Archive for 2010

MARKDOWNS ON Toys And Games.

JOE GANDELMAN NOTES THAT WE’RE LIVING IN THE CRAZY YEARS: “If you’ve been looking for further proof that American politics is going thoroughly bonkers as partisans claw for increasingly personal labels to hurl at and discredit foes or those who don’t agree — it’s a lot easier doing that than debating someone on such piffle as actual policies and offering alternative solutions — then look no further than Pennsylvania where one Democrat has now outed another Democrat….for really being straight.” And yes, it does sound like a Saturday Night Live sketch. From back when Saturday Night Live was funny.

BOREDOM IS A KILLER. More or less literally.

GOOD GRIEF: Girlfriend Body Pillow: The Saddest Place to Lay Your Head. “There’s not much more to say, really, other than that if this is the Deluxe version I’d hate to see what standard gets you. Available now at Sears (!) for just ten bucks, plus all kinds of awkward explanations should a real human girl ever stop by.”

THE FUTURE OF LAW FIRMS AND LEGAL EDUCATION IN AN ARMY OF DAVIDS WORLD: My Hofstra talk from last year is now a — short and interesting! — law review article on the subject. (Bumped).

DANIEL HENNINGER: Democrats At The Edge Of The Cliff. “Democrats are spending trillions at the worst possible moment, with a new poll showing public trust in government at a historic low of 22%.” Yeah, they’re spending money like there’s no tomorrow. Do they know something we don’t? . . .

ACHIEVING FIBER-OPTIC SPEEDS over copper lines?

WHICH SMARTPHONE IS SMARTEST: A comparison.

CELEBRATING CINCO DE MAYO in style.

ANN ALTHOUSE: Comedy Central cowers in the face of a murder threat/warning against “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Obviously, Christians — and Sarah Palin fans, and lovers of My Mother The Car — should take heed of this incentive system our modern media is creating. Don’t want things you treasure satirized? Just issue a “prediction” and — voila! Meanwhile, note how entirely real radical Muslim threats and violence are treated as just part of the weather — something you have to adapt to — while nonexistent Tea Party violence is an existential threat to the Republic.

But here’s a warning of my own: Those who have no backbone will do the bidding of those who do.

NANOTECHNOLOGY: Attacking acne with gold nano-bombs.

This is cool, but I was noticing the other day that serious teenage acne — I’m not talking about an occasional pimple, but serious cases with the potential for scarring, etc. — is much, much rarer than it was when I was a teenager. I assume that’s the result of better medications, both prescription and non-prescription, but I haven’t read much about the phenomenon. Yet once you think about it, it’s pretty striking.

THE REVEALED SLOW AGING HYPOTHESIS: “I noticed an interesting idea in the form of a published research paper today. To what degree might we attribute the accelerating rise in human life span in recent centuries to an increased survival rate for people who bear gene variants that (a) harm the prospects for survival to adulthood in low-technology settings, but (b) lead to a longer life expectancy for those who do survive?”

NICK KRISTOF: Obama Backs Down On Sudan. “Mr. Obama and his aides have caved, leaving Sudan gloating at American weakness.” What happened to all that smart diplomacy we were promised?