Monthly Archives: October 2008
Why the BFC is a good thing
BFC is my new acronym for “Big Market Correction”, last week’s big stock value dump.
It’s actually good for me, as I haven’t put any money in 401(k) for over a year but am about to start.
I like that I am buying cheap.
Yep, it’s still happening in America
People are basing their electoral decisions on the vague phonetic similarity between the name of guy born in Kansas, and the name of a religious/political nutjob in Saudi Arabia.
Nevermind that nothing either of these individuals has ever said about anything, ever, shows any political similarity between them. Phonetic similarity between names is damning.
If the McCain/Palin campaign wanted to impress me, a citizen with some real education, they’d publicly condemn – loudly publicly condemn – this kind of bullshit. It would cost them the batshit-crazy vote (an important constituency for the Republican party), but at least I could respect them.
Two weeks to go.
Anyone want to take bets as to whether they’ll step up and clear up the lies, prejudice, and ignorance? They haven’t to date.
Now, not even Ohio can save McCain
And I’m okay with that. I love me some election simulation – teh Republican has to win every single remaining swing state in order to win the election now.
Perhaps we’re entering an era of clean, reality-based politics and reasonable government regulation after all?
I’d still like Obama never to have to mention being a christian again, but that won’t happen until the accusation of being a muslim stops being damning for him- that is, after the 2012 election season.
/me sighs.
Don’t Vote
A few more clauses to add to H. RES. 888
[Another draft I’m just publishing as-is]
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.888:
The word “egregious” comes to mind. “Fucknut” is not far behind it.
A few more important moments in American History that need be mentioned in the resolution, if this is really meant to be about History:
Fixme: collection of panning reviews of Expelled
[Another draft I’m just publishing as-is]
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=ben-steins-expelled-review-john-rennie&print=true
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=ben-steins-expelled-review-michael-shermer&print=true
Also be sure to link to the “carbon credit” idea of giving money to people who do real science as penance for paying to go see teh stupid.
[update: look at Expelled Exposed]
Here’s the math on the Anthropic Principle
[Another draft I’m just publishing as-is]
Okay, so let’s go with the assumption that the universe was specially created just for us, alright?
I want to illustrate something of an idea of how small the actual fraction of the universe designated for us really is.
Sorry, math follows: Continue reading
Ten Books that screwed up the world
[Another draft I’m just publishing as-is]
A reply to Wanker’s and (other’s) lists.
- the latin vulgate
- the KJV
- the koran
- on the Jews and their Lies – Luther
- the Secret
- The Kabbalah
- Summa Theologicae, Thomas Aquinas
- The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri
- Dianetics
- works, Sylvia Browne
Tao te Ching and Confucian works don’t count because they don’t mandate very much silly superstition.
I learned a new word today
Updated because I JUST MUST have a link to the original study to show that I didn’t make this up. Enjoy!
[Another draft I’m just publishing as-is]
It’s a description of something I’ve known about for a long time, the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning-Kruger_effect
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Wobegon_effect
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases
Barking Mad 