The Revenge of Schrödinger's Cat

Quantum theory has produced an assortment of results that fly in the face of common sense.  Particles that can be waves, particles that can be in two places at once - or nowhere at all - our being unable to know where something is and also where it's going... even quantum theorists don't understand these ideas except mathematically - if even then.

Roach-Eating Contest

Man dies after winning roach-eating contest in Broward - Broward - MiamiHerald.com:

You know, it's one thing to drop dead after running a marathon.  Even if you didn't finish, if you got close to the end people will generally give you credit for trying.  They figure, "well, he dropped dead, but he was doing something really hard."  At least, that's how I figure it when I read about the annual "people dropping dead during or after marathon" stories.  They always say that the guy was young, in good health, they can't figure out why he dropped dead.  I'll tell you why: running is bad for you.  But I digress...

He Never Said It

This is probably one of the least urgent matters that still manages to trouble me...

There is a quotation attributed to Bill Gates that goes something like, "I can't imagine why anyone would ever need more than 640 k of memory."  I don't know where this quote originated.  I do know that I first saw it in the late 1980's, at a time when 640 k was about all most computers had.

Relativistic Bullshit

There is a quotation that is going around, attributed to physicist Albert Einstein.  It goes:

Everything is energy and that's all there is to it.  Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality.  It can be no other way.  This is not philosophy.  This is physics.

Hero's Welcome

According to this article, a lifeguard was fired for saving someone's life.  Supposedly, by abandoning his post to run to the rescue of a drowning swimmer, Thomas Lopez endangered the lives of the people Lopez was supposed to be watching.

The Higgs Boson

At long last, physicists at CERN in Europe have found something that looks like the elusive Higgs Boson, also called the God Particle.  It seems to me that the physicists themselves are pleased, but not ecstatic.  It seems to be the media who are waxing poetic about this particle.

Richard Wagner

Every so often someone asks me, with awe, "did you know that Wagner never went to music school?"  My response is that it's obvious from his music.  I don't know *why* so many people are amazed that Wagner didn't go to music school.  In fact, I don't even know if it's true.  But every so often someone brings it up again.

The Dangers of Combat

A New York Times article reports that more of our soldiers are dying as a result of suicide than from enemy fire.

Argument Against "Security Through Obscurity"

One objection to open source software is that it allows everyone to see what goes on in a program - and some of those people might be dishonest.  That being the case, some people suggest that software be kept a secret, that the source code not be published.  They think that in this way, it will put up an obstacle to help discourage malicious crackers from exploiting weaknesses in the software.  Keeping aspects of a program secret is sometimes referred to as "Security Through Obscurity."

The following quotation about lock smithing explains why security through obscurity isn't effective.

Holidays

I hate the holidays.  Always have; probably always will.

The Grammar Nazis

I often encounter people who make a big deal about spelling and grammar.  They insist that these issues are important, that a person who doesn't use "correct" grammar and spelling is ignorant, or at least beneath notice.  I disagree with them.

I Am So Naive...

I've been downloading free e-books from Project Gutenberg, to put on my e-reader.  I noticed several authors having Sanskrit-sounding names - Vatsyayana, Bhagavanlal Indrajit, Shivaram Parasuram Bhide - and I assumed this indicated that people were interested in Hindu or Vedanta philosophy.  Silly me.

These were editors or compilers of the Kama Sutra.

"Tar Baby"? "Boy"?

This Christian Science Monitor article discusses two Republicans who used racially inappropriate language while discussing President Obama and his policies.  One referred to a "tar baby," which no doubt he intended to mean something that draws you in and traps you.  However, this is also a nasty racial epithet.

The other politician referred to Obama as being Al Sharpton's "boy."  I cannot fathom what led this man to use that word to describe our President.  Like tar baby, "boy" has deeply offensive racial overtones when applied to an African American.

As the CSM asks, "what were they thinking?"

Ordinance Enforcement

According to this article, the mayor of Vilnius squashed a car that was illegally parked in a bicycle lane.

As a dedicated cyclist who has repeatedly encountered highly disrespectful motorists who think I have no right to the streets, I applaud the mayor for his strong stand in favor of cyclists.

OTOH, maybe it was a bit extreme to squash the guy's Mercedes... nah...

Missing Persons

A recent news article informs me that a man kept his deceased wife's body in a freezer for the past ten years.

Hate Crimes

In New York someone attacked a cab driver, allegedly because the driver was a Muslim.  There is a question of whether this is a hate crime.

The Trouble With Kids These Days

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

Burn a Koran Day

In Gainesville, Florida, there is a Christian pastor named Terry Jones who plans to hold a "Burn a Koran Day" on September 11.  The fun never stops.

Is Obama a Muslim?

For reasons that escape my feeble grasp, fully 20% of the people in the United States think that President Obama is a Muslim.  I hope these aren't the people who do the voting.

Ground Zero Mosque

There has been endless arguing over whether a proposed "supermosque" should be allowed to be built a short distance from Ground Zero.  The thinking seems to be that this is some sort of Islamic plot or something.  That misses the point.