Hiatus

I’m packing tonight, and I’ll be on planes all day tomorrow from LA to San Juan, so I won’t be posting until Friday (from the Atlantic time zone) unless something truly urgent strikes me.

This message is only to the three people who regularly read this weblog (likely all family members). Everyone else can ignore it…

Some Airline Security Common Sense

Bob Poole has published a little reality check about the recent airline security travesty passed by Congress and signed by the President. I’m still trying to finish up my magnum opus on this subject, but until then, this is highly-recommended reading by someone who has been following these issues for many years.

Congress acted in haste, under intense public pressure to “do something.” But what’s needed now is a more careful look at which “somethings” will actually make flying safer.

Not only that, but “somethings” that will make flying a tolerable experience…

Annoying != Safe

Nuts To Me

In his comments about bloggers vs “professional web writers” (like some of the hacks at Salon), Professor Reynolds notes:

Look at most of the pages under “recommended” on the left and you’ll see people doing just as well, for peanuts.

Peanuts?! I wish! I must not be included in the “most.”

I do all this in furtherance of my eventual unrealizable fantasy of getting peanuts (maybe even shelled and roasted–one can always dream). Right now, I have to shuck my own sunflower seeds.

Of course, I’m hoping to move into a cardboard box any day, too…

What do you do to get peanuts? Whose hiney do you have to kiss?

(BTW, there’s a little button over there to the left for anyone who wants to contribute to my legume fund…)

More Cave-Clearing Commentary

In response to George Herbert’s comment [Re: Geneva convention] that:

>HC smoke (military smoke grenades smoke) isn’t covered, nor is White

>Phosphorous smoke (has a secondary incindiary effect, but that isn’t

>banned by any treaties). Nor nonlethal teargases. But all of these

>ideas of CO, CO2, etc. down caves are covered.

Andrew Case replies:

Isn’t there a loophole for gassing people incidental to trying to kill them some other way? IOW, If I’m trying to flambe somebody and he insists on dying from the fumes rather than the burns, I’m not a war criminal, am I?

A rocket engine running oxidizer rich might be a way around this–you’re trying to start (civilized) fires rather than trying to gas people (barbaric)

The irony of trying to civilize war is endless.

Indeed.

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!