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6.29.00
Elian is back in Cuba. Everything I've got to say about that is over at ElianWatch.
6.28.00
Genehack is going to be one of my primary filters through all the human genome hype. I'm not a biology guy (economics is my thing), but I know that analyzing and applying what's discovered from man's genetic code will profoundly change society (for both good and bad). Here's Genehack on yesterday's big announcement:
I'm basically with the genomics people quoted in the Wired article -- this is a big accomplishment, a necessary first step, but it doesn't actually solve any medical problems. There's still a lot of work to be done, to re-iterate a common meme present in all the articles. Nevertheless, this is still a huge result. Regardless of how you feel about Craig Venter, (Anonymous HGP scientist in a recent New Yorker article: "Craig Venter is an asshole.") much of the credit for the speed of the sequencing has to lie with his belief that shotgun sequencing of the human genome was possible. Without Celera's pace-setting work, the HGP would still be plodding along with the original plan, and would still be years from completing the first draft sequence.
I want to emphasise his point about Celera's role. Whether you think private businesses should make money off human genome research or not, the competitive role Celera provided pushed this accomplishment years ahead of where it would have otherwise been.
"Human Genome: Because They Could":
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,37206,00.html
Former Saudi oil minister Sheikh Yamani thinks the price of oil will collapse in the next five years. "On the supply side it is easy to find oil and produce it, and on the demand side there are so many new technologies, especially when it comes to automobiles," said Yamani.
"Sheikh Yamani Predicts Price Crash as Age of Oil Ends": [via ETWOF]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000114832908976&rtmo=gwVVVZfu&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/00/6/25/noil25.html
6.26.00
Philip Morris will buy Nabisco for $15 billion in cash and $4 billion in debt. Philip Morris plans on combining Nabisco with its Kraft division and do an IPO in 2001. If you've been an Philip Morris investor, the past few years have seen the stock do zilch. State and federal governments' attacks on tobacco have hurt them considerably. This deal seems to be the first step for Philip Morris to divest itself from its tobacco holdings.
"Philip Morris to buy Nabisco":
http://www.msnbc.com/snap/425399.asp
50 years ago yesterday, Communist troops crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea starting the Korean War. Since the war ended (although, a peace agreement was never reached), the border between North and South Korea has been the most fortified area on earth. Thousands of troops stare at one another across a "no-mans land" filled with landmines. A few weeks ago, hope arose that the tensions between both countries may finally ease when leaders met at a summit in North Korea.
"Korean War Anniversary Marked with Hopes of Peace":
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000625/ts/korea_anniversary_dc_3.html
Center of Military History's Korean War page:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/online/kw-remem.htm
John Lott asks a great question:
Gun-control advocates face something of a dilemma: If guns are the problem, why was it that when guns were really accessible, even inside schools by students, we didn't have the problems that plague us now —including the phenomenon of mass school shootings?
Could it be that parents and other adults aren't inculcating a proper respect for human life? What should we expect when it's legal to kill a baby when its head is outside the birth canal? What conclusion should we expect people to come to when the government's answer to preventing killing is to kill (i.e. capital punishment)?
"Patriotic Self-Defense":[via WOIFM?]
http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/ed-column-2000623173024.htm
I haven't watched Politically Incorrect in years. It dawned on me that watching celebrities yap about something they know little about--politics--was pointless. I also got tired of Bill Maher prancing around bashing conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats, and seeming above it all. I knew it was fake. I knew he was a Democratic-supporting liberal. On Saturday night, he let loose on Republicans and praised Bill Clinton at a Democratic fund raiser. He said GW was "drunk until he was 40," and that Republicans are just jealous of Clinton. Definitely no more PI for me, and I'm not buying Maher's book either.
"Bill Maher Unbound at Democratic Fund-Raiser":[via Drudge]
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000624/pl/clinton_campaign_dc_2.html
6.24.00
It looks like Elian will be going back to Cuba. Catch up on his fight for freedom at ElianWatch.
Speaking of kids: Kids, don't try this at home. ETWOF has a how-to on crack cocaine.
