Running Out Of Gas (not what you think)
Here’s a shocker for you…. according to this article in Wired, we’re going to run out of helium in 9 years. I don’t know about you, but that seems like a far more pressing, immediate and undenyable problem than concerns about running out of petrochemicals in decades to come. Here’s a question for those of us who think market forces can go a long way towards addressing resource shortages: given that we’ve only got a 9 year supply left.. why isn’t helium already ridiculously expensive?
It's Full Of Stars
Apparently Arthur C. Clarke is rendezvousing with Rama or whatever is out there. Really, there is too much to say to say anything at all. He was truly a unique and interesting man, and his contributions to science cannot be understated (really, when was the last time you thought about the contributions to science by a man known primarily for writing fiction?).
As If Programmers Needed Another Reason to Think They Are God.... 2
This is what happens when a programmer starts to dabble in biology. Keep this in mind the next time you meet someone with a bioinformatics background. Even if they aren’t dangerous, they probably think they are, and that’s reason enough to give them a wide birth.
I’m pretty sure one day we’re going to really understand DNA/RNA/etc., and then we’ll find a segment that translates to:
// Worst hack ever! // This doesn't actually make a rational decision, but instead just does what_I_want_to_do // without even looking at relevant_factors. // Returns a rationalization for what_I_want_to_do. struct rationalization make_decision(struct decision what_I_want_to_do, struct factors* relevant_factors)
Welcome to Planet Nimrod!
Folks in the US get a fairly distorted view of the world. Sometimes it can be depressing. You keep reading all this evidence that the US is populated with really stupid people (Bill Maher asks: “Why do we always have to be the stupid country?”), and you sometimes fail to grasp that in fact this is a global phenomenon. Every now and then though, you run across stories like this one, which warms the heart. See, there is good news: we’re all idiots.
Way To Go Al
Apple’s home page reflects the attitude I’d expected to see throughout the country upon the news that Al Gore, along with the IPCC, had won the Nobel Peace Prize. In case the page is gone by the time you check out this blog, here’s a link to the image. It reads: “Al has put his heart and soul, and much of his life during the past several years, into alerting and education us all on the climate crisis. We are bursting with pride for Al and this historic recognition of his global contributions.”
One of the preconditions for a country to be great is that it must forgo pettiness and embrace its moments of greatness. So surely, Apple’s home page is a reflection of the broader reaction across the country… right?
Of course not.
Instead of seeing universal national pride, I saw, as Der Spiegel did, that even one of America’s countrymen winning the Noble Peace Prize couldn’t unite the country in universal pride. Instead, political hacks, bloggers (typically conservatives), news services (particularly those owned by Rupert Murdock for some strange reason ;-), spent the day taking a swing at Al Gore, his apparently only recent interest in the environment (hello?, this is the guy whose pro-environment track record was so extensive that he was attacked on it by Bush Sr. during the ‘92 presidential campaign), his movie, the Nobel Peace Prize, the motives of the selection committee, liberalism, the stupidity of the rest of the world, and even Jimmy Carter (for the crime of having won the prize in 2002).
You know what guys? Just like anyone, he has his flaws. His words can easily be picked apart and fault found, just like anyone else’s. Like the work of any advocate, his actions are not always perfectly in harmony with his advocacy. That’s a conversation for another day. Can’t we, for just one day, collectively share pride in the fantastic recognition for the achievements of one of our countrymen? Do you realize how foolish and pathetic you look to the rest of the world?
Probably Best If I Say Nothing
I’ll just provide this link to a Psychology Today article and make no additional comments whatsoever….