Any progressive activist and anyone involved in the Democratic Party who has not read Don't Think of an Elephant! should put it very near the top of their to-do list, above any political action that's longer-term than "this week." It's short and practical, so it can be read in a day or you can read an essay-chapter each day and be done in two ( Read more... )

Unfortunately, all too many progressives have been taught a false and outdated theory of reason itself, one in which framing, metaphorical thought, and emotion play no role in rationality. This has led many progressives to the view that facts-alone-will set you free. Progressives are constantly giving lists of facts ( Read more... )

I had a thought at work the other day. Java has a strict one-parent-class rule. Philosophically, this is a good match in domains like taxonomic biology (a phylum is in one kingdom, a genus is in one family). But it's a terrible match in domains like cooking. A soup inherits flavors from many sources. You can add meat to what was originally a ( Read more... )

Maybe I'm dense, but I just realized the symbolism behind a condom branded as Trojan.

Is that really the image a condom manufacturer should maintain?

• A Trojan horse is a contraption that holds many foreign soldiers. (They were from Greece, a country with many islands, so the soldiers were probably good seamen.)
• A Trojan horse looks appealing, so ( Read more... )

Software design is the art of placing rugs about your house in such a way that nobody notices what's been swept underneath them.

My OKCupid profile lists my religion as "Other and laughing about it." In the "You should message me if..." section, I invited folks to ask what the "other" is and just what's so funny. lonelocust asked, and the answer got a bit lengthy. I figured the answer might be of interest to the public at large ( Read more... )

I wonder if I'm the only one who's made a connection between cunnilingus and plugging in computer cables under a desk.