eugene gordin » Journal

[The Aggregate] Week of October 26th, 2009

egordin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:45:57 +0000

While I was expecting large amounts of healthcare news this week, it turned out that the only large thing about it was the $1.2 trillion price tag (or roughly $4 million per word, I kid you not). There was however a return to political topics this week, despite non-political news such as the 40th birthday of the Internet. Next week, I promise to mix it up a bit more .

After the Wall: A Debate Over Democracy's Reach

An intriguing look at the latest competitor to democracy: authoritarian capitalism. With the world's emerging economies teetering in their stability and selection of a governing system, India and China provide ample case studies for both sides of the debate.

Democrats' Policies Based on Dogma, Hopes, Dreams, not Reality

Dennis Prager attempts to explain the left's unflinching faith in the ability of government to improve everything around us, including our healthcare system. While I admire undying optimism in society in general, that very same optimism in our political leaders typically results in tragedies of the worst kind.

'Civil Gideon' Trumpets Legal Discord

A new California law provides the poor with the right to an attorney in civil matters such as child custody and foreclosure, extending beyond the standard "Gideon" rights to an attorney for criminal cases. While there is more than adequate justification for the new law, it is still unclear where the money will come for such expenditure, regardless of necessity. Besides, this law definitely makes more sense than the new San Francisco policy that prevents police officers from automatically impounding cars driven by unlicensed (and illegal immigrants) drivers, instead giving them 20 minutes to find someone with a valid license to drive their car. Oh California.

Obama and the U.S. Strategy of Buying Time

Although I feel like I include Stratfor articles all the time in these posts, the balance and insight of their articles force me to add one more. This time George Friedman looks at British and Roman history as guides to understanding American foreign policy. Friedman makes the valid point that the moment that a nation establishes full national defense is the same moment that other nations view it as a threat: defense is offense.

Updating the legislative scenarios: Reply hazy, ask again later

Keith Hennessey, a former director of the National Economic Council, reexamines and quantifies the probable legislative options for the healthcare bills currently facing Congress. As a major political operative, it is always fascinating to read Hennessey's insight into Washington politics, despite the troublesome nature of our current situation.

[The Aggregate] Week of October 19th, 2009

egordin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:16:06 +0000

This week’s Aggregate includes only one political article (I was highly tempted to include the ridiculous Politico piece about Matt Drudge being responsible for the dollar’s decline), but instead focuses more on science & technology. However, with Congress inching closer to a vote on ObamaCare, next week is likely to include more political content.

When Tyranny Calls

A finely toned sense of pattern recognition is the perfect compliment to a thorough understanding of history: while the latter provides the context, the former provides insight to the current, as well as the future. This article, much like the bestselling Liberty & Tyranny, describes our current state in the context of the past. The paragraph about future politicians being forced to support Universal Healthcare the way that Social Security is now supported was particularly insightful.

Getting It Wrong: Surprising Tips on How to Learn

In the age of Google, and Wikipedia, much of the debates around the kitchen table end prematurely when someone whips out their iPhone in search of getting it right. New research in the Scientific American suggests that and getting it wrong the first time, and only then looking it up will lead to better comprehension. This research is particularly interesting in light of the American educational system's focus on giving away answers for fear of diminishing a student's self esteem. Looks like failing a few times really does help drive a point home.

Why hasn't Vista sold well?

Speaking of failing, Microsoft released Windows 7 this week, which caused a bit of reflection as to why Vista was such a problem. This blog post by the very talented Marco Arment looks beyond Vista's technological blunders to the bigger picture, and the computer industry's current approach to its customers.

The Future of Laundry: No Water

Just a few minutes after finishing my laundry last week, I happened upon this Popular Science article about the latest advancements in clothes washing. While the technology seems impressive (it comes out of Xerox no less), I'd like to see how clean it actually gets clothes comparing to conventional machines. Also intriguing is the article on that same page about energy efficient appliances.

AT&T's A-List

Lastly this week is not so much an article but a new feature from AT&T called A-List, which allows you to talk to 5 of your contacts for as much as you want without it counting against your monthly minute allowance. I hadn't seen much publicity for this feature, probably due to the fact that it is free for AT&T customers with cell phone plans that cost $59 and above, meaning that almost all iPhone customers are eligible. Combined with Rollover minutes, this almost makes up for AT&T's notorious lack of service coverage.

[The Aggregate] Week of October 12th, 2009

egordin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:10:18 +0000

Although it was easier to write than last week’s (which was written entirely on my iPhone), this week’s Aggregate consists of articles which I caught up on while flying back from Boston to California. A few of this week’s articles address topics covered before, but in a bit of a different light, so take a look and as always, let me know in the comments what you think about all of them!