Genehack found Vannevar Bush's "As We May Think." That Bush guy had quite an imagination. He thought up something very similar to the World Wide Web of today 55 years ago. I wonder how much inspiration he provided the pioneers who created the Net and the Web?
"As We May Think":
http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/computer/bushf.htm
Quote of the day goes to Webloglog:
I'm just glad that derek [Powazek] is getting back to what he really enjoys in life: talking about himself.
Webloglog:
http://trenchant.org/webloglog/
6.23.00
Angus wonders about his love of space exploration:
Sometimes I question the wisdom of my fascination with space exploration. The costs are so huge and the risks are tremendous....The universe is infinite (or at least it's really big) and it's stupidity to think that we should confine ourselves to this one planet.
Keep dreaming Angus. Big things happen only when people dream big.
Where's My Latte?:
http://latte.weblogs.com
I'm not totally in favor of legalizing marijuana, but I'm pretty damn close. The death of Peter McWilliams threw cold water on me. McWilliams had trouble keeping his medication down and smoked marijuana to stop the nausea. While medical use of marijuana is legal in California where McWilliams lived, the feds arrested him anyway. He was at home awaiting sentencing from a federal judge. Two conditions of his bail were no smoking of marijuana and weekly marijuana tests. So McWilliams didn't smoke, couldn't keep his medication down, and died in his own vomit. He wasn't hurting anyone by smoking. In fact, it was keeping him alive. McWilliams shouldn't have died the way he did. This was completely preventable.
"Peter McWilliams: R.I.P.":
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n849/a10.html?122
I'm surprised no one's tried this before. Abortions at sea means that the pro-life movement must change peoples' hearts as well as laws.
"Abortion at Sea": [via Metafilter]
http://www.motherjones.com/news_wire/sea_change.html
ABC Sports is run by a bunch of gutless pansies. They wanted to add some excitement to Monday Night Football. The buzz was that talk radio king Rush Limbaugh was considered as one of the guys in the booth. He lobbied for the job on his radio show. ABC announced that Dennis Miller will be in the booth this fall. Miller may be funny (He was the best Weekend Update guy ever on Saturday Night Live.), but I don't see him as a sports guy. Limbaugh is a huge football fan. He loves the sport and is knowledgeable. But ABC was worried about offending liberals (especially Hollywood liberals) by hiring the conservative Limbaugh. Miller may work out, but ABC missed an big opportunity to draw serious buzz for a flagging show.
"Monday Night Football Adds Fouts, Dennis Miller":
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000622/sp/nfl_monday_dc_1.html
6.22.00
Today's quote of the day goes once again to Jonah Goldberg:
Okay, snapping out of it, I guess the point is that men are, well, disgusting. Left unsupervised and to our own devices we would spend our time drunk, beating each other up, scratching, gassing, and eating anything that didn't have vegetation growing on it or wasn't fast enough to get away. In other words we'd live like rugby players.
After spending 4 days in a cabin in Canada with 3 other men I can attest that men are disgusting. We are gross if left alone.
"Making Men without Chests":
http://www.nationalreview.com/goldberg/goldberg062100.html
David Brooks talks with Atlantic Unbound about his book Bobos in Paradise:
I don't see anything toppling it. I don't see any mass populist revolt against it. What I do see is an elite that's very good at co-opting things. Marx said the most dangerous elites were the ones who could absorb the talented members of the oppressed classes. And thanks to admissions committees and outreach programs and things like that, Bobos are very good at absorbing talented people into their ranks. So I really see this group lasting and lasting and lasting.
Interview with David Brooks:
http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/interviews/ba2000-06-15.htm
6.21.00
Today's the first day of summer. Stay cool everybody.
Jane Fonda regrets the infamous picture of her sitting in a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun. "But it hurt so many soldiers. It galvanized such hostility. It was just thoughtless. I wasn't thinking, I was just so bowled over by the whole experience that I didn't realize what it would look like," said Fonda.
