- What's the difference between storage and stowage?
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/storage+or+stowage
- Why left turns should be illegal:
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/14/should-left-turns-be-illegal/
- Unsung actors who passed away in 2010. Of this list, Harold Gould and Steven Landesburg jump out at me. Gould was the constant professional and Landesburg always had a subtle layer of silliness behind everything he said:
http://rightwingnews.com/2011/01/some-of-the-unsung-working-actors-that-died-in-2010%E2%80%A6/
- Best time to buy certain things in 2011:
http://lifehacker.com/5736625/the-best-times-to-buy-anything-in-2011
- Want to be a super-hero? Harry Houdini came about as close as anyone. Emulate him:
http://artofmanliness.com/2010/12/20/lessons-in-manliness-from-harry-houdini/
- People with names at the end of the alphabet are more likely to be impulsive buyers than those at the front. Makes perfect sense if you think about it:
http://io9.com/5737510/people-at-the-end-of-the-alphabet-are-more-impulsive-buyers-than-those-at-the-front
- Want to see a second sun in the sky? The star Betelguese will soon (astronomically speaking) go super-nova, causing a massive burst of starlight which will last for several weeks. Should be completely harmless to us:
http://io9.com/5738542/earth-may-soon-have-a-second-sun
- Which sports are most popular in the U.S? I should carry this list in my wallet. Incredibly useful list when debating with someone at a sports bar:
http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/football-remains-1-us-sport-15798/harris-favorite-sport-jan-2011jpg/
- What do the numbers on your credit card really mean? The numbers are not random:
http://www.mint.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/CrackingCreditCode11.jpg
- What is a gully? I was exploring Welchman's gully last week:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gully
http://www.welchmanhallgullybarbados.com/
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Watson travels the states without a floppy disk
- Tomorrow (January 14th) a computer built by IBM will match wits against Jeopardy's two greatest champions. The contest will be shown on television in February. Deep Blue beat Kasparov in chess over 12 years ago, so you might be thinking to yourself, "why is this a big deal? The computer will crush them." The computer may very well win, but programming a computer to handle voice input and natural language processing in such a fashion that it can play an effective game of Jeopardy really is a big deal! More about the match:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101214/ap_en_tv/us_tv_man_vs_machine
- When you type the name of a state into a Google search, what is the first thing you see at the top of the search results?
- Hunter S. Thompson's description of derby week at the Kentucky Derby. I may have provided a link to this article years ago. It's worth another read:http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=1192515
- Top fifty programming quotes of all-time:
http://www.junauza.com/2010/12/top-50-programming-quotes-of-all-time.html
- Twenty things I learned about browsers and the web:
http://www.20thingsilearned.com/home
- Why is the hard-drive of a personal computer designated with the letter C:? Why not A or B? To people of a certain age, this is a silly question. Similar to asking who is Johnny Carson, or asking someone if they have ever seen a phonebook. To young people however, this is a legitimate question:
http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-pick/what-are-the-windows-a-and-b-drives-used-for-20110112/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101214/ap_en_tv/us_tv_man_vs_machine
- When you type the name of a state into a Google search, what is the first thing you see at the top of the search results?
- Hunter S. Thompson's description of derby week at the Kentucky Derby. I may have provided a link to this article years ago. It's worth another read:
- Top fifty programming quotes of all-time:
http://www.junauza.com/2010/12/top-50-programming-quotes-of-all-time.html
- Twenty things I learned about browsers and the web:
http://www.20thingsilearned.com/home
- Why is the hard-drive of a personal computer designated with the letter C:? Why not A or B? To people of a certain age, this is a silly question. Similar to asking who is Johnny Carson, or asking someone if they have ever seen a phonebook. To young people however, this is a legitimate question:
http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-pick/what-are-the-windows-a-and-b-drives-used-for-20110112/
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Donald Draper's Thanksgiving dystopia
- Seven future dystopias where liberals have won. *Shiver*
http://io9.com/5044657/best-future-dystopias-where-the-liberals-have-won
http://io9.com/5044657/best-future-dystopias-where-the-liberals-have-won
- Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novelist tells the tale of the world’s first computer:
- How people from 1910 looked at Thanksgiving in 1810:
- Do you know the difference between a seal and a sea-lion?
- Five commonly repeated words to hunt down in your writing:
- The real Don Draper:
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Kermit and Yoda travel via number stations
- The first photograph of a human being?
