Monthly Archives: October 2004

Flynn, meet Moore

Why can’t the Flynn effect look more like Moore’s Law?

Pushy, pushy

While there are wonderful efforts afoot to improve the efficiency of RSS, I’ve seen a lot of discussion lately about how the polling model RSS is based on is doomed to collapse under its own weight. Increasingly, I run across predictions that the pull model of syndication will inevitably be replaced by a more […]

Lost Century

A sad time for St. Louis, as a historic landmark has fallen prey to the wrecking ball of profit.

Real-world AdSense

So, if you can get paid to carry a backpack billboard around, it can’t be long before we can rent out space on our e-ink shirts and offset fuel costs with hubcap ads. How about satellite-updated bumper-mounted displays, that pay out based on the time you spend in traffic?

Let there be light

How many Bush administration officials does it take to change a light bulb?
None. There?s nothing wrong with that light bulb. There is no need to change anything. We made the right decision and nothing has happened to change our minds. People who criticize this light bulb now, just because it doesn?t work anymore, supported us […]

Is he against life, or against liberty

I’ve been amazed to learn how many people intend to vote for Bush? only because he’s against abortion?.
How did this become an executive branch issue? It is a fundamental problem that we don’t have a legal definition of “life.”
We’ve had this sort of problem in the past, with defining who is a citizen, […]

Monstrous

I really, really want a Sweetums costume for Halloween. Have for years. Short of stealing one from Disney World’s MuppetVision 3D show, though, I haven’t any leads.
Nor on Doglion, Thog, or any of the other Muppet monsters. A giant Easter Island stone head would work, too.

ranked voting

Ranked voting systems permit the voter to select multiple candidates, indicating an order of preference.
Although instant runoff is more popular and Condorcet is the most “accurate”, I prefer approval voting as a pragmatic solution that is more supportive of third-party candidates. (I, personally, would love to vote Libertarian for representative legislators, without feeling I […]

Bloviating on seperation of powers

Perhaps I can mollify Mr. Noggle over my “ad homenim” equating of Hulk smashing with asshole behavior? with an acknowledgment.
His recent tirade about the irony of a legislator attacking the President over issues that are the domain of the legislature elucidates an important point.
Americans need to go back to Civics 101 and learn about how […]

The Asshole Vote

The best way to defend America is to stay on the offensive.
George W. Bush, 2004 St. Louis debate
Watching Bush’s angry tirades at the WUStL debates, I had an insight regarding his continued popularity.
He’s got the asshole vote.
You know, a lot of people are easy to spook. It doesn’t take much to stir up […]