tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post7490692905226759126..comments2024-03-18T21:52:45.757-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Now is the winter of our discontent... made glorious summer by “that one” Barack....David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-41771215035340124872009-02-07T19:12:00.000-08:002009-02-07T19:12:00.000-08:00Illithi, I think I was trying to express things in...Illithi, I think I was trying to express things in watt-seconds and tripped on my inverter.Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15618647194288598056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-37539630898384950282009-02-06T22:57:00.000-08:002009-02-06T22:57:00.000-08:00One thing they missed in the Nova episode was how ...One thing they missed in the Nova episode was how the pluggable hybrids tackle part of the energy storage problem too. If you have 40KWh+ stored in your car and a computer managing the batteries, your system might notice that you do not use all your electricity and that means you could potentially sell it back to the grid. Imagine charging your system at night from base load power and selling it back during peak load. <BR/><BR/>Right now our regulations and utility price plans in California don't support this kind of market, but that could change. We need the computers on the pluggable hybrids anyway to ensure we aren't charging them during peak loads, so it won't be an extra cost. It will also change the after market for these cars since the batteries will have value as storage for as long as they last. Having them as mobile storage is just an added benefit.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-41468361167547715832009-02-06T22:49:00.000-08:002009-02-06T22:49:00.000-08:00The Nova episode can be viewed from here where the...The Nova episode can be viewed from here where they give you a few more options regarding viewers. It worked for me through Firefox.<BR/><BR/>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/energy/program.htmlAlfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-46126966987795413532009-02-06T01:44:00.000-08:002009-02-06T01:44:00.000-08:00Rob said1.4 watts per second. 0.71 seconds per wat...<B>Rob said</B><BR/><I>1.4 watts per second. 0.71 seconds per watt.</I><BR/><BR/>That's where you got them mixed up. Unless you're referring to an increasing energy output (i.e. 1.4 Joules per second, plus an additional 1.4 Joules every second, or 1.4J/s^2), that should be 1.4 Joules per second, and .71 seconds per Joule.<BR/><BR/>Just a simple mix-up, really, but I'm a nitpicker, and I use Joules/Watts quite frequently in my various discussions and debates about Trek (and sometimes Star Wars) tech.Ilithi Dragonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10300247936272572280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-58555301762488495712009-02-05T21:45:00.000-08:002009-02-05T21:45:00.000-08:00Ilithi, I don't think I conflated them but it has ...Ilithi, I don't think I conflated them but it has been a year since I've had to think about this stuff. <BR/><BR/>The point is, there's so much more energy in a UC than a CRT that the comparison is simply laughable. CRT discharge won't kill you unless you're already very sick.Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15618647194288598056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-9472327196355987242009-02-05T20:12:00.000-08:002009-02-05T20:12:00.000-08:00Robert A Howard: I would be careful before believi...Robert A Howard: I would be careful before believing anything anyone says about mercury these days.<BR/><BR/>The form of the mercury matters really quite a lot, and nobody ever specifies; elemental mercury sticks, but you never find elemental mercury. Other forms are also toxic, yes, but only at <B>sufficient levels</B> - it depends on how trace the trace amounts are.<BR/>And, well, there are some seriously biased people about mercury these days, blaming autism on it (which is pretty much flat-out impossible), and other such things... and David Wallinga, the fellow quoted in the article you linked, appears to be one of them.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11507725932358099333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-15496378488004895112009-02-05T20:00:00.000-08:002009-02-05T20:00:00.000-08:00There's a rather interesting episode of Nova curre...There's a rather interesting episode of Nova currently available concerning California's energy initiative <A HREF="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/programs/ht/tm/3519.html?site=46&pl=wmp&rate=hi&ch=23" REL="nofollow">that can be viewed online</A> (though I needed to use Internet Exploder to watch it; the site doesn't like Firefox). <BR/><BR/>Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-13174489157546890262009-02-05T18:21:00.000-08:002009-02-05T18:21:00.000-08:00Rob, you also got Joules and Watts mixed up. A Jou...Rob, you also got Joules and Watts mixed up. A Joule is a unit of energy, a Watt is a unit of energy over time, equal to one Joule per second. So 1 Watt = 1 Joule/second. One Watt per second is an increasing output, or 1 J/s^2. <BR/><BR/>On Curiosity and Certainty: Accepting a Certainty gives a sense of security, that things are understandable, quantifiable, ordered, and under control. It's one of the reasons why the average person on the street is attracted to it, and the ability to gain loyalty and control over those looking for that sense of security is why Certainty is used by people in power (and also as a security blanket of their own, as well as denial of their own failings, uncertainties, crimes, etc.).