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November 2013
Mar 9, 2012
can't beat free range crazy.....
Sarah Palin weighed in on President Obama's college years in an interview Thursday.
In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Palin discussed Obama's affiliation with Bell, a former Harvard professor who passed away last year. A video released earlier this week showed Obama, then a student at Harvard Law School, praising Bell at a rally in support of the university hiring more minority faculty.
"He is bringing us back...to days before the Civil War, when unfortunately too many Americans mistakenly belived that not all men were created equal," she said. "What Barack Obama seems to want to do is go back to before those days when we were in different classes based on income, based on color of skin." Earlier in the show, Palin accused Obama of "trying to divide" the country, "based along lines of gender, of religion, of income, even of race," citing the president's association with Bell.
"Look at his embracing of Derrick Bell, the radical college racist professor whom he...embraced literally and figuratively asking others to open their hearts and minds to the radical agenda of a racist like Derrick Bell who believed that white men oppress blacks and minorities," she said. "And Barack Obama, evidently at least at the time, believed what Derrick Bell believed." The 1991 footage in question was touted as game-changing by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart at CPAC, weeks before he unexpectedly passed away. However, the clip was also included in a 2008 PBS special, and has made few waves outside of conservative circles.
At the time of the video, Bell had announced he would take an unpaid leave from Harvard until the school brought a woman of color onto the law school's tenured faculty. Bell was also a strong advocate of critical race theory, which posits that racist beliefs underly many of the country's legal foundations.
Westerfeld's Uglies continues in manga form:
I've written several times here about Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series, a collection of outstanding dystopian YA science fiction novels about a world where everyone is forced to undergo cosmetic surgery at the age of 16. Westerfeld concluded the series in 2007, but now he is revisiting the world in manga form, co-creating a series of graphic novels with Devin Grayson and Steven Cummings. The first of these volumes, Uglies: Shay's Story came out this week, and it's a fantastic, fast-paced addition to the Uglies canon. As the title implies, Shay's Story retells some of the key events in the series from the point-of-view of one of the minor characters from the novel, Shay, giving her her due (she was always one of my favorites). In so doing, Westerfeld and co illuminate more of the Uglies world -- and bring to it a set of visuals that flesh out and enhance the original novels.
You can certainly enjoy Shay's Story without reading the Uglies novels first, though each series (Shay's Story is the first of several volumes) contains a few spoilers for the otherNavy’s Newest Robot Is a Mechanized Firefighter
Meet SAFFiR: Embedded sensors allow the 'bot to see through smoke, and sophisticated upper-body agility let the 'bot throw fire-squelching grenades. Illo: Naval Research Laboratory
Developed by the Naval Research Laboratory, the Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot — or “SAFFiR”; get it? — will help extinguish fires onboard ships and subs. Those watercraft are particularly at risk from fires, because their cramped quarters can make flames tough to extinguish without posing significant human risk.
SAFFiR, expected to be field tested in 18 months, might mitigate that danger. And it shows off some of the the latest and most impressive breakthroughs in Pentagon-funded robotics technology.
For one thing, SAFFiR is designed to use its mechanized legs and arms like a human would, thanks to sophisticated sensors that provide ongoing environmental feedback and titanium springs that act as “joints” to enable fluid movements. Until recently, most military robots designed for cramped spaces like the quarters of warships or submarines needed to be small. Wheels and treads enabled movement, not pseudo-limbs. (Well, mostly.)
Now, much like a person, SAFFiR will scurry through cramped hallways and climb up and down the endless maze of ladders aboard a ship. The robot will have enough hand coordination to tote fire hoses and throw extinguisher grenades. That kind of precise coordination is also a relatively new accomplishment for military ‘bots. Just last week, Darpa-funded researchers unveiled the first ‘bot capable of performing complex tasks, like unlocking a door, with its own “two hands.”
All that’s crazy enough. But SAFFiR’s interaction with human handlers is where things get really interesting. The robot has an interface that’ll allow it to understand and respond to human gestures. The goal, according to a statement from the lab, is for robot and human “to work cohesively as a team.” A similar concept is informing the development of other military robots, namely AlphaDog, which’ll also boast visual sensors and an interface that can comprehend human commands.
