December 2007
20 posts
The Airport Security Follies →
Conventional wisdom says the terrorists exploited a weakness in airport security by smuggling aboard box-cutters. What they actually exploited was a weakness in our mindset — a set of presumptions based on the decades-long track record of hijackings. Commercial airline pilot Patrick Stewart writes some of the best no-nonsense pieces on air travel around. (He is also author of Salon.com’s...
Drugs to build up that mental muscle →
You might not be so hard on Barry Bonds and Floyd Landis after reading this article about pharmaceutical mind enhancements. It’s here, it’s growing and what are you going to do to keep your job or pass your class when everyone around you is popping pills to get ahead?
WatchI wouldn’t TIVO through commercials if more of them were as funny as this ad for an insurance company.
Goodbye to All That →
Andrew Sullivan with compelling arguments for why Barack Obama is the one presidential candidate with a chance to transcend the Vietnam War era divisiness that is still tearing our country apart. Obama not your choice? This is still an article worth reading for its analysis of the Vietnam War legacy in boomer politics (and the last few elections.)
FBI Prepares Vast Database Of Biometrics →
Given that 3 months and dozens of phonecalls, faxes, emails and letters have not been enough to correct my credit record (mingled with someone else’s due to a typo), I don’t feel very good about the FBI storing my biometric data. It sounds like a good idea, if it works. But how in the HELL do you fix bad data? Via phone support in India?
How America Lost the War on Drugs : Rolling Stone →
Fascinating, detailed look at what has worked and (mostly) not worked, and the political forces behind this “war.” Equally interesting is the way the drug trade has adapted to the efforts to eradicate it. Long, but good read.
Drive Someone Insane with Postcards →
“You are bidding on a rare chance to traumatize a treasured friend or relative with baffling, mind-numbing, mystery correspondence from abroad. These postcards will be rant-ravingly insane, yet they will be peppered with unmistakable personal details about the addressee.”
Pope says atheism led to "greatest forms of... →
Oh, he must be referring to the Atheist Inquisition.
Why Buying a Nintendo Wii Is Worth It →
Cartman was right.
City's pot ordinance rewritten →
“The Sonora City Council voted unanimously Monday to ban marijuana smoking in public, but the revised ordinance it adopted says nothing about consuming the weed in other ways.”
ABC News: Granny Hackers Make History →
Stupid title for an amazing story - the story of six women who programmed ENIAC when the Army ran out of guys to do the work in WW2.