<BR/><BR/>This is often anathema to Curiosity, because Curiosity revels not only in just having uncertainty, but also in NEW uncertainties, which is often disturbing to those who feel insecure with uncertainty. The Curious also tend to question the corruptions and flawed policies of those in charge, which creates a threat (whether or not the people in charge are malicious).<BR/><BR/>Certainty and Curiosity can both be powerful tools, I think. Obviously, Curiosity can go to far (just ask the cat), but Certainty can be just as dangerous, by allowing people to hide from and reject their fears, flaws, mistakes, and anything they don't understand, don't believe, or don't want to believe. Hence the current mess we are in. <BR/><BR/>The problem is that Curiosity has certain self-correcting aspects (provided the Curious person is capable of learning (which is probably so, more often than not, given the very nature of Curiosity), and doesn't make a fatal mistake the first time around). The very nature of Curiosity is such that mistakes would be resolved, methods refined, new and better solutions discovered, and reasons why things should be avoided learned. The key factor is that Curiosity, by nature, allows for change and adaptation, learning from mistakes, etc. Certainty, however, has no such mechanism. Once the Certain decide something, getting them to change it becomes very hard. It sometimes seems like they flip-flop on things, but that is only because what they have decided is not immediately perceived. That is the Certainty in the truth and/or correctness of another person, or a group of people, company, organization, government, etc., and it is something that we've seen a lot in the last 8 years, and today, and the last several thousand years.Ilithi Dragonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10300247936272572280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-76924926573978027612009-02-05T16:15:00.000-08:002009-02-05T16:15:00.000-08:00Bleargh. I was sloppy. Capacitors in an A/C circui...Bleargh. I was sloppy. Capacitors in an A/C circuit have a net *charge* of zero, not a net capacitance. Sorry!Rob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15618647194288598056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-28817873382257481562009-02-04T20:58:00.000-08:002009-02-04T20:58:00.000-08:00A lot of people are talking about jumping beyond c...A lot of people are talking about jumping beyond capitalism and markets. Commons-based peer production seems to be one of those possibilities, and there are others, like the free markets started by this murdered activist girl where people met to give away stuff they didn't want anymore. <BR/>http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-anarchist31-2009jan31,0,6054846,full.story<BR/><BR/>Anyway, Umair Haque is going full-throttle on this post-capitalist reboot thing, and I don't know if he's full of wild strawberry compote, but it sure sounds impressive.<BR/>http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/haque/2009/01/davos_discussing_a_depression.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-14272849896154021822009-02-04T20:11:00.000-08:002009-02-04T20:11:00.000-08:00Here's something to think about: Studies have show...Here's something to think about: <A HREF="http://www.usnews.com/blogs/fresh-greens/2009/01/28/mercury-found-in-high-fructose-corn-syrup.html" REL="nofollow">Studies have shown that high fructose corn syrup, used in everything from bread to soda to soup, contains small amounts of mercury</A>. The thing about mercury is that even trace amounts are toxic, and are difficult for the body to eliminate. Two studies have revealed this mercury contamination, and estimates are that around 50% of the corn syrup is contaminated.<BR/><BR/>The FDA has apparently known of this for <I>years</I> but sat on its heels twiddling its thumbs. Much like it did over the salmonella outbreaks with peanut butter products. What's more, corn syrup isn't really <I>needed</I> for many of the things it is used in; sugar would work just as well, and is (ironically) healthier for you.<BR/><BR/>My friend was wondering (as am I)... is our government <I>trying</I> to kill us off? Or cripple us mentally so that we blindly accept their thievery and theft of our basic rights?<BR/><BR/>Robert A. Howard, <A HREF="http://www.tangents.us" REL="nofollow">Tangents Reviews</A>Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-55229372052548768192009-02-04T19:30:00.000-08:002009-02-04T19:30:00.000-08:00"Bog standard line current" amounts to 220V, 7.5 A..."Bog standard line current" amounts to 220V, 7.5 A. That's enough to deliver a round shock, but never enough to kill, unless you're soaked in salt water. Also, it's alternating current: You'll have the power to let go of the wire. <BR/><BR/>CRT's are phasing gradually out. There are tens of thousands of volts there, but almost no actual charge, compared to a UC.