The Diggsters just love Ron Paul. Read the comments about this Dugg story, which discusses a USA Today poll that shows Ron Paul not even registering.
The IT world is a strange one, politically and philosophically. I'm still trying to figure it out.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Bush To Withdraw Troops? @#$@#$ Politics
Yet another reason to hate politics: if Bush changes his new strategy before it's had time to play out, as defined by the generals he put in charge of implementing said strategy, merely because some Republicans are no longer backing him... Well, that would take a bad situation and make it far, far worse.
And I realize the wild understatement inherent in that last sentence.
And I realize the wild understatement inherent in that last sentence.
Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 3687 Diggs, is a story about some Australian youths who outsmart a speed camera.
Zonkers! Although it sounds a bit like an urban legend to me, or at least something that's been done before. And someone tell me: why am I writing so much about this?
Zonkers! Although it sounds a bit like an urban legend to me, or at least something that's been done before. And someone tell me: why am I writing so much about this?
Cox and Forkum Get It Right Again - Global Warming
Cox and Forkum's typical on-target political cartoon, this one on global warming.
EMRs will Matter, Eventually
Having some minimal experience working with electronic medical record (EMR) systems, this study doesn't surprise me. It's a market in a very nascent state, and one dealing with tremendous complexity. I've been in the position to debunk some common misconceptions about EMR's, such as the notion that they're just scanned images of paper documents.
One they get things right, though, watch out. The EMR will one day have the same sort of impact on medicine that CAD/CAM software has had on design and manufacturing. More so, even.
One they get things right, though, watch out. The EMR will one day have the same sort of impact on medicine that CAD/CAM software has had on design and manufacturing. More so, even.
New 7 Wonders
I was fond of the original 7 Wonders of the World. The fact that most of them no longer exist merely added to their mystique. The new seven simply don't have the same impression on me.
Google Does Evil? By Whose Definition?
I've always thought that a company adopting an ambiguous, unprincipled, undefined motto such as "Do No Evil" was in for trouble. Didn't Google's founders understand, at the very least, that people have different definitions of "evil"? To some, just being a large successful company is a mark of Satan, and Google passed that definition long ago.
Google is also comprised of individuals, and as this story shows those individuals have personal opinions that will also offend some people's moral standards. Specifically, there's the blog entry by a Google employee that recommended that healthcare companies advertise on Google as a means of countering the effects of Moore's hack job, "Sicko." Now, I, personally, find that both an intelligent and a highly moral post, but many considered it to go against Google's motto.
And therein lies the rub. Go to Google's Web site, and their company philosophy (and the motto) is spelled out more clearly. But they haven't failed to milk the more general "Do No Evil" urban legend, and it's starting to cost them.
Google is also comprised of individuals, and as this story shows those individuals have personal opinions that will also offend some people's moral standards. Specifically, there's the blog entry by a Google employee that recommended that healthcare companies advertise on Google as a means of countering the effects of Moore's hack job, "Sicko." Now, I, personally, find that both an intelligent and a highly moral post, but many considered it to go against Google's motto.
And therein lies the rub. Go to Google's Web site, and their company philosophy (and the motto) is spelled out more clearly. But they haven't failed to milk the more general "Do No Evil" urban legend, and it's starting to cost them.
140,000 Turkish Troups on Iraqi Border?
This can't be good. Turkey has put 140,000 soldiers on its border with Iraq, obviously in response to Kurdish motions for independence. I don't really know the history here, but the Kurds seem the most "civilized" of the various factions.
The minute the US leaves Iraq, all hell will break loose. And it's probably a hell that's been building up for decades, and likely needs to work itself out on its own.
I become less and less certain that we're doing any good in Iraq, even beyond my fundamental belief that we should have deposed Saddam Hussein, imposed a US-style Constitutional republic, and then enforced it, harshly if necessary, until the Iraqi people accepted it. At the same time, we should have made it perfectly clear to Iran and Syria (and, apparently, Turkey, ostensibly an ally) that interference would not be tolerated.
