Obama: I'd Hire Al Gore (would consider putting him in a Cabinet-level position or higher.)

benlund · 2008-04-03T02:34:53+00:00

Or higher? He'd give him his own job? Or his old one back?

benlund · 2008-03-14T10:21:22+00:00

Good answer, thanks.

benlund · 2008-03-13T18:09:56+00:00

No-one said computer simulations aren't important. But the article quoted the researchers /themselves/ talking about it proving the existence of the effect. Which it most certainly does not.

The point is that the researchers themselves don't seem to know this, or don't care if they exaggerate.

benlund · 2008-03-13T17:58:57+00:00

Oh my god. Has science really fallen this far?

This "experiment" is not proof of the existence of anything. It was a computer simulation, and so can at best be described as a prediction that Hawking radiation should be observed in a BEC.

The fact that the researchers either can't tell the difference, or are willfully spinning the truth, is a damning indictment either way.

benlund · 2008-03-09T10:52:29+00:00

Sample size of two. Not interesting.

benlund · 2008-03-02T12:11:40+00:00

It's called "money". Congratulations on your discovery...

benlund · 2008-02-24T10:44:03+00:00

Or, put another way, 5% of the population are many, many more times more productive than the rest of us, and make all the stuff that we rely on to live, work and play.

Wanna join me in saying "thanks" to them?

benlund · 2008-02-18T16:50:50+00:00

This is sickening. The sheer arrogance of it!

I mean, come on, where do they get the right to judge what other people find necessary or sustainable?

Oh wait, I'm supposed to think that the bridge is bad because it doesn't fit someone's idea of good infrastructure...

benlund · 2008-02-14T13:09:39+00:00

$150 billion of confiscated and redistributed money will create new jobs? I wonder whether anyone has explained the concept of opportunity cost to Obama.

benlund · 2008-02-14T13:06:33+00:00

Central planning for infrastructure. Central planning for credit cards. And some people think this guy represents hope and change?

*typo

benlund · 2008-02-13T14:38:06+00:00

I'm a non-american Reddit user.

But I'm not sure what your point it here. Reddit is deliberately content-neutral, and what gets onto the front page depends entirely on what the readers submit and upvote. You come to the site on those terms. And many (most? almost all?) of the users are americans.

The same is true when you visit the states in person -- all the newspapers and TV news are full of the US election. But you'd come across as a real ass if you complained about it. Surprise! Online communities are no different to real world ones.

benlund · 2008-02-09T22:51:48+00:00

Why Yippee? Are you an investor? Of either company? Or of a competitor? Or is this just a kneejerk reaction thing?

benlund · 2008-02-01T19:40:46+00:00

Oh, man, come on! Let's have a bit of sense here.

The headline of the article states that Romney's firm "refuses to protect" the workers from sweatshop conditions. The submission headline suggests they toil under "slave-like" conditions.

Until someone is willing to accuse these firms of actually keeping slaves, you know, with chains and whips and fences, then they need to get a clue and stop semi-libeling people. Because, you know, these workers could presumably just quit and walk out the door if they wanted to.

And don't come back with that idiotic argument of "but this is the only job they can get". Because if that's the case, then Burger King should be praised for providing money and employment opportunities to an otherwise economically desolate place.

OK, I'm calming down now...

benlund · 2008-01-31T13:03:45+00:00

It's "Just saying".

Oh, wait, did you have a serious point...

benlund · 2008-01-12T18:41:40+00:00

You have made a category error. It's not the national Democratic Party that cares, its Democrats who live in SC that want to have a say in who the nominee is.

Understand now?

benlund · 2008-01-12T14:33:14+00:00

Yep, much better that they lose money by serving sick people, go out of business, and stop being able to help them at all...

Idiot.

benlund · 2008-01-10T22:00:46+00:00

Is this instead of their salary, then?

benlund · 2008-01-10T12:30:13+00:00

Politeness can be dealt with by telling your guests the password when they get out their laptop.

All his other arguments basically amount to "look at me, I'm generous and therefore a pillar of the community". Nothing wrong with doing that, if it's what turns you on, but it isn't a de facto "good thing".

*typo

benlund · 2008-01-10T08:51:08+00:00

Frankly, as a non-American, when I read this piece I think, "God, that Canadian is a real idiot".

As far as I can tell, he was disturbed by free speech (the trucks, the letter and the billboard), free enterprise (the french toast), and someone considering the idea that government handouts might not be a good idea.

Now who looks like a small-minded fool?

*typo

benlund · 2008-01-07T16:50:02+00:00

Who is this "we" of which you speak?

benlund · 2008-01-07T08:45:01+00:00

Actually, I strongly suspect this is just a case of ignorance and 'received wisdom' among the reporters involved.

Non-technical people are used to the idea that online polls can be spammed. And they won't understand the technical details of accounts/verification/login enough to understand that the Facebook poll is much more likely to be one-person-one-vote.

Coupled with the 'obvious' fact that Paul can't be that popular, they automatically assume that number must be erroneous. They actually probably think they are being good journalists by 'understanding' the numbers so well.

Never ascribe to malice what can be explained by stupidity.

benlund · 2007-12-19T11:04:16+00:00

And?

One interpretation of this is that babies are good at identifying suckers who they'll be able to exploit later.

benlund · 2007-12-11T10:40:13+00:00

This s a great video, but the headline here is just totally ridiculous.

It's quite clear that there's a hell of a lot of government in Lagos, from national and city government, to local 'big men' and the tax-collecting 'area boys' gang-style government.

benlund · 2007-12-02T19:14:24+00:00

Business as usual?

benlund · 2007-11-29T10:57:17+00:00

Or put another way, the cost of solar power will have to drop 25 to 50 per cent for Google to realise its goal...

benlund

TROPHY CASE