I'm really pleased with the work Katie Couric did in her interview with Gov. Palin. She let Ms. Palin dig her own hole. Ask a simple question, and then let her failure to answer reveal her unpreparedness.
The Republican talking point is that she's as experienced as Sen. Obama to be president. But the national polls have shifted after the first debate, as people saw that Obama does understand the issues we face, and is prepared to handle them. Yay!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
I like my Netflix/Roku box
I just got my Netflix box setup yesterday, and it's great!
I can watch movies and TV shows over the internet. While the selection is greatly limited, there's a lot of good stuff on there. And the 10 second download time to start watching is way faster than the 3 days it takes to get a disk in the mail.
I can watch movies and TV shows over the internet. While the selection is greatly limited, there's a lot of good stuff on there. And the 10 second download time to start watching is way faster than the 3 days it takes to get a disk in the mail.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Schadenfreude
I confess to glee that Jack Thompson has been disbarred. This ex-lawyer is the guy who you see on TV talking about how video games kill people. Even when the latest person who killed people never played video games, but did like to listen to loud music.
My favorite part of the story is that the prosecutor recommended a 10-year disbarment, with the possibility of letting him be a lawyer again later. But the judge decided to ban Mr. Thompson from ever being a lawyer in Florida again. Yay!
My favorite part of the story is that the prosecutor recommended a 10-year disbarment, with the possibility of letting him be a lawyer again later. But the judge decided to ban Mr. Thompson from ever being a lawyer in Florida again. Yay!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Digital TV
Apparently, there were lots of problems in the test city that switched to digital TV.
Although the FCC chair said only 1% of customers complained. Man, if 1% of America has problems, that's almost 4 million people affected. I wonder how it will all go down. (I wonder how my VCR will cope...)
Although the FCC chair said only 1% of customers complained. Man, if 1% of America has problems, that's almost 4 million people affected. I wonder how it will all go down. (I wonder how my VCR will cope...)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Large Hadron Collider overheats
You've probably read that the LHC broke down.
I was amazed that it broke because it overheated. Not because that happened, but that "overheated" in this case means being at 4 degrees Kelvin.
It was at over twice the nominal operating temperature. But still cold enough to freeze you and shatter you into a million pieces.
I was amazed that it broke because it overheated. Not because that happened, but that "overheated" in this case means being at 4 degrees Kelvin.
It was at over twice the nominal operating temperature. But still cold enough to freeze you and shatter you into a million pieces.
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Science of Fear
The Science of Fear, by Daniel Gardner, is a book that every science educator should read. (Way better than the last Fear book I read, that documented inaccuracies, but didn't explain why we fall for them.)
Gardner lays out in an engaging manner how human psychology reacts to danger, or the idea of danger. We assess potential risks instinctively based on a few rules that were well suited to the African savanna where it evolved, but are a horrible match for mass communication technology.
We react to stuff based on how familiar and common and good or bad it seems, not how dangerous it actually is. And when we teach people about the scientific knowledge on risky things, we have to deal with these emotional reactions.
TV news will mess you up. Don't watch it. The human mind can't be denied its instinctive reactions.
Gardner lays out in an engaging manner how human psychology reacts to danger, or the idea of danger. We assess potential risks instinctively based on a few rules that were well suited to the African savanna where it evolved, but are a horrible match for mass communication technology.
We react to stuff based on how familiar and common and good or bad it seems, not how dangerous it actually is. And when we teach people about the scientific knowledge on risky things, we have to deal with these emotional reactions.
TV news will mess you up. Don't watch it. The human mind can't be denied its instinctive reactions.
Friday, September 19, 2008
No Obama or McCain on Texas ballot?
Bob Barr, the libertarian candidate for president, is suing to block McCain and Obama from being on the ballot in Texas.
Seems Texas law sets a deadline for filing papers to be on the ballot, and both conventions took place after the deadline.
I think he actually has a very strong argument. I wonder if the Texas legislature will change the law. Barring that (ha ha), I think it would be fascinating if Texas is suddenly irrelevant to the presidential election.
And it's astonishing that both campaigns and both parties could overlook something that important. I suspect a couple people are being fired today.
Seems Texas law sets a deadline for filing papers to be on the ballot, and both conventions took place after the deadline.
I think he actually has a very strong argument. I wonder if the Texas legislature will change the law. Barring that (ha ha), I think it would be fascinating if Texas is suddenly irrelevant to the presidential election.
And it's astonishing that both campaigns and both parties could overlook something that important. I suspect a couple people are being fired today.
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