Can renewable energy sources, like solar and wind, replace coal and oil?
Google ran some practical experiments to see if they can run some of their data centers on renewable energy, and found it was too expensive. Economically, coal won.
Read all about it at Spectrum, an extremely reputable source.
We're going to need something more than we've got now. And both wind and solar are intermittent, and both require large amounts of land and equipment. Some sort of fission or fusion will have to be developed to take up the base load.
Fission has turned out to be disappointing, and fusion is taking forever to get working. Oddly, aircraft manufacturer Lockheed is very optimistic about their Compact Fusion™ system. My own suspicion is that they plan on announcing it a failure, because they're really working on something else, some super-secret black project for the Pentagon. Maybe a stealth ICBM, or a supersonic tunnel boring machine to undermine our enemies. But since they've got to be hiring fusion physicists to at least provide a cover story, it might be some new kind of thermonuclear weapon that's smaller than any H-bomb currently extant. We don't need a bigger bomb, they're already too big for most targets.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Khair al-Din Rouf Hamdan — fauxtography?
There's an interesting video going around as the backing to several news stories. The video shows a young man running up to a police car, hitting it several times with what looks like a knife, the cops getting out, the young man backing off, the cops shooting him and dragging him into the car. Take a look:
I've watched it quite a few times and I see a lot of things wrong with the video that our esteemed media simply did not catch.
First, here's a mediocre summary by the New York Times:
My opinion has changed to puzzlement.
My problems with the video are as follows:
None of the so-called "Media" companies has picked up yet on the flaws and inconsistencies clearly evident in the video. Or should I say, the video-of-a-video.
The Israeli Justice Ministry is looking into the matter, though. As the Jerusalem Post says:
This report from Israel National News says the first time the van door opened, the cops performed their required warning shot. And it says that the cops later transferred the guy to an ambulance that carried him to a hospital, where he died. I agree that could make more sense.
Still, the investigators need to get their hands on the original, unedited, video.
I've watched it quite a few times and I see a lot of things wrong with the video that our esteemed media simply did not catch.
First, here's a mediocre summary by the New York Times:
My first impressions were that the cops did their job, but not brilliantly. If the man was leaving, he had to be detained lest somebody else be stabbed.The Israeli authorities said the Arab man, Kheir al-Din Hamdan, 22, of Kafr Kanna in Galilee, was shot early Saturday after he attacked a police vehicle while wielding a knife. Grainy video footage said to be from the scene showed Mr. Hamdan banging on the closed windows of a police van with an object that looked like a knife, but it also appeared to show him retreating from the vehicle when the officers got out and shot him. The officers were then seen dragging Mr. Hamdan’s limp body toward the van.
My opinion has changed to puzzlement.
My problems with the video are as follows:
- The shot man, Mr. Hamdan, was moving after he was shot and was not "limp".
- There was no blood from his wounds. A man shot to death will leak all sorts of disgusting body fluids including blood and feces.
- The officers dragged his "body" to the back seat of the van, where officers had been sitting, and stuffed him in. Presumably so he could leak fluids onto the seats and carpets.
- The officers were in close contact with the "bleeding" man. Presumably getting blood all over their uniforms.
- My resulting suspicion is that the man who was shot in the video was not hit with a fatal bullet, but possibly a stun gun or a "rubber bullet" that does not penetrate. Otherwise, where is the blood? And is that really how cops handle bleeders?
- It seems really odd that the cops didn't call an ambulance first.
- After the shooting, other officers get out of the van and point their guns out of the scene, away from Mr. Hamdan. We cannot see what they are worried about.
- The video appears to be in black-and-white with color imperfections.
- At time 1:02 you can see that this is a video taken with a hand-held camera of a computer video screen. This becomes even clearer a few seconds later, at 1:45.
- We have no way of guessing what editing tricks were made on the computer before the release of the video-of-a-video.
- If the guy was only hit with a rubber bullet or such like, why did he die? Was he murdered later?
- There isn't enough detail to verify the video is actually of the man who later died.
- I don't understand the Arab-language background chatter of the men watching the video on the computer screen.
None of the so-called "Media" companies has picked up yet on the flaws and inconsistencies clearly evident in the video. Or should I say, the video-of-a-video.
The Israeli Justice Ministry is looking into the matter, though. As the Jerusalem Post says:
The Justice Ministry confirmed that its Police Investigation Department has questioned those involved in Friday’s incident and is performing lab work and examining video footage of the shooting of Kheir a-Din Hamdan, 22.If the video is anything like reality, we must consider the possibility that the police killed Hamdan while he was in custody. But the video is, as I've shown, very questionable.
Investigators have reviewed the scene of the shooting and have been instructed by Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein to gather evidence as quickly as possible, the ministry said.
This report from Israel National News says the first time the van door opened, the cops performed their required warning shot. And it says that the cops later transferred the guy to an ambulance that carried him to a hospital, where he died. I agree that could make more sense.
Still, the investigators need to get their hands on the original, unedited, video.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Sweet Bacteria
Recent scientific news out of the Weizmann Institute once again shows the power that intestinal bacteria have over our lives. There's evidence that using artificial sweeteners instead of sugar alters the populations of bacterial species in our gut. The result is a greater tendency toward diabetes and weight gain.
Artificial sweeteners raise the blood sugar level and can make us fatter.
But they're careful with their advice:
Artificial sweeteners raise the blood sugar level and can make us fatter.
But they're careful with their advice:
Next they'll be telling us to eat more butter. It just goes on and on."...the last thing we want is to drive people away from sweeteners back to sugar without testing this. Don't draw premature conclusions from the study."
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Optimistic Atomic America
Back when the US was an optimistic country, we were working on Atomic Rockets. Really. Nuclear powered rocket ships. Check it out.
Obama's War — US vs IS
Barack Hussein Obama (BO) has declared war, more or less, on the Islamic State (IS).
Obama's war is bit confusing. He's getting the US into Iraq when his whole Presidential purpose was to get the US out of Iraq?
Does he want to be as popular as Tony Blair?
Or is he just jealous of all the attention that Bibi Netanyahu has been getting ?
Anyway, when the bombing gets going everybody will forget about Israel and the bombing of Gaza. And Israel will have a better set of political arguments.
After all, ISIS has not sworn to destroy the US, the way Hamas did to Israel. Another benefit for Israel, is that those who have been claiming, that peace in the middle east hinges primarily on settling the Arab-Israeli dispute, will now have to shut up.
Also, a new topic for the headlines: US vs IS.
It kinda scans.
I think the US will defend Jordan, Kurdistan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. It will also do something regarding Syria, but I don't think the US will be a reliable ally for the Assad family, who are buddies with Iran. Iran benefits from the US intervention, and gives nothing in return, so I think a good US war leader would manage to screw Iran, even though it is an ally, because it is also an enemy.
But Obama has not been working on making himself a good war leader, and it's not the sort of thing that happens by accident. As a result, Iran may manage to outsmart the US and the western non-proliferation movement. This is not good for anybody. For these reasons, and to oppose the Finlandization of Iraq by Iran, I think the Iranian regime must be knocked down, and maybe knocked out completely. This makes it all a multi-way war. And if the US is getting involved in a multi-way war, a land war in Asia, then a Machiavelli is required, not the ghost of Woodrow Wilson. Although I might settle for a Bismark.
Like Golda Meir said: "The Muslims are trying to destroy each other — I wish them both the greatest success". So this is Obama's opportunity to get in there and start up an even bigger inter-Muslim civil war. By the time they're all done with each other, there won't be a man standing. Or so we hope.
