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Archive for 2013
February 13, 2013
I THINK THE OXNARD SCHOOL AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE FIRED FOR THEIR RACIST ASSUMPTION THAT HISPANICS AREN’T AMERICANS. Shameful.
JOHN HINDERAKER: CNN SLIDES EVER LOWER.
I SUPPOSE IT WOULD BE HOPELESSLY SEXIST TO TALK ABOUT training women to be better using rewards and punishments.
But, sexism aside, essays like this miss the point.
ED DRISCOLL: What’s Gotten Into The Water At CNN?
EAT DIRT — And then pay a hefty tab.
ACTUALLY, AND WEIRDLY, MY SENSE OF SMELL HAS BEEN IMPROVING OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS: Sense of Smell Declines With Age. “Human olfactory powers degrade as the years go by, resulting in a detectable loss by the time many people reach their 30s. Gradually, it can deteriorate to the point where people are unable to notice the odor of rancid food or a household gas leak. . . . By age 60, about half of people will experience a reduction in their ability to smell, and by age 80, about three-fourths will.”
I don’t know why my sense of smell is better. Resveratrol? It’s not all roses — one of the things I can smell now that I used to be unable to is skunk. I thought I was one of those who are genetically unable to smell it. Apparently not!
FASTER, PLEASE: Genetically Engineered Virus Kills Liver Cancer.
GUPPIES USE UGLY FRIENDS TO SEEM MORE ATTRACTIVE. Some people try that strategy, too.
MARKDOWNS ON bestselling digital point-and-shoot cameras.
I’m still very happy with my Lumix LX-5. My brother bought one before Christmas, and he’s been very happy with it, too.
FIVE WAYS CHINA COULD BECOME A DEMOCRACY.
VADER’S BLUNDER: INSIDE THE BATTLE OF HOTH.
From a military perspective, Hoth should have been a total debacle for the Rebel Alliance. Overconfident that they can evade Imperial surveillance, they hole up on unforgiving frigid terrain at the far end of the cosmos. Huddled into the lone Echo Base are all their major players: politically crucial Princess Leia; ace pilot Han Solo; and their game-changer, Luke Skywalker, who isn’t even a Jedi yet. . . . When Vader enters the Hoth System with the Imperial Fleet, he’s holding a winning hand. What follows next is a reminder of two military truths that apply in our own time and in our own galaxy: Don’t place unaccountable religious fanatics in wartime command, and never underestimate a hegemonic power’s ability to miscalculate against an insurgency.
Read the whole thing.
UPDATE: And, inevitably, from the comments:
Have you even served with the Imperial forces? Sure it’s easy to take potshots from your military blog in some no-name star system while the fleet and its legions fight the rebel insurgents, but combined space/air/ground operations are a lot messier than any infographic could ever portray.
Even with the Empire’s full spectrum dominance of the battlespace, you can’t just leverage fleet assets which are optimized for ship-to-ship combat into a large scale ground invasion force. A Star Destroyer might have more firepower than the entire militaries of less advanced worlds but you still need a proper ground assault ship to support infantry landings.
Unfortunately, the do-nothing blowhards in Coruscant couldn’t get funding for the promising alternative designs from Sienar Fleet Systems and we ended up (as usual) with Kuat Drive Yards’ overpriced, overdue, and underperforming AT-AT mess.
Heh.
FIVE TECHNOLOGY BOOKS TO READ THIS YEAR.
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW about drones.
INDIANA JONES WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT: Archaeologists Find Ancient Temple In Peru. “The discovery, dubbed the Temple of Fire, was found in one of the wings of El Paraiso’s main pyramid. It includes a hearth that experts believe was used to burn ceremonial offerings.”
THE SURPRISING WAYS THAT HUMANS continue to evolve.
HOW ROMANTIC: Lawyer Offers Free Valentine’s Day Divorce.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Joe Biden admits gun control will not stop mass shootings or save lives.
MARCO RUBIO: He’s everywhere!
MICHAEL TOTTEN: The Grand Universal Illusion.
RISE OF THE MACHINES: Mobile Internet Devices Will Outnumber People This Year.