Why Email No Longer Rules…

As I traveled around New England last week, and had the opportunity to think more about Google Wave, I began to really see the benefits of that type of real-time communication. I tried to think of a good example of the need for more instant communication which was filled neither by email nor instant messaging, and the best that I could come up with was email attachments. Have you ever sent an email with an attachment, only to find out a few minutes later that something in the attachment or email needed to be changed? Well Google Docs began addressing this problem, but Google Wave truly fixes it.

How Israel Was Disarmed

This opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal fast forwards to January 2010, when Israel is forced to disarm by the United Nations. With geopolitics spiraling the way that they have been recently, and with the White House fully investing in its impotent foreign policy of little more than words, the situation described in the article is, frighteningly, not all that implausible.

The Fallacy of Identity Theft

If you watch TV or listen to the radio, you have likely been bombarded with ads which claim to protect you from the impending disaster known as Identity Theft. This article examines that very trend, and presents some interesting statistics on how widespread the problem really is(n't).

Why Obama Was Awarded The Nobel Prize

Two weeks later, President Obama's Nobel Prize win is still on people's minds, as it is still unclear what exactly he did to win, except appease the world's left. Therefore, Dennis Prager examines the Norwegian Nobel Committee's justification of their pick, sentence by sentence. This is particularly interesting, considering the majority of the committee objected to the selection of Obama.

Presumption of Guilt

Finally, this story explains the cobwebs of the Mexican legal system, and one man's wrongful imprisonment which was ended only when a couple of filmmakers & lawyers heard his horrific story and decided to help. While Stratfor did offer some detailed intelligence on the growing trouble in Mexico, the legal issues there were not addressed. Luckily this article sheds some light on our southern neighbor.

[The Aggregate] Week of October 5th, 2009

egordin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:14:31 +0000

I’m writing this Aggregate post from a lakeside cabin in Massachusetts, and the entire thing was written on my iPhone. Therefore I ask you to disregard the spelling and grammar mistakes, which are hard to catch on this little device (proofreading will definitely happen when I get back!). That said, if you’re interested in reading about my weeklong roadtrip across New England, you can find my trip journal here.

Newsom's Nanny Problem

One of the front running Democratic candidates for governor of California, Gavin Newsom seems to be running on the platform that his success in San Francisco can simply be ratcheted up to Sacramento. There's only two problems with that plan: first, the city of San Francisco isn't representative of the state of California, and second, his "success" in San Francisco is minimal at best. That's all we need in Sacramento - another politician telling us how to live our lives from the pulpit of a bankrupt state house.

Revolutionary Anti-Semitism

While I have a thorough understading of Anti-Semitism in Europe and the Middle East, I must admit that I knew little about it in South America. This article sheds some (scary) light on the matter. Venezuela's friendship with Iran is only second to that of Russia's and President Obama's criticism of the well justified removal of the leftist Hunduran despot only serves to confirm his lack of historical understanding.

Two Leaks and the Deepening Iran Crisis

With the situation with Iran quickly brewing into a serious geopolitical moment, no one can explain the entire tangled web better than Stratfor's George Friedman. The analysis is thorough, insightful, and awefukly frightening for anyone with a president who keeps being rewarded for his consistent lack of productivity.

Our Gross National Happiness

If you've ever wondered what good can come of the vast amount of information that Facebook knows about the world around all of us, here's one example. Facebook created an algorithm which examines people's (anonymous) status messages for indications of positivity and negativity. The result is an almost realtime plot of what they call our "Gross National Happiness." Although this kind of infographic is fascinating to look at, it should be noted that the people who consistently post status messages indicating their mood are likely (even collectively) not representative of anything except our gross national need to get a life.

Google Wave's Unproductive Email Metaphors

Google Wave has been well touted as the next greatest thing, and as someone who has had an account since Google unveiled the product, I have to say that in it's current state, I fail to see it ever reaching the ubiquity of email. I'm not talking about the bugs, I mean the concept - it's just too difficult, unintuitive, and just plain overwhelming for the vast majority of the general public. Robert Scoble explains some of the reasons why.

Why Obama Should Not Have Received the Peace Prize -- Yet

The morning I found out that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize, I, like most everyone was shocked. One of the most astounding aspects of the whole fiasco is that it angered people across the political spectrum, particularly because he hasn't, um, done anything. While the "yet" part of this Reich post title is debatable, the first part definitely rings true.

[The Aggregate] Week of September 28th, 2009

egordin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:04:33 +0000

This week’s articles are a bit all over the place, but I guess that is the point of this little series. The commentary this week is peppered with a bit more links, just in case the 5 Aggregate articles weren’t enough.