What Fonda hasn't done is renounce what she said in support of North Vietnam. In a radio commentary, she told the North Vietnamese how much she loved an "unforgettable ballet about the guerrillas training bees in the south to attack enemy soldiers" and how a farmer gave her his place in a bomb shelter (Was the farmer coerced in anyway?). She went on to attack Pres. Nixon for trying to create a "neo-colony of the United States by bombing, by invading, by attacking in any way." In another radio commentary, Fonda spoke directly to U.S. troops, "I don't know what your officers tell you…but [your] weapons are illegal and…the men who are ordering you to use these weapons are war criminals." She didn't say anything about those words in her magazine interview. She has no regrets for words spoken, but for pictures that live on into the future, that's another story.
Jane Fonda in O! magazine:
http://www.nationalreview.com/document/document062000a.html
Jane Fonda speak on Radio Hanoi:
http://www.nationalreview.com/document/document062000.html
I'll make a prediction: when Transmeta does its IPO it will have the biggest run-up in stock market history. (I think the current record holder is still VA Linux.) There's just so much buzz over this company. IBM will show a proto-type notebook computer using Transmeta's Crusoe chip next week. AOL and Gateway have already announced that they will use Transmeta chips in their up-coming Net appliances. Lots of support from big players early on. I'm sure the founders of Transmeta have big dollar signs (U.S. not Canadian) in their eyes.
The biggest obstacle I see is whether Transmeta can deliver enough chips to meet demand. If IBM, AOL, and Gateway are all pushing their new products, will there be enough chips to go around, or will the same troubles that hurt AMD in years past, hurt Transmeta?
"Transmeta to Unveil Chip Customers":
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/zd/20000620/tc/transmeta_to_unveil_chip_customers_1.html
6.20.00
Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon order the state to stop taxing gas for 60 days to alleviate residents from the high gas prices plaguing the Midwest. (I'm paying around $2.00/gal in Wisconsin.) A dirty little secret about the oil industry is that state and federal governments make more off a gallon of gas than does the gas station selling it.
"Indiana Suspends State Sales Tax on Gasoline":
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000620/pl/economy_indiana_dc_1.html
How many people visit Epinions at one time? I just posted my review of Gone in 60 Seconds, and within 5 minutes 6 people read it.
Amazon.com's patent on one-click shopping was silly, but British Telecom thinks it has a patent on hyperlinking. BT plans on trying to license the patent to ISPs. Going after individual web sites would be impossible. BT would then use the money to invest in R&D and its network.
Hurry! Run--don't walk--to the patent office and file for such future possibilities as faster-than-light travel, human cloning, man-machine integration (cyborg), Star Trek transporters and phasers, Star Wars light sabers and the Force, country-rap music (Busta Rhymes and the Dixie Chicks), contry-rap-metal music (Busta, the Chicks, and Metallica), holographic art, fully-immersive virtual reality, and funny Tom Green jokes (although that might never be developed).
"BT Claims Ownership of Hyperlinks":
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/11450.html
A federal court may rule on whether the Second Amendment applies only to individuals or to state militia.
The Second Amendment reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The amendment starts off with a dependent phrase. In order to have a "well regulated Militia" individuals must be allowed to own firearms. The dependent clause that says that weapons ownership "shall not be infringed" is the foundation of that sentence. Without it, there is no sentence. The militia phrase only explains one reason for the amendment of even exist.
Hopefully, the court will rule that an individual has the right to defend himself (either from criminals or an oppressive government), so the attacks on personal self-defense will suffer a crushing blow.
"Texas Case Could Redefine Gun-Control Laws":
http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/06/20/fp3s1-csm.shtml
While not generating the box office hype of Gladiator or MI2, Gone in 60 Seconds should be put on your summer popcorn movie list. Nicolas Cage plays former car thief Memphis Raines who comes out of retirement to save his younger brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi). The plan requires 50 cars to be stolen in 24 hours, and these aren't your Honda Civics or Ford Escorts. They're Mercedes, Ferarris, even a 1967 Shelby GT Mustang. To do the job, Memphis rounds up his old partners-in-crime Sway (Angelina Jolie) and Otto (Robert Duval). The tension and excitement come not only from seeing how this group of car thieves pull off their daring raids, but from doing all this while being chased by Detective Roland Castlebeck (Delroy Lindo).
