27 February 2006
The Decline of Ancient Civilization
The 2006 Winter Olympic Games have apparently ended. I confess to having not watched any of it and to having read preciously little as well. My wife and ten-year-old daughter watched about fifteen minutes of ice skating early on and then abandoned it. They did watch every minute of "Dancing with the Stars" for the last three weeks, though. I predict that the next round of bidding for television rights is going to be postponed once or twice before a "new paradigm" of broadcasting is announced, with the television rights going for a fraction of the current rates and one or more companies picking up iPod and other digital media rights.
Intelligent Designs
I had the opportunity to listen to a one of the leading experts on the subject give a talk on the development of herbicide resistance among weeds. It's a problem every bit as serious as the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria, if not more so, as there has not been an herbicide with a new mode of action developed in over a decade and there do not appear to be any new products on the horizon. After the talk, when I went up to him and asked how he hoped to get the message of resistance across to a population who doesn't even believe in evolution, he shrugged and shook his head.
That's the problem. It's not enough to say "you believe in religion as the answer to everything and I'll believe in science, and we'll all go our merry ways." A small handful of sufficiently stupid people have the potential to screw things up for everyone. Unfortunately, when it comes to using antibiotics and herbicides, it's not a small number of people, but a substantial portion of the population. Ignorance of basic biology represents a threat to the health and welfare of all of us.
The problem seems to lie with the fact that many people are unable to understand the most basic of syllogisms; if it requires independent thought, it's beyond their ken. They rely entirely upon the rule of authority. Since science admits that there are things that are not yet understood and which may never be understood, while the answer to all questions in religions is that it's all god's fault, religion obviously has the greater authority.
So how can rational people deal with the "the bible says it, I believe it, end of story" crowd? Simple. When they get sick, encourage them to go with faith-based interventions. Talk them out of medical solutions and into prayer groups. If we can't outbreed 'em, let's outlive them.
That's the problem. It's not enough to say "you believe in religion as the answer to everything and I'll believe in science, and we'll all go our merry ways." A small handful of sufficiently stupid people have the potential to screw things up for everyone. Unfortunately, when it comes to using antibiotics and herbicides, it's not a small number of people, but a substantial portion of the population. Ignorance of basic biology represents a threat to the health and welfare of all of us.
The problem seems to lie with the fact that many people are unable to understand the most basic of syllogisms; if it requires independent thought, it's beyond their ken. They rely entirely upon the rule of authority. Since science admits that there are things that are not yet understood and which may never be understood, while the answer to all questions in religions is that it's all god's fault, religion obviously has the greater authority.
So how can rational people deal with the "the bible says it, I believe it, end of story" crowd? Simple. When they get sick, encourage them to go with faith-based interventions. Talk them out of medical solutions and into prayer groups. If we can't outbreed 'em, let's outlive them.
18 February 2006
When It's Not Your Year
NASCAR's truck division ran the GM FlexFuel 250 at Daytona, NASCAR's hallowed ground, yesterday. GM must have shelled out a healthy seven-digits to get the race sponsorship, which celebrates their line of pickups and SUVs, all of which can run on either gasoline or E85 (a mixture of 85% ethanol, 14% gasoline, and 1% highly enriched uranium).
Unfortunately for the sponsor, the fastest Chevrolet truck finished in twelfth place, behind two Dodges, four Fords, and five Toyotas. In fact, only three of the top twenty places were held by Chevys, although the back of the pack was well stocked. Even considering the knuckleheads of the NASCAR nation this sort of performance can't be good for sales.
Unfortunately for the sponsor, the fastest Chevrolet truck finished in twelfth place, behind two Dodges, four Fords, and five Toyotas. In fact, only three of the top twenty places were held by Chevys, although the back of the pack was well stocked. Even considering the knuckleheads of the NASCAR nation this sort of performance can't be good for sales.
15 February 2006
Out of the Loop
Well, there's very little I can add to Dick Cheney's own words, but that won't keep me from trying.
DC: "And it was also important, I thought, to get the story out as accurately as possible, and this is a complicated story that, frankly, most reporters would never have dealt with before, so —"
Very true. Sarah McClendon died back in 2003 and she had only started covering the White House in the FDR administration. I doubt that anyone still working the Washington beat is likely to have covered Aaron Burr shooting Alexander Hamilton.
DC: "I had a bit of the feeling that the press corps was upset because, to some extent, it was about them — they didn't like the idea that we called the Corpus Christi Caller-Times instead of The New York Times. But it strikes me that the Corpus Christi Caller-Times is just as valid a news outlet as The New York Times is, especially for covering a major story in south Texas."
Possibly true as well. Of course it would have played better if Dick hadn't just said: "In terms of who I would contact to have somebody who would understand what we're even talking about, the first person that we talked with at one point, when Katherine first called the desk to get hold of a reporter didn't know the difference between a bullet and a shotgun — a rifle bullet and a shotgun." I'm reasonably confident that the Times has someone on the National Desk who can tell the difference between being sniped and being blasted, even on a Saturday.