I should also mention that I came across an article this week by Michael Medved (talkshow host, film critic, and author) where he agrees with Robert Reich that universal healthcare very well could bankrupt the US if economists, the American public, history, and well, logic are ignored. If you recall, I highlighted that very same Reich article an Aggregate post two weeks ago, as a seemingly odd justification for healthcare legislation. Glad I wasn’t the only one perplexed by the article, and concerned by the perspective.

Here’s what I have for you this week:

Walk or Bus?

This handy little tool will help you answer the age old question of urbanites everywhere: should I walk or take the bus? The idea is that given a certain distance to go, and the time until the next bus, this chart will tell you if you're better off walking or waiting for the bus. Although a mobile version of this tool is both missing & already suggested, the concept is quite useful.

The Real Jimmy Carter

Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor and author of many great books, explains his take on Jimmy Carter, with whom he has extensive personal experience. Despite being arguably the worst US president of the 20th century, Jimmy Carter has continued to plague this country with anti-semetic, anti-Israel, and plainly insulting rhetoric, arguing that those who disagree with President Obama do so out of their own inherent racism. It would be astounding that a man with such hateful views has yet to be marginalized, but as Dershowitz clearly points out, he's quite well-funded with hate-spewing oil money.

Liu Bolin - The Invisible Man

Liu Bolin is a contemporary Chinese artist who paints himself in order to blend in with his surroundings. Although I am still unclear about what the intended underlying message of his art is, it seems to me that in a regime like China's, the common man often fades into a background of political turmoil, unbridled success, and unabashed tyranny.

Health 'Reform' Is Income Redistribution

Three prominent political operatives make their case against the health reform currently under debate in Congress, arguing that the "guaranteed issue" and "individual mandate" sections of these plans will likely result in increased premiums for an overwhelming majority of Americans. The ironic thing about all of these critiques is that none of them are based on an actual, finalized bill. Therefore, the response from the left is often that the bill is unfinished. That may be the case, but since neither congressmen nor the public will get much time with the finalized bill, all we're left with is the current (and quite scary) legislative language.

Haunting ‘Gulag Collection’ Records Soviets’ Inhumanity

Nikolai Getman was a Gulag survivor who painted the horrors of these Russian labor camps after his release in 1953. Getman vividly portrays the widespread hunger, vicious abuse, and unadulterated atrocity of the Russian camps, and his important work is now on display at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC to commemorate the anniversary of fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9th, 1989. Sidenote: I was actually named after my grandmother's sister, who passed away just before I was born, and was sent to the gulags for "espionage" under Stalin.

[The Aggregate] Week of September 21st, 2009

egordin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:59:25 +0000

This week’s Aggregate is a bit smaller (possibly to make up for the long one a couple weeks back). I’m not sure why there weren’t as many interesting articles this week, but with the unveiling of Iran’s new uranium enrichment facility and their testing of short- and long-range missiles, all in one weekend, I’m sure next week will be back up to size. I also included a link to a new little section on my site: a listing of my favorite iPhone apps. Enjoy!

To Outfox the Chicken Tax, Ford Strips Its Own Vans

In addition to the excellent punny title, this article perfectly points out the ridiculous effects of protectionism and anti-free-trade absurdity. This little showcase of the "law of unintended consequences" spotlights the inefficiencies of tariffs (such as those President Obama recently imposed on Chinese tires), and brings to mind yet another fitting Sorkinism.

Obama's Nontax Tax

After making the rounds to almost all (with one notable exception) of the Sunday talk shows, President Obama managed to basically repeat the same talking points about his healthcare bill over and over again. However, one interesting conversation took place with George Stephanopoulos, who pressed the President about how it was possible that his insurance mandate was not a tax. The questioning didn't go far enough however, as it is still unclear what in the constitution permits Washington to require health insurance of the American people.

Do Charters 'Cream' the Best?

Although better student performance in charter schools has often been attributed to their acceptance of only the brightest students, new (and extensive) research has found evidence to the contrary. In fact, the performance gains from charter schooling are present with students all across the income spectrum. These types of results indicate both the great possibilities of increased charter schooling, as well as the minimal likelihood of their creation, due to the choking hold the teacher's unions have on education in America.

My Favorite iPhone Apps

Finally this is a bit of shameless self-promotion on a slow news week - a new (and so-far unrevealed) category on my website - my favorite iPhone apps. I am on my iPhone all day and get to test all sorts of new and interesting apps. Therefore, I decided I'd share my favorite ones with all of you as I find them. The section also includes a new sidebar design, which will eventually permeate throughout the site.