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/10/the-first-photograph-of-a-human/65196/
- Vintage Star Wars tourism posters:
http://stevethomasart.blogspot.com/2010/10/vintage-star-wars-travel-posters.html
- Simple cartoon of how the internet works:
http://www.vladstudio.com/wallpaper/?how_internet_works
- I suspect these two have quite a bit to talk about:
- GOP should insist on new debate rules for 2012. No Duh:
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/11/11/why-the-gop-should-insist-on-new-debate-rules-for-2012/
- First heard about this on the TV show Fringe. Short-wave radio stations broadcasting secret messages:
http://www.damninteresting.com/number-stations
- Web-designers versus web-developers. I am a developer. I have never meet someone who is a pure web-designer, but I guess they must exist:
http://sixrevisions.com/infographs/web-designers-vs-web-developers/
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/10/the-first-photograph-of-a-human/65196/
- Vintage Star Wars tourism posters:
http://stevethomasart.blogspot.com/2010/10/vintage-star-wars-travel-posters.html
- Simple cartoon of how the internet works:
http://www.vladstudio.com/wallpaper/?how_internet_works
- I suspect these two have quite a bit to talk about:
- GOP should insist on new debate rules for 2012. No Duh:
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/11/11/why-the-gop-should-insist-on-new-debate-rules-for-2012/
- First heard about this on the TV show Fringe. Short-wave radio stations broadcasting secret messages:
http://www.damninteresting.com/number-stations
- Web-designers versus web-developers. I am a developer. I have never meet someone who is a pure web-designer, but I guess they must exist:
http://sixrevisions.com/infographs/web-designers-vs-web-developers/
Monday, October 25, 2010
Vader deduces 2010 election night
- Prediction time! A week before the election:
House of Representatives: Republicans gain 52 seats. They only need 39 to take back the House. Some crazies think Republicans will take 60 to 70 seats, but I don't see it. Republicans gained 54 seats in 1994. The economy is worse now than it was in 1994, but there are fewer vulnerable Democrats in the house today. The largest swing in American history was the 1932 elections. In the midst of the Great Depression, Democrats gained 97 seats!
Senate: Republicans gain 8 seats, not quite enough to re-gain the senate, making the Senate a 50/50 tie. Biden breaks the tie. Here are the closest races to watch on election night, with my prediction for each one:
Pennsylvania: R-Toomey wins by 5%
West Virginia: R-Raese wins by 1%
Illinois: R-Mark Kirk by 2%
Kentucky: R-Rand Paul by 4%, despite the fact that Paul is a bit touched in the brain.
Colorado: R-Buck by 3%
Nevada: R-Angle by 1%. Against any other opponent, Reid would lose by 20%. Angle's a good kid though. She deserves to win.
California: D-Boxer by 3%
Washington: D-Murray by 2%. If Rossi can't win the first two times, he ain't gonna pull it off the third time.
Alaska: R-Joe Miller by 1%
Jay Cost, a political commentator I have mentioned previously on this website, gives his prediction:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/morning-jay-special-prognostication-edition_508750.html
- Ten things you didn't know about the Empire Strikes Back:
http://io9.com/5661073/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-empire-strikes-back
- How to take better pictures with your smartphone:
http://lifehacker.com/5662812/how-to-take-better-pictures-with-your-smartphones-camera
- Science-fiction authors grouped by political leanings:
http://io9.com/5669211/a-chart-that-groups-classic-scifi-authors-by-political-affiliation
- Five things you didn't know about Alton Brown:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/71583
- Watched the 2010 BBC version of Sherlock Holmes. Mediocre, but will watch more episodes. First episode was too busy. Too many fancy, yet inaccurate deductions, and Watson was more interesting than Holmes. Jeremy Brett spoiled me. The other incarnations of Sherlock Holmes:
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/10/best-sherlocks-ever/
- Can you name the four American deserts? Do you know their boundaries? I didn't:
http://www.desertusa.com/life.html
- How much a pet will cost you during your pet's life-time:
http://www.visualeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Pet-Cost-FINAL.jpg
House of Representatives: Republicans gain 52 seats. They only need 39 to take back the House. Some crazies think Republicans will take 60 to 70 seats, but I don't see it. Republicans gained 54 seats in 1994. The economy is worse now than it was in 1994, but there are fewer vulnerable Democrats in the house today. The largest swing in American history was the 1932 elections. In the midst of the Great Depression, Democrats gained 97 seats!
