Chaos Manor Home Page> Mail Home Page > View Home Page > Current View > Chaos Manor Reviews Home PageCHAOS MANOR MAILMonday, January 21, 2008 02:30 PM THIS IS THE CURRENT MAIL PAGE. |
||||||||
CLICK ON THE BLIMP TO SEND MAIL TO ME. Mail sent to me may be published. FOR THE CURRENT VIEW PAGE CLICK HERE
If you send mail, it may be published. See below. For boiler plate, instructions, and how to pay for this place, see below. |
This week: | Monday
October 22, 2007 'Macclesfield Social Services are now conducting an inquiry into Miss Gambell's incarceration.'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml? Roland Dobbins We're from the government, and we are here to help you. Harry Erwin's Letter from England Not much happening this week. UK class system stable-- < http://society.guardian.co.uk/socialexclusion/story/0,,2195632,00.html> < http://tinyurl.com/ywjl35>Police commander suggests the shooting of Menezes was unintentional-- < http://www.guardian.co.uk/menezes/story/0,,2195547,00.html>< http://tinyurl.com/2sf4ck>Times report from the attack on Benazir Bhutto-- < http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2702829.ece> < http://tinyurl.com/3e2n7x>Comcast blocking even business file transfers-- < http://kkanarski.blogspot.com/2007/09/comcast-filtering-lotus-notes-update.html> < http://tinyurl.com/3du7gc>Telegraph commentary on the current government-- < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/10/20/do2003.xml> < http://tinyurl.com/2l84th>Targets...-- < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7052798.stm>< http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article2697975.ece> < http://tinyurl.com/2g59yg>Drug treatment programme problems in the UK-- < http://society.guardian.co.uk/drugsandalcohol/story/0,,2193952,00.html> < http://tinyurl.com/2238nb>< http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/18/ndrug118.xml> < http://tinyurl.com/2avygl>< http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/simon_jenkins/article2702727.ece> < http://tinyurl.com/2t4xnn>NHS patient satisfaction (poor)-- < http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2196025,00.html>< http://tinyurl.com/2ey5j8>Archbishop's comments on abortion-- < http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2196030,00.html>< http://tinyurl.com/236oa4>Guardian comment on Watson-- < http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2196162,00.html>< http://tinyurl.com/ytztnd>Airport security report-- < http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/10/new_tsa_report.html>< http://tinyurl.com/2xpoeg>Problems with the UK banking system-- < http://observer.guardian.co.uk/cash/story/0,,2195860,00.html>< http://tinyurl.com/3yfu5r>Knock-on effects of UK proposal to tax non-residents-- < http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/money/tax/article2681663.ece> < http://tinyurl.com/2d5nsa>The yob problem--this incident blew off my attending an important research meeting on Friday 8((-- < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7053145.stm>-- "The data (or the marks when teaching) are sacrosanct--they tell us what actually happened." Harry Erwin, PhD http://osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/~cs0herNot much happening unless you didn't steal half a crown in 1937... Harry adds Monday Morning: Noted in passing. This is after the newspapers have been chasing each other's scoops for a day. Science education programmes in trouble in the UK-- < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7053098.stm>Baikonur story-- < http://www.physorg.com/news112196491.html>Problems with guards in UK prisons-- < http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,,2196544,00.html> < http://tinyurl.com/2wjbgy>NASA survey of air safety to remain confidential. When I used to do FAA work, the cockpit crew would set things up to allow me to monitor air traffic communications and cockpit operations from my seat. If a safety incident occurred, they *expected* me to report back to HQ. There was a landing at San Diego (Lindbergh Field) where the TCAS system went off while I was monitoring--a helicopter had wandered into the flight path. The entire crew was waiting for me as I left the aircraft-- < http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071022/ap_on_re_us/air_safety_secrets> < http://tinyurl.com/2r2xtl>Effect of US Visa rules. Non-citizens tend to be the target of shakedowns in many countries since they don't vote-- < http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/19/AR2007101902544.html> < http://tinyurl.com/34y6cn>-- "The data (or the marks when teaching) are sacrosanct--they tell us what actually happened." Harry Erwin, PhD http://osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/~cs0her===============
I'm sorry, I just can't stop laughing at this stuff.
