Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

I wouldn’t normally blog the death of a pro wrestler. But Rowdy Roddy Piper, who just died, age 61, also starred in John Carpenter’s terrific, underrated, and oh-so-apt freedomista social satire, They Live.

I tried to check out OpenBazaar.com, but the first thing it wanted was Javascript enabled. When I gave it that, the next thing it wanted, without first offering any actual content, was for me to enable Flash. Um … no thanks; not until I know you better. Still it sounds intriguingly like both Son of eBay and Silk Road reborn. And Forbes is terrified of it. So that’s something. (H/T MJR)

Drawing — by hand, even doodling — enhances memory and other cognitive functions.

Remember last week’s remotely hacked Jeep? Chrysler has now recalled … well, basically every car it’s made lately. No need to take your auto to the shop, though: just wait for the USB stick or download the software. OTOH, given the company’s record of mishandling recalls, don’t be too optimistic.

New micro device delivers drugs directly to the brain. Not my brain, buddy!

And yes, the SJWs have gone completely around the bend. Latest target: Dante. The Divine Comedy, one of the great classics of literature*, is no longer fit to be taught in schools because Dante Alighieri, who lived 800 years ago, failed to hold approved modern opinions. Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate indeed!

* Which I once read in the original Italian. Not that I’m bragging or anything. Couldn’t do it today and even then I had to have an Italian dictionary at hand, not to mention a guide to the characters (oddly enough, hell turns out to be largely populated by medieval Italians, many of them Dante’s political enemies). I also skipped most of the Purgatorio and the Paradiso. Nobody, not even Dante, has ever come up with a description of heaven that isn’t a total snooze. The gruesome Inferno is the only part anybody cares about. It may be Great Literature, but entertainmentwise, it’s the medieval equivalent of a slasher flick.

On the other hand, we could use some pretty basic changes of policy (and of heart) toward our beloved companions. This man lived on the streets for two years because no homeless shelter would accept him with the dog who’d devoted a life to him. (Fortunately, help eventually stepped in.)

Perfect example of another “good cop.” And note how supporters flocked to defend him and make him out to be the victim. Did any of his authoritarian cheerleaders care about the four-year-old girl Mr. Weepy Cop molested? (No, she probably “made him do it” or “was asking for it”.) What an utterly disgusting spectacle. (Via Wendy)

While the specific features of this “Swiss Army knife” jacket may not turn your crank, the basic idea is a great one. Many, many possibilities!

I’ve watched several cancer patients, who knew they were terminal, spend their last months in an agony of hopeful chemo. At the end, they bitterly regretted putting themselves through it. I’m glad such exploitation of the desperate might soon come to an end.

You might be surprised to learn that single-family housing is nothing more than a racist, classist plot. In Seattle, anyhow. (Sigh. Another formerly livable city is about to complete its spiral down the tubes.)

You will be shocked, I’m sure, to learn that the Bloombergians are against it. And hey, check out the “do not link” link! Great way to read an article on Bloomberg’s The Trace. Until it fails or Bloomy gets bored and defunds it, that new site is going to have some important articles on it — important not because they’re good but because they’ll look like serious, balanced journalism to those who don’t understand the issues while being covertly filled with codswallop.

Also lite: the good news about that quake that’s going to destroy the Northwest. :-)

I’ve lost count. How many “anti-violence” activists and “anti-violence” groups have been busted now for weapons violations, assaults, or homicides? A big number.

The fedgov can’t manage to charge a single mega-banker for wrecking the U.S. economy through fraud and malfeasance. But the state of New York (via the ever-present, ever-righteous Cyrus Vance, Jr.) can manage 184 counts against a tiny, family-owned bank that was apparently just trying to police itself.

Uh oh. No surprise. Sandra Bland, that young woman who “committed suicide” in police custody last week was reportedly a vocal activist against police brutality. Well, guess they showed her, didn’t they?

The science behind introversion and extroversion. (Yes, this subject fascinates me; you can tell.)

The house that saved their marriage. Most of us don’t have the resources, but I’ve thought this sort of living arrangement would be great ever since, as a teenager, I read about writer Mary Wollstonecraft, who (clear back in the 18th century) had a similar living arrangement with philosopher William Godwin.

Joel already blogged this one, but it’s too good to pass up. This wannabe robber survived, but if there’s a non-fatal runner-up category for the Darwin Awards, he’s a shoo-in. (I read in another article that, in addition to everything else, the helpful customer was a high school wrestler.)

This public murder + mass act of cowardice happened (in gun-free DC, no surprise) on July 4. I just heard about it. If this is how disarmed and “civilized” people behave, you can take your civilization and … ahem.

TZP has been hopping lately. Special attention to two very recent posts by Nicki. “Loopholes” and the South Carolina church shooter. And quite literally a “no-brainer” : a San Francisco supervisor wants to punish the berg’s only gun store (and any others that might ever be so foolish as to locate in the city) for something it didn’t even remotely do.

Fascinating and mostly well-done New Yorker article on the Big One that will someday wallop the Pacific Northwest. (Via jed in comments)

Upon his 85th birthday, Thomas Sowell looks back on the uneducated people who helped raise him above his roots.

People who radically change their spending habits via radical rethinking. They’re inspiring. Entertaining. Great examples. But how come they always seem to be young urban dwellers without, you know, gigantic house remodel projects going on? Or six kids to feed? Don’t get me wrong; giving up a daily Starbucks or buying fewer cosmetics can be a big thing to a yuppie & it’s a great mind change. But the rest of us …

The seller and I agreed on a 30% price reduction from what we’d originally established (which is also more than 30% under Kelley Blue Book) + three months of he’ll-fix-anything-that-goes-wrong.

I was getting along just fine on foot and with occasional boosts from neighbors and friends, but I was aware of the many possible ways in which I might not do so fine without making serious impositions on good people.

And besides … I kinda missed Ole Blue. It’s a nice little ride.

Now I only hope I don’t regret this … that it lasts until the Elio comes on the market … and that the Elio turns out at least vaguely to resemble the claims being made for it.

And yes, in the meantime, the Xterra will still get some attention. But no driving until I’m sure it won’t die in the middle of the highway.