[The Aggregate] Week of September 14th, 2009

egordin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:45:40 +0000

It was difficult to avoid focusing on the foreign policy issues facing America this week, but I limited myself to the two articles which most clearly explained our current situation.

I really appreciate the feedback I’ve been getting on these articles, and have thought about the different ways to share them with you all. While I’m working on it, I have set up a special twitter account where I store the most interesting articles I read throughout the week. You can receive these articles in real time (as opposed to this digest form) by either following @egaggregate on Twitter, or subscribing to the RSS feed.

As always, let me know what you think about all of this!

Misreading the Iranian Situation

Written prior to Obama's abandonment of the Bush European missile shield, this Stratfor intelligence report describes (in great and frightening detail) the current situation between the United States, Russia, Israel, and Iran. Promises were made, but whether or not people can keep them leaves Israel's national security waving in the balance.

Kremlin says Israel promised not to strike Iran

After giving up the European missile shield as a concession to Russia in hopes that they'll back off their undying friendship with Iran, the US gets yet another example of our appeasement efforts resulting in a swift kick to our national family jewels. President Obama's insistence on folding to leaders of countries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela is dreadfully reminiscent of Jimmy Carter's impotent foreign policies. As it turns out however, the missile shield might have been scrapped in part due to concerns about costs. Sure, how could we not do some cost-cutting in the (inter)national defense department, we have ObamaCare to pay for.

Nearness – interacting without touching

This creative video is part of a project investigating interaction through mobile phones. In addition being very well made, it is highly reminiscent of one of my favorite commercials: The Honda Accord Cog. For those interested, both of these types of creations are examples of what's called a Rube Goldberg Machine, which is a "deliberately overengineered apparatus that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion."

The Left Is Right - Taxes Are a Moral Issue

Written by Dennis Prager, this article tackles one of the arguments heard so frequently on the left side of the political spectrum: that progressive taxation is what morality demands. The article makes excellent points, but didn't answer the one taxation question which has stood out in my mind for a while now: isn't taxing a percentage of everyone's income already progressive? Our tax system seems to double count, first with a percentage, and again with an increasing one.

There Was Something About Harry

Being a conservative living in the Bay Area (a young one at that), this article particularly resonated with me, despite the fact that the liberals of Noe Valley treated Harry Aleo as their token rightwing nut-job at best, and a ironic threat to their "diversity" at worst. Of particular interest are some of the letters that Harry Aleo posted in his window (you can find them attached to the article on the left side). It is difficult to read about Harry and not feel a renewed sense of conviction, particularly in a place where the abundance of tolerance seems to stop at a differing opinion.

[The Aggregate] Week of September 7th, 2009

egordin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:51:12 +0000

Well “better late than never” is the theme of this week’s Aggregate. After tracking the popularity of the articles from last week, I can’t say that I’m too inspired to keep posting them. However, I’ve decided to give it another shot and see if last week’s articles were just not that interesting. Let me know what you guys think!

That said, here’s what I have for you this week:

Jones Resignation Deals Blow to Obama and the Left

Although the convenience of hindsight may have rendered the Van Jones resignation a buried story, the public is slowly becoming aware of the types of people that surround the president. From Jeremiah Wright to Bill Ayres to Van Jones, the old adage once again rings true: show me who your friends are, and I'll show you who you are.

Scanwiches

And now for something completely different - Scanwiches is a website which, in the most simplest of terms, takes sandwiches, cuts them in half, scans them as if they were this month's TPS report, and posts them online. They sometimes list the ingredients. Food for thought.

The Lessons from History on Health Care Reform

Just a quick look at how the über-left looks at history. My favorite quote is "it’s not so much that presidential economic advisers have been wrong — in fact, Medicare is well on its way to bankrupting the nation — but that they are typically in the business of thinking small and trying to minimize risk, while the herculean task of expanding health coverage entails great vision and large risk." Risk bankrupting the nation to cover less than 5% of people who can't afford health insurance? Sure. Why not.

The Hierarchy of Digital Distractions

Pretty much sums up my day to day struggles, with the iPhone trumping everything else. Push notifications, along with Instapaper, Google Reader, and Twitter have pretty much rendered the world inefficient at best.

If architects had to work like software & web developers

This is a letter written to an architect by a client detailing what he wants from the architect. A funny and well written read for anyone, including those of us who have tried to work for finicky clients, constantly changing their mind due to a fundamental lack of understanding of what they want.

[The Aggregate] Week of August 31st, 2009

egordin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:28:14 +0000

From crime research to terrorism, century-old photography to universal healthcare, this week’s Aggregate is truly a random collection of links from throughout the interweb.