Ca. 1991 my local newspaper in east London canvassed readers on the best way to reduce crime in London. A very popular response (which they printed, apparently not getting the point) was: "Shut down the Northern Line." The Northern Line of the London subway system is the one that goes to Brixton, the city's biggest black ghetto. Name withheld for obvious reasons. ==
A surprising admission from Rose:
At least good defenses from Dawkins and Wilson:
And see below. |
This week: | Tuesday,
October 23, 2007 Peers horrified by famed scientist's race remarks This Watson event is decidedly important. It was even discussed on the 12:00 noon CBS radio news today. The unmentionable is being mentioned, even if largely condemned. Truth can be said to be that which is heard 16 times, so every such event is valuable for science, even if it damages the particular scientist in question. Watson is making a valuable contribution, even if it is not in a scholarly paper. Louis Andrews Stalking the Wild Taboo =============
http://thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com/2007/10
I can't really think of much to add to that. Graves ========= OPEN SESAME ! As if living in caves didn't present Islamotroglodytes like OBL with enough headaches, they are soon to be serenaded at their overhead doors with the Mother Of All Heavy Metal Band Props- Ten tons or so of tungsten, depleted uranium, or tungsten carbide http://adamant.typepad.com/seitz/2007/10/laddering-down.html -- Russell Seitz ========= Jerry Spengler on why the Turks hate us: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IJ23Ak01.html Ed Moderate Islamists. A contradiction in terms, and certainly not one to apply to Kemal's successors. ========== 'Lesleye Holliman, 17, attacked Sharp with a knife while her mother, Yulonda Holliman, 32; grandmother, Annetta Holliman, 60; and cousin Anthony Holliman, 19, held Sharp’s party at bay using a variety of weapons, including stun guns, bats, bricks and knives . . .' http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21427837/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21422703/ -- Roland Dobbins In these United States of America and this year of grace 2007. If this were an anomaly, it would be grim enough; but you can find similar stories in every part of the country subject to gang wars. ======== Roland is overseas. The nature of his work requires him to be on line all the time. He has put together a remarkable selection of related news items: "In our view, state Chinese interests stand behind these digital attacks."
http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1397, - Roland Dobbins Is anyone astonished? == And a related story Submarine-steered ASAT.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id - Roland Dobbins Space War capability. While the Legions are in Iraq and all the money goes there. We have no X programs. The Chinese clearly do. and Selling out missile defense.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/ Roland Dobbins and on another front Dragon Stearns.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ -- Roland Dobbins Our strategy is to buy more stuff and borrow more money. Free Trade will prevail. Perhaps it is working? China's syndrome of lawless growth.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/ - Roland Dobbins
|
This week: |
Wednesday,
October 24, 2007 Senator Reid: "California wildfires were caused by global warming!" http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/a8ae099c-6a23-45fd-a6fe-7b923d3e728b After a closed door policy meeting with other Senate Democrats, Majority Leader and utter buffoon Harry Reid of Nevada took to the microphones just outside the floor of the United States Senate, and fielded questions. In response to a question on the energy bill, Reid said the following: "As you know, one reason that we have the fires burning in Southern California is global warming. One reason the Colorado Basin is going dry is because of global warming." Six questions later, a reporter followed up on Reid's amazing statement. Question: "Senator, on the California fires, you said that the reason the fires are burning in California is global warming?" Reid: "No. Here's what I - I didn't say the reason the fires were burning in Southern California was global warming..." Mike I have heard this, but I am hardly astonished. ========== Subject: rhesus in the capital In light of this terrible occurrence, I have only one two things to say: 1) Can Rhesus macaques <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhesus_Macaque> survive in Washington, DC; and 2) What would it take to import about two thousand of the furry little darlin's? LawDog" I can't really think of much to add to that. Graves 1) Oh, they are tough boogers, they know how to scavenge and tribe together for support (warmth, etc.). 