April, 2009 archive
Terminator: The True Story 0
Robotic war, the next sign of progress:
This prospect alarms experts, who fear that machines will be unable to distinguish between legitimate targets and civilians in a war zone.
“We are sleepwalking into a brave new world where robots decide who, where, and when to kill,” said Noel Sharkey, an expert on robotics and artificial intelligence at the University of Sheffield, England.
Sophistry 0
The torture memos:
Emanuel and other presidential aides also pushed back against a GOP contention that national security was undermined by the release of memos detailing controversial interrogation methods approved under President George W. Bush.
The only security that is threatened is the security of those who think that the Gestapo is a fitting role model.
Please Make It Go Away 0
Newt Gingrich is babbling about the Founding Fathers on Marconi’s Magic Box.
Too bad he didn’t think about the Founders–about their ideals, about their dreams, or about the Constitution which they crafted–from 2001 through 2008.
Twits on Twitter 0
Meghan McCain demonstrates a flair for the obvious:
Bushonomics: Army Recruiting Dept. 0
Felons’ prospects to be all they can be down (emphasis added).
As the United States on Friday marks the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war, these are boom times for military recruiters. The number of people walking into recruiting offices has grown as the economy withers. And while patriotism continues to be a motivation for some recruits, many also see the military as a job with generous benefits and little prospect of layoffs.
(snip)
Many applicants who might think of the military as a last resort are finding out that criminal behavior, even while they were juveniles, prevents them from joining. The number of waivers for people with blemished records is dropping as the military meets its recruiting goals.
Via Harry Shearer.
Just Deserts 1
Noz stumbled over a gem of an idea. Follow the link to read it.
The Voter Fraud Fraud 1
Republicans in Florida are at it again. They realize their hope for electoral success is to keep people from voting as much as possible (emphasis added).
The legislation would also impose onerous and unnecessary rules on voter registration drives, including a requirement that registration forms must be turned in within 48 hours. Grass-roots voter registration drives play an important role in getting poor and minority voters registered. If this legislation passes, however, many groups may stop registering voters rather than risk jail sentences or fines.
(snip)
Another provision would require election officials to purge voting rolls more frequently, a sore point in Florida, where an improper purge of the rolls before the 2000 election removed many eligible voters.
“Bot” Is Short for “Robot” 0
Scientific Blogging explains botnets. If you have a computer–and I suspect that, if you are reading this, you probably do, this is worth a read. A nugget:
Fire Sale 0
White elephants at auction.
Faced with the reality that luxury homes aren’t the hot properties they once were, Virginia-based builder Miller & Smith has decided to clear the slate with a May auction, with opening bids at $200,000 for houses that once listed for $890,000 — a 71 percent difference.
According to the story, not only is it a gated community, it is a “double-gated” community (in a part of the world where, frankly, security is not much of an issue). Looking at the pictures, I had to wonder why anyone would want houses like that if they didn’t have a wait staff to take care of them.
This is wankery via real estate.
Twits on Twitter 0
(Actually, follow the link and read the whole thing. It’s a good reflection on the virtues and vices of connectivity.)
Twits on Twitter 0
Skippy lays it out.
QOTD 0
Gail Collins on Texas:
And how, by the way, can you stand at a rally waving the American flag while yelling “Secede”?
Via the Great Orange Satan.
Methinks They Dost Protest Too Much 0
Lola Adesioyem, writing in the Guardian, considers wingnuttery’s over-the-top reaction to the Department of Homeland Security’s report on right wing extremism (learn about the earlier report on left wing extremism here). She points out that it was a report on “right wing extremism,” and asks
When, indeed.
