Map Of All Maps

When it comes to esoteric geekery, cartography yields the field to no other subject.  Slate recently published a review of what they claim may be the best American wall map....ever!

You can go to the creator's website and see more for yourself.  And perhaps even buy a copy.  The spent years working on it!  That ought to be good for a couple bucks.

The Utility Of Religion

History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it.

-Time Enough For Love, by Robert Heinlein

Pick A Spending Cut

There is a guide to the GOP candidates and their potential federal spending preferences over at the 10^th Amendment Center.

Sadly, Ron Paul is the most prolific as well as the most specific candidate when it comes to spending cuts.  Gary Johnson continues to be my candidate of choice even though his spending proposals are not as specific.

Mr. Obama is not listed.  Primarily because despite his protestations to the contrary, he has no intention of limiting federal spending.

Let The Silly Season Begin!

“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty."  Edward R. Murrow

A brief thought as our quadrennial electoral circus begins.

It is time for Mr. Obama to go.

He isn't evil.

He isn't a Stalinist.

He doesn't belong in prison.

Under no circumstances, should he come to any harm before his term in office expires.  Or after, for that matter.

Outside of the Presidency, Mr. Obama seems like a nice enough guy.  However.....

Mr. Obama is quite simply enamored of any number of substantially flawed ideas with respect to economics, tax policy, and health care issues.  His deficit spending has undermined the value of the dollar and saddled our youth with trillions of dollars of excess debt.  Mr. Obama's spending makes every single other President look like a piker.  His Justice Department has pro-actively armed criminal organizations that operate inside our neighbor and ally, Mexico.  His foreign policies have largely abdicated the field of global diplomacy to terrorist organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood and to China, our most daunting economic competitor.  And he has actively fostered divisions in our country.

At the time of his election, Mr. Obama decidedly lacked the experience in a leadership position to run for the office of President of the United States.  It was reasonably suspected that his economic platform would further empower a too powerful central, federal government by moving towards a more European style of social-democratic government.

Both have come to fruition.

Mr. Obama's defense policies have been pretty good. And his administration has had moments where they have moved the country forward.

Pundits make comparisons between Mr. Obama and former President Carter because it is apt.  And like Mr. Carter, Mr. Obama does not deserve another four years in office.

Now I'm Screwed

A brief bit of snark over at the blogfather's is a neat encapsulation of some things I have thought for a while.  Unfortunately, Andrew Sullivan is the inspiration.

One of the prime defenses of the economic machinations of the Democrats in Congress and the Obama administration is that "the stimulus didn't work better because they didn't know how bad the economy really was."   This brings to mind a couple brief retorts.

• So you want to reward their prior incompetence with more spending authority?  Alternatively, if they got it wrong before, what makes you think they are correct now?

and

• So you now find it acceptable for a President to make a strong response based on faulty information that everyone accepted as true at the time?

Sadly, Mr. Sullivan's endorsement of Ron Paul just makes it that much harder to pick a candidate should next November witness a Paul vs. Obama race.  The hair splitting required may be beyond my acumen.

Adults And Babies

How anybody expects a man to stay in business with every two-bit wowser in the country claiming a veto over what we can say and can't say and what we can show and what we can't show - it's enough to make you throw up. The whole principle is wrong; it's like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't eat steak.

- The Man Who Sold The Moon, by Robert Heinlein

And The Calender Indexes Again

Happiest of New Years to my regular readers.  If we can get another one they we can take a shot at playing Euchre.

As a parting gift, I am going to point you toward John Scalzi's blog and invite you to view some photos he shot nearby.  "Nearby" being a relative term southern Michigan is close to Ohio.  This is the beauty of the mid-west.

Sunsets to close the old year.

And a sunrise to welcome the new.

All the best to you all in the coming year.

The Feeding Frenzy

Periodically, some marketeer will do something so confoundedly stupid that it simply must be passed on.  Telling a customer to put on his "big boy pants" qualifies.

Meet Paul Christoforo.

[update 6-22-2016]

Well the internet breaks every once in a while.  Those links are dead.

But here are a couple about the marketing faux pas that occurred.  Also, here is a link to the follow on from the company that made the game controller being marketed.  They didn't do anything wrong, but it's a nice bit of closure for their customers nonetheless.

Never, Never Look

I never should have looked.  Now I can't wait.

Once you watch this trailer for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit", you won't want to wait either.  Sadly, we have no choice in the matter.

[edited 1 May 2019]

Apparently the link to the video is borken.  The movie did come out.  I was disappointed.

