Daily Archives: Feb 27, 2012

View 715 Monday, February 27, 2012

I got the final version of Legend of Black Ship Island this morning, and I’ve been working on it all day, which pretty well used up my time. It’s a good story, but I’ve been so bunged up with this bronchitis that I haven’t had a chance to do a real final edit. It’s publishable now, but I can improve it, mostly by inserting a few details here and there. Avalon is a fascinating place, and some of the interactions with the ecology can be complicated.

Tomorrow will be an informative election.

I have found a bunch of open tabs, mostly prompted by mail, which lead to places you may find interesting. I have to clear some of them out because Firefox gets giddy if there are too many open tabs, so I’m just going to dump them. None of them take long to open, and while some of you will find different ones interesting, they were all interesting enough that I kept them open with the idea of writing something about them. I probably won’t get to.

Sing, O Muse, the Wrath of Michelle: Spengler said this before the election. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/JC04Aa01.html

Spengler speculates on what Richelieu would have made of our wars in the Middle East. http://pjmedia.com/spengler/2012/02/27/thank-heaven-for-little-ghouls/?singlepage=true

An interesting compilation. One day I may add to it. I need to do an essay on contraception and abortion but it is a delicate subject and requires time. http://io9.com/5887139/what-does-science-fiction-tell-us-about-the-future-of-reproductive-rights?tag=io9-backgrounder

I mentioned this one before, but it is the best summary of the skeptical position on AGW that I know of, and I recommend it. http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02148/RSL-HouseOfCommons_2148505a.pdf

Another climate change exposition: we’re freezing. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2093264/Forget-global-warming–Cycle-25-need-worry-NASA-scientists-right-Thames-freezing-again.html

I have pointed to this one before on why we are getting rid of the Warthog. http://www.rense.com/general38/a10.htm I have mail warning me about the rense.com site, but I know nothing about it, and the source is irrelevant: the argument is well made.

I won’t close this tab. It needs discussion. But it’s worth looking at if the subject interests you. http://hylemorphist.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/zero-point-energygroundvacuum-state-vs-real-being-vs-logical-being-vs-nothing/

Ditto for this http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/02/ofer-lahav-dark-energy?fsrc=nlw|newe|2-22-2012|new_on_the_economist

And all of that ought to be enough. I’ll be back in form in a few days. I am recovering. And I’v a mountain of work to do.

View 715 Sunday, February 26, 2012

It has been a long day, and it does seem I am recovering from this upper respiratory infection that seems to be going around. We managed church this morning, and Roberta sang in the choir, and after we went with friends to breakfast, and while it was all tiring I managed it; We even had a walk later. With Sable it’s pretty hard not to take a walk. She considers that an entitlement. Then we discovered that we were out of dog food and I had to go out again. Sable wondered where I was going, and she had an idea where it might be, so I took her along. It’s her favorite place. When we get to the Petco parking area she goes mad to get out of the car. Literally her favorite place. Inside she picked out an enormous bone and talked me into buying it for her. When I was a kid you’d get those for a quarter for a soup bone, but in modern times it’s not likely that any store around here ever sees such bones. This was huge, and will last her for a while, and it’s good for her teeth.

And then it was time for the Oscars. No real surprises on the awards, and none I disagreed with. Clooney and Streep certainly deserved theirs, and of the nominees I have seen I’d have voted for The Artist. But it all exhausted me, and I didn’t get these notes written up.

I strongly recommend http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02148/RSL-HouseOfCommons_2148505a.pdf as about the best rational discussion of CO2 and climate I have seen. It’s reasonably technical but not overly so; and it asks questions. I particularly invite those who believe in AGW to read it and send me your comments.

I actually know that Clooney didn’t win the best actor award, and I thought he dshould have. IN fact I thought that so thoroughly that I seem to have made myself think he had. That’s an odd trick for memory to play on me.