[links] Link salad takes a walk with its sister, the moon
The C-Word or “C” is for Cancer - Author Eugie Foster is in great and sudden need, something I understand all too well. I will be shifting some of the funds raised for me to Eugie. Please join me in helping her.
You can do a lot in a lifetime if you don't burn out too fast - Lisa Costello on her first year in Portland (with me).
METAtropolis: Green Space is now available for pre-order - Edited by kenscholes and me. Stories by Elizabeth Bear, Tobias S. Buckell, Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGuire, Ken Scholes, Karl Schroeder and me. Check it out.
A favorable Russian review of Escapement
8-year-old flags 'sexist' children's books; bookstore takes notice - Wow. (Via threeoutside, among others.)
Wind Turbine Bird Threat Overstated, Study Suggests - (Via David Goldman.)
Galloping robot "WildCat" - Crazy video. (Via threeoutside, among others.)
When to Catch a Lie via Text - A recent experiment finds that when people are about to lie via digital text they take longer to construct their words. I can think of about a million things wrong with this, but it is still interesting. (Via David Goldman.)
Shutdown Stops T. Rex Trek in Its Tracks - The ongoing government shutdown has stalled plans to haul a near-complete T. rex fossil to its new home at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, a federal institution forced to shut its doors last week.
Creationism and Climate Change - Skepticism about evolutionary science, it seems, bleeds over into suspicion of all mainstream science. If mainstream science has been proven, from creationists’ perspective, to be a naked emperor, then its conclusions on every topic must be treated warily. I've been saying precisely this about conservative politics and culture for years. Privileging evolution denial has validated magical thinking at all levels and devaluated evidence-based reasoning. (Via Slacktivist Fred Clark.)
Judge Demands Sikh Man Take Off His “Rag” - American conservatives: always at the forefront of the battle for religious liberty. Their religious liberty, not anyone else's, of course. Sarah Palin "real American" bonus points for total indifferent ignorance about the differences between Muslims and Sikhs. (Via goulo.)
A Ghost of May Days Past: East Germany Rises Again! - Politics and the map.
Inquisitive Justices? No Argument There
What did Justice Scalia mean? - A linguist takes on the Supreme Court's most narrow-minded and intellectually dishonest justice. (And that's saying something.)
Why the Devil Quit Bothering Pigs, According to Justice Scalia - And this man sits on the Supreme Court. Are you proud of your Republican party?
The Craigslist Ad That Will Make The Government Shutdown Seem Hilarious - This is pretty funny.
Despite federal shutdown, MAVEN mission still blasting off to Mars - Key role as communications hub keeps probe on schedule.
How Democrats Got a Spine - “Dealing with terrorists has taught us some things,” said Washington Rep. Jim McDermott after voting no on one of Thursday’s GOP bills. “You can’t deal with ’em. This mess was created by the Republicans for one purpose, and they lost. People in my district are calling in for Obamacare-affordable health care-in large numbers. These guys have lost, and they can’t figure out how to admit it.”
Deadlock - Jim Wright on the government shutdown. A must-read, especially if you consider yourself a supporter of the shutdown.
The Importance of Competence - Losing the last election seems to have exhausted Republicans’ patience rather than forcing them to scale back their ambitions. Winning parties are often guilty of overreaching and imagining that they have an electoral mandate to advance their preferred agenda no matter what, but it is very unusual for a losing party to have the same delusions of grandeur. The simple answer to that is that Republicans don't think they lost. They've never considered Obama's victories legitimate. Listen to their rhetoric: conservatives see themselves as the aggrieved victims of liberal conspiracies to steal elections. They know perfectly well how much they have to manipulate voting rolls, turnout and polling to win, and cannot imagine Democrats doing anything different.
?otD: Have you been living underground, eating from a can?
