iPod Accessories

Ken AshfordScience & TechnologyLeave a Comment

Emily’s blog post about iPod-compatible backpacks got me doing a little googling*.

I think it’s now possible to spend 24 hours with your iPod.

Imagine.  You wake up all snug and warm after a good night’s sleep in your iPod-compatible bed.

Ipod_bed

Wiping the sleep from your eyes, you wander into the bathroom to make use of your iPod-compatible toilet paper dispenser

Ipod_toilet_paper_dispense

Ugh.  The morning jog.  Thank God you have iPod-compatible sneakers:

Nikeshoes

Time to get dressed.  For the guys . . . how about iPod-compatible boxers?

Iboxer_1

For the girls . . . it’s back to bed, with the ultimate in iPod accessories — an iPod vibrator:

Ibuzz_ipod

It’s an iPod world.

(Okay, Apple.  Where’s my check?)

* This is the kind of sentence that drives my mother crazy — "’Blog’?  ‘iPod’?  ‘Googling’?  What the hell are you talking about?!?" [UPDATE:  My mother would lie everyone to know that she does so know what those phrases mean!]

Web’s 15th Birthday Approaching

Ken AshfordHistory, Science & Technology1 Comment

On August 6, 1991, Tim Berners-Lee, a consultant at a physics lab in CERN in Switzerland, made  — for the first time — computer files available to the public which allowed people to build their first web pages.

The first web page appeared at http://info.cern.ch/.  It provided an explanation about what the World Wide Web was, how one could own a browser and how to set up a Web server.   The original webpage does not a exist, but a copy (made in 1992) is preserved here.

Eventually, the website served as the world’s first Web directory, since Berners-Lee maintained a list of other Web sites apart from his own.

Berners-Lee’s made his idea available freely, with no patent and no royalties due. The World Wide Web Consortium decided that their standards must be based on royalty-free technology, so they can be easily adopted by anyone.

Berners-Lee is why I can have a website and blog, and so can everybody else.

How Hot Is It?

Ken AshfordEnvironment & Global Warming & EnergyLeave a Comment

It’s so hot that Sandi Fontaine of Bedford, NH is using her car as an oven.  Literally.

803a1cookies

Full story here, including this cooking tip:

As a matter of fact, anyone can turn the family car into an oven on wheels.The only requirement, Fontaine said, is the outside temperature has to be at least 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bilde_1 RELATED:  On the other hand, an attempt to fry an egg on a manhole cover in the Poconos was unsuccessful.

Tom “Six Months” Friedman Gives Up

Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

New York Times columnist Tom Friedman earned the nickname "Six Months" because of his repeated prognostications about the War in Iraq, which all sounded really similar.

"The next six months in Iraq—which will determine the prospects for democracy-building there—are the most important six months in U.S. foreign policy in a long, long time."
[New York Times, 11/30/03]

“What we’re gonna find out, Bob, in the next six to nine months is whether we have liberated a country or uncorked a civil war.” [CBS’s Face the Nation, 10/3/04]

“I think we’re in the end game now…. I think we’re in a six-month window here where it’s going to become very clear and this is all going to pre-empt I think the next congressional election—that’s my own feeling— let alone the presidential one.” [NBC’s Meet the Press, 9/25/05]

“We’ve teed up this situation for Iraqis, and I think the next six months really are going to determine whether this country is going to collapse into three parts or more or whether it’s going to come together.” [CBS’s Face the Nation, 12/18/05]

"I think we are in the end game. The next six to nine months are going to tell whether we can produce a decent outcome in Iraq."
[BC‘s Today, 3/2/06]

Well, I think that we’re going to find out, Chris, in the next year to six months—probably sooner—whether a decent outcome is possible there, and I think we’re going to have to just let this play out."[MSNBC‘s Hardball, 5/11/06]

Today, he abandons that meme, and admits that “It is now obvious that we are not midwifing democracy in Iraq. We are baby-sitting a civil war”.  He adds that it’s time to “disengage.”  (Link here, but it’s behind the NYT subscription firewall).

Welcome, Tom, to the club.

