Monthly Archives: July 2011

Fallen Angels, Neptune’s Birthday 20110709-1

  By Jerry Pournelle | Jul 9, 2011 - 6:00 pm | Updated: July 9, 2011 - 6:00 pm |
Comments Off on Fallen Angels, Neptune’s Birthday 20110709-1

Mail 682 Saturday July 9, 2011

· Fallen Angels

· Trouble in Malaysia

· Bunny inspectors and victory gardens

· Neptune’s Birthday

·

Okay, I couldn’t resist

Croat scientist warns ice age could start in five years

"The reality is that mankind needs to start preparing for the ice age. We are at the end of the global warming period. The ice age is to follow. The global warming period should have ended a few thousands of years ago, we should have already been in the ice age."

http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/General_News/2010-02-10/8836/Croat_scientist_warns_ice_age_could_start_in_five_years

Fallen Angels might become a survivor’s manual!

Mike Flynn

And of course a new Kindle edition is now available from Amazon.

= = = = = = =

KL Goes Boom

Just the other day, I asked some friends in Malaysia on their thoughts

concerning the political climate. I said that Thailand was turning

into a powder keg and I wanted to know what the situation was in

Malaysia. The state-controlled media probably would not publicize any

imminent problems — so I speculated.

My friends all acted as if I were a paranoid American. One friend

said, "Man, Malaysia is the safest country in the world". He said

that I know how it is there and I should come to KL (Kuala Lumpur)

instead of BKK (Bangkok). I must confess, KL is one of the nicest

playgrounds I’ve lived in. Yet, today 1,400 protesters were detained

in KL as Malaysia exploded in a political crisis:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/09/us-malaysia-protest-idUSTRE7680B720110709

I am convinced this is part of a global wave of chaos that will

destabilize much of the planet. I suspect this will not stop until it

reaches Beijing and Moscow or the adversarial pieces lock into place

and slow the wave or turn the tide.

——–

Most Respectfully,

Joshua Jordan, KSC

We do live in interesting times. I know that there is unrest in the Arab Moslem world. I had not heard that it was rampant among the Malays and in Indonesia. Singapore seems stable enough. Interesting times.

= = = = = = = = = =

The Victory Garden

There is a very great deal of mail on this subject.

SUBJECT: Michigan Woman Faces 93 Days in Jail for Planting a Vegetable Garden

Hi Jerry.

This is right up there with the bunny-inspector lunacy:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/07/michigan_woman_faces_jail_planting_veggie_garden.php

It’s not a bad-looking garden, either!

Cheers,

Mike Casey

= = =

Jerry,

Another example of a govt agency or worker that we don’t need.

http://www.theagitator.com/2011/07/07/does-michelle-obama-know-about-this/

Apparently because nobody else plants vegetables in their front yard, these people can’t either. Fines and jail time for a victory garden, because vegetables aren’t “suitable” (pronounced “common”) enough to plant in the front yard.

Sean

== ==

Getting what we pay them for?

Thought you might find this in the category of the rabbit inspectors. People who are being paid to have too much free time.

http://www.aninchfrommurder.com/blog/archives/2011/07/oak_park_michig.php

Bob

Bob Gates

There is a lot more mail on this subject. Many have commented. Of course this is local, not Federal like the bunny licenses.

= = = = = = = = = = = = =

The last shuttle mission.

I was angry, watching people cheer Atlantis’s final take-off-we ought to mourn. Or maybe it is ok to cheer for now and save our tears for her homecoming. Dunno.

I just hope the people and companies now trying to find their way into space do so in a meaningful way. Maybe the current program must die so that something better can be raised up out of the ashes. Maybe this is the end of Heinlein’s false start and we will look back and realize that it was just a hiccup in history. Maybe it is a Good Thing that Nasa/government get their little fingers out of this particular pie and let everyone play in this particular playground. Maybe we are about ready for barnstormers and fairground attractions to help make us ready for the real thing.

I hope we don’t look back with regrets as Chinese or other interests surge ahead. I believe the West, and especially the U.S., will share access–even to our own detriment. I am not so sure about the East. High orbit and/or the moon represent the highest ground there is. I would rather we controlled it.

I believe we are very much able to make the step up and out. I just don’t know if we have the will to do so. I believe everyone–those who go and those who stay–will benefit from the industries that can be developed. Earthly pioneering did so for Europe at least, and I am Eurocentric enough to think that it has overall benefitted all peoples, even if unevenly.