The war in Syria has claimed the lives of 100 times as many as died in the recent war in Gaza; But apparently that's not enough to do the job.
Prediction: Somebody will say this is the Biblical "War between Gog and Magog". Somebody always does.
My own suspicion is that it was really Saudi Arabia that pushed the panic button. The US and SA seem to have a secret mutual defense pact. The US leap to stop Saddam Hussein and, later, to depose him, makes more sense if the Saudis had the right to call on US help for defense.
Of course, it could simply be corruption. All the recent US Presidents have warm, cordial, friendly, cooperative, genial, benign, chummy, and supportive relationships with the Saudi Royal family. BFFs, really. No money changes hands, of course. That would be unethical.
Presidents are sometimes known by the promises they break. Here's a promise from Obama: "It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil".
Obama's war is bit confusing. He's getting the US into Iraq when his whole Presidential purpose was to get the US out of Iraq?
Does he want to be as popular as Tony Blair?
Or is he just jealous of all the attention that Bibi Netanyahu has been getting ?
Anyway, when the bombing gets going everybody will forget about Israel and the bombing of Gaza. And Israel will have a better set of political arguments.
After all, ISIS has not sworn to destroy the US, the way Hamas did to Israel. Another benefit for Israel, is that those who have been claiming, that peace in the middle east hinges primarily on settling the Arab-Israeli dispute, will now have to shut up.
Also, a new topic for the headlines: US vs IS.
It kinda scans.
I think the US will defend Jordan, Kurdistan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. It will also do something regarding Syria, but I don't think the US will be a reliable ally for the Assad family, who are buddies with Iran. Iran benefits from the US intervention, and gives nothing in return, so I think a good US war leader would manage to screw Iran, even though it is an ally, because it is also an enemy.
But Obama has not been working on making himself a good war leader, and it's not the sort of thing that happens by accident. As a result, Iran may manage to outsmart the US and the western non-proliferation movement. This is not good for anybody. For these reasons, and to oppose the Finlandization of Iraq by Iran, I think the Iranian regime must be knocked down, and maybe knocked out completely. This makes it all a multi-way war. And if the US is getting involved in a multi-way war, a land war in Asia, then a Machiavelli is required, not the ghost of Woodrow Wilson. Although I might settle for a Bismark.
Like Golda Meir said: "The Muslims are trying to destroy each other — I wish them both the greatest success". So this is Obama's opportunity to get in there and start up an even bigger inter-Muslim civil war. By the time they're all done with each other, there won't be a man standing. Or so we hope.
The war in Syria has claimed the lives of 100 times as many as died in the recent war in Gaza; But apparently that's not enough to do the job.
Prediction: Somebody will say this is the Biblical "War between Gog and Magog". Somebody always does.
My own suspicion is that it was really Saudi Arabia that pushed the panic button. The US and SA seem to have a secret mutual defense pact. The US leap to stop Saddam Hussein and, later, to depose him, makes more sense if the Saudis had the right to call on US help for defense.
Of course, it could simply be corruption. All the recent US Presidents have warm, cordial, friendly, cooperative, genial, benign, chummy, and supportive relationships with the Saudi Royal family. BFFs, really. No money changes hands, of course. That would be unethical.
Presidents are sometimes known by the promises they break. Here's a promise from Obama: "It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil".
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Bread, Wheat and History
1800: God makes wheat; Mama makes bread
1900: God makes wheat; Bakeries make bread
2000: Agronomists breed wheat; Factories make bread
soon: Genetic engineers make wheat; Robots make bread
1900: God makes wheat; Bakeries make bread
2000: Agronomists breed wheat; Factories make bread
soon: Genetic engineers make wheat; Robots make bread
Fat, Carbs and Mental Illness
This whole flip-flop on the fat-carbs thing has driven me nuts.
Everything is backwards now. For healthy living, eat a high-fat diet with few carbs. So sayeth the Worlds Foremost Authority, the New York Times.
Truth be told, psycho-historian Woody Allen predicted this very result, 41 years ago (!), in one of his documentaries.
Watch the excerpt:
The Times supplements the original article with a Q&A.
And as a result of all the hoopla, I'm eating more nuts. I told you it was driving me nuts…
Everything is backwards now. For healthy living, eat a high-fat diet with few carbs. So sayeth the Worlds Foremost Authority, the New York Times.
Truth be told, psycho-historian Woody Allen predicted this very result, 41 years ago (!), in one of his documentaries.
Watch the excerpt:
The Times supplements the original article with a Q&A.
And as a result of all the hoopla, I'm eating more nuts. I told you it was driving me nuts…
Bravery and Courage
A brave and courageous man, filled with the spirit of public service, has volunteered to spend a year living on a melting iceberg, just to prove he's an idiot dedicated environmentalist and tree-hugger.
All power to the idiots! Oops, I meant the tree-huggers...
All power to the idiots! Oops, I meant the tree-huggers...
Grooming
I do remember, not really so long ago, before going out on a date, or going out to see my girlfriend, I'd change my clothes, shower, and even comb my hair. I thought I was "grooming" myself for the adventures I hoped would come later.
My lady-friends would sometimes groom themselves by going to a hairdresser.
For some obscure reason, though, the term "Groomed for sex" turns out to have a different meaning entirely. It's some process that prepares young girls to be victims. I guess by instilling a process of "Learned helplessness".
Do a web search for "rotherham grooming gangs" and you will not find a bunch of free-lance hairdressers. You'll find stuff like this:
My lady-friends would sometimes groom themselves by going to a hairdresser.
For some obscure reason, though, the term "Groomed for sex" turns out to have a different meaning entirely. It's some process that prepares young girls to be victims. I guess by instilling a process of "Learned helplessness".
Do a web search for "rotherham grooming gangs" and you will not find a bunch of free-lance hairdressers. You'll find stuff like this:
"...a grooming gang that plied girls, some as young as 11, with alcohol and drugs. The men beat and raped the girls, and sold them for sex".Grooming. They certainly weren't meeting any grooms, or becoming brides...
The War on Women: Rotherham Edition
The war on women is going very well indeed. This means the women are losing.
In the gentle British burg of Rotherham, 1400 young women were exploited, seduced, raped, drugged, beaten and ignored by the police authorities.
I'm sure that without too much trouble, we could round up 1400 fine young men in the area who couldn't get a date. Now we can tell them why; The young ladies were busy being victimized. The guys probably thought it was their bad breath.
In addition to the usual gender politics, the racial politics of the situation is fascinating. The abusers were all men from the Pakistani community, the victims were all British white girls. The officials of the gentle burg are so damned politically correct they were afraid to annoy the "Asian" community for fear of being called "Racist". I'd rather be called a "Racist" than a "Rapist", myself. But that's just me.
I figured that the Muslim-on-British crime was the results of a jihadist campaign. But — good news! It isn't! The Pakistanis were not focusing on British white girls to the exclusion of all others. They rape Pakistani girls too! This is such good news; it wasn't the Clash of Civilizations after all!
Just sit yourself down in front of your search engine and look for "Rape in Pakistan". You'll see just oodles and oodles of hits. In Pakistan, there is a rape every two hours and a gang rape every eight. And 72% of female detainees in one Punjab study were abused while in police custody. So not only is there equality for women between Britain and Pakistan, but the cops are pretty much the same turds in both places. How global.
The British girls weren't being raped because they're Christian, but just because the Pakistani men feel the white girls are sexier. Well, I do to, actually, but somehow I've been able to restrain myself from pouring gasoline on teenage girls.