Pat Robertson Believes In Global Warming

Ken AshfordEnvironment & Global Warming & Energy, GodstuffLeave a Comment

Pat Robertson has always been a little half-baked — like the time he and Jerry Falwell sat around and blamed 9/11 on lesbian sex, or the time he said that Katrina was the sign of the biblical apocalypse.

Maybe this heat has converted the doughy mess that was Pat Robertson’s brain into something solid and reasonable.  Anyway, it’s a good sign:

Conservative Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson said on Thursday the wave of scorching temperatures across the United States had converted him into a believer in global warming.

The view put him at odds with fellow Republican President George W. Bush, who has benefited politically from Robertson’s backing and who has refused to embrace the concept of human-caused global warming.

"We really need to address the burning of fossil fuels," Robertson said on his "700 Club" broadcast. "It is getting hotter, and the icecaps are melting and there is a buildup of carbon dioxide in the air."

It was an abrupt about-face for Robertson who reaches about one million U.S. viewers daily and is credited for helping shape political views of evangelical Christians, a vibrant force behind the Republican Party.

Last October, Robertson said the National Association of Evangelicals was teaming up with "far left environmentalists" for saying global warming was caused by humans and needed to be mitigated.

Robertson’s recent conversion notwithstanding, the Christian right has rejected the undisputed evidence for global warming.  I suspect that’s because the evidence comes from, you know, scientists — the same ones who say that the Earth is more than 6,000 years old.

RELATED:  David Byrne (formerly of the Talking Heads) writes an interesting review of the documnetary Jesus Camp on his blog, making the following observation:

How did accepting the evidence for climate change and global warming become anti-Jesus? Did someone simply conflate all corporate agendas with Jesus and God and these folks accept that? Would Jesus drive an SUV? Is every conclusion responsible scientists make now suspect?)

Friday iPod Random Ten

Ken AshfordRandom Musings2 Comments

  1. Smiley_face You Little Trustmaker –The Tymes
  2. Let’s Go Crazy — Prince
  3. Don’t Stop — Fleetwood Mac
  4. Ferry Cross The Mersey — Gerry & The Pacemakers
  5. Trickle Trickle — Manhattan Transfer
  6. Cruel To Be Kind — Nicke Lowe
  7. Dream A Little Dream Of Me — The Mamas & The Papas
  8. 30,000 Pounds Of Bananas — Harry Chapin
  9. Respect — Aretha Franklin
  10. Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) — Melanie

Wow, there’s a real 60’s and 70’s vibe to this random shuffle list.  Groovy.  Have a nice day.

Soundbites From The Right

Ken AshfordRight Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

(1) Judie Brown at Renew America:

But when it comes to avoiding pregnancy, there is a simple solution: A woman can avoid sexual contact with members of the opposite sex.

Um, okay.  Hot lesbian action works for me.

(2) Marie Jon Apostrophe at Renew America:

The Iraqi people are grateful for the United States and our magnificent troops. We freed the citizens of Iraq from the despotic reign of Saddam.

Yay!!!  And now they can openly support terrorist organizations like Hezbollah!  Pandora’s box anyone?

(3) Ann Coulter interview, posted at The Conservative Voice:

Q: Does Hillary Clinton have a good chance in 2008? What are her strengths and weaknesses? What did her reaction to your "Jersey girls" comments tell you about her as a potential candidate?

Ann: Good chance of what? Coming out of the closet? I’d say that’s about even money.

Ladies and gentleman, we have a trifecta!  First, she called Bill Clinton a "latent homosexual", then she called Al Gore a "total fag", and now she completes the triangle by insinuating that Hillary is a closet lesbian.

(4)  Another conservative columnist does the "Mel Gibson… but…" dance.  This time it’s Brett Bozell at Townhall, and he does it twice in a remarkable column that urges readers not to be judgmental (except for….)

Gibson’s remarks were disgraceful. But is Gibson now to be disgraced? And who is qualified to make that judgment?

***

Gibson’s statements were awful, and deserved condemnation. But the anti-Catholic bigotry raging in Hollywood is far worse.

Why Trust Rumsfeld?