<BR/><BR/>A short explanation of the lack of lethal danger is here: http://lowendmac.com/tech/crt_danger.html. <BR/><BR/>(If my math is off here, please someone correct me.)<BR/><BR/>Adapting the equation for a 32 inch TV (30kV, 3 nF is a gross overestimation) gives you an energy store of 1.4 joules. 1.4 watts per second. 0.71 seconds per watt.<BR/><BR/>If you send that through your million-ohm body to the ground, 30 milliamps of current will flow through you; you dissipate 900 watts if the current is constant. In one millisecond, the current is gone and you have a burn on your hand. If your heart is weak, there is a very slim chance your pacemaker will blow out.<BR/><BR/>A defibrillator dissipates over 300 joules when it goes off.<BR/><BR/>An ultracapacitor's energy storage potential is measured in full farads, not nanofarads. Discharge its store across the million ohms of your body, and you're dead before the neighbors hear the burned explosion as you combust quite suddenly from the inside out. Even a UC with only 5 farads capacitance will kill you before you know you're dead. <BR/><BR/>Yeah, UC's in an alternating current circuit have a net capacitance of zero; they're there to provide complimentary impedance. But I'd still want to be careful.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>A UC<BR/><BR/>A UCRob Perkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15618647194288598056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21872886378680692972009-02-04T17:57:00.000-08:002009-02-04T17:57:00.000-08:00Gilmore and Anonomouz:Could the "Civilian Expediti...Gilmore and Anonomouz:<BR/><BR/>Could the "Civilian Expeditionary Force" be a way of getting the private contractors out of the picture? This way DoD personnel can be placed in the ancillary roles that the contractors currently hold thus keeping costs down, and probably increasing accountability since these are govt. employeesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87441791695928335692009-02-04T16:53:00.000-08:002009-02-04T16:53:00.000-08:00You can't put an ultracapacitor at someone's house...<I>You can't put an ultracapacitor at someone's house. They're lethal if opened and touched and siting the things at private residences invites that.</I><BR/><BR/>Most large home appliances are also potentially lethal if opened and touched.<BR/><BR/>You'll need a lot more evidence to convince me that ultracapacitor installations are inherently less safe than the capacitors in a CRT or bog-standard line current. <I>Nothing</I> is safe for a sufficiently foolish user.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-46345382787544022042009-02-04T15:33:00.000-08:002009-02-04T15:33:00.000-08:00Part of the gov't spending plan is for military ba...Part of the gov't spending plan is for military bases to do one time improvements. That's where a lot of the $14B increase on DoD spending is going. And all that work is civilian employment. Have four cousins with clearances that get about 80% of their work (electricians and roofers) from local AFB. <BR/><BR/>This just hit <A HREF="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/jobs_in_all_fifty_states/" REL="nofollow">White House Blog</A>: <I>The plan will create jobs in all 50 states, in industries across the spectrum. Over 90% of the jobs created will be in the private sector. We put together a fact sheet to show you, state-by-state, just how many jobs the plan aims to create.<BR/><BR/>But no matter what state you live in, with 2.6 million jobs lost last year and our economic crisis deepening, we can't afford to delay any longer. <BR/><BR/>*Just a couple of weeks ago, the American Society of Civil Engineers Report Card for America's Infrastructure issued an overall grade of D. From Katrina to the Minnesota bridge collapse, our nation's failure to take this infrastructure crisis seriously is blatant, and unacceptable. By making long overdue investments in our roads, bridges, transit, ports, and air security, this plan will put people back to work while making our nation safer and more prosperous in the future. </I>JuhnDonnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06795417373366495092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-73731649529297699132009-02-04T15:22:00.000-08:002009-02-04T15:22:00.000-08:00Unfortunately, Glenn Greenwald says Obama wants to...<I>Unfortunately, Glenn Greenwald says Obama wants to increase the U.S. military budget by<BR/>40 billion</I><BR/><BR/>He put out an update to that post saying that the budget increase is only $14 billion. Still an increase, but better than before.