There's an new opera in New York City, "Thumbprint", about one of the more famous of the gang rapes in Pakistan. If they try to make an opera about the Rotherham crimes, they'll have to resurrect Cecil B. Demille to put on a massive show.
It turns out that curmudgeon and social critic Steve Sailer has more to say on the subject, comparing the response to that of the kidnapped Nigerian girls. In the Nigerian case, there was Awareness Raising, but in the Rotherham case, it was Awareness Lowering all the way. Even a character like Sailer gets one right sometimes.
The news isn't all bad. Some of these cases resulted in convictions in June 2013, and in the town of Derby in 2010.
The news isn't all bad. Some of these cases resulted in convictions in June 2013, and in the town of Derby in 2010.
Friday, May 9, 2014
The Glorious World of Software
A ways back, I was programming the simple time-and-date software for a standalone utility computer. This was a one-program computer that did a specific set of functions 24 hours a day, every day, without a human operator. But it needed to synchronize with others like itself scattered across the earth, and so it needed to deal with local time, global time, timezones, daylight savings, and slightly broken clock circuits. I got it running pretty quickly, but the thing was never done.
It was hard for me to explain the never-ending nature of the situation. If I'd had this film, I could have shown it around and we all would have been a lot happier.
Few of you are computer programmers or scientists. Yet many of you have become curious about these things that are so helpful yet so infuriating.
Most descriptions of this sort of stuff are all techno-babble. Or just babble. But I think you will find this very interesting. It's about fitting the mess that is humanity into the rigid categories of the computer. Let me know if you like it.
Computers and networks are now culture, not just machinery. Yet, the makers and users of culture are frequently baffled by the culture of their own society. This video describes some of the madness. Note that they use the word 'code' to mean software.
Computerphile and Numberphile are channels on YouTube that provide explanations that entertain. Highly recommended.
The truth, by the way, is even worse than the movie shows. Here is a timezone map for antarctica:
It was hard for me to explain the never-ending nature of the situation. If I'd had this film, I could have shown it around and we all would have been a lot happier.
Few of you are computer programmers or scientists. Yet many of you have become curious about these things that are so helpful yet so infuriating.
Most descriptions of this sort of stuff are all techno-babble. Or just babble. But I think you will find this very interesting. It's about fitting the mess that is humanity into the rigid categories of the computer. Let me know if you like it.
Computers and networks are now culture, not just machinery. Yet, the makers and users of culture are frequently baffled by the culture of their own society. This video describes some of the madness. Note that they use the word 'code' to mean software.
Computerphile and Numberphile are channels on YouTube that provide explanations that entertain. Highly recommended.
The truth, by the way, is even worse than the movie shows. Here is a timezone map for antarctica:
 |
| They can't be serious. |
Are Jews Intelligent?
There's a rumor floating about that Jews are intelligent. Here in Jerusalem, I have found that I can disprove this theory to any Israeli with only 3 words: Government of Israel.
For those of you not yet convinced, I have come across gob smackingly powerful evidence of Jewish dumbness:The Association of German National Jews. This group existed from 1921 to 1935, and its goals were "The total assimilation of Jews into the German Volksgemenschaft, self eradication of Jewish identity, and the expulsion from Germany of the Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe."
Many years before, the German writer Friedrich Schiller penned this immortal description:
Against stupidity, the very gods
Themselves contend in vain
Gay Divorcee
In one of the blogs I read, I remember stumbling across a sort of tongue-in-cheek curse, to the effect that we should look forward to a series of painful and possibly vicious divorces, among the gay marriages then sweeping the nation.
The idea of the blogger, who is painfully and expensively divorced from a number of women, is that the other kind should have to suffer as he does.
I also remember this quote from the singer Rod Stewart: "I'll never get married again — I'll just find a women I don't like and buy her a house!".
Well, push has come to shove. The penny has dropped. The poop has impacted the rotary ventilator, truth and consequences. We have a famous Gay Divorcee in the Episcopal Bishop (!) Gene Robinson.
So does his shocking pink shirt connect to his shocking pink condition?:
Perhaps not so famous. Perhaps he will now search for men he doesn't like, and buy them houses. Appropriately for clergy, he wrote a sensitive and literate essay to nearly explain his decision. Significantly, it is published on the website The Daily Beast. Any guesses on who the beast might be?
Schadenfreude: The satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's pain. Probably a sinful pleasure.
The idea of the blogger, who is painfully and expensively divorced from a number of women, is that the other kind should have to suffer as he does.
I also remember this quote from the singer Rod Stewart: "I'll never get married again — I'll just find a women I don't like and buy her a house!".
Well, push has come to shove. The penny has dropped. The poop has impacted the rotary ventilator, truth and consequences. We have a famous Gay Divorcee in the Episcopal Bishop (!) Gene Robinson.
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| Celluloid Prophecy? |
 | |
| Gay Priest - Now Single |
Perhaps not so famous. Perhaps he will now search for men he doesn't like, and buy them houses. Appropriately for clergy, he wrote a sensitive and literate essay to nearly explain his decision. Significantly, it is published on the website The Daily Beast. Any guesses on who the beast might be?
Schadenfreude: The satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's pain. Probably a sinful pleasure.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Meow and Megadeaths
In the mists of time gone by, I had a cat. She was forced on me, against my will, by a malevolent friend, when she was just a kitten. No, my malevolent friend wasn't a kitten, you fool, the cat was.
So the (non-malevolent) kitten was on my lap, and a neighbor asked me the name of the cat. I asked the cat her name. She lied and said: "Meow".
I explained that her name was Meow.
My neighbor retorted: You mean Meow Tse-Tung! Now the name of the Chinese leader at the time was Mao Tse-Tung, and I thought this hilarious. And so the innocent cat was named.
The media had, at that time, been making some noise about Mao and his Little Red Book. Some friends even bought a copy, which I borrowed. It was meh.
Decades went by.
More recently, scholars have been allowed into the archives of the Chinese government and Communist Party. One in particular, Frank Dikötter, has been summing up the number of excess deaths caused by the policies of the government and the Party. The records were quite detailed. The sum is something in the neighborhood of 60 million dead. This is a very bad neighborhood. The genocide of the Chinese exceeds the death toll of Hitler's holocaust, and of Stalin's crimes. If Dikötter is correct, Mao was the worst mass murderer in the miserable and inhumane history of humanity.
Therefore, I owe my cat an apology. She did nothing to deserve such shame. She was a good cat. But she is now in kitty heaven, and I don't know if she can hear me. Still, I must apologize. Sixty million times.
The genocide of the Chinese has some parallels with Stalin's crimes. In both cases, the socialist/communist revolution took over and installed an economic plan that did not work. Lots of projects fail. But in a one-man dictatorship, the dictator tends to get very angry when big projects fail. And when the failure threatens to undermine the very ideas the dictator believes in, it seems to set off some kind of psychic explosion. Bloodshed follows, as the commander desperately tries to get the command economy working.
This structure does not match the holocaust of Hitler. He killed because he wanted to. It was not a means to a goal. It was the goal.
So the (non-malevolent) kitten was on my lap, and a neighbor asked me the name of the cat. I asked the cat her name. She lied and said: "Meow".
I explained that her name was Meow.
My neighbor retorted: You mean Meow Tse-Tung! Now the name of the Chinese leader at the time was Mao Tse-Tung, and I thought this hilarious. And so the innocent cat was named.
The media had, at that time, been making some noise about Mao and his Little Red Book. Some friends even bought a copy, which I borrowed. It was meh.
