(no subject)
1) The guy who discovered and publicized the AT&T/Apple privacy fiasco is also a racist, an internet troll, and generally a jerk, and shortly after publishing the fiasco got busted for drug possession, which is interesting, because no one seems quite sure what prompted the police to search his residence. Perhaps when one publicly disgraces one of the largest, richest, and outright sleaziest corporations in America, one should flush the drugs. In somewhat related news, Iceland declared itself a whistle-blower and media haven, at least for now.
2) Continuing my discussion a few weeks ago about the possibility of Mexico's drug cartel violence spilling into Texas: "SULLIVAN CITY, TX - The city’s police chief was arrested Wednesday as part of a nationwide sweep of suspects allegedly connected to Mexico’s drug cartels, federal officials said. ... His arrest comes two years after former Starr County Sheriff Reymundo Guerra was swept up in a similar nationwide operation targeting Gulf Cartel members and their associates."
3) Fascinating Miller-McCune article on how the US research system was designed to put most students who earn science and math Ph.D.s into tenure-track faculty positions, but hasn't sustained the explosive growth necessary to do so, leading to worse wages, working conditions, and opportunity for scientists as a whole, especially postdocs, but giving tenured senior researchers and universities lots of skilled young scientists willing to work long hours for low wages. On fixing the problem: "Based on federal statutes, regulations and appropriations, the system can be fundamentally altered only by congressional action. ... Like any Ponzi scheme [...] this one will collapse when it runs out of suckers -- a stage that appears to be approaching. ... But dismantling the current system would require overcoming the powerful vested interests that now benefit from the inequities and exploitation of young scientists. Well before that could happen, there would have to be an honest recognition of today’s labor market realities, the forces that caused these distortions and the damage they are doing."
4) Even when I agree with everything Friedman's saying, his writing is still pretty hilariously off key, as this call to leave Afghanistan demonstrates. However, sometimes all the bombastic thrashing around he does as he tries to write will unearth a real gem. I'm going to start looking for opportunities to refer to the internet, as he does in that column, as "The Virtual Afghanistan."
5) Highly sexual Medieval art I never knew existed: "Sheela na Gigs (or Sheela-na-Gigs) are figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva. They are found on churches, castles and other buildings, particularly in Ireland and Britain, sometimes together with male figures. ... There is controversy regarding the source of the figures. One perspective, by James Jerman and Anthony Weir, is that the Sheelas were first carved in France and Spain in the 11th century; the motif eventually reached Britain and then Ireland in the 12th century."
2) Continuing my discussion a few weeks ago about the possibility of Mexico's drug cartel violence spilling into Texas: "SULLIVAN CITY, TX - The city’s police chief was arrested Wednesday as part of a nationwide sweep of suspects allegedly connected to Mexico’s drug cartels, federal officials said. ... His arrest comes two years after former Starr County Sheriff Reymundo Guerra was swept up in a similar nationwide operation targeting Gulf Cartel members and their associates."
3) Fascinating Miller-McCune article on how the US research system was designed to put most students who earn science and math Ph.D.s into tenure-track faculty positions, but hasn't sustained the explosive growth necessary to do so, leading to worse wages, working conditions, and opportunity for scientists as a whole, especially postdocs, but giving tenured senior researchers and universities lots of skilled young scientists willing to work long hours for low wages. On fixing the problem: "Based on federal statutes, regulations and appropriations, the system can be fundamentally altered only by congressional action. ... Like any Ponzi scheme [...] this one will collapse when it runs out of suckers -- a stage that appears to be approaching. ... But dismantling the current system would require overcoming the powerful vested interests that now benefit from the inequities and exploitation of young scientists. Well before that could happen, there would have to be an honest recognition of today’s labor market realities, the forces that caused these distortions and the damage they are doing."
4) Even when I agree with everything Friedman's saying, his writing is still pretty hilariously off key, as this call to leave Afghanistan demonstrates. However, sometimes all the bombastic thrashing around he does as he tries to write will unearth a real gem. I'm going to start looking for opportunities to refer to the internet, as he does in that column, as "The Virtual Afghanistan."
5) Highly sexual Medieval art I never knew existed: "Sheela na Gigs (or Sheela-na-Gigs) are figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva. They are found on churches, castles and other buildings, particularly in Ireland and Britain, sometimes together with male figures. ... There is controversy regarding the source of the figures. One perspective, by James Jerman and Anthony Weir, is that the Sheelas were first carved in France and Spain in the 11th century; the motif eventually reached Britain and then Ireland in the 12th century."