Senate: Republicans gain 8 seats, not quite enough to re-gain the senate, making the Senate a 50/50 tie. Biden breaks the tie. Here are the closest races to watch on election night, with my prediction for each one:
Pennsylvania: R-Toomey wins by 5%
West Virginia: R-Raese wins by 1%
Illinois: R-Mark Kirk by 2%
Kentucky: R-Rand Paul by 4%, despite the fact that Paul is a bit touched in the brain.
Colorado: R-Buck by 3%
Nevada: R-Angle by 1%. Against any other opponent, Reid would lose by 20%. Angle's a good kid though. She deserves to win.
California: D-Boxer by 3%
Washington: D-Murray by 2%. If Rossi can't win the first two times, he ain't gonna pull it off the third time.
Alaska: R-Joe Miller by 1%
Jay Cost, a political commentator I have mentioned previously on this website, gives his prediction:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/morning-jay-special-prognostication-edition_508750.html
- Ten things you didn't know about the Empire Strikes Back:
http://io9.com/5661073/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-empire-strikes-back
- How to take better pictures with your smartphone:
http://lifehacker.com/5662812/how-to-take-better-pictures-with-your-smartphones-camera
- Science-fiction authors grouped by political leanings:
http://io9.com/5669211/a-chart-that-groups-classic-scifi-authors-by-political-affiliation
- Five things you didn't know about Alton Brown:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/71583
- Watched the 2010 BBC version of Sherlock Holmes. Mediocre, but will watch more episodes. First episode was too busy. Too many fancy, yet inaccurate deductions, and Watson was more interesting than Holmes. Jeremy Brett spoiled me. The other incarnations of Sherlock Holmes:
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/10/best-sherlocks-ever/
- Can you name the four American deserts? Do you know their boundaries? I didn't:
http://www.desertusa.com/life.html
- How much a pet will cost you during your pet's life-time:
http://www.visualeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Pet-Cost-FINAL.jpg
Monday, October 11, 2010
Time-travel with extinct animals and Michael Faraday
- Jurrasic Park is closer than you think. The chances of bringing certain extinct animals back to life:
- 40 best conservative blogs for 2010:
http://rightwingnews.com/2010/09/the-40-best-conservative-blogs-for-2010-version-3-0/
- Google's 2010 election ratings:
http://maps.google.com/intl/en_us/2010election/ratings.html
- Microsoft executive proclaims doom for blu-ray technologies. I happen to agree. The future is downloading or streaming your content:
http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/09/23/microsoft-xbox-chief-predicts-doom-gloom-for-blu-ray-hes-right-too/
- Time moves faster at your face than your feet:
http://io9.com/5646585/ultra+accurate-clocks-prove-time-moves-faster-at-your-face-than-your-feet
- Astronomers find a potentially habitable planet a mere 20 light-years from earth:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100929/sc_afp/usastronomyplanet_20100929210707
- Michael Faraday, born September 22nd, 1791. A top five scientist in my book. He changed everything:
http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/09/0922michael-faraday-born/
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Thomas Edison never jumped the shark for a soda!
- How Thomas Edison tried to dominate the movie industry:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/09/thomas-edisons-plot-to-destroy-the-movies.ars
- An explanation of the term "jumped the shark" and why Happy Days shouldn't be at fault (although it really should be.)
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/happy-days-writer-breaks-silence-show-did-not-jump-the-shark--1513
- Microbiology explained, via legos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ArusOqt8EM&feature=player_embedded
- When you want a soft-drink, do you say pop, soda, coke, or something else? Largely depends on where you live:
http://popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.html
- You have never met Galileo, Thomas Jefferson or Joan of Arc, but you have at least one thing in common with them...you are inhaling the exact same air they inhaled:
http://io9.com/5635391/youve-probably-shared-the-same-air-with-galileo
- The Texas Sharpshooter fallacy. In other words, why we try to make coincidences seem like something more than they are:
http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/09/11/the-texas-sharpshooter-fallacy/
- Nice piece about Republican presidential maneuvering for the 2012 campaign. My opinion on why the republican hopefuls are playing coy? Despite Obama's horrible poll numbers and the economy being in the toilet, at some point the economy will improve. No one wants to run against Obama if the economy is improving:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42017.html
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/09/thomas-edisons-plot-to-destroy-the-movies.ars
- An explanation of the term "jumped the shark" and why Happy Days shouldn't be at fault (although it really should be.)