Decades went by.
More recently, scholars have been allowed into the archives of the Chinese government and Communist Party. One in particular, Frank Dikötter, has been summing up the number of excess deaths caused by the policies of the government and the Party. The records were quite detailed. The sum is something in the neighborhood of 60 million dead. This is a very bad neighborhood. The genocide of the Chinese exceeds the death toll of Hitler's holocaust, and of Stalin's crimes. If Dikötter is correct, Mao was the worst mass murderer in the miserable and inhumane history of humanity.
Therefore, I owe my cat an apology. She did nothing to deserve such shame. She was a good cat. But she is now in kitty heaven, and I don't know if she can hear me. Still, I must apologize. Sixty million times.
The genocide of the Chinese has some parallels with Stalin's crimes. In both cases, the socialist/communist revolution took over and installed an economic plan that did not work. Lots of projects fail. But in a one-man dictatorship, the dictator tends to get very angry when big projects fail. And when the failure threatens to undermine the very ideas the dictator believes in, it seems to set off some kind of psychic explosion. Bloodshed follows, as the commander desperately tries to get the command economy working.
This structure does not match the holocaust of Hitler. He killed because he wanted to. It was not a means to a goal. It was the goal.
Can You Read Latin?
A three-hundred year old book has been found with a census (of some kind) of old Palestine, the Holy Land.
You can read it (in Latin and Greek) on Google Books, or at Archive.org.
The author, Adriaan Reland, either went to the Middle East himself, or stayed home in the Netherlands, depending on where you read about him.
I can't find the translation, but another blogger says he stumbled onto the book in a bookstore, and it verifies the claim that there were extremely few Arabs in Palestine in 1695.
Also, not one place-name in Israel is linguistically Arabic, and there was no Palestinian people or nation.
I wish I could read Latin.
Here, read the blog yourself.
Update: Apparently nobody has actually read the book. I find that this makes me very skeptical.
You can read it (in Latin and Greek) on Google Books, or at Archive.org.
The author, Adriaan Reland, either went to the Middle East himself, or stayed home in the Netherlands, depending on where you read about him.
I can't find the translation, but another blogger says he stumbled onto the book in a bookstore, and it verifies the claim that there were extremely few Arabs in Palestine in 1695.
Also, not one place-name in Israel is linguistically Arabic, and there was no Palestinian people or nation.
I wish I could read Latin.
Here, read the blog yourself.
Update: Apparently nobody has actually read the book. I find that this makes me very skeptical.
Exploding Head Syndrome
Today I learned that Exploding Head Syndrome is a thing. This is not the news I was looking for. Here, read even more.
I myself had something just like it. It was caused by the crew remodeling the apartment of my upstairs neighbor. At 8 AM. But when they finished, I was cured.
I myself had something just like it. It was caused by the crew remodeling the apartment of my upstairs neighbor. At 8 AM. But when they finished, I was cured.
Foolishness
Just to prove that there is really no limit to the foolishness of humanity. We have Tiny Hamsters eating Tiny Burritos. Actually, just one hamster, two burritos.
Fiddling While Rome Burns
I've been fiddling around with this blog a bit. I've changed the look, some colors, some backgrounds. Let me know if you like it. Or not.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Blood Feud
The Arabs (well, some of them) are arguing among themselves over the question, "Is Jewish blood equal to Palestinian blood?"
A Palestinian politician, Mahmoud al-Habbash, accidentally let it slip that Jewish blood was equal to Arab blood. He is being roundly criticized and there are threats of, pardon the expression, bloodshed.
Israeli hospitals will transfuse blood from one to another whenever needed, and nobody complains about it. So I guess equality wins out.
How much extra-tribal blood do you have to receive before you're considered a convert?
The issue has generated some bad blood.
A Palestinian politician, Mahmoud al-Habbash, accidentally let it slip that Jewish blood was equal to Arab blood. He is being roundly criticized and there are threats of, pardon the expression, bloodshed.
Israeli hospitals will transfuse blood from one to another whenever needed, and nobody complains about it. So I guess equality wins out.
How much extra-tribal blood do you have to receive before you're considered a convert?
The issue has generated some bad blood.
Science is a Scam. Again. (Androphobia Version)
A study has proved that studies are worthless.
This reminds me of the logic puzzle: "This sentence is false". If it's false, it's true, but if it's true, it's false.
Anyway, remember all those "Studies" that used mice or rats to prove some point or other about medicine or behavior? Well, it turns out that mice and rats are scared of men, but not women. So if the mouse was dosed or poked by a man, the measured reaction was different depending on the gender of the lab tech.
Now, whether the gender of the mouse matters in responding to the gender of the human, it does not say.
Here's a more scientific version of the report in Nature.
The fear of men is called Androphobia.
Perhaps planning should be left to the women.
Déjà vu is the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced before: Science is a Scam.
This reminds me of the logic puzzle: "This sentence is false". If it's false, it's true, but if it's true, it's false.
Anyway, remember all those "Studies" that used mice or rats to prove some point or other about medicine or behavior? Well, it turns out that mice and rats are scared of men, but not women. So if the mouse was dosed or poked by a man, the measured reaction was different depending on the gender of the lab tech.
Now, whether the gender of the mouse matters in responding to the gender of the human, it does not say.
Here's a more scientific version of the report in Nature.
The fear of men is called Androphobia.
"The best-laid plans of mice and men — Often go awry"
Robert Burns (more or less)
Perhaps planning should be left to the women.
Déjà vu is the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced before: Science is a Scam.
Green Snakes in My House
I'd made dinner, cleaned up and gone to bed. My mistake.
I got thirsty or something and went to the sink. And jumped. A green snake!
On reflection, maybe a small snake, or a green worm...
So I knocked it about and turned on the light. One lone string bean had escaped the pot, and lay there, ready to pounce.
String beans are not only a good diet food, but it gives you jumping exercise, too.
I got thirsty or something and went to the sink. And jumped. A green snake!
On reflection, maybe a small snake, or a green worm...
So I knocked it about and turned on the light. One lone string bean had escaped the pot, and lay there, ready to pounce.
String beans are not only a good diet food, but it gives you jumping exercise, too.
 | |
| Not Green Snakes |
Free Assault Rifles
You too can be the master of the streets! Sign up for a free Israeli Tavor assault rifle now! Today is the last day!
I don't think it will actually fire NATO 5.56 rounds, and not on full automatic, but your opponents will be scared to death!
Ain't America Great!
I don't think it will actually fire NATO 5.56 rounds, and not on full automatic, but your opponents will be scared to death!
Ain't America Great!
Friday, April 25, 2014
The War on Women
The War on Women is going swimmingly. In the western world, women are being denied reproductive medical care such as birth control and access to abortion. Even in workplace medical coverage.
But Nigeria does it better than anybody. 230 schoolgirls were abducted over a week ago, by the Boko Haram Islamists as punishment for getting a western education. The article says nobody knows where the missing girls are. But hold that thought.
The Telegraph, on the other hand, says that the girls were tracked down by their parents. The parents were forced to turn back after direct threats. And when the parents gave the location data to the police, the police ignored it.
Now that's a war on Women!
The name Boko Haram actually means "Western education is sin" in the local Hausa language. The group is a bunch of radical Islamists.
But don't fear for the lives of the girls, they are used as slaves and sexual servants, so they're kept alive. "The girls who are kidnapped are raped, forced into servitude -- but rarely killed", said CNN.
I think if you drop by the local grammar school, you might find some kids who will testify that "Western education is a sin". So everything is normal and the world will continue turning. Carry on.
