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Month: February 2015

For your own good

Published February 28, 2015 8:07 am by Claire

An acquaintance made two statements about the same event. The statements are incompatible. One is probably true. But it’s impossible that both are true. Only question is which statement is the lie and which the truth, and that’s not answerable.

But no, this is not some version of that conundrum in which you have to figure out how to act on a statement made by someone from a tribe of liars and you might get eaten by alligators or something if you don’t guess right.

In this case I don’t much care which statement is true and which false. The specific matter is minor. Nothing is at stake. No alligators are involved. My rambling brain is just piqued by the nature of the lie, which would be very different, depending on which statement is false and which true.

Continue readingFor your own good
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Leonard Nimoy, RIP

Published February 27, 2015 12:27 pm by Claire

Oh shoot. Spock is dead. I was never a fan of Star Trek (except in the sense that, for a time, it was the only thing remotely SF-like on television and you take whatever slim pickins you can get). But I was a fan of him. He held up beautifully into old age, too. Leonard Nimoy, RIP. Spock, live long and prosper.

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Friday links

Published February 27, 2015 8:28 am by Claire

Dear foolish and gullible Americans. There’s a reason the government wants into the ‘Net. Religious freedom blogger Avjit Roy hacked to death. By guess who. And guess why. More. Cultural treasures and books have to go, also. Dog is shot twice but still stops home invasion. (H/T MR) This was a freelance home invasion. Had the thugs been wearing badges, presumably they’d have used large enough calibers to off the pesky mutt. The feds are now attempting to halt the liberty movement in Washington state using extralegal “detention” and intimidation.

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Thursday links

Published February 26, 2015 12:59 pm by Claire

Verizon makes a sadly hilarious response to the FCC’s “Throwback Thursday” decision to apply steam-engine-and-telegraph standards to the Internet. Get another laugh by clicking on the translation. Prove your identity to Microsoft or they won’t “allow” you to use their products that you’ve paid for? (H/T cat) The author’s claims about U.S. tech losses thanks to snoopery are right on. Will now be interesting to see how U.S. residents and companies route around the new FCC regulations. Beware of being neighborly without a permit. Nice infographics show what’s allowed and what’s not in the four places that have now legalized…

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This is just wrong in so freakin’ many ways.

Published February 25, 2015 9:23 am by Claire

(Source.) So if you haven’t heard by now (and there’s been surprisingly little coverage), the FCC is about to v*te to regulate the Internet. ‘Cause, you know, the ‘Net is just precisely like the telephone system in the 1930s and now there are all these terrible, terrible unfair things going on like people not being allowed to express their opinions big traditional media companies triumphing over blogs and social media … well, like something. Whatever it is, the fedgov MUST save us from it! Not only that, but tomorrow’s big v*te will be on a 300+-page secret plan that you…

Continue readingThis is just wrong in so freakin’ many ways.
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Midweek links

Published February 24, 2015 10:47 am by Claire

Oh, those witty Canadians. The Syrup Trap sends up someone’s (not naming any names) notion of a proper earthquake survival kit. (H/T MJR) Seems Mr. Gottlieb may be forbidding anyone to post Mike Vanderboegh’s views on KABA. Snoozing hound dreams big dreams in magical scenes. Though I continue to watch the Elio with anticipation, I’ve long been suspicious of their seemingly ironclad claims: $6,800 price, 84-mpg highway, and engineered for a 5-star crash rating. They keep making these claims despite production delays, despite not even having an engine yet, and despite the fact that 5-stars is a very difficult achievement.…

Continue readingMidweek links
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And don’t forget Canada!

Published February 19, 2015 1:54 pm by Claire

Apparently, in linking to all those “Mountains of MIT” snowpix of New England in my last links post, I did a disservice to eastern Canada. Why, in Canada, houses are not only buried to their rooftops and cars driving around with icebergs on top, but in some places the snow is 11 beers* high! Tip o’ hat to MJR, who’s probably right there “enjoying it all.” Here’s hoping he’s a little too far inland to haven’t gotten 11 beers worth. —– *Molson, of course.

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Midweek miscellany, cont’d

Published February 18, 2015 5:22 pm by Claire

Was up all night feeling creaky. Not actually ill; just too sour, achy, and generally uncomfortable to sleep. Useless today. But no doubt I’ll be brilliant (or at least brilliant-er) tomorrow. Would be hard to be less brilliant. Lucy and Ethel speak for the U.S. Department of State A letter concerning Muslim toleration. Ronald Ritchie, felony murderer of two, still thinks his primary victim deserved what he got. Oscar odds. Being mostly stuck with DVDs that aren’t out yet, I’ve seen very few of these films yet; probably soon. Looking forward to The Imitation Game, Foxcatcher, Birdman, and Kill the…

Continue readingMidweek miscellany, cont’d
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