Month: November 2011

I found a fascinating article on building a do-it-yourself urinal that basically just drains the urine into the ground. This is what it looks like: After detailing how to make it, the author concludes with these remarks: Urine is not full of toxic bacteria like excrement is, so there is no health risk to pumping…

You can watch the full video here. About 5 minutes in to the video there is a discussion about society and mind altering substances. Every society has them except for Eskimos. Only one or two though with the rest frowned upon or actively discouraged. There is no universal agreement on which two mind altering substances…

Well, I just spent fifteen bucks on 24 100 watt incandescent light bulbs. But it isn’t enough to buy light bulbs without pointing the finger at the corporate fascists who have reduced me to it. Perhaps “corporate fascist” is too strong a term. Perhaps I should call them “crony capitalists.” Anyway, I found the grim details…

As the race towards the GOP nomination progresses, President Obama continues to lose (by a slim margin of 0.2%) in a hypothetical race against a generic Republican. However, he continues to win in hypothetical races against all specific GOP candidates. Here’s how it looks now: Romney vs. Obama (Romney +2.2) Paul vs. Obama  (Obama +6.0)…

I have an article up at ECN wondering how can the Smart Grid be secure? And in case you missed it they had a very nice bit up for Veterans Day. Cross Posted at Power and Control

“Call the police!” is a phrase I’ve been hearing a lot these days. As if the police are the Ultimate Arbiters of Everything, and calling them is the best way to solve all problems, stop all crimes, and save endangered lives. Tell that to Konerak Sinthasomphone, who was handed over to Jeffrey Dahmer by an officer…

I’m reading a very interesting article about how Darwin better informs economics than Adam Smith. It goes heavily into “keeping up with the Joneses” or relative economic position and why it matters. For one, you can not get your kids into the best schools unless you live in the best neighborhoods. That costs a lot…

I’d use a different word for the title but this is a semi-reputable blog. But the word I used is pertinent. A guy has a theory. The theory is that falling cocaine prices led to a drop in the murder rate. But despite drug busts and stricter regulations, cocaine prices kept declining. In fact, prices…

“I seen that black n—– yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!!” So testified Robert E. Lee Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird. Back in the 1930s, such an allegation alone was enough to convict a black man of rape. In the book (as well as in many real life cases), his statement did convict the accused rapist…

The arguments about Penn State and Joe Paterno are at a fever pitch. It seems to be a developing consensus that the University was involved in a cover up of the incident involving a child being molested. The purpose likely being to keep the money flowing. It won’t be the first time. Back in January…

I’m trying to reconcile these two statements from the MERS Mortgage Registry. “The MERS System is not a legal system of record or a replacement for public land records. No interests are transferred on the system—they are only tracked,” Smith, Merscorp vice president of corporate communications, wrote in a response to emailed questions. “MERS does…

H/T polyill at Talk Polywell.

Even though it might seem to be of more interest because it’s the only 11-11-11 we (er, most of us) will ever see in our lifetimes, today is Veteran’s Day. So go out and thank a veteran! Those who have defended our freedom can never be thanked enough. A veteran I would especially like to…

We have a commenter at in a media kangaroo court, you’re guilty even if proven innocent!, who left this link in the comments: Omelas State University in which science fiction writer John Scalzi excoriates the silence up and down the chain of command in the Joe Paterno case which is so hot right now. Here’s…

Earlier I wrote a comment in which I explained why I am defending Joe Paterno, who has been condemned by a number of commenters at this blog: Without wearing blinders, I have read numerous accounts and reports. Paterno (a longtime family friend) was exonerated of any legal wrongdoing years ago. He has been subjected to…

My friend Karridine sends this latest update: The water from the country’s worst flooding in more than half a century is filling Bangkok’s Lahd Prao intersection, where three major roads meet. Office towers, condominiums and a popular shopping mall are in the area, where local observers say the water is 15 inches deep. The intersection…

I’m sure it has some numerological significance. It is almost 11:11 AM CDT here so I’m about to celebrate: 11-11-11 11:11 Smoke ’em if you got ’em.

But (or should that be butt?) comments are allowed.

Ann Althouse has an interesting post about the Penn State protesters who are angry (rightfully, IMO) about the sacking of the venerated Joe Paterno following a media feeding frenzy. She notes that unlike the OWS and Wisconsin protests, “the Penn State protest instantly went into riot mode, with violence galore.” The chief targets of the…

A little snow music.