But Nigeria does it better than anybody. 230 schoolgirls were abducted over a week ago, by the Boko Haram Islamists as punishment for getting a western education. The article says nobody knows where the missing girls are. But hold that thought.
The Telegraph, on the other hand, says that the girls were tracked down by their parents. The parents were forced to turn back after direct threats. And when the parents gave the location data to the police, the police ignored it.
Now that's a war on Women!
The name Boko Haram actually means "Western education is sin" in the local Hausa language. The group is a bunch of radical Islamists.
But don't fear for the lives of the girls, they are used as slaves and sexual servants, so they're kept alive. "The girls who are kidnapped are raped, forced into servitude -- but rarely killed", said CNN.
I think if you drop by the local grammar school, you might find some kids who will testify that "Western education is a sin". So everything is normal and the world will continue turning. Carry on.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Morning Coffee
I'm going to tell you how to save the earth and still wake up in the morning.
Now that spring has arrived in the northern hemisphere, it's warmer, even in the morning. To make the morning coffee (or even tea), you have to boil water and steam up the kitchen, or maybe your whole house.
In the warmer climes, this means that you also turn on the air conditioner in the morning, and you may even accidentally leave it running all day in an empty house.
Perish the thought!
In the warm morning, it's actually nicer to have cold coffee than hot. I'm not talking about iced coffee, American style. That is a weak brew made by pouring perfectly good coffee over a half-dozen ice cubes, diluting away all the flavor.
My suggestion is to brew the hot coffee late at night. The night air is cool and opening a window will be enough to keep things pleasant. Then let the pot cool, and after 20 minutes or so put it in the fridge.
Next morning, pour a nice cold cup of strong coffee, add the usual stuff to taste, and enjoy. It simplifies the morning rush and saves electricity.
Now that spring has arrived in the northern hemisphere, it's warmer, even in the morning. To make the morning coffee (or even tea), you have to boil water and steam up the kitchen, or maybe your whole house.
In the warmer climes, this means that you also turn on the air conditioner in the morning, and you may even accidentally leave it running all day in an empty house.
Perish the thought!
In the warm morning, it's actually nicer to have cold coffee than hot. I'm not talking about iced coffee, American style. That is a weak brew made by pouring perfectly good coffee over a half-dozen ice cubes, diluting away all the flavor.
My suggestion is to brew the hot coffee late at night. The night air is cool and opening a window will be enough to keep things pleasant. Then let the pot cool, and after 20 minutes or so put it in the fridge.
Next morning, pour a nice cold cup of strong coffee, add the usual stuff to taste, and enjoy. It simplifies the morning rush and saves electricity.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
85,000 Videos Released. Some of the Best. Must See.
British Pathé released 85,000 old newsreels to YouTube. Bloggers and researchers have gone through the list as best they can and here are some about Israel/Palestine in the 20th century on the ElderOfZiyon blog. Truly great stuff.
If you go through the few selected videos, you'll notice the tiny size of the prayer area in front of the Western Wall (called "Wailing Wall" in the newsreel). It's since been fixed.
Perhaps the most significant (so far) is this video, "Arabs Declare Holy War":
"Two states are being born", the narrator intones. If only he knew.
At the opposite end of the importance scale, the filmmakers realize the only thing that shows up clearly on film are the various hats:
I watched a bunch of the films. The silent films taught me something: You can't tell which side is which without either a narrator or clearly marked hats. You can't even tell which war, which continent, or which year. There is no way to tell aggressor from defender, winner from loser. You can tell forest from desert.
For talking films, the strongest effect of the visual is to make the sound of the narrator authentic and believable. You think you're seeing what is being said. Sometimes you are, sometimes you aren't.
American Dr. Ralph Bunch, UN mediator, tells us "The war is over in Palestine", proving the effectiveness of the United Nations. A lot of wisdom in 19 seconds:
A lot of wisdom, that is, if you can read between the lines.
If you go through the few selected videos, you'll notice the tiny size of the prayer area in front of the Western Wall (called "Wailing Wall" in the newsreel). It's since been fixed.
Perhaps the most significant (so far) is this video, "Arabs Declare Holy War":
"Two states are being born", the narrator intones. If only he knew.
At the opposite end of the importance scale, the filmmakers realize the only thing that shows up clearly on film are the various hats:
I watched a bunch of the films. The silent films taught me something: You can't tell which side is which without either a narrator or clearly marked hats. You can't even tell which war, which continent, or which year. There is no way to tell aggressor from defender, winner from loser. You can tell forest from desert.
For talking films, the strongest effect of the visual is to make the sound of the narrator authentic and believable. You think you're seeing what is being said. Sometimes you are, sometimes you aren't.
American Dr. Ralph Bunch, UN mediator, tells us "The war is over in Palestine", proving the effectiveness of the United Nations. A lot of wisdom in 19 seconds:
A lot of wisdom, that is, if you can read between the lines.
50 Years Ago — A Scandal?
There was a sort of scandal 50 years ago in which Israel was accused of stealing uranium from the US. If there was a final resolution, it is still classified.
This month, the US government is applying pressure to Israel on the Middle East Peace Process negotiations, and purely by coincidence, out pops an article in the Bulletin of The Atomic Scientists rehashing that old controversy.
I have no idea myself, of course, of what happened to the uranium. I doubt it would still be in condition to explode a bomb. Uranium decays, that's part of the point.
If you have the uranium, or know where it is, please leave a comment, below.
This month, the US government is applying pressure to Israel on the Middle East Peace Process negotiations, and purely by coincidence, out pops an article in the Bulletin of The Atomic Scientists rehashing that old controversy.
I have no idea myself, of course, of what happened to the uranium. I doubt it would still be in condition to explode a bomb. Uranium decays, that's part of the point.
If you have the uranium, or know where it is, please leave a comment, below.
Chocolate: Good for You, Good for Your Country
I've written about correlation, and about chocolate. Here I'm writing about the correlation of chocolate with...
Noble Prizes.
The New England Journal of Medicine (pdf) avers that chocolate consumption correlates with the number of Noble Prizes a country gets.
So feed your kids even more chocolate. Srsly.
Noble Prizes.
The New England Journal of Medicine (pdf) avers that chocolate consumption correlates with the number of Noble Prizes a country gets.
So feed your kids even more chocolate. Srsly.
 | |
| Dark Chocolate |
Probably Bad News
Human creativity never ceases to amaze me. Also, human decadence. Somebody has invented a powdered alcohol you can carry with you. So if you're out in the woods on a hike, you can add the powdered booze to your canteen, and when the bear shows up, you'll be too drunk to react.
When it eventually comes to market, it will be available in several flavors.
When it eventually comes to market, it will be available in several flavors.
GoPro Has a New Movie
There's a series of movie cameras designed for on-the-go wide-angle selfies. When you're parachuting off a cliff, you attach this to yourself and later on you can show your friends what an idiot, a daredevil you are.
So here's a collection of snippets they've put together to drop your jaw. Warning: Nearly safe for work. It depends on where you work. Brief bikini shots. I guess that's redundant. All bikinis are brief.
Jaw-dropping is a recommended exercise by the National Health Council.
So here's a collection of snippets they've put together to drop your jaw. Warning: Nearly safe for work. It depends on where you work. Brief bikini shots. I guess that's redundant. All bikinis are brief.
Jaw-dropping is a recommended exercise by the National Health Council.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Egyptian Educations Are Entertained by Palestine Government
From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, a self-explanatory Report from 1926.