Ken AshfordWar on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

Today on the Hill, Hillary Clinton accused Donald Rumsfeld of giving optimistic assessments of the War on Terrorism in the past.  She then asked why anybody should believe him now.

Rumsfeld responded:

"I don’t think that’s true. I have never painted a rosy picture. I have been very measured in my words, and you’d have a dickens of a time trying to find instances where I have been excessively optimistic."

Dickens of a time?  Hardly:

Dec. 18, 2002: KING: What’s the current situation in Afghanistan? RUMSFELD: It is encouraging. They have elected a government through the Loya Jirga process. The Taliban are gone. The al Qaeda are gone.

Feb. 7, 2003: "It is unknowable how long that conflict will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months."

Feb. 20 2003: "’Do you expect the invasion, if it comes, to be welcomed by the majority of the civilian population of Iraq?’ Jim Lehrer asked the defense secretary on PBS’ The News Hour. ‘There is no question but that they would be welcomed,’ Rumsfeld replied, referring to American forces."

Mar. 30, 2003: "It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are. They’re in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."

BONUS RUMSFELD QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Are there still Taliban around? You bet. Are they occupying safe havens in Afghanistan and other places — correction, in Pakistan and other places? Certainly they are. Is the violence up? Yes. Does the violence tend to be up during the summer, in the spring, summer and fall months? Yes it does. And it tends to decline during the winter period. Does that represent failed policy? I don’t know. I would say not."

So violence in Afghanistan is up, except it is less "up" 3 months out of the year.  This is why, in Rumsfeld’s view, the policy is working.

WTF?

Heat Don’t Lie

Ken AshfordEnvironment & Global Warming & EnergyLeave a Comment

USA Today, December 12, 2003: "UN: 2003 Third Hottest Year On Record"

USA Today, December 15, 2004: "2004 is the Fourth Hottest Year For World Since 1861, Says UN"

Washington Post, October 13, 2005: "New international climate data show that 2005 is on track to be the hottest year on record, continuing a 25-year trend of rising global temperatures."

MSNBC, July 18, 2006: "First Half of Year Warmest On Record In US"

Instrumental_temperature_record

Bottom line: The heat you’re experiencing right now isn’t some sort of freak weather anomoly.  It’s the way things are going to be every year.  For the rest of your lives.  Unless…

UPDATE:  The science editor for Time asks and answers the same question — is this a trend or not?:

So while it’s true that 1944 was one of the 20 hottest years on record, the other 19 have happened since 1983. That’s clearly a trend. And if the vast majority of climate experts are right, it’s only the beginning. Next summer may not be especially hot–but over the next several decades, expect more and more heat waves like this one–and a few that are even worse. Expect them to show up more often, last longer and affect larger areas.

MORE THOUGHTS:  Is it time to do something about global warming?  Of course.  But these guys don’t get it:

Continued Republican House and Senate majorities would likely mean more of the same on climate. House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said he would oppose global warming mandates if Republicans control the 110th Congress. “I think the information is not adequate yet for us to do anything meaningful,” he said.

Another guy who doesn’t get it:

"I cannot imagine any objective finding that CO2 is a pollutant . . . If that’s true, God is a polluter." – Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), chairman of the energy panel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Got that?  Science and evidence be damned.  There can’t be global warming, because that would mean that, um, God is a polluter.  Or something.

That statement would be amusing if it had come from the drunken ramblings of a mentally-disturbed psychotic roaming the streets of any major metropoplitan area.  But it didn’t.  It came from an important man whose daily tasks include setting this country’s energy policy.