Oh Man, What A High

"The high I feel when I actually remember to bring my reusable bags to the store -- and take them inside rather than leave them in the parked car -- can last for days."

Indeed it can.  And here is the comic strip in question....

A Visual Feast

Audrey Munson was a muse for many artists in the early 20th century.  Sculptures for which she modeled still adorn New York City.  Ms. Munson has the distinction of being the first actress to appear nude in a moving picture.

The Daily has a brief profile of her life that is worth your time. She was simultaneously an unassuming and an amazing figure in the history of American art.

I largely have to agree with Ms. Munson regarding the relative value of abstract art.  Some abstract art is most worthwhile and thought provoking.  The rest seems limited to splotching worthy of a 5th grade student still shivering from a long walk to school in the snow.

Audrey Munson photo by Bettman/Corbis

Guaranteed Profit?

There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute or common law. Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back.

- Lifeline, by Robert Heinlein




Messrs. Bush and Obama - and most members of Congress - should have the above tattooed on the inside of their eyelids and across their asses.

A Dragon, Curiously

Or more correct, a drakling.  Forever preserved in resin.

Other views are available at the artist's Etsy store, linked above.

The Conduct Of Science

One can judge from experiment, or one can blindly accept authority. To the scientific mind, experimental proof is all important and theory is merely a convenience in description, to be junked when it no longer fits. To the academic mind, authority is everything and facts are junked when they do not fit theory laid down by authority.

- Lifeline, by Robert Heinlein




Longtime readers will recall my skepticism regarding the enthusiastic pursuit of the theory of a climate that is sensitive to human CO₂ emissions.  A big part of that skepticism is the observation that the data is being molded to fit the theories instead of molding the theories to fit the data.  That observation was effectively validated by the Climategate episode that released thousands of CRU documents along with the software they generated to "model" our climate.  The programmer's notes in the software alone should be enough to convince every man and woman of science that "science" - the pursuit of theories that explain the facts - was not being conducted by the influential staff of the CRU.

I suspect that they are not unique in their approach to studying our climate.

Giving Unique Gifts

Sci-fi author, John Scalzi, is using his blog to promote unique gifts for this Christmas season.  One need not limit themselves to our Happy Holidays when using this promotion, but that is what got it started.  he has used a day for promoting traditional authors, non-traditional authors, and now other handicrafts.

The last category has reminded me of Etsy; a website for selling hand made goods.  Think of it like Ebay or Amazon, but with a focus on hand crafted products.

Friends have been using and recommending Etsy to me for quite some time.  Perhaps you, my gentle and faithful reader, will find it of some value as well.

Someone Call Tom Selleck

I saw where this was leading in 1984.  Someone call Tom Selleck!

Actually, I'm a bit of a technology geek.  I find this stuff to be fascinating.

Now That Is Quidditch!

Oh Ginny!  And we thought we knew you well.  Now we wish we knew you better!

Potentially NSFW for certain environments.


Have to remember to add this strip to my daily read!

So Thick You Could Cut It With A Knife

Louis CK is not really my kind of comedian.  But the irony here is really thick.  Capitalism is the reason why we have all that technology!

I suppose the other option is that he is using some double reverse ironic ninjitsu.  Perhaps he is suggesting that if capitalism implodes and we have to go back to the barter system for a while, perhaps we will be better stewards when we bring capitalism back.

Reason To Pause

A long standing concern regarding Mr. Obama is his attitude towards governance.  He appears to have an attitude that is perfectly encapsulated by an address made by his lovely and gracious wife in 2008.  In that address, she said "Barack will require you to work."  Emphasis added.

It seems that the left has finally taken note of his autocratic nature.  He doesn't call.  He expects results, but he apparently doesn't bother to build the kinds of large tent relationships that enable those results to be achieved.

Psssttt....Can Someone Do Something To Fix This?

It might help.

It took Bob Bertsch 25 years to build his construction business and just a day for it all to go away.

...

"I am tired of carrying all the tax load," Bertsch said. "I renew 13 licenses here every year just so I can spend money in this city."

Bertsch makes no attempt to conceal his frustration with the costs government imposes on small businesses like his.

"Government is killing small business. We used to have 24 employees at our peak. Now, all of those people who used to work here are in unemployment lines," he said.

...

Bertsch told a friend at the auction he is selling out because government was taking more out of his business than he was.

Or we can keep giving handouts to big businesses with ties to the government.  The whole idea of keeping everyone's taxes low is apparently over rated.

 

Link to the source.