Eli Dourado linked to this old Pop Mechanics piece I wrote over thirteen years ago that holds up pretty well.
All posts by Rand Simberg
Crime Rates In Britain
An interesting history:
By the 1500s, England's murder rate was lower than the murder rate in modern-day Africa 🏴
— Sam Bidwell (@sam_bidwell) December 23, 2024
And by the 20th century, Britain was one of the least violent societies on Earth – but why was this the case?
A 🧵 on the history of how England crushed crime pic.twitter.com/uripa0j2Eu
Tonsils
Can removing them cause anxiety later in life?
I still have mine, and I suspect that a lot of these procedures (if not all of them) are unnecessary and even harmful.
The latest NASA Rumors
Eric Berger describes potential changes in policy in a Trump administration. Not sure why they would consolidate Goddard and Ames in Huntsville. This would also make it inconvenient for Goddard to work with APL at Johns Hopkins.
I’m Looking Forward To This
Kash Patel is going to try to clean up the FBI.
Good luck.
X Defeats Congress
Maybe it’s a new world, politically.
[Update a few minutes later]
Congress Proposes New Law Banning Anyone From Reading Spending Bill Until It's Passed https://t.co/zuL1kRxSoN pic.twitter.com/bWFVfXIcGt
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) December 19, 2024
[Update a while later]
This seems somewhat related: Rapid-Onset Political Enlightenment.
I said the day after the election that I had a great feeling of relief, and this sort of explains it. It’s almost like when Saruman’s spell over Théoden was broken.
TP-Link
We just bought a Deco mesh system a few months ago, when the Orbi died. I wonder if it’s compromised?
Ireland’s Hatred For Israel
I hadn’t been aware of the degree of anti-Semitism in the Emerald Isle. It makes me less inclined to want to revisit it.
An Amusing Star Wars Thread
As someone who is not a big fan of either Star Wars or Star Trek, I thought this somehow appropriate for the holidays. Yeah, I’m weird.
Seven years ago, my wife's family took me to see this movie. It was one of the kindest things they've ever done, and one of the worst things that's ever happened to me. A thread: https://t.co/rLkkj5nyaY
— Isaac TRexArms (@IsaacBotkin) December 16, 2024
The Years Of Madness
Are they (finally) ending? Many seem to think so.