Even without gestures, the ‘bot will be able to adeptly follow its master, because SAFFiR is programmed to track a person’s line of sight. So if SAFFiR’s captain notices flames over on the left, the ‘bot’ll see ‘em at the same time, even in smoky air: SAFFiR’s visual sensors incorporate infrared cameras so that the robot can see through poor conditions.
Once fully realized, SAFFiR might be as capable as a human firefighter, without the risk of lost life. But here’s hoping SAFFiR is also able to put out fires quickly: The ‘bot’s batteries run out after a mere 30 minutes, regardless of whether the flames have been contained.
Kansas Abortion Bill Could Raise Taxes On Women Seeking Procedure (UPDATE
The sweeping anti-abortion bill working its way through the Kansas Legislature would levy a sales tax on women seeking abortions, including rape victims.
Buried in the 69-page bill being considered by the House Federal and State Affairs Committee are several provisions, in fact, that opponents say would increase taxes on those who seek abortions. The tax sections do not include exemptions for women who want an abortion after a sexual assault or to end a life-threatening pregnancy.
The committee is likely to continue discussing the bill Thursday afternoon. Under the proposal, women who end up receiving abortions would not be able to deduct the cost of the abortion as a health care expense if they had not purchased special abortion insurance, said Sarah Gillooly of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.
Last year, Kansas enacted a law removing abortion coverage from health insurance plans in general. Women can purchase a special rider to cover the procedure in advance of a pregnancy.
The bill would also levy a sales tax on abortion procedures, including those performed for rape victims, according to both Gillooly and Rep. Sean Gatewood (D-Topeka), the bill's leading opponent. The Kansas Department of Revenue's website says the state has a 6.3-percent sales tax.
Rep. Lance Kinzer (R-Olathe), the sponsor of the bill, did not return a call for comment. A Kinzer staffer said he rarely speaks to the press.
Language in the bill that could jeopardize the accreditation of the OB-GYN residency program at the University of Kansas Medical Center is unlikely to be amended during the committee's hearing Thursday.
Gillooly predicted the bill would create multiple enforcement issues for the Revenue Department. She said that the abortion deduction ban would allow state auditors to demand individuals' medical records in order to check that deductions were not being claimed for abortion procedures, which she said would violate medical privacy laws. In addition, Gillooly suggested that the state could end up levying a sales tax on birth control as well under the provision. "How does Walgreens tax abortion medication and not birth control?" she asked rhetorically.
Opponents have asked that the bill be considered by the House Taxation Committee as well, because the federal affairs panel does not have tax expertise. But Rep. Gatewood, who serves on both committees, said it's unlikely that will happen. The Federal and State Affairs Committee deals with a host of issues including abortion, bingo licenses, immigration, land surveying, strip clubs and alcohol.
Rep. Steve Brunk (R-Wichita), chairman of the federal affairs panel, did not return a call for comment.
Gatewood said that if he and others in the House can't stop the bill, they hope the state Senate, which is controlled by a more moderate Republican faction, can stop it. Gov. Sam Brownback (R) has told HuffPost that he will sign the bill.
"Basic life-saving stuff, they can't use their insurance on. It is not birth control. It is a matter of life and death," Gatewood said. "I don't know what these people are thinking or if they're thinking."Update: 3:19 p.m. -- The Federal and State Affairs Committee of the Kansas House has postponed discussion of the abortion bill until Monday.
Rep. Gatewood said that Chairman Brunk announced at the start of Thursday afternoon's committee meeting that the delay will allow legislators more time to review the University of Kansas Medical Center accreditation issue and to draft possible amendments on the issue. Gatewood said that the committee meeting instead will focus primarily on alcohol-related bills, including one to legalize wine tastings in the state
Suspended tent-hammock sleeps 5-8
Hammock-tent-makers Tentstile have a new 5-8 person model -- string it up between a couple-three massive trees and it becomes a treetop aerie, far above the madding crowd of critters and hikers.