<BR/><BR/>Also, the GOP is turning to Joe the Plumber for economic advice:<BR/>http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/02/03/joe-the-plumber-now-advising-the-gop-on-the-economy/<BR/><BR/><I>"More losses in 2010 could push GOP to brink of collapse"</I><BR/><BR/>Weird. I wonder if that could be related at all to Joe the Plumber.Cliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04198405937534052637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-26391782340236266682009-02-04T15:17:00.000-08:002009-02-04T15:17:00.000-08:00DefenseLink News Article:Defense Department Establ...DefenseLink News Article:<A HREF="http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52840" REL="nofollow"><BR/>Defense Department Establishes Civilian Expeditionary Workforce</A><BR/><BR/>From my reading of it, the DoD is establishing a program that will make it easier to deploy DoD employees in support of military operations.<BR/><BR/><I>Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England signed Defense Department Directive 1404.10, which outlines and provides guidance about the program, on Jan. 23. <BR/><BR/>Certain duty positions may be designated by the various Defense Department components to participate in the program. If a position is designated, the employee will be asked to sign an agreement that they will deploy if called upon to do so. If the employee does not wish to deploy, every effort will be made to reassign the employee to a nondeploying position. <BR/><BR/>The directive emphasizes, however, that volunteers be sought first for any expeditionary requirements, before requiring anyone to serve involuntarily or on short notice. Overseas duty tours shall not exceed two years. <BR/><BR/>Employees in deployable-designated positions will be trained, equipped and prepared to serve overseas in support of humanitarian, reconstruction and, if absolutely necessary, combat-support missions. <BR/><BR/>The program also is open to former and retired civilian employees who agree to return to federal service on a time-limited status to serve overseas or to fill in for people deployed overseas. </I><BR/><BR/>Doesn't appear to be the DoD getting ready to draft Tom, Dick, and Harry and drop them in the middle of some firefight to dig ditches or greet folks at Walmart. Looks like various web sites have grabbed truncated versions of this story and are putting a spin on it.JuhnDonnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06795417373366495092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-35114653062755095122009-02-04T14:12:00.000-08:002009-02-04T14:12:00.000-08:00Hey, guys, speaking of the Civil War and Stonewall...Hey, guys, speaking of the Civil War and Stonewall Jackson and the deep south... Here's a picture of a Union prisoner from<BR/>the confederate prison camp in Andersonville, Georgia:<BR/><BR/>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/Andersonvillesurvivor.jpg<BR/><BR/>Hint: confederate prisoners held in union territory don't look like that. <I>Not. One.</I> Not. A. Single. One. <BR/><BR/>Care to guess which other political system produced prisoners who looked like that? That tell you anything about the "morality" of the southern cause and the confederacy...?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, here's a mix of upbeat and bummer news. Everything seems in flux right now, so hard to tell how things are going overall. <BR/><BR/>Nytimes says Obama is announcing a half mil pay cap for CEOs who get a bailout. Very definitely sounds like good news.<BR/>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/business/04pay.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss<BR/><BR/>Of course the wall street Gordon Geckos have immediately started screaming that they won't be able to attract the<BR/>best and the brightest if these pay caps are forced on them. <BR/>http://business.watoday.com.au/business/world-business/obama-plans-us500000-bank-pay-cap-20090205-7y1v.html?page=2<BR/><BR/>I say, grrrrrrrrrrrreat! Hey! Sounds like a <I><B>PLAN</B></I>.<BR/>The best and brightest got us in this sinkhole of deluded folly with the entire world economy in the shitter, so I say let's throw the best and the brightest out of Wall<BR/>Street and let them sit on the side of the freeway holding cardboard signs that read WILL DESTROY WORLD ECONOMY FOR FOOD. See how far they get with that one.<BR/><BR/>NEW SCIENTIST reports on a study showing that sudden deaths among people held in custody exploded sixfold after tasers were introduced:<BR/>http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126936.100-taser-guns-raised-deaths-in-custody.html<BR/><BR/>This one sounds like a biggie. Times Online reports Obama is seeking aggressive reductions of up to 80% of nuclear weapons in talks with Russia:<BR/>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5654836.ece<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, Glenn Greenwald says Obama wants to <I><B>increase</B></I> the U.S. military budget by<BR/>40 billion:<BR/>http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/02/03/kagan/index.html<BR/><BR/>Here's a neat story about a scientist who gets a bigger<BR/>bang for the buck in grants to buy supercomputers when<BR/>he builds them himself. Apparently you can build your own beowulf cluster from commodity parts now with open source software. <BR/>http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9127150&source=rss_topic122<BR/><BR/>Watch out for tiny 25 cent and 48 cent charges on your credit and debit cards on your bank statement. Apparently it's Russian<BR/>mafiya computer thieves testing to see which cards are valid, then they max them out and drain them dry.