2) Do-able, but, and the but is a big one: as one who worked with rhesus macaques, I can assure you that you don't want even one of those running around. Their vampire-ish teeth are long and sharp, and let's not get into monkey dental hygene. A grip of their fist could break your arm single-handed; they are stronger then human bodybuilders, and I would not believe a man who claimed to have won a wrestling match with a rhesus that was over three weeks old. (As if Momma Monkey would let you near.) On top of all that, nearly all rhesus monkeys are carriers of the Simian Herpes virus, which last time I checked had a fatality rate of ~90% in Homo Sap. It says a lot about the precautions taken that cases occur in the handful per decade range in the U.S. Lock them in the U.N. Building with timed-release sedative implants, maybe. But don't turn 'em loose on the streets. Stewart -- "It's not NASA's job to send a man to Mars. It's NASA's job to make it possible for the National Geographic Society to send a man to Mars." -- Rand Simberg I once had to care for a dozen rhesus monkeys at the University of Washington Medical School animal lab. I assure you I want no more contact with them. Still, the notion of a flock of Capitol Hill monkeys is intriguing. After all, the People are no longer free to walk into the People's House. Let a flock of rhesus monkeys take our place. ========== State Militia -- South Carolina Dear Jerry, In your post on the fire (10/23) you mentioned the state militias in Kentucky and Tennessee when you were a boy and asked if any state had something similar. South Carolina has its state guard, which is something similar. It's all volunteer, but there is a state tax exemption connected with membership. Their web site is at http://www.scsg.org/ I don't know of the SC State Guard actually being mobilized -- I may have missed something over the years -- but there do seem to be plans to mobilize it when another hurricane hits the state. I left South Carolina in January to return to Northern Virginia after a nearly 20 year absence. I'm embarrassed to say that, back in May, I walked right past Larry Niven and you on the Metro. (Serves me right for not keeping up with the review!) While I'm trying to land some permanent employment, I'm working on turning my thesis ("From the Social Margins to the Center: Lebanese Families Who Arrived in South Carolina before 1950") into a book about Lebanese Christians in the Southeastern U.S. Given current and continuing events, I feel like making a "Remember Sykes-Picot" bumper sticker. Elizabeth Whitaker ========= Thought Crime? Jerry: Although this story doesn't have a copyright notice on it, the site has © Copyright 2007 OC Weekly LP so I presume the article is covered by that. While I have zero wish to see these guys on the street, this conviction, which was upheld on appeal, seems based on very little evidence that a crime was committed. The story also doesn't cover exactly what the parents or guardians of the 12-year-old boy were thinking when they let a paroled pedophile take their son various places. --Jim
I am not familiar with this case, but the article, assuming it is correct in details, is disturbing. I had thought that conspiracy to commit a crime required that somewhere alone the line a crime be committed; or at least there be an overt act in furtherance of the crime; and that the act conspired is in fact criminal. ======== And on the other hand: "They were saying that we had to be prepared to talk about sexuality with 11-year-olds, which I don't think is appropriate anyway, but not only that, to be prepared to explain how gay people date."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/ - Roland Dobbins ======== Surprise! Internet actually a boon for books LONDON (Reuters Life!) - So much for longstanding predictions that the Internet would crush the book publishing industry with digital readers and online sales of used books. Penguin publishers said this week that the explosion in online and second-hand retailing has not caused the damage they were expecting and that the Internet has in many ways been a boon for booksellers as a tool for marketing, experimentation and reaching out to the next generation of readers. http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINL1875026620071019 Bill Shields ========== Turkey as a Regional Power.