10/8/2013
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo brain)
Hours slept: 7.5 hours (solid)
Body movement: 30 minutes (stationary bike)
Weight: 242.2
Number of FEMA troops on my block enforcing laws passed under the Constitutional process and fully subjected to judicial review: 0
Currently reading: n/a (chemo brain)
You can do a lot in a lifetime if you don't burn out too fast - Lisa Costello on her first year in Portland (with me).
METAtropolis: Green Space is now available for pre-order - Edited by kenscholes and me. Stories by Elizabeth Bear, Tobias S. Buckell, Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGuire, Ken Scholes, Karl Schroeder and me. Check it out.
A favorable Russian review of Escapement
8-year-old flags 'sexist' children's books; bookstore takes notice - Wow. (Via threeoutside, among others.)
Wind Turbine Bird Threat Overstated, Study Suggests - (Via David Goldman.)
Galloping robot "WildCat" - Crazy video. (Via threeoutside, among others.)
When to Catch a Lie via Text - A recent experiment finds that when people are about to lie via digital text they take longer to construct their words. I can think of about a million things wrong with this, but it is still interesting. (Via David Goldman.)
Shutdown Stops T. Rex Trek in Its Tracks - The ongoing government shutdown has stalled plans to haul a near-complete T. rex fossil to its new home at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, a federal institution forced to shut its doors last week.
Creationism and Climate Change - Skepticism about evolutionary science, it seems, bleeds over into suspicion of all mainstream science. If mainstream science has been proven, from creationists’ perspective, to be a naked emperor, then its conclusions on every topic must be treated warily. I've been saying precisely this about conservative politics and culture for years. Privileging evolution denial has validated magical thinking at all levels and devaluated evidence-based reasoning. (Via Slacktivist Fred Clark.)
Judge Demands Sikh Man Take Off His “Rag” - American conservatives: always at the forefront of the battle for religious liberty. Their religious liberty, not anyone else's, of course. Sarah Palin "real American" bonus points for total indifferent ignorance about the differences between Muslims and Sikhs. (Via goulo.)
A Ghost of May Days Past: East Germany Rises Again! - Politics and the map.
Inquisitive Justices? No Argument There
What did Justice Scalia mean? - A linguist takes on the Supreme Court's most narrow-minded and intellectually dishonest justice. (And that's saying something.)
Why the Devil Quit Bothering Pigs, According to Justice Scalia - And this man sits on the Supreme Court. Are you proud of your Republican party?
The Craigslist Ad That Will Make The Government Shutdown Seem Hilarious - This is pretty funny.
Despite federal shutdown, MAVEN mission still blasting off to Mars - Key role as communications hub keeps probe on schedule.
How Democrats Got a Spine - “Dealing with terrorists has taught us some things,” said Washington Rep. Jim McDermott after voting no on one of Thursday’s GOP bills. “You can’t deal with ’em. This mess was created by the Republicans for one purpose, and they lost. People in my district are calling in for Obamacare-affordable health care-in large numbers. These guys have lost, and they can’t figure out how to admit it.”
Deadlock - Jim Wright on the government shutdown. A must-read, especially if you consider yourself a supporter of the shutdown.
The Importance of Competence - Losing the last election seems to have exhausted Republicans’ patience rather than forcing them to scale back their ambitions. Winning parties are often guilty of overreaching and imagining that they have an electoral mandate to advance their preferred agenda no matter what, but it is very unusual for a losing party to have the same delusions of grandeur. The simple answer to that is that Republicans don't think they lost. They've never considered Obama's victories legitimate. Listen to their rhetoric: conservatives see themselves as the aggrieved victims of liberal conspiracies to steal elections. They know perfectly well how much they have to manipulate voting rolls, turnout and polling to win, and cannot imagine Democrats doing anything different.
?otD: Have you been living underground, eating from a can?
10/8/2013
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo brain)
Hours slept: 7.5 hours (solid)
Body movement: 30 minutes (stationary bike)
Weight: 242.2
Number of FEMA troops on my block enforcing laws passed under the Constitutional process and fully subjected to judicial review: 0
Currently reading: n/a (chemo brain)