<BR/>http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/02/01/tiny_charges_on_bank_cards_could_presage_bigger_problems/<BR/><BR/>Finally! Congress has introduced a bill to help people remove themselves from that crazy TSA watch list. I wonder if this will work for the 4-year-olds who are on the watch<BR/>list and can't get off?<BR/>http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Bill_to_help_remove_people_from_0204.html<BR/><BR/>Aspen school district considers forcing students who want to buy lunch in the school cafeteria to use fingerprint ID:<BR/>http://www.noonehastodietomorrow.com/agenda/bigbrother/791?task=view<BR/><BR/>Harvard has announced that a new topical treatment for herpes eliminates the disease. Since herpes simplex is a retrovirus,<BR/>that's big news. The catch is that so far it works in mice. So we'll have to see if it works in humans. If I had a dime for every cure that helped mice but did nothing for people, well...you know. <BR/><BR/>But still. Let's hope. I think current stats<BR/>show that something like 1 out of every 3 women has herpes and 1 out of every 4 men has it. Sounds like a looming public health problem, so this would be especially good news.<BR/>http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/medicine-health/articles/topical-treatment-wipes-out-herpes-with-rnai<BR/><BR/>This NEWSWEEK lead looks like a hit piece, but who knows. <BR/><B>OBAMA'S VIETNAM -- THE ANALOGY ISN'T EXACT. BUT THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN IS STARTING TO LOOK DISTURBINGLY FAMILIAR.</B><BR/>So why weren't they running headlines about "Bush's Vietnam" for the last 7 years? Can somebody explain that to me?<BR/>http://www.newsweek.com/id/182650<BR/><BR/>Here's an article that claims U.S. unemployment stats should be much higher. Apparently the government is fudging the numbers with statistical tricks. I don't know enough about the statistics<BR/>to say for certain, but it does <B>sound</B> like the sort of the thing the people in power for the last 8 years have been doing with government statistics. Worth a read in any case.<BR/>http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article8607.html<BR/><BR/>Way too early to tell, but this nasa website article <B>claims</B> that the amount of methane in the Martian atmosphere can't be<BR/>explained without life. I don't know enough biochemistry to say,<BR/>but according to NASA, the methane should dissipate quickly unless it's constantly replaced, and bacteria seem to be the simplest explanation. Time will tell, I guess.<BR/>http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/news/marsmethane.html<BR/><BR/><BR/>"More losses in 2010 could push GOP to brink of collapse" Sounds like fun. Yum! Let me pop open a fresca and get some nachos so I can munch while I watch the meltdown.<BR/>http://www.eyesonobama.com/blog/content/id_45198/title_More-Losses-in-2010-Could-Push-GOP-to-Brink-of-Collapse<BR/><BR/><BR/>This one just blows my mind. It's like something out of the great Krell machine from the movie <I>Forbidden Planet</I> -- energy in powers of ten going up, up, up to unimaginable levels, 100 orders of magnitude. <BR/>http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb127/drenka2busy/Nerdy%20stuff/energy-scale-100-orders-of-magnitud.jpg<BR/><BR/>Here's something to be concerned about. New study says ocean fertilization not nearly as effective as was thought at capturing CO2:<BR/>http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/2501/ocean-fertilisation-no-good-storing-carbon<BR/><BR/>Defense department announces civilian expeditionary force. <BR/>Anyone have any idea what that means?<BR/>http://current.com/items/89772018/defense_department_announces_civilian_expeditionary_workforce.htm?xid=RSSfeed<BR/><BR/>This report from Japan describes the economic landscape there as <BR/>"a surreal mixture between Kafka and Dali." Since Japan has something <BR/>like the world's second biggest economy (or is it the third biggest<BR/>after Europe? Or the 4th biggest after China & Europe?), this matters.<BR/>http://japanjapan.blogspot.com/2009/01/japans-economy-no-end-in-sight.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-14266594721681401392009-02-04T13:18:00.000-08:002009-02-04T13:18:00.000-08:00And another though on the Civil War (and I'm sorry...And another though on the Civil War (and I'm sorry to harp on it but it's as though Mr. Lofton has chosen the exact right person to completely discredit his stance):<BR/><BR/>I'm going out on a limb and guessing that he believes in divine retribution.<BR/>If so, Sherman's March to the Sea strikes me as being as firm a divine repudiation of a populace as one can ask for.<BR/>I mean, he devastated the region in such a way that it still hadn't recovered a century later. If that's not Old Testament, I don't know what is.Cliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04198405937534052637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-66388517603935445632009-02-04T12:39:00.000-08:002009-02-04T12:39:00.000-08:00As Stonewall Jackson's Chief of Staff R.L. Dabney ...