People died on the way across the great plains to Oregon. They were mourned by those who loved them, and the survivors moved on. It was the risk they chose to accept. We will lose more than the handful of astronauts who have so far died on the road to the stars. It is ok. The species will go on. At least if we let people accept the risk and not try to make it as safe as a kindergarten.

Today I am more sad than excited.

I hope, though, for an exciting future.

R,

Rose

I am not as concerned that it is the last Shuttle, because I have never been a big Shuttle fan for reasons I will get into in a longer essay; but I am appalled that this is the end of the Manned Space program. America will send robots to space, but not Americans. Of course others will go. They may not speak English. But they will go.

And perhaps America is not done yet. We can all hope for an exciting future. And help build it. We may again take a step farther out.

= = = = = = = = = = =

Strip mining the moon

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25542

Charles Brumbelow

I can recall when the prospect of strip mining the Moon horrified “environmentalists”; possibly it still does. I’d rather strip mine the Moon than strip mine Colorado.

= = = = = = = = = =

Quiet Sun

Jerry

Don’t know if you’ve seen this: http://ncwatch.typepad.com/dalton_minimum_returns/2011/06/quiet-sun-deadly-sun-the-resilient-earth-1.html

Somehow it makes me think of, oh, I dunno. Fallen Angels?

MikeF

= = = = = = = = = =

Armed Guards at Fast Food

When I traveled in China, I went to McDonalds with some Americans who

had to have it. I had never seen a Chinese McDonalds. When I

arrived, I noticed armed security guards, which complemented all the

other armed men running around the city. I commented to my companions

this was the only McDonalds in the world with armed guards. My

fellows said this was for my protection and also to retard the

beggars. Now, in the United States, we may see armed guards at our

McDonalds:

On the heels of an uptick in violence that claimed the life of an

off-duty cop, Newark’s city council voted Thursday to require all

late-night restaurants that serve less than 20 people at a time to

have an armed security guard posted from 9 p.m. to closing.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/City-Council-Votes-for-Armed-Guards-to-Patrol-Newark-Fast-Food-Joints-at-Night-125205659.html

——–

Most Respectfully,

Joshua Jordan, KSC

Interesting times.

= = = = = = = = = = =

Neptune’s 1st birthday…

Hi Jerry.

Ran across an interesting tidbit today: On Sunday it will be one

Neptunian year since that planet was discovered on September 23, 1846. So

don’t forget to wish Neptune a "Happy Birthday" on Sunday. 😉

Cheers,

Mike Casey

Happy Birthday

= = = = = = = = = = = =

"Despite suggestions to the contrary, the 14th Amendment is not a failsafe that would allow the government to avoid defaulting on its obligations."

<http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/07/us-usa-debt-exclusive-idUSTRE7660GE20110707>

—

Roland Dobbins

= = = = = = = =

A visibility test 20110709-x-lw

  By Jerry Pournelle | Jul 9, 2011 - 11:49 am | Updated: July 9, 2011 - 6:03 pm |
Comments Off on A visibility test 20110709-x-lw

View 682 Saturday July 9, 2011 test – x-lw

Bookmark Test

[Note: this repeats some material from a previous post. That was part of the test. Apologies]

I have two ways of creating entries for this site. One is to use Word 2007 (soon to be 2010 I think), and put that into “Blog mode” as I call it by doing Office Button menu item Publish, select Blog. The first time I do that Word wants a bunch of information about the blog site, after which it now knows that site and offers to create a new post or download and edit previous posts. It has its tricks and turns. One quirk is that while it understands what bookmarks are and has a series of operations that will allow linking to bookmarks. What Blog Mode does NOT have is any way to insert bookmarks. None. Zero. I can open a new non-blog Word window, put in the line which I want to link to, insert a bookmark, mark and copy that line including the line above it, go back to Blog mod, and paste that in. This puts in the line and the bookmark. Alas it does it badly, and the result has been some of the idiocies you have seen sometimes here. That can be fixed by editing the html code – but Word Blog Mode does not offer me an html editor.

The second way to create an entry is with LiveWriter, which is part of the free Live package that Microsoft offers and would in fact incorporate into Windows were there not some buffoonery in Europe that says it is unfair competition for Microsoft to give awy with Windows what some European companies are trying to sell for money. They will let Microsoft give the Live package free, but you have to know to go find it and download it. Many users won’t know to do that, and may buy some other package instead. This is a fairness doctrine. To whom it is fair is debatable. In any event LiveWriter, like the lamented and no longer supported FrontPage – a superior program in my judgment – LiveWriter offers edit, edit source, and preview views of what you are working on. It will also let you bring in previous pages to edit – but there’s the first rub. LiveWriter does not believe that any page it did not create exists, or that has been my experience. This is in fact a test of that hypothesis: I am creating it in Word Blog mode. I will presently publish it. Then I will see if LiveWriter can find it.