It's a Jerry "Mr. Armagedon" Bruckheimer film, so you know it will be packed with action and the camera shots will rattle past you like machine gun bullets. The acting isn't spectacular, but it isn't awful. There are plenty of scenes where the actors don't take the story or themselves too seriously. It keeps the film light and the action as the focus. Gone in 60 Seconds will definitely satisfy your craving for fast cars, beautiful women (Angelina Jolie), and car chases. Think of this movie as Chips on steroids.
The quote of the day comes from Margaret Thatcher:
In the preface to his history, Churchill pointed out that by the time Christopher Columbus set sail for the American continent, Britain had already come to be characterized by a body of legal principles and institutions, such as Parliament, trial by jury, local government by local citizens, and even the beginnings of a free press. These values which we share as English-speaking peoples have come together in what we call the rule of law. Our abiding commitment to the rule of law is the very bedrock of our civilization. It is what makes all else possible, from the flowering of the arts to the steady advance of the sciences. The idea that men must govern themselves not by the arbitrary commands of a ruler but by their own considered judgment, is the means whereby chaos is replaced by order. Balanced by the peaceful resolution of differences, the rule of law and the institutions of representative democracy are what stand between civilization and barbarism. It is through law-governed liberty that mankind has been able to achieve so much.
"Follow the Leader":
http://www.hudson.org/American_Outlook/articles_sp00/thatcher.htm
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) has called for Energy Secretary Bill Richardson's resignation. I agree. Richardson came into the Energy Department saying he would stop up security leaks. Then last week we find out hard drives containing highly classified nuclear secrets disappeared only to reappear three weeks later. The initial disappearance was bad enough, but the hard drives being found in an area searched twice before means there might be someone inside Los Alamos fumbling around with state's secrets. Mr. Richardson, it's time for you to go.
"Intelligence Committee Chairman Calls for Richardson's Resignation":
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewDefense.asp?Page=\Defense\archive\DEF20000618a.html
James Markels gives us his take on the new death penalty debate:
As it stands, the justice system has shown itself to be too flawed to be trusted. Until capital punishment is treated with the utmost attention and care deserving of the most serious of punishments, to absolutely ensure the preservation of individual rights, libertarians shouldn't stand behind it. The death penalty is only libertarian so long as it protects individual rights, and so far it's not doing that well enough.
It's odd when death penalty-supporting conservatives bash the incompetence of government, yet are blind to the real possibilities that innocent people might be put to death. Because of real government incompetence and the fact that capital punishment is vengence, not justice, the state should refrain from playing God and deciding who lives and who dies.
"Time to Kill the Death Penalty":
http://www.liberzine.com/jamesmarkels/000619deathpenalty.htm
6.18.00
Someone's playing hardball with Microsoft. A private dick in Washington tried to buy garbage from a pro-MS trade group. The woman may be working for a detective agency labeled by some as "the White House secret police."
"Who's Digging Up MS Dirt?":
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,37039,00.html
I better dig out the clippers. I don't want fingernails like Shridhar Chillal.
I hope you all remembered to wish you dads a great Fathers Day. Gifts aren't a requirement. Just let him know how much you appreciate what he's done for you.
TAM just isn't good enough to be accepted in Fairvue's periodic table:
blog.elements:
http://www.fairvue.com/index.asp?Feature=Elements2
If you want a taste of the power of totalitarianism, pay attention. Chinese refugee, Anchee Min wrote her memoir in English because "We didn't have any words for what happened to us. There was no way for me to describe those experiences or talk about those feelings in Chinese. The Chinese language for me was taken over by Mao and Jiang Qing."
"The Re-education of Anchee Min":
http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000618mag-ancheemin.html
Newsmax.com thinks the Reader's Digest is sliding toward liberal pap and "greater emphasis on graphics and art." They also write that Bertelsmann is eyeing to buy it. I hope the Reader's Digest doesn't move to the Left. While not ideological, it is a magazine where a person can read articles with a common sense perspective.
