-07:002005-09-20T15:10:00.000-07:00@JeffI did a free sample of Science News and let i...@Jeff<BR/><BR/>I did a free sample of Science News and let it lapse because although it was cool stuff, I wanted to read more about it, and usually did in one of the other magazines anyway. Plus with kids myself, I have used up all available unclaimed free time (read: bathroom time) on the magazines I mentioned above. ;o)<BR/><BR/>I get Skeptical Inquirer rather than Skeptic and I can't comment on Skeptic (though having Dr. Brin in there is cool!) I can say that SI annoys me sometimes with the attitude of, "These people who believe {insert goofy thing here} are idiots to think as they do." What I want from them is, "Here is why this belief is incorrect given what we know" that I can show someone who is on the borderline. This attitude, while understandable, is not going to win a convert. But CSICOP does some good work. I don't know if Skeptic also does work external to the magazine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127216810640898552005-09-20T04:46:00.000-07:002005-09-20T04:46:00.000-07:00Ever more institutionalization=going down that ol'...Ever more institutionalization=going down that ol' worn-out road...<BR/><BR/>Time for a new game. One without a ball.<BR/><BR/>Steiger's Law:<BR/><BR/>"People in a very good structure spend 85% of their time and energy maintaining the structure and only about 15% working towards its stated goals."<BR/><BR/>Corollary to Steiger's Law<BR/><BR/>"People within a structure <I>divorced from market forces</I> will expend more time and energy defending it than can economically be spent by people outside the structure attempting to modify or eliminate it."<BR/><BR/>The corollary applies to taxpayer funded or other handsomely funded organizations like the AMA along with a whole host of other professional organizations.<BR/><BR/>The power of the consumer, in this case, to just say "No" is not a factor. This acts as a great lead weight on the evolutionary process.<BR/><BR/>"Cut the umbilical cord feeding the Dependency Trip." Anonjomamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11059960615448444452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127205186252387632005-09-20T01:33:00.000-07:002005-09-20T01:33:00.000-07:006000 years looks like a bad summary of the brain r...6000 years looks like a bad summary of the brain research.<BR/><BR/>Their statistical model with their sample group put 6000 years as the median estimate, with plausible values in the range of a few hundred years to tens of thousands. If the trait is truly world-wide, then past data on human migrations would be strong evidence for a higher figure. If the trait is more recent, then I would expect it to not show up in many ethnic groups - for instance Native Americans or Australian Aborigines.<BR/><BR/>I did not see a complete enough summary to tell whether it is to be found in some ethnic groups but not others.Ben Tillyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04335648152419715383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127194803857159652005-09-19T22:40:00.000-07:002005-09-19T22:40:00.000-07:00I have my doubts about skeptics...JonI have my doubts about skeptics...<BR/><BR/>JonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127193585400266472005-09-19T22:19:00.000-07:002005-09-19T22:19:00.000-07:00David,I'll check out Skeptic.Steve, Have been a Pl...David,<BR/><BR/>I'll check out Skeptic.<BR/><BR/>Steve, <BR/><BR/>Have been a Planetary Society Member forever, and thanks for the Discover & Scientific American info.<BR/><BR/>Used to subscribe to Science News a while back, but let that subscription lapse when the kids were younger. Do you guys have an opinion on Science News vs. New Scientist? If you were subscibing to just one...<BR/><BR/>So little time so much to read... <BR/><BR/>P. S. David thanks for all the great reads over the years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127192713590258132005-09-19T22:05:00.000-07:002005-09-19T22:05:00.000-07:00And get Skeptic Magazine. I'll be in its pages fr...And get Skeptic Magazine. I'll be in its pages from now on, at least for a while....David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127191326669380372005-09-19T21:42:00.000-07:002005-09-19T21:42:00.000-07:00Regarding keeping up with science:The ones I frequ...Regarding keeping up with science:<BR/><BR/>The ones I frequent...<BR/><BR/>I get Scientific American for the mid- to upper-level explanation and because they completely pulled me in on an April Fool's article once. I also have an RSS feed to them on my browser. I get Discover magazine for the scope of things they write about (though the explanation every of genes or gravity or whatever every single time can get trying). Both magazines stand up for real science, though Scientific American under the current editor does so more loudly in print and interviews than does Discover.<BR/><BR/>Join the Planetary Society to get the politics of space (or go to planetary.org) and a bit more in-depth than you hear about in the other sources. Space.com is supposed to be good, though I usually go there last.<BR/><BR/>If you can afford it, and if you are pretty confortable not having things expained to you, Science is the gold standard, but it is dense reading.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127190539301052912005-09-19T21:28:00.000-07:002005-09-19T21:28:00.000-07:00David or others, Any other recommendations for kee...David or others, <BR/><BR/>Any other recommendations for keeping up with science news, either web wise, or print magazines?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127184370723307712005-09-19T19:46:00.000-07:002005-09-19T19:46:00.000-07:00The recently announced design for a Return to the ...The recently announced design for a Return to the Moon program looks pretty sensible. A nice mix of proven old stuff and efficient new stuff. <BR/><BR/>I have two questions:<BR/><BR/>WHAT IS IT FOR?<BR/><BR/>No, I don't want to hear the blythe / defiant "don't want all our eggs in one basket" / "get rich space mining" / manifest destiny fluff.