Category Archives: Technology
Aside from fears of government intrusion into the private lives of ordinary citizens, what about intrusion from the private business sector of telecoms, internet apps companies, credit card services, and private data aggregators?
I finally took time out to watch the 2002 film “Minority Report“.
Within the movie, which takes place in something like 2056, iris-recognition technology is fully integrated into society:
The Voyage of Discovery, led by Lewis and Clark in 1803, took three years to travel to the West Coast and back. There was a desire to shorten the time for continental travel and mail delivery; the stage coach was the logical choice, but the logistics were almost overwhelming. There would need to be blacksmiths, harness makers, drivers and conductors, and many way stations. Horse feed was an overwhelming problem; horses need a minimum thirty pounds of forage a day to maintain their health. When hundreds or thousands of horses are using the same limited pasture, the natural graze begins to disappear. Yet the relentless stream of coaches continued to arrive at way stations, looking for fresh well-fed horses and possibly a hot meal.
Obama’s “moon project” aka high-speed rail is moving along. Costs are spiraling:
Faster than a speeding bullet train, the cost of the state’s massive high-speed rail project has zoomed to nearly $100 billion — triple the estimate given to voters and more than enough to run the entire state government for a year.
Prologue: This is a story of two Stone Age chieftains, who migrated to America during the last Ice Age, approximately twenty thousand years ago: one came from the East and one came from the West, but before you begin to recite the teachings of Archaeology from twenty years ago, you might be surprised to know of startling new discoveries about the migration of man and the inconvenient facts surrounding the theories of Anthropomorphic Global Warming.
Chief Napoleon Bear Killer wasn’t really a Chief, but he looked the part and he scared most White men. He was tall with a face that was the color and texture of weathered leather in need of oil. A mustache drooping from the corners of the mouth gave him a sinister look, his facial expression never changed, and he stared right through you; these particular characteristics made people from the city a little uncomfortable. The long knife he carried on his hip didn’t help his appearance; especially, when he sharpened it every night after dinner while telling one of his tales of murder and mayhem. He was actually a kind hearted man with a gift for story telling. Unfortunately, a favorite story of his was about one of his ancestors, a homicidal maniac named Olivia Muskrat. He loved to tell this story to hunters late at night around the campfire, when there were strange noises in the darkness or the wolves were serenading us after a few shots of sipping whiskey.
Extraterrestrials may be forced to take drastic measures after they have observed the damage we have done to our planet. Al Gore will surely be placed in charge. A Scientist with NASA feels aliens may be upset and launch a pre-emptive strike as a compelling reason to curb greenhouse gases. Conversely, if we were to take drastic actions, perhaps by putting Al Gore in charge of regulating our carbon footprint, extraterrestrial beings will be more inclined not to launch a strike.
When Politicians Intervene: NASA’s Budget Refocusing Ends US Space Exploration Program [Reader Post]
Some number of years ago, over twenty as I remember, the late (and IMHO great) Paul Harvey said that for every dollar spent at NASA, the return was seven dollars. So with that quote in my mind, the final Space Shuttle launch a few days ago, and Obama refocusing the NASA budget, I want to examine Obama’s NASA policy, as well as identify/review some of the daily benefits that we all derive from the NASA budget and space exploration.
The New Sovereign Investment Fund of Libya or of Colonel Qaddafi, there is no distinction in the money funds of Libya or Qaddafi, invested $1.3 Billion with Goldman Sachs; the bank used the funds on stock options at a variety of international banks and a collection of currency bets. Two years later, the Libyan fund had lost 98% of its value and was worth only $25.1 million.
Officials of Libya’s sovereign wealth fund were upset with Goldman Sachs and accused them of malfeasance; mainly, for making trades without authorization and misrepresenting investment deals.
There are those who would say these must be the words of an authoritarian tyrant.
We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.
Barack Obama, July 2, 2008, Colorado Springs, CO.
Really folks . . . absolutely not one of us here expect that the chaos in Egypt is going to miracle of miracles ORGANIZE into a viable Opposition Party . . . just ain’t gona happen. The logistics alone are unsurmountable, the corruption of the “opposition leaders” would begin instantly and in the end . . . is there any doubt what the results would be? Chaos is the opposition party.
Is there a way to organize chaos . . . NO. Can it be used productively and constructively . . . Yes. Look no further than the Tea Party.