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/happy-days-writer-breaks-silence-show-did-not-jump-the-shark--1513
- Microbiology explained, via legos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ArusOqt8EM&feature=player_embedded
- When you want a soft-drink, do you say pop, soda, coke, or something else? Largely depends on where you live:
http://popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.html
- You have never met Galileo, Thomas Jefferson or Joan of Arc, but you have at least one thing in common with them...you are inhaling the exact same air they inhaled:
http://io9.com/5635391/youve-probably-shared-the-same-air-with-galileo
- The Texas Sharpshooter fallacy. In other words, why we try to make coincidences seem like something more than they are:
http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/09/11/the-texas-sharpshooter-fallacy/
- Nice piece about Republican presidential maneuvering for the 2012 campaign. My opinion on why the republican hopefuls are playing coy? Despite Obama's horrible poll numbers and the economy being in the toilet, at some point the economy will improve. No one wants to run against Obama if the economy is improving:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42017.html
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Cephalopods buy stuff and play Farmville
- Most popular U.S. consumer products. Very enlightening:
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110348/the-popularity-issue
- Why do strands of spaghetti so rarely snap into only two pieces?
http://io9.com/5613155/when-spaghetti-snaps
- Six ways Farmville gets you hooked:
http://www.cracked.com/article_18709_6-devious-ways-farmville-gets-people-hooked_p1.html
- Simple animations of complicated mechanisms. Even more enlightening than the first link:
http://mytechnologyworld9.blogspot.com/2010/08/complicated-mechanisms-explained-in.html
- Last week, Nepture finished an orbit around the sun. Not a big deal? Think again. Nepture orbits the sun once every 165 years:
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/neptune-first-orbit-around-sun-since-discovery-100818.html
- 25 science-fiction movies you must watch. I don't make these lists, I just provide links to them:
http://io9.com/5619137/25-classic-science-fiction-movies-that-everybody-must-watch
- 24 things you might be saying wrong. I violate most of these on a daily basis:
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/24-things-you-might-be-saying-wrong-2338028/#poll-C926B9A6965B11DF88C4EE5DB10B4572
- How to make Monopoly more fun. I like some of these suggestions:
http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/how-to-make-monopoly-fun/1408875
- Last year I watched a program on the Discovery channel about what would happen to life on earth, over a very long period of time, if human-beings suddenly vanished. One of the theories put forth during the TV show was that certain cephalopods (squid and octopi) would emerge as the next intelligent creature. The reasoning is rather sound. Cephalopods, with their eight completely independent limbs, have very complex brains. It wouldn't be much of a evolutionary leap for their brains to develop enough to create self-consciousness and creative thought. The following article kind of backs-up that idea by claiming cephalopods have consciousness:
http://io9.com/5626679/three-arguments-for-the-consciousness-of-cephalopods
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110348/the-popularity-issue
- Why do strands of spaghetti so rarely snap into only two pieces?
http://io9.com/5613155/when-spaghetti-snaps
- Six ways Farmville gets you hooked:
http://www.cracked.com/article_18709_6-devious-ways-farmville-gets-people-hooked_p1.html
- Simple animations of complicated mechanisms. Even more enlightening than the first link:
http://mytechnologyworld9.blogspot.com/2010/08/complicated-mechanisms-explained-in.html
- Last week, Nepture finished an orbit around the sun. Not a big deal? Think again. Nepture orbits the sun once every 165 years:
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/neptune-first-orbit-around-sun-since-discovery-100818.html
- 25 science-fiction movies you must watch. I don't make these lists, I just provide links to them:
http://io9.com/5619137/25-classic-science-fiction-movies-that-everybody-must-watch
- 24 things you might be saying wrong. I violate most of these on a daily basis:
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/24-things-you-might-be-saying-wrong-2338028/#poll-C926B9A6965B11DF88C4EE5DB10B4572
- How to make Monopoly more fun. I like some of these suggestions:
http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/how-to-make-monopoly-fun/1408875
- Last year I watched a program on the Discovery channel about what would happen to life on earth, over a very long period of time, if human-beings suddenly vanished. One of the theories put forth during the TV show was that certain cephalopods (squid and octopi) would emerge as the next intelligent creature. The reasoning is rather sound. Cephalopods, with their eight completely independent limbs, have very complex brains. It wouldn't be much of a evolutionary leap for their brains to develop enough to create self-consciousness and creative thought. The following article kind of backs-up that idea by claiming cephalopods have consciousness:
http://io9.com/5626679/three-arguments-for-the-consciousness-of-cephalopods
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Cross-over sci-fi with Greg Gutfeld and Christopher Nolan