From the Report:
Anyway, it's good to see the Egyptians and the Palestinians getting along so well.
From the Report:
He expressed the hope that mutual visits between Hebrew and Egyptian educators will take place annually and that a periodical conference between the two countries will be arranged for the purpose of discussing the educational problems of Palestine and Egypt.Perhaps the conferences can resume someday...
Anyway, it's good to see the Egyptians and the Palestinians getting along so well.
Not Only Transnistria, but Moldova is in Danger
The conflict in Transnistria is not settled, and Moldova may be on the chopping block. Of course, you knew that Russia has 2,000 troops in Transnistria.
What will Putin do next to Moldova?
I for one am fed up, and I say: Transistria for the Transnistrians!
What will Obama do about Transnistria? And can he spell it?
We must all study this issue seriously, lest we be embarrassed and speechless when someone next asks us: "What is your position on the Moldova/Transnistria situation?".
I was once told that some of my ancestors came from the region of Bessarabia, which is neither Arabia, nor Bess. And is now incorporated into parts of Moldova and the Ukraine. So I have a dog in this fight. A small dog, but a dog nevertheless.
What will Putin do next to Moldova?
I for one am fed up, and I say: Transistria for the Transnistrians!
What will Obama do about Transnistria? And can he spell it?
We must all study this issue seriously, lest we be embarrassed and speechless when someone next asks us: "What is your position on the Moldova/Transnistria situation?".
I was once told that some of my ancestors came from the region of Bessarabia, which is neither Arabia, nor Bess. And is now incorporated into parts of Moldova and the Ukraine. So I have a dog in this fight. A small dog, but a dog nevertheless.
Two Heart Attacks and A Tumor
Friend J had 2 more heart attacks. He's home now and complaining about the crowding in the mall. Friend Y has a benign brain tumor, requiring surgery. And in the hall outside my place I found a couple of dead insects.
Could it be dangerous to be near me? Here's hoping not.
Update: I just spoke to J, and he's bragging about how many heart attacks he's had. He's trying to talk his way up to three full heart attacks. Guinness doesn't have a record for the most heart attacks. But a fellow in Gloucester, England, survived 32 of them. That's 29 more to go.
Could it be dangerous to be near me? Here's hoping not.
Update: I just spoke to J, and he's bragging about how many heart attacks he's had. He's trying to talk his way up to three full heart attacks. Guinness doesn't have a record for the most heart attacks. But a fellow in Gloucester, England, survived 32 of them. That's 29 more to go.
Butter Better — Rice Worse
Also courtesy of the NY Times, butter is better for you than we had been led to believe, and rice a little worse. A little arsenic, so why worry? Science is a scam. I mean really, this is just too much.
Deep fat is getting nearer, and tobacco can't be too far behind.
Update: Dark Chocolate is good for you again. And no, it doesn't usually cause pimples. Or does it?
Deep fat is getting nearer, and tobacco can't be too far behind.
Update: Dark Chocolate is good for you again. And no, it doesn't usually cause pimples. Or does it?
Sewage Warfare
I missed this New York Times article over a year ago. The Egyptians under Morsi were flooding the smuggling tunnels with sewage. Islamist versus Islamist.
At this point I should give you a pithy analysis. I have none. It just boggles my mind.
At this point I should give you a pithy analysis. I have none. It just boggles my mind.
Hawaiian Policing Now Tougher
No doubt contributing to a massive decline in applications to the Police Academy, Hawaiian police will no longer be allowed to bed prostitutes as part of their work.
While the impact on employment figures will be deleterious, exact numbers are not available.
While the impact on employment figures will be deleterious, exact numbers are not available.
Passover
Passover started in 2014 on Monday night, April 14th. And it ends Tuesday evening, April 22nd, (Earth Day).
UPDATE: In Israel it ends a day earlier, on the evening of Monday, April 21st.
I've been making Matzo Brie. It's a fried mixture of eggs, milk and crumbled matzo. Discovery: It is possible to get it wrong. Hint: Using a blender to crumble the matzo is not a good idea. It needs a little texture.
The Seder was pretty multi-culti for an Orthodox Seder. Dutch, Serbians, and Israelis.
UPDATE: In Israel it ends a day earlier, on the evening of Monday, April 21st.
I've been making Matzo Brie. It's a fried mixture of eggs, milk and crumbled matzo. Discovery: It is possible to get it wrong. Hint: Using a blender to crumble the matzo is not a good idea. It needs a little texture.
The Seder was pretty multi-culti for an Orthodox Seder. Dutch, Serbians, and Israelis.
Earth Day
Earth Day is April 22nd. Every year, somebody makes the point this is also the birthday of the communist V.I. Lenin, back in 1870. The old man turns 144 this year.
I remember the first Earth Day in 1970. I walked out of a lecture thinking that all industry would have to be abolished. Perhaps I jumped the gun. I was young.
Some cities celebrate the same idea by turning off all the lights for an hour in the evening. It's called Earth Hour. But Earth Hour was on March 29. Of course, in North Korea, every night is Earth Hour.
In July, we will have Mars Day.
There is no Venus Day, probably because the day is longer than the year, on that planet. Would Venus Day be a feminist holiday? Or Doris Day's sister?
I remember the first Earth Day in 1970. I walked out of a lecture thinking that all industry would have to be abolished. Perhaps I jumped the gun. I was young.
Some cities celebrate the same idea by turning off all the lights for an hour in the evening. It's called Earth Hour. But Earth Hour was on March 29. Of course, in North Korea, every night is Earth Hour.
In July, we will have Mars Day.
There is no Venus Day, probably because the day is longer than the year, on that planet. Would Venus Day be a feminist holiday? Or Doris Day's sister?
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Where I Live
People ask me where I live. I'll give you a very precise answer:
This answer is correct to one part in 3 × 1068.
That number is approximately 300000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.
How do I figure this? The radius of the earth is about 6378.1 kilometers.
The radius of the known universe is about 46 billion light years. This is larger than the radius of the observed universe for technical reasons.
The volume of a sphere is proportional to the cube of the radius. The cube of 6378 kilometers divided into the cube of 46 billion light years is that 3 × 1068.
46 billion light years is 4.351843 × 1026 meters. Cubed, that is a volume of 8.24175458×1079 cubic meters.
8.24175458×1079 / 2.605498×1011 = 3.1632×1068.
This last is a very interesting number. It has nearly the same digits as the square root of ten: 3.162277. These two numbers match to 3 digits, which is more accurate than our measurements. So they could be equal.
Which proves the universe is full of coincidences.
Okay, maybe it's not a proof.
Anyway, that's where I live. So now you know.
 |
| Earth |
This answer is correct to one part in 3 × 1068.
That number is approximately 300000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.
How do I figure this? The radius of the earth is about 6378.1 kilometers.
The radius of the known universe is about 46 billion light years. This is larger than the radius of the observed universe for technical reasons.
The volume of a sphere is proportional to the cube of the radius. The cube of 6378 kilometers divided into the cube of 46 billion light years is that 3 × 1068.
For your inner nerd:
6378.1 meters, cubed, equals: 2.605498×1011cubic meters.46 billion light years is 4.351843 × 1026 meters. Cubed, that is a volume of 8.24175458×1079 cubic meters.
8.24175458×1079 / 2.605498×1011 = 3.1632×1068.
This last is a very interesting number. It has nearly the same digits as the square root of ten: 3.162277. These two numbers match to 3 digits, which is more accurate than our measurements. So they could be equal.
Which proves the universe is full of coincidences.
Okay, maybe it's not a proof.