http://blogs.stratfor.com/friedman/ -- Roland Dobbins ========
I wonder how often this sort of thing happens, and nobody finds out? Graves Many times, I would guess. I recall well known social scientists quoting the behavior of the soldiers in Close Encounters of the Third Kind as evidence of how "the military" thinks. The Voodoo Sciences are used to this sort of thing. =========
Rod Montgomery==monty@starfief.com
|
This week: |
Thursday,
October 25, 2007
The entire US force was outmassed by any of the Japanese battleships in the engagement. The Imperial Japanese Navy recorded engaging cruisers and fleet carriers as the destroyers and destroyer escorts savagely fought back in one of the more gallant actions in the history of the United States Navy. I'm told the dining facility at Annapolis has a sign quoting "Don't give up the ship!" I once read an editorial in the Times of London from the Napoleonic Wars. The editor felt pride and joy whenever he heard they'd declared war on another country, for he knew he could expect to begin covering a stirring string of naval victories. Except when fighting those damned Yankees, who take this sort of thing far too seriously. That's what I think we should have over the dining facility, a quote from an enemy saying it is just no fun to fight the US. It is a pity our enemies watch our news, instead of reading our history. We could all be saved much blood and treasure. Graves for I intend to take her in harm's way... ========
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071025/ap -- Roland Dobbins But we value science over politics, don't we? Free inquiry, and all that, so long as you get the right answers. Note that Watson's real crime was pointing out the obvious: if you believe in evolution, then there is absolutely no necessity for geographically isolated groups of animals, including homo sapiens, to evolve in the same directions; or for the groups to have equal intelligence. It has long been thought that adaptation to cold (which requires fire making, use of skins as clothing and thus sewing needles, food storage and deferred rewards, etc.) will force evolution of intelligence faster than tropical climates. Jarred Diamond has tried to counter this with his own theories, but it is not generally accepted that he has done so. But whether the "cold makes you evolve smarter" hypothesis holds or not, it is self evident that Watsons statement -- an observation, really -- that geographically isolated groups will evolve differently is true. It is interesting: in the name of Science, the Kansas school board attempt to have Intelligent Design taught along with evolution was suppressed; but in the name of Equality, a self-evident consequence of evolution earns a major scientist a lesson in humiliation. The consequences of wide disparities in intelligence among a population are severe. It should be obvious to almost anyone that the educational techniques appropriate for a group of bright normal and above -- say IQ 115 and up -- will be entirely different from those appropriate for dull normal and below -- say IQ 85 and down. This remains true if you make the cutoffs at 90 and 110, or 90 and 115. The cutoff points are not obvious; but that different techniques will work better with each group is hardly to be doubted. The lower the IQ, the more need for skill training. Everyone can learn to read, but the bright kids will learn more quickly, and catch on to the whole notion of reading, much faster than the dull ones. Still, the same techniques work with both: a combination of drills and exercises (see Roberta Pournelle's work on this) can be used in First Grade with everyone, provided that it is understood that some children will romp through the 70 or so lessons much faster than others. Everyone can and should learn the addition and multiplication tables, and these too are best taught through drills. Beyond that, though, the IQ differences make it imperative to adopt different methods for the roughly 3 intelligence groups. While teaching something about number bases and groups and other aspects of "the new math" make sense when taught to bright normal and above, using that instruction technique for normals will not be successful, and using it for dull normal and below is simply insane -- or part of a plot to make sure the dull normal and below population learns no math skills whatever. John Dewey's "progressive education" methods can be extremely effective with bright children, but again trying to get dull normal and below kids to learn by discovery and inductive reasoning is simply insane -- and it's not the best way to teach the vast majority of kids, either. Treating bright kids as if they were dull -- the only way that No Child Left Behind can work -- wastes their talents and makes those we will depend on to keep our First World Civilization going hate school and learning; and will hardly challenge them. Enough. I have done this diatribe before. The problem, of course, is that if we do sort kids into three broad educational groups and treat each group differently, the three groups will not be racially identical. And since equality is more important than applying the most appropriate education technique to each kid, the result is what Beam Piper used to call decivilization. We are running this experiment now. "If a foreign government had imposed this system of education on the United States, we would rightly consider it an act of war." Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman, National Commission on Education. The report was finished in 1983. Most are agreed that the education system was better in 1983 than today. ======== 'At Scribd we'll either all get rich or we all won't, and you'll participate in that.' http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=72190 - Roland Dobbins The next Big Thing? ======== Zimbabwe Hits Bottom.
http://www.takimag.com/site/ -- Roland Dobbins Lamented, but no long unexpected. Zimbabwe can no longer sustain even a Third World civilization. ======== 860,000.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/ -- Roland Dobbins nonsense on stilts... ======== A San Francisco liberal's brush with reality.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? ---- Roland Dobbins Will we be able to maintain a First World civilization with our present system of education? "If a foreign government had imposed this system of education on the United States, we would rightly consider it an act of war." Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman, National Commission on Education. The report was finished in 1983. Most are agreed that the education system was better in 1983 than today. It is probably better in 2007 than it will be in 2o17 although by 2017 we will probably spend double what we spend today to achieve that result. Will we be able to maintain a First World Civilization with our present system of education? Or have we sown the wind? ========= 'Many years ago we understood that civilization was a prerequisite for healthy government.'