- According to Google, there are 129 million books in the world:
http://erictric.com/2010/08/06/google-129864880-books-in-the-world-and-counting/
- A spot-on analysis of Christopher Nolan and his movies:
http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2010/08/christopher-nolan-what-are-we-watching-exactly/
- Excellent article about Greg Gutfeld and Red Eye:
http://www.blackcatrum.com/articles/fox-nightowl
- Futuristic movie time-line:
http://danmeth.com/post/124593834/futuristicmovietimeline
- Forty facts about Intel:
http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Intelligence/40-Fast-Facts-about-Intel-826028/
- An overview of computer programming:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tech-fun/an-overview-of-computer-programming/
- Will Ferrell's Tour of Tech that Never Took:
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_future_ferrell/all/1
- Eleven greatest, craziest TV sci-fi crossovers:
http://io9.com/5606108/the-11-greatest-craziest-sci+fi-crossovers-in-television-history
- A pessimistic guide to choosing the right font:
http://www.cracked.com/funny-5647-fonts/
http://erictric.com/2010/08/06/google-129864880-books-in-the-world-and-counting/
- A spot-on analysis of Christopher Nolan and his movies:
http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2010/08/christopher-nolan-what-are-we-watching-exactly/
- Excellent article about Greg Gutfeld and Red Eye:
http://www.blackcatrum.com/articles/fox-nightowl
- Futuristic movie time-line:
http://danmeth.com/post/124593834/futuristicmovietimeline
- Forty facts about Intel:
http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Intelligence/40-Fast-Facts-about-Intel-826028/
- An overview of computer programming:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tech-fun/an-overview-of-computer-programming/
- Will Ferrell's Tour of Tech that Never Took:
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_future_ferrell/all/1
- Eleven greatest, craziest TV sci-fi crossovers:
http://io9.com/5606108/the-11-greatest-craziest-sci+fi-crossovers-in-television-history
- A pessimistic guide to choosing the right font:
http://www.cracked.com/funny-5647-fonts/
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Electors first to disappear during mass extinction?
- Massachusetts is trying to pass a law stating that the winner of the presidential national popular vote will get all of the state's electors. This is earth-shattering and could completely change how presidential politics are done in the U.S. For example, in 2012 if Barack Obama lost the popular vote in Massachusetts (a virtual impossibility), but won the national popular vote, Massachusetts would award it's 12 electoral delegates to Obama, despite the fact that Obama lost Massachusetts.
Five other states are trying to pass the same law. This kind of electoral reform seems monumental, but it would be quite easy to force this new system on the whole country. The constitution clearly states that it is up to each state to decide how to distribute their electors. It doesn't take a constitutional amendment to enable these laws. Also, since a candidate only needs a majority of the electors to win the election, a cabal of several states could enact this law and force the rest of the country to abide by their system. An example of how this would work: If the following 12 states (California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Massachusetts) passed this law, then 281 electoral votes, more than enough for a majority, would be locked into the candidate who won the national popular vote. Since a majority of electoral votes would be spoken for, it would not matter how the remaining states distributed their electors. There simply wouldn't be enough electors left for the other candidate. In other words, it only takes roughly a dozen states to pass this law in order to make the U.S. presidential election into a national popular vote!
Reactionaries are already pouncing on this, stating that this law is mainly being pushed by the blue states, in order for Obama to run up his vote totals in large cities. However, in a true democracy, this argument has no merit. If each vote counts equally (as it should) then if a candidate can draw more voters to his side, he deserves to win. If Obama can draw out legal, registered voters from the cities, good for him! That's how a democracy is suppose to work. The candidate with the majority wins. The loser cannot complain. The loser could have used the same strategy, or used their own strategy. Both candidates are playing by the same rules. Under such a system, if a republican lost to Obama, perhaps the republican should have spent more time in Texas, the suburbs, or the south, in an attempt to motivate republican voters.
Should America be a representational democracy (republican democracy) or a true democracy? Perhaps that is the real discussion. The electoral college was created over 220 years ago so rich, white, educated male landowners could decide presidential elections. The founding fathers felt that the average American was not worthy of deciding the next president. Nowadays, not only is that patently offensive, but it's downright false. With radio, TV, the internet, and the availability of information in all kinds of forms, the average American has the same access to information as any current elector. In fact, I am quite sure that many of the people who read this website are more educated about political candidates than the electors themselves!
