Suburbia redux; urban redevelopment in NYC; iron snow on Mercury, gold-farmers; BASH commands reference … Continue reading “Links for 11-05-2008″

A new look at aid to Africa … Continue reading “Links for 10-05-2008″

Stigler’s law … Continue reading “Links for 09-05-2008″

Cascio on the Fermi Paradox; “smart pills”; big surprise - hardly any terrorists in SL; assorted software and webdev linx (mostly Linux, natch) … Continue reading “Links for 08-05-2008″

The argument for web standards in author sites; multiple moons; CCTV+FAIL; grant writing; Lefsetz on Reznor … Continue reading “Links for 07-05-2008″

All things considered, I’ve been pretty cheerful of late - a situation I’ve worked hard to maintain, primarily through the sensible avoidance of political news of all types.

But sometimes you just can’t avoid the worst of it … and so now I’m off to the kitchen to make a pint of espresso which I can inject into my eyeballs to hopefully ameliorate the clangorous echoes of anthropogenic FAIL.

Why?

Well, I was prepared to put the election of this racist over-privileged buffoon down to the innately British habit of supporting the person least suitable for the post, no matter how nonsensical their ascension to said post would be.

But then this morning someone Twittered me a link to a news story about Americans holding prayer meetings at gas stations. So that God will help to lower the prices, you see.

And then I read about politicians - ostensibly on the same side of the political divide - not only discrediting one another simply because they want the big chair at the head of the table (and if I can’t have it nor can you, so nyaaah), but also quite deliberately undermining any remaining semblance of public respect for education and experience (and, seemingly, basic common sense) by playing the Everyman card.

Good grief.

The funny bit is that people regularly tell me that anarchism is an untenable political philosophy because it would invite greed, self-interest and mob-rule stupidity to take the wheel. In which case I’m not entirely sure, at this precise moment of time, what we have to lose.

Now, where’s my coffee? I worry that I’m slowly turning into Warren Ellis …

More YA SF hot air; Trent Reznor does it again … Continue reading “Links for 06-05-2008″

Friendly AI FAQ; Ubuntu installation tips … Continue reading “Links for 05-05-2008″

What advertising teaches us about fiction; the four-thing memory limit … Continue reading “Links for 04-05-2008″

Memory hax; mortality; Fermi and filters; lock-picking; urban eccentrics … Continue reading “Links for 02-05-2008″