<I>As Stonewall Jackson's Chief of Staff R.L. Dabney said of such a humanistic belief more than 100 years ago</I><BR/><BR/>Yeah, and look how far the Confederacy has come! Oh wait...Cliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04198405937534052637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-79322602742108005922009-02-04T12:33:00.000-08:002009-02-04T12:33:00.000-08:00Heck, I can go for all of that, and fie upon snoot...<I>Heck, I can go for all of that, and fie upon snooty/urban fools who sneer at such things, from an equally-flaky left!</I><BR/><BR/>Oh, honestly.<BR/>Can I at least get a concrete example of what the hell you're talking about when you bring this up?Cliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04198405937534052637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-68199321560329522842009-02-04T06:59:00.000-08:002009-02-04T06:59:00.000-08:00Let's see what the founders of the American experi...Let's see what the founders of the American experiment thought about religion, shall we?<BR/><BR/>"This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it." — John Adams<BR/><BR/>"Ecclesiastical establishments tend to great ignorance and corruption, all of which facilitate the execution of mischievous projects." — James Madison<BR/><BR/>"Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced an inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth." — Thomas Jefferson<BR/><BR/>"I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature." — Thomas Jefferson<BR/><BR/>"When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself so that its professors are obliged to call for the help of the civil power, 'tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one." — Benjamin Franklin<BR/><BR/>"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any Church that I know of. My own mind is my own Church. Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all." — Thomas Paine<BR/><BR/>"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries." -- Treaty of Tripoli, ratified 10 June 1797Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-66786287934163211152009-02-03T16:19:00.000-08:002009-02-03T16:19:00.000-08:00I'm not sure that certainty and curiosity are just...I'm not sure that certainty and curiosity are just opposite ends of the same stick (although the sticks involved are in the same bundle, and the ends are pointing in different directions)<BR/><BR/>It would be interesting to mess about with one of those matrix graphs so beloved of consultants.<BR/><BR/>I suspect that an inclination towards 'certainty' (or intolerance of the unknown) thrives when there is a lack of curiosity, and thus no capacity to contemplate the unknown.<BR/><BR/>Expression of curiosity is driven, in large part, by stress (time pressures dictating how much effort you can expend on considering alternatives, and when you are content to believe in a 'just so' assumption. Even so, the naturally curious will have checked the assumptions)<BR/><BR/>I suspect that most members of this forum consider themselves as having a curious nature. Even so, there are times when things are just taken at face value because they seem reasonable and because it's too much effort to go and dig up proof (I know I do)<BR/><BR/>Short-term stress is one thing. Long term stress, especially on young children, is another. There is currently a <A HREF="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/life/about_the_study/" REL="nofollow">long-term study</A> being conducted in Australia which is seeking to assess what the formative pressures over the first seven years of life actually are.<BR/><BR/>The associated TV series ('Life At One, Three, etc.) investigates several fascinating areas (eg factors in childhood obesity) One point it investigates, in particular, is how a stressful environment tends to encourage the hardwire development of flight/fight responses in young children at the expense of more reflective learning and socialising skills. I would say the latter are essential for a curious nature to develop.<BR/><BR/>Now, I might be painting miniatures with a 3 inch brush here, but I hazard a guess that the red state rural population of 'how-low-can-you-go Limbaugh land' are living a more hand to mouth (ie stressful) existence than the rest.<BR/><BR/>pitin: yet another computer scripting language starting with 'p' (PITIN: Pitin Is The InterNet)Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-83664322206996005152009-02-03T14:46:00.000-08:002009-02-03T14:46:00.000-08:00Gilmoure said...I wonder if this flight to certain...<I>Gilmoure said...<BR/>I wonder if this flight to certaintude (certainaity?) is a deep emotional response to future shock? <BR/></I><BR/><BR/>Interesting point. I think that underneath all the rhetoric, that the leaders in the Corporatocracy and Republican party, certainly try to appeal to the Pavlovian response towards fear of change. Kind of like Palin's "our America is better than your America comments." If you ever want to see a lot of wife swapping -- try a small town in rural Georgia these days. A lot can happen when there is nothing on TV. But underneath all that, is the message that "small towns have less change."