Convicting Anyone of Anything
A jury convicted Lori Drew of breaking MySpace’s terms of service, possibly sending her to prison for years, if the verdict stands up on appeal. Why? Because she was involved in setting up a fake MySpace account, posing as a teenage boy, in order to mess with the emotions of a psychologically fragile teenage girl […]
Our Kids Can Handle a Lot More than We Give Them Credit For
The following was originally published at Dad-O-Matic. When my 12-year-old daughter wanted to read my latest book, I discouraged her, because it addresses adult subjects, including organized rebellion against government (just the thought of which these days can label you a traitor), and it depicts sex and violence.
No Such Thing as an Overnight Millionaire
Occasionally, I see ads for a “system” that promises that you can make a million dollars (or some other large figure) with no effort, no skill, no customer list, and no risk. In response, I say, “Oh yeah? Well, if it were really that easy, why isn’t the author of the system doing it, again […]
Proof That Programming Language Trivia Is Stupid
As reported in the New York Times: When older people can no longer remember names at a cocktail party, they tend to think that their brainpower is declining. But a growing number of studies suggest that this assumption is often wrong. Instead, the research finds, the aging brain is simply taking in more data and […]
Not “Global Warming” Anymore; It’s the Global Climate Crisis!
Holly Lisle posted about a link to an article on the recent global warming data blunder, and her take on it. There are actually four separate questions to global warming: 1. Are world temperatures rising? 2. Are humans causing it? 3. Can we do anything to stop it? 4. Should we do anything to stop […]
7 Warning Signs of Bogus Politics (and Science)
An article back from January 2003, but still being linked to from various blogs, and with good reason. Robert Park presents 7 warning signs that a claim might be B.S. (instead of science). Some of these signs revolve around how the scientist himself approaches the claim, such as whether he submits it to rigorous study […]
In a Truly Free Market, Small Businesses Would Rule
Another interesting post on the Cato Institute blog, this time by Timothy B. Lee, commenting on an essay by Roderick Long, which argues that corporate welfare, government-imposed barriers to entry, and the like favor big business, and businesses would be smaller in a truly free economy. What caught my eye about Long’s article was his […]
I Am So in the Wrong Line of Work!
In the category of “you learn something new every day” is this post by Daniel Ikenson, at the Cato institute blog, about the General Motors Jobs Bank. Rather than allow GM to layoff workers when conditions warranted, the UAW had GM assign workers to the Jobs Bank, where they were paid almost full wages and […]
Feeling Sorry for the “Impeach Barack Obama” Group Creator
I really felt for Ellen Finnigan, because of her recent article on the “Impeach Barack Obama” Facebook group that she created. I mean profanity-laced hate-email is one thing, but when the jerk sunk to calling her a “Republican,” them’s fightin’ words. I honestly felt bad for her, felt offended on her behalf. -TimK P.S. Ellen […]
How to “Prove” That Poetry is Valuable
Doug Lasken bemoans a government-school program that teaches kids about exploring sexual fantasies through virtual worlds, in place of teaching them about poetry and literature. I think the literacy coaches and cadres and their burgeoning publishing empire should be scrapped and the money saved. But not all the teachers present at the 11th grade curriculum […]