I’ve modified the links a little bit to better understand what people are finding interesting among the articles in this series. Therefore, since you can’t see the sources of the links by mousing over them, I have added a [via …] to the end of each post indicating the source. Let me know if that’s helpful (or unnecessary). Also, I really appreciate all of the feedback people have given me on the articles – keep it coming – would love to hear what you guys think!

American Vice: Mapping the 7 Deadly Sins

This series of infographics plots the various sins by geographic area, clearly pointing out the most "devilish" as well as the most "saintly" places in America. The fascinating plots are the result of some crime research conducted at the Kansas State University, and I highly recommend you look at the graphic for Lust. What would you say is going on in Louisiana? [via Wired Magazine]

The Amazing Color Photography of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii

The Library of Congress has on display a collection of color photographs by a Russian photographer named Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii. What is fascinating about these color photographs is that they were taken almost 100 years ago, with a clever photography technique. Although apparently my dad already knew about these, seeing them for the first time was quite eye-opening. [via Mike Industries]

How Team of Geeks Cracked Spy Trade

Far from the dark cobwebbed halls of Washington's intelligence agencies, a new team of young programmers are chasing terrorists from their lax Silicon Valley offices. These guys are truly innovating the industry, and the intelligence agencies are closely (and gratefully) cooperating. [via WSJ]

Incorrect conventional wisdom about health care reform

With Congress coming back into sesssion, Keith Hennessey dispels some of the misconceptions surrounding the healthcare debate. He provides some much needed context, as well as insider knowledge, to this evermore troubling piece of legislation. [via Keith Hennessey]

Labor Day and the American Dream

Since this week ends just as Labor Day begins, this Wall Street Journal article does due diligence to the laborers of America by highlighting the simple truth that college is not for everyone. The article discusses the alternatives to the four-year degree, and arrives at wise point that "arguably the most valuable skill in today's economy is the ability to learn new skills." [via WSJ]

[The Aggregate] Week of August 24th, 2009

egordin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:15:42 +0000

As hard as I tried to limit myself to my 5 most favorite articles to post this week, I simply couldn’t do it. This week’s Aggregate tackles some serious topics, with a little bit of humor thrown in for good measure.

I’d love to hear what you guys think of these articles (or any that you’ve seen here so far), so feel free to comment.

How American Health Care Killed My Father

Written in an intriguing Gladwell-esque style, this article from the Atlantic Monthly examines the flaws of our current healthcare system, and offers logical, practical, market-based solutions for healthcare reform. It's a lengthy read, but highly recommended. Although I doubt that all of the proposed solutions can be implemented, it is the essence of the author's approach which offers hope for a brighter (and healthier) tomorrow.

Defusing the Google Bomb

While the internet might have brought us closer together, and flattened the world as we once knew it, a series of lawsuits involving bloggers, celebrities, and a whole lot of libel has once again reminded us that the "free" in free speech, does not mean free of consequence.

A Conservative Manifesto

Mark Levin this week decided to post the epilogue to his best selling book Liberty & Tyranny. Having read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it, I found this epilogue to be a thorough structure for a lot of the principles I was brought up with, and currently believe.

Not So Fast: A Manifesto For Slow Communication

A nice follow up to the Google Bomb article above, this piece argues that our ability to communicate faster does not mean that we communicate better or more effectively. I didn't ever think I'd ever have any manifestos on my website, nevermind two, but both, albeit different, are quite interesting.

Toyota Will Shut California Plant in First Closure

Toyota is closing NUMMI, a GM joint-venture assembly plant in the Bay Area (I have actually visited it!). This closure is particularly important not only because it is the first plant closure in Toyota's 72-year history, but also because it is more evidence of just how anti-business California has really become. Grossly high tax rates, overbearing pollution laws, and unbelievably unrealistic labor requirements have just shut out the world's most efficient company, leaving 5400 people unemployed in an unforgiving economy.

Random thoughts from people 20-35 years old

On a more lighthearted note, this collection of 35 thoughts came from an email chain bouncing around offices worldwide. My favorite so far: "How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?" After doing some research, it turns out that this collection is actually taken from popular entries on a digg-type site called ruminations, which lets people submit their thoughts & vote for their favorites.

Kennedy's Seat Sparks Political Storm

Ted Kennedy's death this week has causes quite a political stir in Massachusetts, where apparently Democrats are trying to overturn a law they themselves passed requiring vacant senate seats to be filled by general election rather than gubernatorial appointment. Quite a turn of events, particularly in light of the healthcare debate facing the nation & congress when it resumes in September.