Showing posts with label Newsworthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newsworthy. Show all posts
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Newsworthy: 26th of May, 2011
[ http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/05/obama-skirts-rule-law-reward-pals-punish-foes ]
So much for "transparency". There's [ this ], too. If health insurance becomes so costly, it's going to disappear. Not all at once, necessarily- but it'll happen, and then the so-called travesty of not being insured will become the status quo.
[ http://www.infowars.com/financial-terrorism-tsa-holds-texas-flights-hostage/ ]
Too bad. As someone who travels via plane often enough to be up-to-date on the security policy of the TSA (relevant: XKCD) and how it seems like a farce- if they truly wanted to be secure, they wouldn't allow anyone or anything on the plane. It defeats the point of travel by flight, though.
As for HB 1937, I'm thinking that they might need to make the verbiage either more specific or more general- “A criminal act for security personnel to touch a person’s private areas without probable cause as a condition of travel or as a condition of entry into a public place,” is close enough at the moment, but the DOJ/TSA/Fed throwdown is a dangerous show of a government that is not unified in principles.
[ http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=CLN11.NYM ]
Ruh-roh. Oil's still expensive, but I think it's just lighting the fire beneath the frying pan- at some point we'll need to find a way to synthesize crude (better yet, useful processed hydrocarbons) OR a way to utilize something like fission to power our vehicles. If we can develop the tech to create small stars and use those to power things, I'd think that we'd be less green but more environmentally-friendly.
It'd also get us off of this whole corn-as-gas thing.
[ http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/02/ariana-huffington-201102?printable=true ]
Please excuse the Vanity Fair. I figure it's worth noting, though-
"Reminiscent of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Arianna Huffington is being sued by two political consultants, Peter Daou and James Boyce, who claim a critical role in creating her top-ranked Web site, the Huffington Post."
Seems like our litigious society takes the cake (and eats the whole thing) as far as being obsessed with money is concerned, anyway.
On a slightly related note, [ http://twitter.com/#!/BREAKINGNEWS ].
That's all for now.
So much for "transparency". There's [ this ], too. If health insurance becomes so costly, it's going to disappear. Not all at once, necessarily- but it'll happen, and then the so-called travesty of not being insured will become the status quo.
[ http://www.infowars.com/financial-terrorism-tsa-holds-texas-flights-hostage/ ]
Too bad. As someone who travels via plane often enough to be up-to-date on the security policy of the TSA (relevant: XKCD) and how it seems like a farce- if they truly wanted to be secure, they wouldn't allow anyone or anything on the plane. It defeats the point of travel by flight, though.
As for HB 1937, I'm thinking that they might need to make the verbiage either more specific or more general- “A criminal act for security personnel to touch a person’s private areas without probable cause as a condition of travel or as a condition of entry into a public place,” is close enough at the moment, but the DOJ/TSA/Fed throwdown is a dangerous show of a government that is not unified in principles.
[ http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=CLN11.NYM ]
Ruh-roh. Oil's still expensive, but I think it's just lighting the fire beneath the frying pan- at some point we'll need to find a way to synthesize crude (better yet, useful processed hydrocarbons) OR a way to utilize something like fission to power our vehicles. If we can develop the tech to create small stars and use those to power things, I'd think that we'd be less green but more environmentally-friendly.
It'd also get us off of this whole corn-as-gas thing.
[ http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/02/ariana-huffington-201102?printable=true ]
Please excuse the Vanity Fair. I figure it's worth noting, though-
"Reminiscent of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Arianna Huffington is being sued by two political consultants, Peter Daou and James Boyce, who claim a critical role in creating her top-ranked Web site, the Huffington Post."
Seems like our litigious society takes the cake (and eats the whole thing) as far as being obsessed with money is concerned, anyway.
On a slightly related note, [ http://twitter.com/#!/BREAKINGNEWS ].
That's all for now.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Newsworthy: 21st of April, 2011
I've scrounged these links up from this reddit post and the drudge report, among other things.
First up, [ this ] article in the WSJ talks about the Big Brother lurking within Apple and Google products. Essentially, they're creating a database that will log where you are, where you've been, and what's around you- in theory, leading to a much more detailed map of the locations served by smartphones. This database isn't inherently malicious, I'd think- but a friend of mine has demonstrated that the cached locations on phones and other mobile products can be used to create some unnervingly accurate maps of places the device has been.
