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Best metaphor ever
From the War Nerd
If we couldn’t get people on our side after deposing a monster like Saddam, what chance do you think we have of winning hearts and minds in Iran? The kids in Iran are pissed off at the way the old Mullahs won’t let ’em rock and roll, but the idea that they’ll support an American invasion because they’re bored is totally insane. It’s like imagining that the kids in Footloose would’ve backed a Soviet invasion of Nebraska because John Lithgow wouldn’t let them hold school dances.
Classic.
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Quick Thursday links
- The linguistic capabilities of the candidates
- A story about the old Pullman yards I explored a few months ago. Photo gallery here.
- ASP.net and Validation Groups – I can’t believe I didn’t know about this earlier.
- The NYT breathlessly points to a supposed new trend in econ departments. Intelligent Design is a new trend in biology in the same way I suppose.
- E-Prime is the way to go
- Austin Bay has seven possibilities for Iraq. Number one is the most likely I think.
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An odd correlation
For whatever reason, the hits to this site, and my other major public site, JargonDatabase.com move in inverse correlation to each other. Odd.
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New Jersey outlaws sale of many bikes
Read this post on Asymmetrical Information. It would seem to outlaw both of quite a few bikes no matter how you read the law.
You would think that not having the wheel fly off is incentive enough to secure it properly, but if someone says “it’s for the children” then it must be a good idea.
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3 random link
- Meaningful advances in battery technology
- A 24 inch monitor for $229. My, how the prices have fallen
- China executes ex-drug chief for graft
China executed a former drug and food safety chief on Tuesday for corruption in an unusually swift sentence which will serve as a warning amid a series of health scandals that have stained the “made in China” brand.
Can you imagine that happening in the US? I can’t.
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A thousand curses upon Comcast Broadband
I’ve been getting 90% packet loss on all upstream traffic all day, which pretty much kills any and all productivity on my part. The tech support couldn;t do anything and had to schedule a service appointment for Thursday.
Does anyone know if you can get DSL without a phone number?
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A good time was had by all
My first ever gig at Limerick Junction was a success. Everyone seemed to have a good time. The songs “I Miss Ronald Reagan” (written by Tommy Womack) and my song “Heroin and Cheetos” seemed to go over particularly well. My would-be guitar showcase of Bonaparte’s retreat fell a bit flat. The room sounds noticeably different when full than when half full and that threw me off a bit as the set progressed.On the whole a good night. The A-Sides rocked as usual. The photo was taken by my brother, who also recorded the show.
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Come see me play tonight
If you’re in Atlanta come out and see me play in my first ever scheduled gig this Sunday at Limerick Junction Pub. I’ll be going on at 8:00. Atlanta legends the A-Sides are the headliner.
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A minor improvement on the bleeding edge
As a result of fixes in the last version the Ajax Toolkit, it is now possible to do a full compile of an Ajax.net website! There’s not huge improvement in anything, but the resulting application is much cleaner.
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Eight random facts
Subadei tagged me with the eight random facts meme a couple of days ago. With no further ado, here are the eight.
- All dogs, no matter what temperament or breed, like me, at least a little. I can’t recall a single dog that has been at all hostile to me.
- I am immune to fleas and mosquitoes. They simply don’t bite me.
- When I was 20 I fought in a toughman contest and got knocked out in the first round by a tough redneck about 25 pounds heavier than me. For the record, I was up by eight but the ref declined to let me continue. It taught me two important things, namely that while I can take a punch, I can’t take eight punches, and to be very careful about making promises in front of women you’re trying to impress (namely that I would fight in a toughman contest.)
- I earned the permanent enmity of a boss of mine with an artful quip. He once remarked “I’m pushing forty” to which I replied “yeah, from the North.” I found out later he was 54.
- While my speaking voice is abnormally low and quiet, my singing voice is abnormally loud. I present a challenge to the sound guy. Luckily for them my guitar style is loud too.
- I think Thomas Sowell’s theory of the constrained vs. the unconstrained view of human nature does more to explain Western intellectual history than anything else.
- I think “Bonaparte’s Retreat” is pound for pound the best song ever written. While the original Irish version is seldom played, the melody is simply more suited to acoustic instruments than anything else in the traditional catalog. The version on the first Doc Watson family album shines in it’s harsh minimalism, while his later more fleshed out renditions work almost as well. Norman Blake and John Hartford have good versions too. Doc’s version of “Lone Pilgrim” still has the most primal impact on me though, I’m not sure why.
- The life and writings of Eric Hoffer are a source of endless fascination to me. Albert Jay Nock and H.L. Mencken are close seconds. All three of them managed to unload their thoughts onto paper with a minimum of distortion. All three were also solitary and dispassionate observers of human nature.
I now tag Dan Tdaxp, CodePoet, Purple Slog, and Dave Henson.