http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/10/ - Roland Dobbins
|
This week: |
Friday, October
26, 2007
The EFF has come out strongly for Sun in a rather confused case. http://www.softwarefreedom.org/news/2007/oct/25/zfs/ <http://www.softwarefreedom.org/news/2007/oct/25/zfs/> Apparently Sun (or any corporation other than MS) can invoke the full support of the EFF by uttering the mantra "open source", and abscond with someone elses intellectual property. The NetApp side of the story (prominently not linked by the EFF) paints a rather different side to the story. Apparently, Sun brought out the patent club first, and started bashing NetApp with it, if the NetApp CEO is to be believed. http://blogs.netapp.com/dave/2007/10/sun-sues-netapp.html <http://blogs.netapp.com/dave/2007/10/sun-sues-netapp.html> Sun seems to think that extortion by threat of litigation is a viable business model, and uses it to protect a technologically bankrupt corporation. Money quote from NetApp: "One of the most important rules of open source is that you must only give away things that belong to you. If protected information does leak into open source, it will probably live forever in the web, but that isn't the issue. To me, the issue is that large corporations should stop making a profit on protected information that doesn't belong to them. That's what we're asking here." Chris C ========= Something every SF author needs.
http://www.muji.eu/pages/online.asp? -- Roland Dobbins ========= Battle Off Samar Jerry Thank you for posting this reminder that small ships with brave men can make a difference. When I was in the Navy in the late 50s our ships Captain used this action as an example of how those who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the benefit of others was the difference between slaves and free men. I admire those who will stand up and make a difference because they keep the light of freedom shining for all those who are able to see and understand it. -- James Early
|
This week: | Saturday,
October 27, 2007 Red-headed Neanderthals? DNA says yes: study Jerry, Some of your less than polite critics have called you a "political neanderthall". Golly gosh wow, , now we discover some of the real neanderthals had red hair too... I'll see myself out. Petronius "Some of our cave-dwelling Neanderthal relatives probably had red hair and fair complexions, much like modern-day humans of Celtic origin, according to a study released Thursday." http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071025/sc_afp/scienceneanderthalsus_071025183936 <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071025/sc_afp/scienceneanderthalsus_071025183936> ======== Space Opera It appears Walter Jon Williams ("Dread Empire 's Fall" series) agrees with you RE: "Space Opera": http://www.locusmag.com/2007/Issue10_Williams.html <http://www.locusmag.com/2007/Issue10_Williams.html> "“All the great metaphors for science fiction make up the elements of space opera. I think there's something about the subgenre that's vital to the core of our field. Space exploration and contact with aliens, problems of governance, the future evolution of our species... all that can be in space opera, and it can all come crashing in with a great deal of fun attached." Petronius
|
This week: | Sunday, October
28, 2007
I have taken the day off. ===============w f g
The current page will always have the name currentmail.html and may be bookmarked. For previous weeks, go to the MAIL HOME PAGE. FOR THE CURRENT VIEW PAGE CLICK HERE If you are not paying for this place, click here... IF YOU SEND MAIL it may be published; if you want it private SAY SO AT THE TOP of the mail. I try to respect confidences, but there is only me, and this is Chaos Manor. If you want a mail address other than the one from which you sent the mail to appear, PUT THAT AT THE END OF THE LETTER as a signature. In general, put the name you want at the end of the letter: if you put no address there none will be posted, but I do want some kind of name, or explicitly to say (name withheld). Note that if you don't put a name in the bottom of the letter I have to get one from the header. This takes time I don't have, and may end up with a name and address you didn't want on the letter. Do us both a favor: sign your letters to me with the name and address (or no address) as you want them posted. Also, repeat the subject as the first line of the mail. That also saves me time. I try to answer mail, but mostly I can't get to all of it. I read it all, although not always the instant it comes in. I do have books to write too... I am reminded of H. P. Lovecraft who slowly starved to death while answering fan mail. Search engine:
or the freefind search
If you subscribed: If you didn't and haven't, why not? Search: type in string and press return.
Strategy of Technology in pdf format:
Entire Site Copyright, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 by Jerry E. Pournelle. All rights reserved. |