Anyway, that's where I live. So now you know.
The Seder
If I only had three cups of wine — it would have been enough...
If I only had two pieces of matzo — it would have been enough...
If I had stayed up only until 1 AM — it would have been enough...
But not really. Escaping slavery is more important than that.
By the way, just Google for '21st Century Slavery' and you'll get an eyeful.
Here's some info from that radical group, National Geographic.
There's a lesson in here, somewhere.
If I only had two pieces of matzo — it would have been enough...
If I had stayed up only until 1 AM — it would have been enough...
But not really. Escaping slavery is more important than that.
By the way, just Google for '21st Century Slavery' and you'll get an eyeful.
Here's some info from that radical group, National Geographic.
There's a lesson in here, somewhere.
Space Aliens cause Global Warming
Causation usually causes Correlation.
But not the other way around.
It has been statistically proven that space aliens cause global warming. The correlation is absolutely devastating and persuasive. In fact, as Dr. Spencer points out: "...the relationship is so strong, if this was an epidemiological study it would be time to regulate UFOs".
The proof comes from a Ph.d space scientist and it's on the internet.
For further proof, consider this syllogism:
I had to think about this cartoon before the light bulb went on.
If I had the skills of Randall Munroe I'd be rich too. Although I don't know if he's actually wealthy. He ought to be wealthy, though. Mr. Munroe invented the above cartoon. So, if I had his skills, I ought to be rich. Therefore, I ought to have his skills. Q.E.D.
But not the other way around.
It has been statistically proven that space aliens cause global warming. The correlation is absolutely devastating and persuasive. In fact, as Dr. Spencer points out: "...the relationship is so strong, if this was an epidemiological study it would be time to regulate UFOs".
The proof comes from a Ph.d space scientist and it's on the internet.
For further proof, consider this syllogism:
 |
| Correlation |
I had to think about this cartoon before the light bulb went on.
If I had the skills of Randall Munroe I'd be rich too. Although I don't know if he's actually wealthy. He ought to be wealthy, though. Mr. Munroe invented the above cartoon. So, if I had his skills, I ought to be rich. Therefore, I ought to have his skills. Q.E.D.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Lovers and Haters
Both cat lovers and cat haters will adore this video: Black Cat Jump. Free, on YouTube.
I admire the high energy level. But it looks dangerous.
I admire the high energy level. But it looks dangerous.
New York Times Confuses Israel and Iran.
They both start with the letter 'I', so I guess that's enough for the illiterates to get confused. In a silly opinion piece, a joint effort by an Iranian and an Israeli writer quotes Israeli politician Moshe Yaalon when he said that Secretary Kerry was “obsessive and messianic”. Harsh words, to be sure. But just compare that to Iran's "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!". I can catch the nuance of difference. Can you? Why can't the New York Times?
More deeply, I think these public intellectuals knew they needed to say something so outrageous that even the New York Times would carry it. So they did.
I for one am insulted at being likened to the Ayatollahs. Wouldn't you?
Another small nuance: The Ayatollahs Islam requires world conquest. Judaism, even it's most radical form, does not. Can you see the implications for US foreign policy? For Israeli policy? Is it too hard to see the difference?
More deeply, I think these public intellectuals knew they needed to say something so outrageous that even the New York Times would carry it. So they did.
I for one am insulted at being likened to the Ayatollahs. Wouldn't you?
Another small nuance: The Ayatollahs Islam requires world conquest. Judaism, even it's most radical form, does not. Can you see the implications for US foreign policy? For Israeli policy? Is it too hard to see the difference?
Thursday, April 10, 2014
That Cute Baby Face in North Korea
That cute baby faced leader has a heart of gold. I think the heart is on a pedestal on his desk, near the platinum heart. Or maybe it's in a jar.
To prove what a good guy he is, he killed one of his dead uncles friends with a flamethrower.
The Washington Post takes a more skeptical view. Nobody sane would do that, of course.
I've looked around for an image of the victim, O Sang-hon, but haven't found any yet.
Maybe Anonymous will raise a campaign against murder by flamethrower.
Anonymous vs Israel
The hackers at Anonymous decided to hack into a bunch of Israeli websites, in support of terrorism as a general principle. One problem with this news story is that I can't find any mention of it on the Anonymous Facebook page. Other sites have the same story too, such as Russia Today. Russia Today, the World's Foremost Authority.
The website of the attack seems to have been counter-hacked by Israel, and has stayed that way for several days.
On the other hand, this OpIsrael web site is up and running, and lists websites it says it has hacked. I checked a few of their claimed victim sites and they were up and running fine.
Part of the Anonymous group is called AnonGhost, and they have an anti-Israel movie on YouTube. It has good sound effects but doesn't say much. Sad flute music. Funny, they leave out the scenes where the Arabs launch rockets, and only include shots where Gaza people are running from artillery or rocket hits.
After the weapon strikes, the locals all run towards the site. They must know that there isn't any likely follow-on strike.
This really isn't guerrilla war. I call it slow war.
The website of the attack seems to have been counter-hacked by Israel, and has stayed that way for several days.
On the other hand, this OpIsrael web site is up and running, and lists websites it says it has hacked. I checked a few of their claimed victim sites and they were up and running fine.
Part of the Anonymous group is called AnonGhost, and they have an anti-Israel movie on YouTube. It has good sound effects but doesn't say much. Sad flute music. Funny, they leave out the scenes where the Arabs launch rockets, and only include shots where Gaza people are running from artillery or rocket hits.
After the weapon strikes, the locals all run towards the site. They must know that there isn't any likely follow-on strike.
This really isn't guerrilla war. I call it slow war.
Heartbleed
 |
| A Bug with a logo! |
Second, change the passwords on all your money-related websites if they are NOT vulnerable. If they still are, then you'll have to change it again after they fix it. But fixing it twice, once now and again later, is recommended.
These sites are suspected of being victims, so if you're a user, change your passwords here too: gizmodo.com, kotaku.com, lifehacker.com, stratfor.com, inspire.nbn.org.il.
That lifehacker site is pretty useful in normal times.
For more background, you can start with an easy intro by James Fallows. Get practical advice from Brian Krebs. This is the first big bug in my memory where it not only has its own Logo but its own website.
For a deeper look, the experts all turn to Bruce Schneir, who recommends this insight.
Remember, if the head of the CIA can get hacked and lose his job, then anything can happen to the rest of us.
Cheers
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Peace Talks Circling the Drain — Flushed?
To the surprise of nobody, the Peace Process is lost at sea, somewhere near that Malaysian airliner.
There was a plot twist at the end, though. Netanyahu the Likudnik was putting pressure on Mahmoud Abbas to extend the peace talks. I don't know anybody who predicted this. So maybe the Arabs do have the upper hand at this point. We'll have to watch and see.
Abbas himself just turned 79 last week. How many more years will he be running the PA? And who's next?
The PA itself is apparently gone, though. They've replaced it with a new Arab "State of Palestine". The current agreements, are only between Israel and the PLO. Abbas is also head of the PLO. Will the PLO be dissolved too?
Abbas and the new fake Palestine will get all kinds of lovely paperwork from the UN, and they'll display it proudly and have high-level announcements, and meetings. And then... What? A big strawberry from the Israelis.
The rubber hits the road when Abbas starts importing weapons 'Legally', probably into Gaza. Israel will stop it. Then what? War? More likely, Abbas will set up mutual defense treaties with a number of states that are already at war with Israel. This could include Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria (ha!), and probably Iraq. I foresee longer speeches.