While we're on the topic of phones, it seems like AT&T has finally [ admitted ] that they might have over-committed when they signed up for the whole super-awesome-data-mongling-mini-computer.
Technologywise, we've apparently had a large number of planned catastrophes that get rescheduled as we continue missing the date of the supposed artificial intelligence epoch. On that note, [ this ] article details how sci-fi and reality might not be so far apart.
Also from singularityhub, a [ bit ] of CNC action.
On a slightly more political note, there was a [ protest ] at a really, really expensive POTUS/DNC fundraiser breakfast. I'd also like to know where my "change" is.
That's all for now, I suppose.
First up, [ this ] article in the WSJ talks about the Big Brother lurking within Apple and Google products. Essentially, they're creating a database that will log where you are, where you've been, and what's around you- in theory, leading to a much more detailed map of the locations served by smartphones. This database isn't inherently malicious, I'd think- but a friend of mine has demonstrated that the cached locations on phones and other mobile products can be used to create some unnervingly accurate maps of places the device has been.
While we're on the topic of phones, it seems like AT&T has finally [ admitted ] that they might have over-committed when they signed up for the whole super-awesome-data-mongling-mini-computer.
Technologywise, we've apparently had a large number of planned catastrophes that get rescheduled as we continue missing the date of the supposed artificial intelligence epoch. On that note, [ this ] article details how sci-fi and reality might not be so far apart.
Also from singularityhub, a [ bit ] of CNC action.
On a slightly more political note, there was a [ protest ] at a really, really expensive POTUS/DNC fundraiser breakfast. I'd also like to know where my "change" is.
That's all for now, I suppose.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Placeholder post (and minor newspost).
I'm going to be heading out with the family later this week for a long-awaited vacation into some Utah mountains for skiing and snowboarding. With any luck there will be no injuries this year and I will continue to carve slopes without making a huge fool of myself.
A few news-clippings of interest:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f04a88b8-48ea-11e0-af8c-00144feab49a.html#axzz1FzHT0OJx
I'm kinda interested in upgrading to a Droid phone from my steadfast Motorola SLVR L7, but the still-blossoming market and bleeding-edge tech could use a bit of refinement, in my opinion. It's also worrisome that (in the article linked above) it's noted that Google pulled an unusually stealthy maneuver by removing some malware from phones without first notifying anyone. Not that I don't mind proactive antiviral software, but it seems to add a bit of character to my previously ubiquitous perception of Google's policy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9411955.stm
Palin's been a figure of note in the media for the past few years- I'm not entirely sure why everyone's so up-in-arms about this lady, either. She seems well-intentioned, if somewhat uninformed. Haters gonna hate, yeah?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/7/government-posts-biggest-monthly-deficit-ever/
FEELS GOOD TO BE AN INDEPENDENT when I think about how I didn't vote for Obama- and then I realize that I'm still stuck with this ridiculous debt just like everyone else in the US of A, and it makes me cringe more than a bit.
I think that the whole economic system (at the moment) is messed up, sure, but I can't think of a significantly better solution besides being more conservative about how we do things. I'm sure to catch some flak for this next bit, but I think that Glenn Beck may have a point (more like lots of points), especially when he's talking about finances.
I might also suggest that we move away from the entire theoretical-assets-have-value system and return to the empirical-assets-have-value system. What I mean by this is that we don't have paper money unless we also have physically valuable items (a la precious metals and minerals) to match their value. I think this would probably have a catastrophic effect on the "American Way of Life", what with the idea of paying 200 USD for a widescreen plasma/LCD television now and thirty dollars a month for the next thirty years- but something needs to happen to change the INSTANT GRATIFICATION*** mindset- where the three asterisks indicate the subsequent indentured servitude required in exchange for services rendered.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Libya-Gaddafi-Forces-Unleash-Air-Strikes-In-Fierce-Counter-Offensives-Against-Rebels-In-Key-Towns/Article/201103115946929?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15946929_Libya:_Gaddafi_Forces_Unleash_Air_Strikes_In_Fierce_Counter-Offensives_Against_Rebels_In_Key_Towns
Man, that's a long link. The whole middle-east thing is coming to a rolling boil, in my opinion. Something needs to be done, and simply "liberating" a country - whatever that may entail - isn't going to suffice. I'm thinking something along the lines of a more-than-stern talking-to is going to be required.