DC: "I think this decision we made, that this was the right way to do it."
Now we know the real mastermind of Adminstration policy. This is almost a direct quote to explain away the debacles of Iraq and Katrina. Consistency is a fundamental virtue.
And finally, Dick shows that he's a real softy at heart.
Brit Hume: "Will it affect your attitude toward this pastime you so love in the future?"
DC: "I can't say that. You know, we canceled the Sunday hunt. I said, look I'm not — we were scheduled to go out again on Sunday and I said I'm not going to go on Sunday, I want to focus on Harry. I'll have to think about it."
What more can you say about the guy? After blasting his friend in the face and chest, he was concerned enough not to go out shooting the next day.
DC: "And it was also important, I thought, to get the story out as accurately as possible, and this is a complicated story that, frankly, most reporters would never have dealt with before, so —"
Very true. Sarah McClendon died back in 2003 and she had only started covering the White House in the FDR administration. I doubt that anyone still working the Washington beat is likely to have covered Aaron Burr shooting Alexander Hamilton.
DC: "I had a bit of the feeling that the press corps was upset because, to some extent, it was about them — they didn't like the idea that we called the Corpus Christi Caller-Times instead of The New York Times. But it strikes me that the Corpus Christi Caller-Times is just as valid a news outlet as The New York Times is, especially for covering a major story in south Texas."
Possibly true as well. Of course it would have played better if Dick hadn't just said: "In terms of who I would contact to have somebody who would understand what we're even talking about, the first person that we talked with at one point, when Katherine first called the desk to get hold of a reporter didn't know the difference between a bullet and a shotgun — a rifle bullet and a shotgun." I'm reasonably confident that the Times has someone on the National Desk who can tell the difference between being sniped and being blasted, even on a Saturday.
DC: "I think this decision we made, that this was the right way to do it."
Now we know the real mastermind of Adminstration policy. This is almost a direct quote to explain away the debacles of Iraq and Katrina. Consistency is a fundamental virtue.
And finally, Dick shows that he's a real softy at heart.
Brit Hume: "Will it affect your attitude toward this pastime you so love in the future?"
DC: "I can't say that. You know, we canceled the Sunday hunt. I said, look I'm not — we were scheduled to go out again on Sunday and I said I'm not going to go on Sunday, I want to focus on Harry. I'll have to think about it."
What more can you say about the guy? After blasting his friend in the face and chest, he was concerned enough not to go out shooting the next day.
09 February 2006
Vandalism
The University of Idaho's football coach, Nick Holt, resigned last Sunday to take a position as an assistant coach for the St. Louis Rams. The Idaho Statesman quotes Holt as saying, "I feel good about it. It's bittersweet to leave this place, especially when I know it's headed in the right direction. I know we can be good now."
It's not hard to see why he feels good about it. Idaho was 5-18 under his coaching.
The school seems pretty broken up about it as well. Athletic director Rob Spear said, "We're disappointed we're losing Nick. But we're Vandals, so we're excited about a Vandal getting an opportunity at the next level." (Yes, the University of Idaho nickname is the Vandals. There are no reports as to whether any East European barbarian hordes will be suing the NCAA to get them to change it.) Holt left spud country to work for Scott Linehan, the new head coach of the Rams, who is a former Vandal quarterback and assistant coach.
But before he even set foot in the Gateway City, Holt bolted. Spurning the defensive line coaching position offered by the Rams, Holt decided to accept the role of defensive coordinator at the University of Southern California instead. The Statesman has not received a statement from Holt regarding his new position, but they quote him as saying on last Sunday that the Rams job was "an opportunity I just couldn't turn down.''
In the bitter irony department, the U of I has hired former NFL and college head coach Dennis Erickson. Erickson coached for four years at Idaho in the early eighties and ran up a 32-15 record. His overall college record is 144-57-1 over seventeen years.
It's not hard to see why he feels good about it. Idaho was 5-18 under his coaching.
The school seems pretty broken up about it as well. Athletic director Rob Spear said, "We're disappointed we're losing Nick. But we're Vandals, so we're excited about a Vandal getting an opportunity at the next level." (Yes, the University of Idaho nickname is the Vandals. There are no reports as to whether any East European barbarian hordes will be suing the NCAA to get them to change it.) Holt left spud country to work for Scott Linehan, the new head coach of the Rams, who is a former Vandal quarterback and assistant coach.
But before he even set foot in the Gateway City, Holt bolted. Spurning the defensive line coaching position offered by the Rams, Holt decided to accept the role of defensive coordinator at the University of Southern California instead. The Statesman has not received a statement from Holt regarding his new position, but they quote him as saying on last Sunday that the Rams job was "an opportunity I just couldn't turn down.''