They're also threatening to tie up Israel in the ICC. At worst they can prevent some Israeli leaders from travelling to some parts of the world where they don't want to go anyway. Britain and the US aren't likely to go along.
Maybe somebody will disband the UNRWA and make the new Palestine take in all the descendents of the refugees. A fine kettle of fish for Abbas then. He'll probably retire the next day.
Maybe that's it! Netanyahu could have been planning this from the beginning. Once there is a state of "Palestine", there's no excuse for having all those refugees. Heck, Lebanon could just get rid of their problem by demanding the people in the UN camps be repatriated. Let's keep this idea our secret for a while, until after Abbas has joined those 15 UN organizations.
If the new Palestine announces its intent to liberate the rest of Israel for the Arabs, I think it would be a declaration of war. That plus a few rockets coming from Gaza might be enough to start the real thing. But even the Big War in Europe started with a phony war for nearly a year.
On the other hand, Israel could ask for a do-over. Israeli diplomats have just ended a strike and Israel hasn't been playing with a full team.
This whole thing could spiral out of control. Or just be intercontinental flatulence.
There was a plot twist at the end, though. Netanyahu the Likudnik was putting pressure on Mahmoud Abbas to extend the peace talks. I don't know anybody who predicted this. So maybe the Arabs do have the upper hand at this point. We'll have to watch and see.
Abbas himself just turned 79 last week. How many more years will he be running the PA? And who's next?
The PA itself is apparently gone, though. They've replaced it with a new Arab "State of Palestine". The current agreements, are only between Israel and the PLO. Abbas is also head of the PLO. Will the PLO be dissolved too?
Abbas and the new fake Palestine will get all kinds of lovely paperwork from the UN, and they'll display it proudly and have high-level announcements, and meetings. And then... What? A big strawberry from the Israelis.
The rubber hits the road when Abbas starts importing weapons 'Legally', probably into Gaza. Israel will stop it. Then what? War? More likely, Abbas will set up mutual defense treaties with a number of states that are already at war with Israel. This could include Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria (ha!), and probably Iraq. I foresee longer speeches.
They're also threatening to tie up Israel in the ICC. At worst they can prevent some Israeli leaders from travelling to some parts of the world where they don't want to go anyway. Britain and the US aren't likely to go along.
Maybe somebody will disband the UNRWA and make the new Palestine take in all the descendents of the refugees. A fine kettle of fish for Abbas then. He'll probably retire the next day.
Maybe that's it! Netanyahu could have been planning this from the beginning. Once there is a state of "Palestine", there's no excuse for having all those refugees. Heck, Lebanon could just get rid of their problem by demanding the people in the UN camps be repatriated. Let's keep this idea our secret for a while, until after Abbas has joined those 15 UN organizations.
If the new Palestine announces its intent to liberate the rest of Israel for the Arabs, I think it would be a declaration of war. That plus a few rockets coming from Gaza might be enough to start the real thing. But even the Big War in Europe started with a phony war for nearly a year.
On the other hand, Israel could ask for a do-over. Israeli diplomats have just ended a strike and Israel hasn't been playing with a full team.
This whole thing could spiral out of control. Or just be intercontinental flatulence.
Blowup at Vassar
The previously all-female upper crust colleges Vassar and Swarthmore have converted their branches of the Jewish student organization to a new form, the "Open Hillel". Which means Arab and American anti-Zionists, and worse, are invited to speak. And which also means big controversy.
The last meeting was so vicious that the other Israel-haters washed their hands of the Vasserites. Vassarinos?
The last meeting was so vicious that the other Israel-haters washed their hands of the Vasserites. Vassarinos?
There Blows the Neighborhood!
I live near the Arab neighborhood of Jebl Mukaber. A guy from Jebl Mukaber came into my (Jewish) neighborhood to blow us all up. They caught him before he killed anybody, and he confessed. This terrorism thing is real. I'm not fond of it. There had been a gas leak explosion, by accident, down in Gilo, and it was in all the papers. This guy read about it and decided it was a great idea.
Still, I think the murder rate in Chicago is higher than Jerusalem.
There are a bunch of educational channels on YouTube, some of them are individual efforts, and both charming and informative. One episode in the "Smarter Every Day" series is this investigation into Poop Splash Elimination. Practical science. Yes, he said "Elimination". I just got the joke. Anyway, it's dead-on serious, and exactly what you think.
Back From the Future
I'm adding several backlogged items all on one day. It kinda looks funny, I know.
A bizarre and wonderful bit of music from the Leningrad Cowboys. An old tune in a new wrapping. Sweet and absurd at the same time.
Wait for the dancers at the one minute mark...
UPDATE1: The video isn't available anymore.
UPDATE2: I had completely ignored the fact that Leningrad is now called St. Petersburg.
If you can remember back to last Passover, or the last time you read the Bible, or even went to the movies, you might remember the 10 Plagues that Moses helped bring to Egypt. Well, the Egyptians are still mad, and they're suing us! We should tell them to collect from Allah. Or maybe Cecil B. DeMille.
Apparently, saturated fats, and eggs, are now good for you. Margarine is bad for you. We're now told to eat more red meat and butter. Just not together. Eventually Woody Allen will be proved right: Tobacco and deep fat are the best.
A bizarre and wonderful bit of music from the
Wait for the dancers at the one minute mark...
UPDATE1: The video isn't available anymore.
UPDATE2: I had completely ignored the fact that Leningrad is now called St. Petersburg.
If you can remember back to last Passover, or the last time you read the Bible, or even went to the movies, you might remember the 10 Plagues that Moses helped bring to Egypt. Well, the Egyptians are still mad, and they're suing us! We should tell them to collect from Allah. Or maybe Cecil B. DeMille.
Apparently, saturated fats, and eggs, are now good for you. Margarine is bad for you. We're now told to eat more red meat and butter. Just not together. Eventually Woody Allen will be proved right: Tobacco and deep fat are the best.
Friday, April 4, 2014
The CIA is protecting us from Congress?
Or protecting themselves.
Senator Dianne Feinstein is really angry. The CIA was caught hacking into the computer system that her Senate Intelligence Committee was using to investigate the CIA itself. See the Washington Post on this. Or if it's not available for free, see this Mother Jones explanation. This is about as paranoid as it gets. I am rarely surprised by the news. But this time I am blown away.
This is nearly a coup. Senator Feinstein is of the same party as Obama. Talk about spying on your allies!
Senator Dianne Feinstein is really angry. The CIA was caught hacking into the computer system that her Senate Intelligence Committee was using to investigate the CIA itself. See the Washington Post on this. Or if it's not available for free, see this Mother Jones explanation. This is about as paranoid as it gets. I am rarely surprised by the news. But this time I am blown away.
This is nearly a coup. Senator Feinstein is of the same party as Obama. Talk about spying on your allies!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Lost and Found
And "Found" is scarier than lost!
I had a little calendar book. I lost it a couple of weeks ago. I looked everywhere. It didn't turn up, and my notes were overflowing out of my index cards. So I bought another calendar book. Then this morning I spotted the old one here on my desk, just under the computer screen. This was very shocking. I sit here almost every day. There is no way I could have missed it. So who put it back on my desk?
Confess!
I had a little calendar book. I lost it a couple of weeks ago. I looked everywhere. It didn't turn up, and my notes were overflowing out of my index cards. So I bought another calendar book. Then this morning I spotted the old one here on my desk, just under the computer screen. This was very shocking. I sit here almost every day. There is no way I could have missed it. So who put it back on my desk?
Confess!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
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