That's not what we've done, however, and we're paying the price. And I have no idea what the right answer is at this point.
The minute the US leaves Iraq, all hell will break loose. And it's probably a hell that's been building up for decades, and likely needs to work itself out on its own.
I become less and less certain that we're doing any good in Iraq, even beyond my fundamental belief that we should have deposed Saddam Hussein, imposed a US-style Constitutional republic, and then enforced it, harshly if necessary, until the Iraqi people accepted it. At the same time, we should have made it perfectly clear to Iran and Syria (and, apparently, Turkey, ostensibly an ally) that interference would not be tolerated.
That's not what we've done, however, and we're paying the price. And I have no idea what the right answer is at this point.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
al Qaeda - More Evidence That They're Losing It
The only positive about the horrendous truck bomb attack in Iraq that left (so far) over 150 dead is that the purpose of the attack--merely to create sectarian tensions--is being openly discussed. al Qaeda is getting desperate, and this is (I hope) going to help our cause. It should be even more difficult for the Left to ignore that it's not the American presense in Iraq that's fueling the "insurgency," but foreigners who wish to simply foment enough horrible violence that eventually America leaves Iraq.
After all, what other purpose could an attack like this serve?
After all, what other purpose could an attack like this serve?
List of Chinese Safety Problems
For those interested in the safety of Chinese products, here's a list. It seems like a significant list, but it's a bit out of context. It would need to be compared to other countries to have real meaning.
Russia Rewrites History
I've always imagined that Putin's read Orwell's 1984. Here's proof.
Any question that Russia is returning to the ways of the Soviet Union should be answered by now.
Any question that Russia is returning to the ways of the Soviet Union should be answered by now.
Russia Delivers American Satellite - ???
And regarding the issue of a Russian rocket delivering an American communications satellite into space, all I can say is: why?
We have a growing private sector space industry, and we contract with Russia for delivery? I just can't find the sense in that.
We have a growing private sector space industry, and we contract with Russia for delivery? I just can't find the sense in that.
Happy Birthday, AK-47!!!
Happy Birthday to You!
Yeesh. I can't imagine a mentality that could be proud of an invention that has likely killed more innocent people than any other.
Yeesh. I can't imagine a mentality that could be proud of an invention that has likely killed more innocent people than any other.
Ahmadinejad Creates Environment of Uncertainty
A little story about life under Iran's President Imajihadi (or whatever his name is). I imagine that being an activist would be awful difficult, not knowing exactly how the crazy bastard might react to any particular act of protest.
Bush Trusts Putin, or So He Says
"Bush's white lie about Putin." That's the headline of this story about Bush's meeting with Putin in Kennebunkport. And that's what I hate most about contemporary politics: Bush appeases Putin by saying that he believes that Putin tells the truth. Certainly, Bush has complex geopolitical issues to deal with regarding Russia, but he could simply refrain from commenting on Putin's veracity--a comment that must be seen by everyone, including Putin, as assinine.
As Ayn Rand said, evil wins only because the good allows it to do so. When Bush compromises with Putin this way, Putin wins by gaining a stature that only Bush can give him.
As Ayn Rand said, evil wins only because the good allows it to do so. When Bush compromises with Putin this way, Putin wins by gaining a stature that only Bush can give him.
Chrysler to Import Chinese Autos - Last-Ditch Effort?
It'll be interesting to see how many cars China can sell in the US. With all the concerns about the safety of Chinese products, this might be an uphill battle. And, I think it shows a certain desperation on Chrysler's part, but I suppose they have nothing to lose at this point.
20% of China's Own Consumer Goods Unsafe
There can be a real cost to buying cheap goods. Unless this is fixed, I anticipate great changes with our trade with China. And that's likely an understatement.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Economy's Doing Fine, Thanks
From US News & World Report, a brief story on how well the economy's doing. I'm sure there's bunches about this in the rest of the mainstream media, but I don't really remember reading all that much. Maybe I'm just a little behind...
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