Matt Miller asks if the fine art of persuasion is dead when it comes to politics – In a word? Yeah. But West Wing still occasionally showcases people actually debating interesting issues.
Category Archives: Aside
Buckle up laws are a waste of time and money – He’s doing so well and then in the last paragraph he pulls out a conclusion that does not logically follow from anything before it.
Setting the Record Straight – The USPS VP of communications hits back at negative Post Office press with a healthy dose of sarcasm. Whoda thunk?
Richard Dawkins on how Creastionists are twisting scientists’ words and tearing down the scientific method by mocking honest inquiry – Apparently that curious cat really did just have it coming.
More confusion about what is causing higher insurance premiums for doctors – Is it because of more, bigger malpractice lawsuits? Is so, are they wrong, or are larger awards simply a response to rising health costs? If not, is it something else, like a bad return on investments by the insurance companies? No one really seems to know with any degree of certainty. That’s not stopping the White House from putting forward a plan that favors business over patients.
The New Urbanism movement is a pushback against urban sprawl – Some call it the future, some call it a pipe dream. (Thanks Aaron!)
The Five-Bedroom, Six-Figure Rootless Life – Apparently the Times has been running a special section, “Class Matters,” for the past month. This story is a fascinating and engrossing look at the evolution of a class of working, always on-the-move elite with no roots and no ties, constantly relocated as the requirements of jobs change. It is also a reflection on the kinds of communities that are developing, for better or worse, in response to these changes.
The New Yorker is releasing 80 years of content on DVD! – I want! I want! And as soon as I get it, I might as well stop looking for a job, because all of my days will be occupied for the next few decades…
So he was Deep Throat – It was a long-running mystery, a legend. Sort of like the Red Sox never winning the World Series. And now both of those stories are gone. Have we no nostalgia left?
Adorable kitten – Awwwwww. Can I have it?
A perfect flower – It looks like it is crying.
“We Didn’t Start The Fire” with images! – So cool! In eighth grade social studies we were each given a line from the song and had to figure out (and explain to the class) what historical event he was referring to. Neat assignment. At this point I probably know about half of ’em, I really should know them all.
Windows rapidly approaching desktop usability – Maybe with the new “Longhorn” version it will finally work as well as Linux!
Another perspective on Everything Bad is Good for You – He calls Johnson a shill for big media and says they are only teaching us to think certain ways within specific bounds. I’m not sure why he thinks that TV is going to eliminate the book, though. Accept new media as a complement to old and his points are a lot less valid.