"Reader's Digest Veers Politically Left - German Conglomerate May Buy It":
http://www.newsmax.com/showinside.shtml?a=2000/6/15/44548
6.17.00
Jonah Goldberg with the quote of the day:
Of course, labels on the Right matter; labels on the Left are different colors of paint for the same endless stretch of condemned buildings.
In the same article, Goldberg offers a brief--yet solid--primer of the various branches of modern conservatism. We are a diverse bunch. I'm a fusionist, pro-life, anti-death penalty, free-market, pro-gun, borderline pacifist, conservative. (I sometimes label myself a "classical liberal.") Yet with all my philisophical idiosyncrasies, I am totally comfortable being classified on the Right.
"Conservative Zoology 101":
http://www.nationalreview.com/goldberg/goldberg061600.html
Nobel Prize winning economist Merton Miller died. Alan Reynolds writes, "Miller was one of a handful of scholars who practically created 'Finance' as a rigorous major field in economics." Miller was also a firm believer is using creative finacial techniques to empower entrepreneurs (junk bonds) and hold bad managers accountable (leveraged buyouts).
"Nobel Mind":
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment061600f.html
6.16.00
There are some very happy people in New York tonight. The number one selling drugstore item at Urbanfetch is "Durex High Sensation, Ribbed Lubricated Condoms, 12 Pk." The big question is, are they ribbed for his or her pleasure?
Reporters like GW's more laid-back approach and availability than AlGore's reclusiveness and constant spinning. Howard Kurtz offers a glimpse into the coverage of Campaign 2000.
"For Plane Talk, Bush Is First-Class, Gore Goes Coach":
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59821-2000Jun14.html
The NY Post reports on the ultimate behind-the-scenes campaign story: campaign sex.
"Primary Urges Along Campaign Trail": http://nypostonline.com/news/6096.htm
I just read one story on Tom Osborne's quest to be a Congressman, and I'm already sick of the football metaphors.
"In Neb., a Gridiron Hero Scores in Political Arena":
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52764-2000Jun13.html
6.15.00
I should have expected this. I go on vacation, and while I'm away someone dies! Chicago Tribune political cartoonist and Shoe creator Jeff MacNally died last week. Ever since Bloom County went away, I've been looking for an edgy strip. Dilbert's good, but I wanted something more political. (I hate Doonesbury.) Shoe occasionally fit the bill. I'll miss the strip.
"'Quiet genius' with soul of a comedian":
http://chicagotribune.com/news/metro/chicago/article/0,2669,ART-45205,FF.html
J.D. Tuccille takes on The New York Times' Thomas Friedman over his defense of last weeks' Microsoft ruling and April's Easter Raid to "rescue" Elian Gonzalez:
The New York Times has every right to maintain a resident fascist and thug-booster on staff if it wishes; there may even be a value in doing so, just so we can all keep up-to-date with what passes for thought among such people.
But let's never forget that Mr. Friedman would unleash the violent power of the state against those of us who fail to tug our forelocks to government officials.
"Short Take: The Times' Own Brownshirt": [via ETWOF]
http://civilliberty.about.com/newsissues/civilliberty/library/briefs/bl061200.htm
/usr/bin/girl sayeth:
Really, really not for the underage or easily offended: the Ultimate Masturbation Resource.
I admittedly didn't actually look around. I just felt that its existance warranted an entry.
Then why are you flush and breathing heavy?
6.14.00
I'm baaaack!!
Surprisingly, the U.S. Border Patrol was nice enough to let me back in the country. Four days out in the woods was enough for me. It was cold, with most days in the mid-40s F. I also have a deep appreciation for running water and indoor toilets. On the good side, it was the best fishing in my life. 14-16 inch walleyes were common with a few 30+ inch northern to spice things up.
I'll try to get some fishing pictures posted. However, I promise I won't go as far as Mike at WOIFM?
