Beat near to death, and with much awaiting my attention (though clearly not orders or donations, ya cheap bastards). I’ll be back to posting my usual rubbish in short order.
Oct 252009
Oct 212009
If this report is true… then anyone who knows of this and continues to support Obama is a FRICKEN MORON.
Around the world, free speech is being sacrificed on the altar of religion. Whether defined as hate speech, discrimination or simple blasphemy, governments are declaring unlimited free speech as the enemy of freedom of religion. This growing movement has reached the
United Nations , where religiously conservative countries received a boost in their campaign to pass an international blasphemy law. It came from the most unlikely of places: the United States.While attracting surprisingly little attention, the Obama administration supported the effort of largely Muslim nations in the U.N. Human Rights Council to recognize exceptions to free speech for any “negative racial and religious stereotyping.” The exception was made as part of a resolution supporting free speech that passed this month, but it is the exception, not the rule that worries civil libertarians. Though the resolution was passed unanimously, European and developing countries made it clear that they remain at odds on the issue of protecting religions from criticism. It is viewed as a transparent bid to appeal to the “Muslim street” and our Arab allies, with the administration seeking greater coexistence through the curtailment of objectionable speech. Though it has no direct enforcement (and is weaker than earlier versions), it is still viewed as a victory for those who sought to juxtapose and balance the rights of speech and religion.
Blasphemy laws are blatantly unConstitutional. The first time an American gets in trouble for blasphemy under this bullcrap, Obama should be impeached and sued into permanent poverty. This is a betrayal of all that America stands for.
Thinly disguised blasphemy laws are often defended as necessary to protect the ideals of tolerance and pluralism. They ignore the fact that the laws achieve tolerance through the ultimate act of intolerance: criminalizing the ability of some individuals to denounce sacred or sensitive values. We do not need free speech to protect popular thoughts or popular people. It is designed to protect those who challenge the majority and its institutions. Criticism of religion is the very measure of the guarantee of free speech — the literal sacred institution of society.
Oct 202009
Oh, freakin’ hurray.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/15/inside-the-ring-2059116/#
President Obama recently shifted authority for approving sales to China of missile and space technology from the White House to the Commerce Department — a move critics say will loosen export controls and potentially benefit Chinese missile development.
The president issued a little-noticed “presidential determination” Sept. 29 that delegated authority for determining whether missile and space exports should be approved for China to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.
Oct 192009
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24239/
One question that then arises is how many universes are there. That may sound like the sort of quantity that is inherently unknowable but Andrei Linde and Vitaly Vanchurin at Stanford University in California have worked out an answer, of sorts.
How many universes? The number might be somewhat greater than the “one-two-three-many” conception of numbers that much of mankind has.
Oct 192009
Taken yesterday.
Oct 192009
Oy.
BBC DEFENDS HUMPTY DUMPTY DECISION
The BBC has defended a decision to change the ending of nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty.
A version used on the CBeebies channel was altered so rather than “couldn’t put Humpty together again” all the King’s horses “made Humpty happy again”.
The broadcaster said the change was made purely for creative reasons rather than trying to give a soft version of the rhyme for children. …Labour MP Tom Harris told the Independent on Sunday: “For goodness sake. Obviously children will find it far too violent, distressing and horrific that Humpty should not be put back together again.
Wow. That’s just… lame. Even for the Nanny State, worrying about upsetting children with a centuries-old rhyme is pretty freakin’ sad. Someone should tell them that for millenia children have grown up with tales of people being eaten by wolves or being poisoned by witches, stepmoms, Socialists and other assorted evildoers, and it didn’t seem to traumatize ’em. Hell, until the 20th century, when a death in the family occured, the body was displayed for a time (a short time… ya don’t want Granny stinkin’ up the joint) in the “parlor.” But that fell out of fashion, and now it’s called the “living room” (no place for the dead, you see), and death is something we don’t let kids see or understand.
<> Well, except for the family that brought along a passel of rugrats to the showing of “Zombieland” I went to a couple days back…
Oct 172009
A preliminary design for an “Integral Lift Fan/Cruise Engine V/STOL Transport,” roughly of the same size as the Boeing 737. This design featured six dedicated high-bypass ratio turbofan liftjets (four in wing-pods, two in flip-out nacelles in the forward fuselage), and two vectorable-thrust lift/cruise engines at the tail. The design could carry 100 passengers, with two pilots and three flight attendants. The design was intended for the 1980-1985 timeframe. Range with STOL performance was 800 nautical miles; with VTOL flight, range dropped to 400 nautical miles. This was due to the need to offload fuel to reduce takeoff weight… 19,060 pounds of fuel for STOL, 12,160 pounds for VTOL. Cruise speed was to be Mach 0.75.
Oct 172009
Not the usual “ID this aircraft” contest, but anyone who correctly names the nearest city and this river gets $30 worth of downloads…
Oct 162009
On display at the National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy center, is the Gemini Tow Test Vehicle. This was a “flying mockup” of a Gemini space capsule modified with a Rogallo-wing and tricycle landing gear, with the idea being that the Gemini capsules would go beyond their primary role of basic research, and become operational two-man space transports. The wing and landing gear would allow the Gemini to land on a conventional runway, rather than ocean splshdown, simplifying recovery and refurbishment for re-use. The TTV-1 was carried aloft by a helicopter and then dropped, gliding to a horizontal landing at Edwards Air Force Base.
Annoyingly, Udvar-Hazy is poorly lit, and didn’t allow tripods. Grrr.
Oct 162009
Especially at 75 miles per hour.
