Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

I was reading Hendrik Tennekes on climate models and learned some very interesting mathematics. Let me walk you through it. It isn’t hard and it turns out to be very beautiful. First off let me give you the flavor of the man. Here is something he says that I really like: “Physicists dream of Nobel…

It seems to me that funding for the Polywell Fusion Project being run by EMC2 Fusion has stalled. So I want to do something about that. When ever you post a comment on a blog use this tagline: Why hasn’t Polywell Fusion been funded? If the blog allows embeded urls you can post this: Why…

It seems like the net is all abuzz about how climate science violates the principles of forecasting. Excellent. Except I blogged the very same report in June of 2007 at Principles Of Forecasting. Nice to see the folks on the net keeping up to date. Cross Posted at Power and Control

It is about a minute with English subtitles. The Jerusalem Post explains how this came to be. The Green Leaf Graduates, which split from the political party Aleh Yarok, best known for its advocacy of the legalization of cannabis, is making waves with its most recent announcement: a plan to incorporate the Holocaust Survivors Party.…

While a lot of people predicted that Barack Obama would try to revise the unconstitutional “Fairness Doctrine” (requiring broadcasters to present “both sides” of “controversial issues”), I’ve long been skeptical that he would dare. Not only would he have little to gain politically, but I cannot think of anything more calculated to activate and unite…

The Dallas Morning News says Obama is going to have trouble to his south. President Barack Obama’s agenda is already packed to the brim with urgent domestic and international issues. Another item – Mexico – deserves a place high on his list, though it’s rarely been apparent from Obama’s campaign and post-election public statements that…

Evidently Hamas was not really interested in a long cease fire with Israel. Ten days and the war is back on. The Israeli military says one soldier has been killed and three wounded in a bomb attack on the Gaza-Israel border. The bombing Tuesday marks the first serious clash along the border since a cease-fire…

The Pentagon is switching to LEDs. Cree, Inc. announced that more than 4,200 LR24 recessed LEDluminaires are planned for installation in Wedge 5 of the Pentagon as partof a major renovation currently underway. In a signing ceremony today at the Pentagon, John J. Kubricky, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts, and…

It seems like the climate consensus is dying. “Vice President Gore and the other promoters of man-made climate fears endless claims that the “debate is over” appear to be ignoring scientific reality,” Senator James Inhofe, Ranking Member of the Environment & Public Works Committee. A U.S. Senate Minority Report released in December 2008 details over…

There is some very promising research that promises the development of a new kind of transistor. A team of Duke University chemists has modified a method for growing long, straight, numerous and well-aligned carbon cylinders only a few atoms thick that paves the way for manufacturing reliable electronic nanocircuits. The team had already described a…

The things I miss, being here in Berkeley! Back in Ann Arbor, terrorism has been redefined — by two experts on the subject. I refer to Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn — who were promoting their new book to a standing room only crowd at the University of Michigan: …when their talk at the University…

Eric posted a bit entitled Your typical Jew wants war? in which he discusses Obama’s statement: There are Israelis who recognize that it is important to achieve peace. The best answer to that is something I read yesterday by Professor Barry Rubin. I’m posting it in its entirety because it explains the Palestinian politics behind…

Trucking tonnage declined by a seasonally adjusted 11.1% in December. Which puts us back to the level of December 2000. Very serious to be sure. The end of the world? I doubt it. However we still may have further to fall. As the Obama administration is fervently working on an economic stimulus package the get…

There are Israelis who recognize that it is important to achieve peace. So said Barack Obama, in a statement that strikes me as a tad condescending. I realize that everyone is obsessed with the economy right now, but when coupled with the fact that Obama’s first presidential interview is with an Arab network, might the…

Beautiful sunset today, right in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge, which only happens twice a year. Of course, the indoor sun never sets. Earlier today I met a charming pit bull named Willis, who was employed as a classic junkyard dog, shown here chained to his cylinder head: I like the “Have A…

More YouTube Azam Ali. Azam Ali at Amazon. The Azam Ali wiki. H/T Dani Cross Posted at Power and Control

Catherine Austin Fitts has a blog post that says we can learn a lot about how the real world works by going to the movies. Michael Corleone: “My father is no different than any powerful man, any man with power, like a president or senator.” Kay Adams: “Do you know how naive you sound, Michael?…

It looks like illegal cash may be the only thing keeping some banks afloat. The United Nations’ crime and drug watchdog has indications that money made in illicit drug trade has been used to keep banks afloat in the global financial crisis, its head was quoted as saying on Sunday. Vienna-based UNODC Executive Director Antonio…

In an effort to appear even handed in his dealings with the world Barack Hussein Obama has chosen Al-Arabiya for his first interview. President Barack Obama on Tuesday chose an Arabic satellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president, delivering a message to the Muslim world that “Americans are not your enemy.”…

Making things is magic and changing the way things are made doesn’t cost much. At least according to Mr. Obama who wants states to be in the Federal regulation business when it comes to automobiles. President Obama will direct federal regulators on Monday to move swiftly on an application by California and 13 other states…