It’s that time of day—when the organizations call.  “Hello?” I say. There’s a delay on the other end as their auto-dialing software rings up some poor drone.  I sit silently, waiting for them to speak. “Hello?” says the drone, evidently puzzled by the silence. “Yes?” I say, stepping out of the darkness. “Oh hello. […]
Yearly Archives: 2010
This Kind of Mess
Fri, 14 May 2010, 12:35 PM (-06:00)
Not so long ago, our fearless leader was moving in a different direction than today. Â Not so long ago, he said, …oil rigs today don’t generally cause spills. Â They are technologically very advanced. [ref: msnbc] That was not so long ago. Â Today the situation has obviously changed. Today, there aren’t many people who want to […]
Eigenvalues, Phone Numbers and Externalities
Thu, 13 May 2010, 09:09 PM (-06:00)
Cleaning up some papers sitting atop my dresser this afternoon, I found a sheet that had the following three things on it. 1. In the center of the page was a statement of the eigenvalue problem: Lf = λ f, residue of a project that never got off the ground. 2. On the right side […]
Black to Beck
Thu, 13 May 2010, 07:50 AM (-06:00)
Lewis Black (on the Daily Show) gives Glenn Beck some advice: Take it from me, my people have been through this before. First, you gotta find an attic. Â Then, hide there for the next three years, and whatever you do, don’t make a sound. We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out. hat […]
Saturday Morning Triptych
Mon, 10 May 2010, 04:04 PM (-06:00)
1. Bun Run A good day for a taco.  The sky was grey but not ominous.  The temperature was comfortable.  A slight breeze blew as I put a book under my arm and walked out the door to go to Torchy’s. A mile into the walk, I came to the big street and waited for the […]
Yelling, Singing and Making Statements
Sun, 9 May 2010, 08:52 PM (-06:00)
It was the day of the fourth grade Culture Fair. Â Mexico and Japan were in one room. Â India was across the hall with Britain. There were tamales and wasabe and soy beans in a pod. Â And hot chai. The kids were organized into small groups of 6-10 boys and girls, and every 18 minutes they’d […]
Was That a Costly Device?
Wed, 5 May 2010, 07:09 AM (-06:00)
In 2000, the US government issued said a backup system to turn off deepwater drilling systems was an essential safety component. In 2001, the industry complained that there were significant doubts about such systems. In 2003, the government decided that, what do you know, more study was required.  And the Minerals Management Service reported that the devices […]
That and This
Mon, 3 May 2010, 07:36 AM (-06:00)
Question: How are you going to do this to this? Answer: You’re not. This one can’t be cleaned up, even superficially.
Gordon Brown v. Gillian Duffy
Sat, 1 May 2010, 02:38 AM (-06:00)
Poor Gordon Brown. He got caught calling Gillian Duffy a bigot when he forgot to take off a microphone as he drove down the road in his fancy limousine. It was televised live. And now it’s all over the web. You have to feel for the man. Or not. Because it turns out he is […]
Drill, Baby, Drill!
Fri, 30 Apr 2010, 05:06 PM (-06:00)
No technology is perfect. So it’s not a matter of if something will go wrong but rather a question of when. To think or say otherwise is to lie thru your teeth. For the Mississippi delta, when is now. Source: Jesse Allen/NASA Earth Observatory Drill, baby. Drill!