<BR/><BR/>However, the blow-up on Wall Street is certainly very Retro. They've done this before. If there is any nostalgia, its for Rockefeller kind of loot. The banks lost money, because the "smart money" left the market. Leaving the suckers in the Ponzi schemes.<BR/><BR/>Is Obama really change? I keep wondering -- it's hard to know. I in my gut, feel a certainty, that the "status quo won't change" message, is strongly coming from NeoCons and people with guilty consciences. They leak that nothing will change on internal spying, so that it looks like all this was somehow necessary under Bush. So, whether or not things are going to get more ethical, we are going to have crooks tell us that they are the same and that Obama is no different. Makes them feel better about bad choices and bad deeds. <BR/><BR/>But, is Obama really smart, or does he actually think that he can get Republicans to "help?" They cut their teeth on throwing stones at Clinton. They've never governed well, so being obstructionists is about all they are really good at. Can you not see the moral outrage already brewing over Tom Daschle's tax problems? I mean, it was already "move on" over corruption in the Bush administration, and that was last Tuesday. This Tuesday, I read articles about "stop bashing Wall Street" on the DailyBeast.com. Wait! They aren't actually done pulling their hand out of my pocket yet. Can we at least "move on" to no prosecutions of the FED until AFTER they've stolen the last Trillion dollars? I understand that buckets with holes in them can carry water, if you leave the hose turned on -- so maybe we can bail out banks without seeing how 8 years of predatory loans and no usury laws can mean that all of a sudden they don't have money.<BR/><BR/>Either Obama knows about the real power running this country, and is trying to put industry insiders on his team to stay under the radar, or he actually thinks that hiring people who cause the problems is a way to solve them. The fundamental problem is; The Financial Market can't be where 25% of the wealth is. It makes BETS on who wins rather than is a source for IPO money these days -- there isn't any point to making all this money on money because it is always doomed to failure. Like homes that are many times the value of what people make for a living -- it is ultimately going to "correct" to actual value. When you've offshored the production of toys because Chinese lead paint is cheaper, well, then, there's even less value in holding the stock of a company like Mattel.<BR/><BR/>I can't tolerate the stupid anymore. I'm sick of debating "free trade" with people who are one month away from being downsized. How is the "buy American" provision controversial CNN? Maybe you can get the Chinese to also buy those products and watch CNN so we don't have to. Maybe we can outsource the news anchors, I'm sure we can fly out people who airbrush on tans and do plastic surgery, to keep their level of Journalism up to ours.<BR/><BR/>We either have publics works projects, or the government mandates a freeze on job cuts (perhaps with shorter work weeks like France did), or we make everyone poor, and we put them into the military. I'm absolutely sure, a Needful War can be created. But other than that, we have too much productivity and too much profits going to executives and being drained out by Multinationals. Unless workers get more money soon, then making money on money supported by thin air is going to keep crashing our economy.<BR/><BR/>I understand the fight for support Obama has to make with the Robber Barons running our media. But its going to have to take some real drastic action. The MAIN POWER Obama has is with revitalizing the Justice Department and the support of the Public. He is doing a great job taking his case to the people -- but he needs to get the crooks on the witness stand fighting for their freedom, rather than being free to throw rocks at his window. Obviously, the crooks still have time on their hands between breaks carrying money out of our Banks, to get on the TV and tell us how smart crooks can solve our problems.Fake_William_Shatnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09027049743048836086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-315274929168434172009-02-03T11:51:00.000-08:002009-02-03T11:51:00.000-08:00I wonder if this flight to certaintude (certainait...I wonder if this flight to certaintude (certainaity?) is a deep emotional response to future shock? The pace of change in all facets of society really started the upward slope in the 60's and it seems to mirror the rise in the rejection of curiosity and the desperate hold on certainty. I've had lifeguard training and scared people will do anything in their power to drag themselves and others under. Seems that we're seeing that played out on a world scale. Even the phenomenal grab for cash could be a symptom of this; stock piling 'safety' and 'respectability'. 'Course, they just went and managed to devalue a lot of that, like a swimmer dragging down their rescuer. <BR/><BR/>Man, people are weird!JuhnDonnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06795417373366495092noreply@blogger.com