I've moved on to the 9/12 world, but yesterday Charles Stross wrote: Twelve years ago today, a cell of angry, highly committed, and (by the standards of their peers) extremely well trained young men executed the simultaneous hijacking of four airliners, and used them to mount a suicide attack on those they perceived as their enemies.What have we learned from this? I … [Read more...] about So What Have We Learned?
Strange Anti-Bullying Messages
So bullying people into being anti-bullying...that's a thing now?From Facebook:Yes, I realize this is not technically bullying. It's more like wheedling or nagging or whining. But I thought the message and the following exhortation were oddly in conflict: Be nice to other people...but if you don't re-post this then you're a douchebag.This one is even … [Read more...] about Strange Anti-Bullying Messages
Nearly Setec Astronomy
Holy crap.I'm still reeling from the latest revelation to come from Edward Snowden: The files show that the National Security Agency and its UK counterpart GCHQ have broadly compromised the guarantees that internet companies have given consumers to reassure them that their communications, online banking and medical records would be indecipherable to criminals or … [Read more...] about Nearly Setec Astronomy
Profitable Punishment – Tempe Style
Matt Brown is a little peeved at Tempe, Arizona's crackdown on college drinking: The gist of the article is that people visiting Tempe last weekend were going to see a massive police presence as officers from nine agencies teamed up for the "Safe and Sober" campaign, something that as near as I can tell is intended to violate the constitutional rights of hundreds of innocent … [Read more...] about Profitable Punishment – Tempe Style
Making Anthony Weiner Popular
I have nothing substantive to say about Anthony Weiner's latest zany antics, so I'll just share this performance by Kristin Chonoweth on The Tonight Show, singing a parody of "Popular" from the musical Wicked:http://youtu.be/sgAjzlwClBw(Hat tip: Alexandra Billings) … [Read more...] about Making Anthony Weiner Popular