<BR/><BR/>I want to know what specific notions that NASA has in mind. There's a hint that they might check out the hydrogen signatures around the Moon's south pole, but that's it.<BR/><BR/>And:<BR/><BR/>WHY THE HELL DID THEY ANNOUNCE THIS NOW?<BR/><BR/>For cripes sake, on top of a out-of-budget-planning war, Bush has committed to a multi-hundred-dollar reconstruction package and <I>still wants to cut taxes</I>. <BR/><BR/>Announcing a $100 billion space program <I>now</I> is a major PR screwup!<BR/><BR/>StefanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127159667326274282005-09-19T12:54:00.000-07:002005-09-19T12:54:00.000-07:00In Kiln People this is called "dittotown" where yo...In Kiln People this is called "dittotown" where you send disposable copies to do what you'd never do with your real body.<BR/><BR/>I like the idea of electoral districts being OFFSET from Cong districts.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127156725447695042005-09-19T12:05:00.000-07:002005-09-19T12:05:00.000-07:00"Madding district" sounds very science-fictional. ..."Madding district" sounds very science-fictional. Like you'd go there to smash up groundcars, spray grafitti on municipal robots, and otherwise blow off steam.<BR/><BR/>StefanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127155783280634412005-09-19T11:49:00.000-07:002005-09-19T11:49:00.000-07:00Gah!"It might still be possible to have madding di...Gah!<BR/><BR/>"It might still be possible to have madding districts" should read "It might still be possible to have maddeningly gerrymandered districts"<BR/><BR/>Now back to your regularly scheduled punditry...Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13115249244056328076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127153094405244442005-09-19T11:04:00.000-07:002005-09-19T11:04:00.000-07:00@http://www.davidbrin.com/electoral.htmlI know I w...@http://www.davidbrin.com/electoral.html<BR/><BR/>I know I was thinking these thoughts too. Here's an idea, if you can stand it:<BR/><BR/>If you (or anyone) could get a fire-breathing demagogue like Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly or Al Franken to take up that cause, it would become a national issue. <BR/><BR/>Simultaneously, find the well-educated elitists who also like the idea, the way I'm pretty sure Al Gore would have, in 2000. <BR/><BR/>After all, as I know you respect once said, it's amazing what's possible as long as no one cares about the credit!<BR/><BR/>But I'd take it further. Why not make the arrangment of electoral districts a *control* on gerrymandering by requiring that an electoral district never contain more than one-half of the census population of any congressional district? It might still be possible to have madding districts, but it would take some Really Smart People to figure out how to gerrymander a state in *two* ways...Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13115249244056328076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127135635202716552005-09-19T06:13:00.000-07:002005-09-19T06:13:00.000-07:00The world is rushing to our aid - and out here in ...The world is rushing to our aid - and out here in New Mexico, Sandia Pueblo (some say the entire 19 pueblos together) have scraped up a cool million in Katrina aid.<BR/><BR/>PatAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127134499914437182005-09-19T05:54:00.000-07:002005-09-19T05:54:00.000-07:00Re: "Brain still developing?"also: they recently ...Re: "Brain still developing?"<BR/><BR/>also: they recently discovered that a lot of so-called "Junk DNA" is actually active within nerve cells in the brain and spinal column.<BR/><BR/>we know very little about the world...Salhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04241907951700887861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127132470677998382005-09-19T05:21:00.000-07:002005-09-19T05:21:00.000-07:00er, aren't you contradicting yourself?While you're...er, aren't you contradicting yourself?<BR/><BR/>While you're complaining that the winner is under no obligation to listen to the loser, you also say<BR/>"The European model of coalition parliamentary government offers little to America. We've seen benefits to letting a president appoint loyal officers, governing without undue interference from within."<BR/><BR/>Isn't it exactly "undue interference from within" you're asking for? (And isn't criticism another word for that?)<BR/><BR/>Well, good luck finding a system that at the same times allows the winner to rule supreme, while also forcing him to respect the minority. To me, it sounds like a contradiction... ;)<BR/><BR/>Personally I think a government that actually has to endure (and listen to) criticism, and is forced to at least attempt some kind of consensus, sounds like a good idea. Even if it originates from Europe rather than America.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127114871848520472005-09-19T00:27:00.000-07:002005-09-19T00:27:00.000-07:00@Dr. Brin:"And here, startling and unmentioned in ...@Dr. Brin:<BR/>"And here, startling and unmentioned in the regular press: The World Rushes to Our Aid!"<BR/><BR/>I don't know what regular press you've been reading/watching, Dr. Brin, but CNN has run several stories on the food flown into Little Rock, and the generosity shown by poor little Bangladesh in donating $1e6.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/16/international.aid.ap/index.html" REL="nofollow">Katrina aid arrives from around the world</A><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/06/international.aid.flows/index.html" REL="nofollow">World aid offers pour in</A>Catfish 'n Codhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07727883524069548484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1127108096250678022005-09-18T22:34:00.000-07:002005-09-18T22:34:00.000-07:00Recommended for keeping up on sci-tech news:http:/...Recommended for keeping up on sci-tech news:<BR/><BR/>http://www.sciencedaily.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com