If we want to install this kind of system, then let's get rid of the entire electoral college system, and do strictly a national popular vote. This is as close to true democracy as we can get. An article with further details:
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=499869
- Robotic exoskeleton to make wheelchairs obsolete:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/rex-the-robotic-exoskeleton-aims-to-make-wheelchairs-obsolete/
- Ten fun facts about Microsoft:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20100717/tc_mashable/10_fun_microsoft_facts_you_might_not_know
- A history of mass extinctions:
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2010/07/extinctions4.jpg
- A few months ago I started reading science fiction novels. Specifically sci-fi novels with a futuristic mystery or crime theme. I have read four books so far, and only enjoyed one of them. Perhaps I should have used one of the following five book recommendation services to help find books I would enjoy:
http://lifehacker.com/5595842/five-best-book-recommendation-services
- A Google executive complains that the C++ and Java programming languages are unnecessarily complex. No Duh, but Google's new programming language, called 'Go' is heading down the same path as Java and C++
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/354210/google_executive_frustrated_by_java_c_complexity/
- Best laptops under $500. Good list:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/406/best-laptops-under-500/
Five other states are trying to pass the same law. This kind of electoral reform seems monumental, but it would be quite easy to force this new system on the whole country. The constitution clearly states that it is up to each state to decide how to distribute their electors. It doesn't take a constitutional amendment to enable these laws. Also, since a candidate only needs a majority of the electors to win the election, a cabal of several states could enact this law and force the rest of the country to abide by their system. An example of how this would work: If the following 12 states (California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Massachusetts) passed this law, then 281 electoral votes, more than enough for a majority, would be locked into the candidate who won the national popular vote. Since a majority of electoral votes would be spoken for, it would not matter how the remaining states distributed their electors. There simply wouldn't be enough electors left for the other candidate. In other words, it only takes roughly a dozen states to pass this law in order to make the U.S. presidential election into a national popular vote!
Reactionaries are already pouncing on this, stating that this law is mainly being pushed by the blue states, in order for Obama to run up his vote totals in large cities. However, in a true democracy, this argument has no merit. If each vote counts equally (as it should) then if a candidate can draw more voters to his side, he deserves to win. If Obama can draw out legal, registered voters from the cities, good for him! That's how a democracy is suppose to work. The candidate with the majority wins. The loser cannot complain. The loser could have used the same strategy, or used their own strategy. Both candidates are playing by the same rules. Under such a system, if a republican lost to Obama, perhaps the republican should have spent more time in Texas, the suburbs, or the south, in an attempt to motivate republican voters.
Should America be a representational democracy (republican democracy) or a true democracy? Perhaps that is the real discussion. The electoral college was created over 220 years ago so rich, white, educated male landowners could decide presidential elections. The founding fathers felt that the average American was not worthy of deciding the next president. Nowadays, not only is that patently offensive, but it's downright false. With radio, TV, the internet, and the availability of information in all kinds of forms, the average American has the same access to information as any current elector. In fact, I am quite sure that many of the people who read this website are more educated about political candidates than the electors themselves!
If we want to install this kind of system, then let's get rid of the entire electoral college system, and do strictly a national popular vote. This is as close to true democracy as we can get. An article with further details:
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=499869
- Robotic exoskeleton to make wheelchairs obsolete:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/rex-the-robotic-exoskeleton-aims-to-make-wheelchairs-obsolete/
- Ten fun facts about Microsoft:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20100717/tc_mashable/10_fun_microsoft_facts_you_might_not_know
- A history of mass extinctions:
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2010/07/extinctions4.jpg
- A few months ago I started reading science fiction novels. Specifically sci-fi novels with a futuristic mystery or crime theme. I have read four books so far, and only enjoyed one of them. Perhaps I should have used one of the following five book recommendation services to help find books I would enjoy:
http://lifehacker.com/5595842/five-best-book-recommendation-services
- A Google executive complains that the C++ and Java programming languages are unnecessarily complex. No Duh, but Google's new programming language, called 'Go' is heading down the same path as Java and C++
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/354210/google_executive_frustrated_by_java_c_complexity/
- Best laptops under $500. Good list:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/406/best-laptops-under-500/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)