Roger Abramson has some thoughts on the blogosphere. Very much worth a read.
Archive for August, 2007
Evaluating the Blogosphere
Friday, August 17th, 2007Padilla Guilty
Thursday, August 16th, 2007Jose Padilla has been convicted of terrorism. While the process under which he was convicted might be questionable, the end result is a positive. But do the ends justify the means?
Proxima Centauri, here we come!
Thursday, August 16th, 2007If this is accurate, our entire of understanding of time and space has been broken:
A pair of German physicists claim to have broken the speed of light – an achievement that would undermine our entire understanding of space and time.
According to Einstein’s special theory of relativity, it would require an infinite amount of energy to propel an object at more than 186,000 miles per second.
However, Dr Gunter Nimtz and Dr Alfons Stahlhofen, of the University of Koblenz, say they may have breached a key tenet of that theory.
The pair say they have conducted an experiment in which microwave photons – energetic packets of light – travelled “instantaneously” between a pair of prisms that had been moved up to 3ft apart.
Being able to travel faster than the speed of light would lead to a wide variety of bizarre consequences.
For instance, an astronaut moving faster than it would theoretically arrive at a destination before leaving.
The scientists were investigating a phenomenon called quantum tunnelling, which allows sub-atomic particles to break apparently unbreakable laws.
Dr Nimtz told New Scientist magazine: “For the time being, this is the only violation of special relativity that I know of.”
Half Hour News Hour Canceled
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007Fox New’s Daily Show rip-off, the Half Hour News Hour has been canceled. I only watched this show once; the first episode. I didn’t bother to watch it again. It was overtly partisan and the anchors just did not make me laugh. (The ridiculous canned laughter actually drew attention to the idiocy of the show.) Say what you will about Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert; they are funny. I often disagree with their politics, but they can make me laugh.
The Half Hour News Hour, not so much. Personally, I don’t think it belonged on a news network in the first place. It, and it’s silly late night cousin Red Eye would be more at home on the Fox network than on Fox News. But if we’re going to produce humor, why not have a host who is actually, you know, funny? Dennis Miller, a hilarious comedian, is a Fox News contributer. Why wasn’t he given the show instead of the two nobody actors? Perhaps he was savvy enough to recognize a bomb when he saw one.
I doubt that many viewers will mourn the loss of the Half Hour News Hour. Programs come and go, and it certainly wasn’t notable in any way.
Troop Reductions in Iraq
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007This is certainly good news:
The top American commander in Iraq said Wednesday he was preparing recommendations on troop cuts before he returns to Washington next month for a report to Congress, and believes the U.S. footprint in Iraq will have to be “a good bit smaller” by next summer.
But he cautioned against a quick or significant U.S. withdrawal that could surrender “the gains we have fought so hard to achieve.”
Dog Fighting and Terrorism
Wednesday, August 15th, 2007Michael Vick has made some interesting enemies:
Riches alleges that Vick stole two white mixed pit bull dogs from his home in Holiday, Fla., and used them for dogfighting operations in Richmond, Va. The complaint goes on to allege that Vick sold the dogs on eBay and “used the proceeds to purchase missiles from the Iran government.”
The complaint also alleges that Vick would need those missiles because he pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda in February of this year.
“Michael Vick has to stop physically hurting my feelings and dashing my hopes,” Riches writes in the complaint.
Riches wants $63 billion dollars “backed by gold and silver “ delivered to the front gates to the Williamsburg Federal Correctional facility in South Carolina. Riches is an inmate at the facility serving out a wire fraud conviction.
I don’t know what to say.
Better Americans Than Me
Tuesday, August 14th, 2007Phil Ayers suggests using military service as a path to citizenship:
This article suggests using military service as a means for obtaining citizenship. This is certainly an idea worthy of consideration. But, to those people who say that forcing people to become “cannon fodder” to become citizens is immoral, I would respond, “is it really? Is it too much to ask someone to serve in the greatest military in the world – in order to become a citizen in the greatest country in the world?”
Sounds like a good idea. While military service should not be th only way to gain citizenship, I think it should be one way.
Tancredo is Precious
Sunday, August 12th, 2007I’m not the biggest Wonkette fan around, but I have to admit… this is pretty funny. Especially the comments.