Atheist Quotes

Ken AshfordGodstuffLeave a Comment

A whole list of them.  While some of the quotes are (in my view) a little hostile toward religion, there are some that particularly resonate with me (especially the first one):

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours" – Stephen Roberts

"You can’t convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it’s based on a deep-seated need to believe." – Carl Sagan

"And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence" – Bertrand Russell

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" – Epicurus

"Blind faith is an ironic gift to return to the Creator of human intelligence." – Unknown

"There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages." – Richard Lederer

"I do not think it is necessary to believe that the same God who has given us our senses, reason, and intelligence wished us to abandon their use, giving us by some other means the information that we could gain through them" – Galileo

"We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty Humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes." – Gene Roddenberry

"Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense." – Chapman Cohen

"Science is like a blabbermouth who ruins a movie by telling you how it ends! Well I say there are some things we don’t want to know! Important things!" – Ned Flanders

"I have examined all the known superstitions of the world, and I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology." – Thomas Jefferson

"If triangles had a god, He would have three sides" – Unknown

"But I don’t have to know an answer. I don’t feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in the mysterious universe without having any purpose — which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell, possibly. It doesn’t frighten me." – RIchard Feynman

The 9/11 NORAD Tapes

Ken AshfordHistoryLeave a Comment

Everybody’s talking about this Vanity Fair piece, citing it as one of the "best examples of online journalism" to date.

It’s a compelling story of how the U.S. Air Force responded to the events of 9/11, including excerpts from never-heard-before tapes acquired from NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command).  These were the first guys who knew that something was amiss, up to an hour before the rest of the country knew.

An important contribution to the historical annals of 9/11 (the day itself) — at least the military response side of it — and well worth taking some time to muddle through.

Inarticulation

Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

Yup, I agree.  Bush sometimes sounds like a college student who is trying to speak authoritatively in class, when in fact it’s clear that he hasn’t done the required reading.

Exhibit A:

"We discussed a lot of issues. The Prime Minister has laid out a comprehensive plan. That’s what leaders do. They see problems, they address problems, and they lay out a plan to solve the problems. The Prime Minister understands he’s got challenges and he’s identified priorities."

— President George W. Bush, joint press availability with Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq, July 25, 2006

What substantive information did you learn from that statement?  Is anybody unaware that leaders "address problems"?  Why the civics lesson in language for 5 year olds?

And I hasten to add, that was a prepared statement, not an off-the-cuff response from a reporter’s question.

The Meaning Of Mel

Ken AshfordRight Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

S.Z. at World O’ Crap does all the research and work; I just steal. 

Largely due to The Passion of the Christ, as well as his macho movies that distort history (The Patriot, When We Were Soldiers), Mel became the darling of the right-wing, including a grassroots push to have him be President.  S.Z. now takes a look at the right-wing reaction to Mel Gibson’s Malibu meltdown. 

First, from Townhall, here’s Cal Thomas with “Mel’s night out.”

Summary: Sure, what Mel said was horrible, but what’s even horribler is that all of Hollywood is prejudiced against Jews – and by Jews, I mean Christians.

***

Now, here’s Mona Charen’s effort, “Mad Mel?”

Summary: Sure, what Mel said was awful, but what’s awfuler is that Hollywood is full of liberals – and liberals are all anti-Semites.  In fact, the Jewish ones are the worst of all!

***

Also from Townhall, it’s “The new anti-Semitism” by Linda Chavez.

Summary: Sure, what Mel said was bad and stuff, but if you object to the Bush administration’s war policies, then you are a worse anti-Semite than Hitler.

***

Now, from RenewAmerica, it’s “Where is the passion of compassion?” by Jonathan Flora, an “award-winning producer” who also makes commercials.

Summary: Sure, Mel’s actions are inexcusable, but we should excuse them anyway, because like the Good Book says, we are all sinners, drunk drivers, and anti-Semites. Anyway, we owe Mel big time for making The Passion of the Christ, so we should forgive him of anything, up to and including sacrificing babies to Ba’al.

***

Now, here’s Catholic lawyer Michael J. Gaynor, with “Abe Foxman did not miss the second opportunity.”

Summary:  What Mel said wasn’t all that bad. Anyway, even if he did make some intemperate remarks, it was the Jews’ fault for killing our Lord.

***

Lastly, here’s “Love letters from the left,” by young Christian Hartsock.

Summary:  Forget Mel Gibson – the REAL Christian martyr around here is Christian, who received some uncomplimentary email about his goofy columns.

I’ve heavily edited S.Z.’s column.  You should read the whole thing — and follow the links.