We could also go all British-colonial era on the collective middle-east and deliberately cause suffering to improve the nation long-term. Just kidding, that's a terrible idea.
That's all for now, folks. I'm flying out on Thursday the 10th, so there may (or may not) be posts from the 11th to the 18th.
A few news-clippings of interest:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f04a88b8-48ea-11e0-af8c-00144feab49a.html#axzz1FzHT0OJx
I'm kinda interested in upgrading to a Droid phone from my steadfast Motorola SLVR L7, but the still-blossoming market and bleeding-edge tech could use a bit of refinement, in my opinion. It's also worrisome that (in the article linked above) it's noted that Google pulled an unusually stealthy maneuver by removing some malware from phones without first notifying anyone. Not that I don't mind proactive antiviral software, but it seems to add a bit of character to my previously ubiquitous perception of Google's policy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9411955.stm
Palin's been a figure of note in the media for the past few years- I'm not entirely sure why everyone's so up-in-arms about this lady, either. She seems well-intentioned, if somewhat uninformed. Haters gonna hate, yeah?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/7/government-posts-biggest-monthly-deficit-ever/
FEELS GOOD TO BE AN INDEPENDENT when I think about how I didn't vote for Obama- and then I realize that I'm still stuck with this ridiculous debt just like everyone else in the US of A, and it makes me cringe more than a bit.
I think that the whole economic system (at the moment) is messed up, sure, but I can't think of a significantly better solution besides being more conservative about how we do things. I'm sure to catch some flak for this next bit, but I think that Glenn Beck may have a point (more like lots of points), especially when he's talking about finances.
I might also suggest that we move away from the entire theoretical-assets-have-value system and return to the empirical-assets-have-value system. What I mean by this is that we don't have paper money unless we also have physically valuable items (a la precious metals and minerals) to match their value. I think this would probably have a catastrophic effect on the "American Way of Life", what with the idea of paying 200 USD for a widescreen plasma/LCD television now and thirty dollars a month for the next thirty years- but something needs to happen to change the INSTANT GRATIFICATION*** mindset- where the three asterisks indicate the subsequent indentured servitude required in exchange for services rendered.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Libya-Gaddafi-Forces-Unleash-Air-Strikes-In-Fierce-Counter-Offensives-Against-Rebels-In-Key-Towns/Article/201103115946929?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15946929_Libya:_Gaddafi_Forces_Unleash_Air_Strikes_In_Fierce_Counter-Offensives_Against_Rebels_In_Key_Towns
Man, that's a long link. The whole middle-east thing is coming to a rolling boil, in my opinion. Something needs to be done, and simply "liberating" a country - whatever that may entail - isn't going to suffice. I'm thinking something along the lines of a more-than-stern talking-to is going to be required.
We could also go all British-colonial era on the collective middle-east and deliberately cause suffering to improve the nation long-term. Just kidding, that's a terrible idea.
That's all for now, folks. I'm flying out on Thursday the 10th, so there may (or may not) be posts from the 11th to the 18th.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
An aside, on the different sorts of blogging:
There's Blogger, which I use to post these sorts of things. It's got a relatively user-friendly interface that makes idea-to-post a very short and easily manageable process.
There's WordPress, which is kinda like Blogger but is a little easier to tweak and a little "classier." I use quotes because not all of WordPress is clean-cut and delicious.
There's tumblr, too, which is essentially hipster-blogging. It's an even more minimalistic interface than Blogger's, permits a fair amount of customization (beneath the hood), and implements a social networking aspect.
I will admit to having several of each of those, but I try to keep them relatively compartmentalized and try to minimize the amount of content bleed between blogs.
I guess MySpace and Facebook both have blogging sorts of things built in, but they're primarily social networking sites, so I'm unsure if they're worth mentioning.
Noteworthy amongst bloggers is Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post.
