If it did, it would make our web browsing experience more usable, not less. For example, if you’re a corporation looking to steal browsing by unethically redirecting traffic to your own search page, you might use your monopoly of the cable network to force people to do so. Perhaps, for example, when they mistype a …
Category Archives: Rant
On "Journalism" and "Science Education"
This is a rant post. I “read” the cnn.com article today about the Alaska “Volcano” that might go “kablooie” soon. The second sentence “annoyed” the crap out of me. Why? Here’s the “quote”: The Alaska Volcano Observatory said in a statement Friday “volcanic tremor” has increased in “amplitude.” Why, oh why, do we have to …
Reason Number 1032 that iTunes just Sucks
I think iTunes is a piece of crap. My reasons are legion. One of the main ones is the sever use of DRM through the iTunes Store. There are ways around that, but it’s still a pain. Likewise, if you rip a disc to your hard drive and don’t change any settings, the album is …
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Why I Despair Sometimes for Technology
I nearly shot Mozilla Thunderbird with my imaginary ray cannon this morning. This is why. I am a hip, with-it, capable-of-adapting, technology person. I am a beneficiary of a middle class American upbringing and a private engineering college education. I have self selected myself into a realm of (moderate) computer skills which assist me in …
Why We Don't Trust Mechanics
My vehicle was making some distressing new noises this week. They seemed to originate from the front end (front wheel drive) during acceleration and cornerning, which is not a good combination. I was thinking CV joint or axle. It turns out to be the right half axle, which is being replaced. However, when I called …
L.Ron Hubbard to the RESCUE!
Did you know that L.Ron Hubbard (why the ‘L’? Can’t I call him Ronny Hubbard?) created the first and only technology that allows people to truly study? Neither did I. Did you know that things are so simple that it’s merely the addition of mass to the current level of sigificance that allows one to …
Legalisms
“What do you call 1,000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea?” “A good start” “Why won’t sharks eat lawyers?” “Professional courtesy” “Why are there so many lawyers in the United States?” “Because St. Patrick rid Ireland of all the snakes” I received an email today with the following disclaimer. I’m sure you’ve all seen …
Fred Phelps and The Westboro Band of Shitheads
The Westboro Baptist Church, led by Fred Phelps and famous for picketing military funerals (because the U.S. Military is a vast gay-love association), blaming the Columbia diaster on the United States’ support of homosexuals and abortion ,and blaming 9-11 on God’s punishment of the U.S., etc., will be attending the funerals of the students killed …
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Book Reviews redux
19 book reviews on the 14th of January. 315 pages per book(taken from the Amazon.com statistics, which admittedly, contain blank pages and title pages, etc.) 5,984 pages in one day. I’m impressed, as always, by Ms. Harriet Klausner. Useless crap.
There Is No Hope…
…as long as journalists use phrases like this: (from the NY Times) Referring to a new test rocket by Blue Origin (an experimental spaceflight company). When the company performed the first test launching on Nov. 13, it made no announcement. And that was it, pretty much, until last week, when the Blue Origin Web site …