A Test of Bookmark

I am going to create a bookmark to the line above and paste it in. Then I will link to it. I want to see what LiveWriter sees as code, assuming that LiveWriter will see this entry at all.

Here goes.

As hypothesized, LiveWritr never heard of this, and doesn’t believe it exists. I will now copy and paste this whole mess to LiveWriter to see what happens.

It has now been pasted, with the designation of test- x – lw as opposed to the previous designation. The link, while tedious to create, did work on line. Now what happens when I publish this? Here goes.

And that worked. I also note that the list of latest posts lists both x and x –lw. Of course it would. But does that mean that x can be imported to edit here in LiveWriter now? That’s the next test. And the answer is NO. Although the “x”  version is in the Latest Posts list on the site, it does not appear in the menu to browse for latest posts to edit in LiveWriter.

I suppose the nest test should be to do this in the opposite order: create something in Plain old Word complete with bookmarks and links, copy and pasted that into LiveWriter, publish it, forget Word Blog mode entirely. I’ll try that next. Meanwhile the tests are done for the morning. I now need to do a Computing at Chaos Manor column. Thanks for putting up with all this mucking about. You’ll probably see this adventure in a column, since it’s part of the silly stuff I do so you don’t have to.

Meanwhile, BYTE launches shortly.

Dana Rohrabacher has a comment on the last Shuttle. Dana has not abandoned the dream. I have a ton of mail about the lady arrested for trying to grow a victory garden, and I’ll put up a selection with remarks in mail. And much more. Stay tuned.

A visibility test 20110709-x

  By Jerry Pournelle | Jul 9, 2011 - 11:43 am | Updated: July 9, 2011 - 5:00 pm |
Comments Off on A visibility test 20110709-x
View 682 Saturday July 9, 2011 test – x
I have two ways of creating entries for this site. One is to use Wordd 2007 (soon to be 2010 I think), and put that into “Blog mode” as I call it by doing Office Button menu item Publish, select Blog. The first time I do that Word wants a bunch of information about the blog site, after which it now knows that site and offers to create a new post or download and edit previous posts. It has its tricks and turns. One quirk is that while it understands what bookmarks are and has a series of operations that will allow linking to bookmarks. What Blog Mode does NOT have is any way to insert bookmarks. None. Zero. I can open a new non-blog Word window, put in the line which I want to link to, insert a bookmark, mark and copy that line including the line above it, go back to Blog mod, and paste that in. This puts in the line and the bookmark. Alas it does it badly, and the result has been some of the idiocies you have seen sometimes here. That can be fixed by editing the html code – but Word Blog Mode does not offer me an html editor.
The second way to create an entry is with LiveWriter, which is part of the free Live package that Microsoft offers and would in fact incorporate into Windows were there not some buffoonery in Europe that says it is unfair competition for Microsoft to give awy with Windows what some European companies are trying to sell for money. They will let Microsoft give the Live package free, but you have to know to go find it and download it. Many users won’t know to do that, and may buy some other package instead. This is a fairness doctrine. To whom it is fair is debatable. In any event LiveWriter, like the lamented and no longer supported FrontPage – a superior program in my judgment – LiveWriter offers edit, edit source, and preview views of what you are working on. It will also let you bring in previous pages to edit – but there’s the first rub. LiveWriter does not believe that any page it did not create exists, or that has been my experience. This is in fact a test of that hypothesis: I am creating it in Word Blog mode. I will presently publish it. Then I will see if LiveWriter can find it.
A Test of Bookmark
I am going to create a bookmark to the line above and paste it in. Then I will link to it. I want to see what LiveWriter sees as code, assuming that LiveWriter will see this entry at all.
Here goes.
As hypothesized, LiveWritr never heard of this, and doesn’t believe it exists. I will now copy and paste this whole mess to LiveWriter to see what happens
[Later: as I thought, LiveWriter did not see this. I cut and pasted the above to Livewriter, added more, did more commentaries, and let Livewrtter publish it as A visibility test 20110709-x-lw which will explain to you the odd nomenclature in today’s Views. Note that if you go to the x-lw version of this you will see all the above stuff but not this note. And that’s enough of that.]