Also noteworthy is The Drudge Report, which is an easy go-to source for news.
There are certainly other Blogger users that I'd cite, but that's for another post.
Which bloggers do you consider noteworthy?
There's WordPress, which is kinda like Blogger but is a little easier to tweak and a little "classier." I use quotes because not all of WordPress is clean-cut and delicious.
There's tumblr, too, which is essentially hipster-blogging. It's an even more minimalistic interface than Blogger's, permits a fair amount of customization (beneath the hood), and implements a social networking aspect.
I will admit to having several of each of those, but I try to keep them relatively compartmentalized and try to minimize the amount of content bleed between blogs.
I guess MySpace and Facebook both have blogging sorts of things built in, but they're primarily social networking sites, so I'm unsure if they're worth mentioning.
Noteworthy amongst bloggers is Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post.
Also noteworthy is The Drudge Report, which is an easy go-to source for news.
There are certainly other Blogger users that I'd cite, but that's for another post.
Which bloggers do you consider noteworthy?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Newsworthy: February 1st, 2011
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Qaida+brink+using+nuclear+bomb/4205104/story.html
If there's another attack on such a scale as that of 9/11, it will cement my decision to join the military. I don't care what the hell their reasoning is- nuclear war is pig-disgusting. I don't mind having to shed my ideals and transform myself if it means everyone else can live in peace.
Speaking of which: war sucks. It's never a good option. People die- and even worse, that means there are people who kill. Most folks have trouble with the responsibilities of just their life. When you're responsible for someone's death, a righteous individual will assume responsibility for all of their responsibilities. This adds up over time and produces the jaded, disturbed folks who develop the ability to compartmentalize and block and otherwise shut out the thoughts and responsibilities that come with taking lives.
No bueno. Heavy stuff, too.
In other news:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8296860/WikiLeaks-FBI-hunts-the-911-gang-that-got-away.html
I'm glad to have the FBI on my side, to be honest. I'm also glad that they're doing so much work behind-the-scenes, too. I hope they catch everyone they're looking for and see success in their machinations.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/02/01/american-airlines-shuts-down-at-ohare/
Man, I thought that Texas had it bad. This cold front is chilly.Whatever happened to global warming? Oh, right. It's anthropogenic climate change, now. Whatever, I'm just stupid, right?
I could use some warming of any sort right now, actually. I broke out the heavy blanket for this evening.
Nothing much to see here, just posting some news and my opinions.
For reference, I typically get most of my news from Drudge Report. No, I'm not a conservative. No, I'm not a liberal. I'm a little bit of both, but I prefer to go by "independent" rather than an incredibly wide-sweeping generalization of a name.
If there's another attack on such a scale as that of 9/11, it will cement my decision to join the military. I don't care what the hell their reasoning is- nuclear war is pig-disgusting. I don't mind having to shed my ideals and transform myself if it means everyone else can live in peace.
Speaking of which: war sucks. It's never a good option. People die- and even worse, that means there are people who kill. Most folks have trouble with the responsibilities of just their life. When you're responsible for someone's death, a righteous individual will assume responsibility for all of their responsibilities. This adds up over time and produces the jaded, disturbed folks who develop the ability to compartmentalize and block and otherwise shut out the thoughts and responsibilities that come with taking lives.
No bueno. Heavy stuff, too.
In other news:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8296860/WikiLeaks-FBI-hunts-the-911-gang-that-got-away.html
I'm glad to have the FBI on my side, to be honest. I'm also glad that they're doing so much work behind-the-scenes, too. I hope they catch everyone they're looking for and see success in their machinations.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/02/01/american-airlines-shuts-down-at-ohare/
Man, I thought that Texas had it bad. This cold front is chilly.Whatever happened to global warming? Oh, right. It's anthropogenic climate change, now. Whatever, I'm just stupid, right?
I could use some warming of any sort right now, actually. I broke out the heavy blanket for this evening.
Nothing much to see here, just posting some news and my opinions.
For reference, I typically get most of my news from Drudge Report. No, I'm not a conservative. No, I'm not a liberal. I'm a little bit of both, but I prefer to go by "independent" rather than an incredibly wide-sweeping generalization of a name.
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