In the bitter irony department, the U of I has hired former NFL and college head coach Dennis Erickson. Erickson coached for four years at Idaho in the early eighties and ran up a 32-15 record. His overall college record is 144-57-1 over seventeen years.
08 February 2006
It's Rocket Science
NASA has just released their FY2007 budget request and it shifts 4.63 billion dollars out of the space science budget between now and 2010. Where is this money going? You might think that it's supposed to pay for the work that's needed to put men back on the Moon and for the first landing on Mars, but you'd be wrong. Exploration Systems, which NASA says, "develops and demonstrates new
technologies that will enable NASA to conduct future human and robotic exploration missions, including the development of robotic precursor missions for lunar exploration" is losing $1.51 billion over the same time frame and Human Systems, which according to NASA: "advance knowledge and technology critical for supporting long-term human survival and performance during operations beyond low-Earth orbit,with a focus on improving medical care and human health maintenance", is getting whacked for $2.41 billion. That's an $8.55 billion decrease in the science budget.
Of this, $2.95 billion is going to pay for additional space shuttle missions, the destination of each being the International Space Station. You may remember the ISS, which was widely promoted by NASA hacks as being the greatest scientific tool since the invention of the microscope. If you do remember it, it's almost certainly not for the science, as it hasn't generated enough data to provide source material for a single decent dissertation.
Another $1.23 billion is earmarked for a new program called the Innovative Partnerships Program. This is a handout to private industry and a handful of national laboratories. NASA makes a big deal of talking about the Small Business Initiative for Research, which earmarks some of this money for small companies. They don't mention that the SBIR program accounts for only 2.5% of this spending. They also trumpet their Enterprise Engine which is a venture capital fund to sponsor "youngyoung, privately-held companies developing innovative, multi-use technologies that will meet NASA's future mission needs, as well as better position these technologies for future commercial use." This fund accounts for all of 1.0% of the IPP.
The rest of the windfall, some $6.8 billion including additional funds, is going to down the hole to create the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), the Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), and the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLLV), about which more will be said in the near future.
technologies that will enable NASA to conduct future human and robotic exploration missions, including the development of robotic precursor missions for lunar exploration" is losing $1.51 billion over the same time frame and Human Systems, which according to NASA: "advance knowledge and technology critical for supporting long-term human survival and performance during operations beyond low-Earth orbit,with a focus on improving medical care and human health maintenance", is getting whacked for $2.41 billion. That's an $8.55 billion decrease in the science budget.
Of this, $2.95 billion is going to pay for additional space shuttle missions, the destination of each being the International Space Station. You may remember the ISS, which was widely promoted by NASA hacks as being the greatest scientific tool since the invention of the microscope. If you do remember it, it's almost certainly not for the science, as it hasn't generated enough data to provide source material for a single decent dissertation.
Another $1.23 billion is earmarked for a new program called the Innovative Partnerships Program. This is a handout to private industry and a handful of national laboratories. NASA makes a big deal of talking about the Small Business Initiative for Research, which earmarks some of this money for small companies. They don't mention that the SBIR program accounts for only 2.5% of this spending. They also trumpet their Enterprise Engine which is a venture capital fund to sponsor "youngyoung, privately-held companies developing innovative, multi-use technologies that will meet NASA's future mission needs, as well as better position these technologies for future commercial use." This fund accounts for all of 1.0% of the IPP.
The rest of the windfall, some $6.8 billion including additional funds, is going to down the hole to create the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), the Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), and the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLLV), about which more will be said in the near future.
04 February 2006
The Creation Story
In the beginning the universe was a simple place, without distinctions such as matter and energy, good and evil, and Republican and Democrat. Modern physics tells us that this period of rationality lasted roughly one billionth of a billionth of a femtosecond, which is about how long it takes to realize that you just ran a stop sign right in front of a cop, and then someone dropped the universe and it shattered into countless fragments, none of which fit together. Science, which feels obligated to give everything a name, refers to this as symmetry breaking.
Broken symmetry has a lot to answer for. It's responsible for the fact that the visible universe is comprised almost entirely of matter, and not anti-matter. It is the reason that gauge bosons have mass (thus distinguishing between the weak and the electromagnetic forces). And, most troubling of all, it explains why people have a morbid fascination with which celebrities are sleeping together.
This blog is dedicated to broken symmetry and all of its effects. It's a place for random fragments to come together and just possibly restore a bit of order to the universe.
Broken symmetry has a lot to answer for. It's responsible for the fact that the visible universe is comprised almost entirely of matter, and not anti-matter. It is the reason that gauge bosons have mass (thus distinguishing between the weak and the electromagnetic forces). And, most troubling of all, it explains why people have a morbid fascination with which celebrities are sleeping together.
This blog is dedicated to broken symmetry and all of its effects. It's a place for random fragments to come together and just possibly restore a bit of order to the universe.
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