The Road to Serfdom View 20110707-1

  By Jerry Pournelle | Jul 8, 2011 - 6:26 pm | Updated: July 9, 2011 - 7:29 am |
Comments Off on The Road to Serfdom View 20110707-1

View 682 Friday July 8, 2011

 

= = =

 

The Road to Serfdom

Today’s Wall Street Journal has an op ed essay called “The Road to Serfdom and the Arab Revolt” that ought to be required reading for everyone in the State Department, although I suspect that few in State read WSJ. Fouad Ajami of the Hoover Institution has a good analysis of what is going wrong in the Arab world. He also calls attention to F. A. Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom. Hayek’s 1944 masterpiece is such an essential part of any intelligent citizen’s education that I tend to forget that there are many who have not read it. If you know anyone who hasn’t, rag them until they do. It’s not a long book, and it’s not difficult reading. One key discussion in the book is “Why the worst get on top.”

I don’t know how you can read the WSJ op ed on line. It used to be that if you reached a WSJ piece by Google, you could read it all, but lately I find that there’s no continuation. I subscribe to the Journal, and I even know how to access it through the app in my iPad, but I haven’t yet figured out how to read the entire contents of a Journal article through Firefox; however I can do it through Internet Explorer. I suppose I ‘ll figure that out one day. Anyway, from the article

In his 1944 masterpiece, “The Road to Serfdom,” Hayek wrote that in freedom-crushing totalitarian societies “the worst get on top.” In words that described the Europe of his time but also capture the contemporary Arab condition, he wrote: “To be a useful assistant in the running of a totalitarian state, it is not enough that a man should be prepared to accept specious justification of vile deeds; he must himself be prepared actively to break every moral rule he has ever known if this seems necessary to achieve the end set for him. Since it is the supreme leader who alone determines the ends, his instruments must have no moral convictions of their own.”

There’s more. Read Fouad Ajami by all means, but it’s more important that you read Hayek. The Road to Serfdom is one of the essential books of the Twentieth Century.

 

FALLEN ANGELS is a science fiction adventure novel by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Michael Flynn. Much of it is satirical but it has its serious moments. The premise is a world in which The Ice returns: a good part of Canada is under glacial sheet ice, which is moving south. There is Climate Change all right, and human actions affect it. It has just been released in Kindle format by Amazon, and if you haven’t read it, you might like to. There has long been an eBook edition from Baen and that remains – it can even be had free from Baen – but this edition has been prepared with great care as an eBook, and Larry, Michael, and I have done a new afterword.

 

While we are on today’s WSJ, “Sorting the real from the phony spending cut options” by Fred Barnes isn’t bad. If you believe as I do that much of the economic debate is Kabuki theater – see yesterday’s View – then there won’t be a lot of surprises in there, but it may explain a few things to those who haven’t thought so much about it.

 

Firedrills

The morning started well enough. I seem to be over the debilitation flu or whatever it was that laid me low from February to May, and I woke up full of determination to get started on a new Computing at Chaos Manor column for Chaos Manor Reviews. Then Roberta went for a walk and twisted her knee, and next thing I knew it was off to Kaiser. That all went well and she’s all right if a bit immobilized, but the rest of the day was consumed by locusts.

Last night when I connected my iPhone to the iMac for synch and charging, the iPhone was dead off. It started itself, and when it came on it showed the charge bar: a very thin slice of bright red. Clearly it had run out of power while in my pocket. All very well – it would charge overnight. But when it came time to go to Kaiser and I put the phone in my pocket, it still showed that red thin slice as if it had not charged at all during the night. When we got to the Kaiser center it still showed that when I turned it on. I had brought the charger and while waiting for Roberta I plugged it into the wall. Then I read the wall Street Journal editorial page. The little “I am charging” icon on the phone came on, but the red slice display never changed. Never. So when we got home, I figured that the battery was deaded, and it was time to get it fixed since I depend on that mobile phone. Actually I headed out for the Apple store with the intention of buying an iPhone 4. I should have got one a year ago, and would have by now except that different things kept delaying me. Time to do that. I headed for Fashion Square. Filled the car on the way. Had a shrimp burrito in the food court. Went into the Apple Store. Turned on the phone. It showed itself fully charged. It worked just fine. Nothing wrong with it at all.

Turned around and came home. It’s time to update my phone, but I sure didn’t need to do that today. But if you wonder whiy this is late and I haven’t got any other real work done today, there was more of the same all day. The day was eaten by locusts.