From a threat assessment perspective shouldn't we pull out of Germany before Iraq? Is Iraq more stable after a decade than Germany after 6?

Germany was very unstable after their genocidal dictator was removed whereas Iraq...oh, right. So we're leaving b/c it's a Muslim country?

So are we pulling out of Iraq because we're racist and don't want to be ( Read more... )

I'm only about 20% of the way through Reamde, but so far it's a mediocre William Gibson novel. This is doubly disappointing because it was written by Neal Stephenson, one of the most talented and intelligent writers since...well the advent of print media.  I was really eager for another of his own novels.  Don't get me wrong, it's better than The ( Read more... )

If I ever try to carry a load of laundry to the washer without a basket I inevitably drop at least one sock. If I bend over and try to pick it up, two more fall.  Repeat.  Hilarity ensues.  This is exactly what's happening with Netflix and Facebook lately, without the hilarity.  Here's a capitalism pro tip: If millions of people already use your ( Read more... )

My five year old's first soccer game of the season: one kid actually ( Read more... )

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Why am I so very interested in stage magicians, snipers, jugglers, ninjas, techno-geeks, con men, spies, and cryptographers?  Look at that list.  These are all people who know things you probably don't.  I am addicted to esoteric knowledge ( Read more... )

Cyberpunk did its job and retired, steampunk is way too popular, circuspunk (while promising) fizzled, and spampunk was a joke (literally). I'm starting my own movement.

I noticed long ago that I'm prematurely crotchety (I'm especially critical online), I like cardigans, believe all shoes should be comfortable, and think Carl Frederickson is one ( Read more... )

After bribing guards, bypassing cameras, and spoofing the nanites in his own body, the Nigerian finance minister had finally made it to a secure computer and established a nearly untraceable internet connection.

He knew he had to find a way out of Nigeria before his homeland fell completely under AI control .  There were already plans in place to ( Read more... )

…but you would certainly be correct in doing so.  Having finally achieved this level of education/poverty, I have begun to reflect on a handful of the many others that precede me in this distinction.

Master Yoda: Yoda was 900 years old at the time of his death.  Only 340 of those years were spent in graduate school.  As is evident from his speech ( Read more... )

Noticed the #failedchildrensbooktitles meme on Twitter today.  Now it's hard to stop, especially since I've been working on a reading list of 63 children's books for school this week.

Samples:

1. When I Grow Up I Want to be Unemployed: A Child's Guide to Government Programs. #failedchildrensbooktitles 2 minutes ago from TwitterFox
       
2. Self Esteem Means ( Read more... )