Tentsile combines the comfort and versatility of a hammock with the usable space and security of a tent. The ultra portable structure uniquely employs tension forces to provide separation from wildlife, including insects, snakes and other predators but also from sand storms, earth tremors, cold or wet ground, debris or contamination.
Mar 8, 2012
11 Things The Bible Forbids Other Than Homosexuality (That You're Probably Guilty Of Doing)
Tattoos.....
Rounded Haircuts
Men With Injured Or Cut Off Private Parts Entering Houses Of God
Gossiping
Wives Helping Out Their Husbands In A Fight
Children Cursing Their Parents
Getting Remarried After Getting Divorced
Working On The Sabbath
Women Speaking In Houses Of God
Eating Shrimp, Lobster, And Other Assorted Seafood
Losing Your Virginity Before You Get Married
Startup developing machine to mimic "cancer-sniffing dogs"
Here's an interesting Bloomberg News item on Metabolomx, a 12-person venture based in Mountain View, CA that's designing a PC-sized device to detect cancer by smell. "The problem with cancer-detecting dogs is that, well, they're dogs. Hospitals haven't embraced the idea of a diagnostic tool that poops, barks and requires feeding." Enter the cancer-sniffing machines.
quote of the day.....
"To the people who are upset about their hard-earned tax money going to things they don't like: Welcome to the f*cking club," Stewart said. "Reimburse me for the Iraq war and oil subsidies and diaphragms are on me!" Jon Stewart
world class idiot.....
Video: Rush Limbaugh's Seventy Sexist Smears
ThinkProgress Video put together a supercut video capturing no fewer than 70 recent examples of Rush Limbaugh's repulsive and hateful obsession with Sandra Fluke. "She's having so much sex, it's amazing she can still walk!"
wha?
Maher Arar on Canada's pro-torture policy
What makes this direction even more alarming is that the fat annual budgets devoted to enhancing national security have not been balanced by a similar increase in oversight. In fact, the government chose to ignore the most important recommendation of Justice O’Connor which is to establish a credible oversight agency that has the required powers to monitor and investigate the activities of the RCMP and those of other agencies involved in the gathering and dissemination of national security information. Unlike the powerless Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP (CPC) or the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC) this agency would also be granted subpoena power to compel all agencies to produce the required documents.
Coming back to the directive one can only cite two examples here which I believe are sufficient to illustrate the hollowness of the argument presented in the directive. The first relates to the invasion of Iraq which we now know was based on false intelligence (see this video) that was extracted from Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi while he was being tortured in Egypt. Al-Libi was later found dead inside his prison cell. Some human rights activists believe the Gaddafi regime liquidated him three years after he was rendered to Libya by the CIA
Mar 7, 2012
What cyberwar is, and is not
xeni jardin
Boing Boing partner, Boing Boing Video host and executive producer. Xeni.net, Twitter, Google+. Email: xeni@xeni.net.There's a good long read by John Arquilla in Foreign Policy magazine this month. He argues that a concept of cyberwar he proposed some 20 years ago with David Ronfeldt "has become a reality," in that battlefield information systems have "profound impact" as a disruptive force "in wars large and small." But Arquilla goes on to argue that a parallel notion of cyberwar popularized by others-- "less a way to achieve a winning advantage in battle than a means of covertly attacking the enemy's homeland infrastructure without first having to defeat its land, sea, and air forces in conventional military engagements" -- is a bunch of hype-y hooey
Bigshot Toyworks' cover for Bloomberg Businessweek
Our friends at Bigshot Toyworks illustrated this fantastic cover for Bloomberg Businessweek. Covers are the hardest part of magazine design, but this one really nails it.
Tiny library raises money with tiny uke and awesome video
Blackbeltlibrarian sez, "The Shutesbury Public Library in Shutesbury, Massachusetts is seeking funding in order to build a new building to replace their charming but woefully inadequate current one (which features no running water!). In order to get the word out staff and patrons created this cute little video in order to show the shortcomings of their current location, as well as what they could do with a new building
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