I go on vacation and Judge Jackson accepts the Justice Department's break-up of Microsoft carte blanche. Why did he just accept the DOJ plan: "I am not an economist. I do not have the resources of economic research or any significant ability to be able to craft a remedy of my own devising." Yet, he thought he was wise enough to order the break-up of one of America's most succesful companies.
"Reluctant Ruling for Judge":
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17224-2000Jun7.html
Rep. Traficant (D-OH) on 4.05.00:
Mr. Speaker, today Congress will debate two bills. The first bill is partial birth abortions. The second bill is wildlife and sport fish restoration.
Unbelievable. Kill the babies but save the trout and the tit mouse. Beam me up. In fact, beam me up, Scotty.
See, I believe that Congress and America can and should save both the babies and the wildlife. Think about it.
I yield back an old street saying: Only in America, Mr. Speaker.
Only in America, Only in America: [via Neoflux]
http://www.house.gov/traficant/2000speecharchive/0405.htm
CNN reports that "an American Medical Association conference in Chicago is being asked to consider recommending a national moratorium on the death penalty." If I was a member of the AMA, I would be ticked that the organization I paid dues to would waste its time on this issue. The debate over the death penalty doesn't have to do with doctors, hospitals, or health care. It has to do with crime, justice, and morality. I'm opposed to the death penalty, but some anti-death penalty doctors just want to use the AMA to promote their political agendas.
"Texas Man Executed Amid Death Penalty Debate":
http://www.cnn.com/2000/LAW/06/12/death.penalty.01/index.html
6.06.00
TAM will be on hiatus for a few days. I'll be in Canada catching the big one. See you on 6.14.
6.05.00
I like Ward Connerly and am a strong supporter of his efforts to shut down government-sponsored racial preferences, but his complaint on where his book Creating Equal is shelved is a bit over the top. Connerly thinks putting it in the African American Studies (AAS) section is "literary apartheid." Since the book is about affirmative action it could go in one of two places: either in Current Events/Political Science or African American Studies. Connerly says most people don't browse in the AAS section and will miss seeing his book. Let me let you in on a little secret about the book business: it doesn't matter what section the book is located. If the book gets a lot of publicity, people will ask for it, and bookstore employees will help get the book. If enough people ask for the book, copies will be moved so people can easily find it. Bookstores want to sell books, and they'll do what they can to make it easy for people to get the books they're after.
"Bookstores Practice 'Literary Apartheid,' Author Says":
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=\Politics\archive\200006\POL20000602a.html
6.04.00
The New York Times Book Review put together a summer reading list. I'll have to check out Bobos in Paradise, As Nature Made Him, Genome, and The Tipping Point.
New York Times Book Review summer reading list: [via Follow Me Here]
http://partners.nytimes.com/books/00/06/04/home/contents.html?bk0602
6.03.00
A woman in California reads tarot cards over the Internet. No customers or traffic comes to her home, yet local officals won't allow her to run her business. "There's a specific prohibition against fortunetelling, period," said Bob Bernard, a city zoning officer. He also said the zoning ordinance "goes back 85 years." I think its time for communities to re-examine their out-dated laws and regulations so they don't impact on the multitude of changes happening today.
"Online Card-Reader Out of Luck":
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36703,00.html?tw=wn20000603
Don't bother giving to Democratic Congressional candidates in Massachusetts. With big campaign stashes and no opposition, the pols are spending campaign money on ski trips, parties, and teddy bears.
"Pols Burn Hefty War Chests: Mass. Dems Blow Extra Campaign $$":
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/main06022000.htm
Dan O'Brien at Forrester Research has coined the term "hypersyndication." He thinks media companies should partner with lots and lots of outlets to get their content in front of as much of their audience as possible. How would money be made? "If your content helps a marketer sell a product or service, then you could legitimately get part of that transaction in the form of a 'bounty fee' for helping provide that content to the marketers," O'Brien said.
Could this apply to weblogs? Of course, that would require blogs to have some content people would want to read.
"Forrester To Media: Let Go Of That Content!"
http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/149922.html
Sean Hackbarth
Writer/Bookseller
Allenton, WI
https://www.angelfire.com/wi/shackbar
shackbar@free-market.net
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