The Token Reader

Thought Surveillance Agency

2006-08-17T00:12:00.000-07:00

That's what the TSA wishes their abbreviation stood for apparently. Both fortunately and unfortunately, their goals are (at least currently) pseudoscientific pipe dreams. Via Scaramouche, we find that the TSA wants to start polygraphing everyone before letting them through security. To shamelessly reappropriate Wolfgang Pauli's infamous remark, it's so bad it's not even wrong. I don't even know where to begin with why such a system is a bad idea. So let's just start at the top of this disorganized mess of a WSJ article:

With one hand inserted into a sensor that monitors physical responses, the travelers used the other hand to answer questions on a touch screen about their plans. A machine measured biometric responses -- blood pressure, pulse and sweat levels -- that then were analyzed by software. The idea was to ferret out U.S. officials who were carrying out carefully constructed but make-believe terrorist missions.

Oh, yeah, that's going to work great for testing and calibrating a system designed to catch actual terrorists. 'Cause everyone knows a TSA employee running a security test will have the same kind of psychological response to the prospect of being caught as will a terrorist. I'm sorry, but "stupid" doesn't even begin to describe that assumption. (In all seriousness, sometimes what seems silly at first can be true, so I'm willing to be empirically convinced that this is a valid inference. But just assuming it is downright retarded.) Continuing:

The trial of the Israeli-developed system represents an effort by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to determine whether technology can spot passengers who have "hostile intent."

So basically, they want to know if you have "hate in [your] heart" when you get on a plane to, say, visit family that you hate or go on a business trip to meet with that sombitch David Nelson. Now on to the buzzwords:

In effect, the screening system attempts to mechanize Israel's vaunted airport-security process by using algorithms, artificial-intelligence software and polygraph principles.

Here's a handy-dandy translation guide. "Algorithms" = "computer program". "Artificial-intelligence software" = "marketing bullshit that means no such thing (yet)". And "polygraph principles" = "pseudoscience, intimidation, and wishful thinking". We're not even halfway done yet:

The test alone signals a push for new ways to combat terrorists using technology. Authorities are convinced that beyond hunting for weapons and dangerous liquids brought on board airliners, the battle for security lies in identifying dangerous passengers.

Wow, what brilliant insight by the authorities. Who would have ever thought that stopping terrorists might involve trying to, you know, identify terrorists? As to the bit of techno-worship, technology is a tool like any other. Or rather, a "tool" is just "technology" that's been around a long time.

The method isn't intended to catch specific lies, says Shabtai Shoval, chief executive of Suspect Detection Systems, the start-up business behind the technology dubbed Cogito. "What we are looking for are patterns of behavior that indicate something all terrorists have: the fear of being caught," he says.

Using polygraphs for something other than catching specific lies is when they're at they're absolute worst, at least according to reputable sources like the National Academies of Sciences (the full executive summary is available free here). The short version is, the less precise the questions the less clear it is to what exactly you are measuring a response. I'll come back to this in a bit. Just keep in mind Mr. Shoval's statement that they are looking for "fear of being caught," i.e., nervousness.

Security specialists say such technology can enhance, but not replace, existing detection machines and procedures.

Finally, some sanity! But it doesn't last long:

Some independent experts who are familiar with Mr. Shoval's product say that while his technology isn't yet mature, it has potential. "You can't replicate the Israeli system exactly, but if you can incorporate its philosophy, this technology can be one element of a better solution," says Doron Bergerbest-Eilon, chief executive of Asero Worldwide consulting firm and a former senior official in Israel's security service.

Let's skip over whether "the Israeli system" is desirable, since any mention of Israel is bound to piss someone off. Instead, let's focus on the fact that for an "independent expert" they talk to the CEO of a company that is in part a security technology marketing firm. From ASERO Worldwide's mission statement:

Helping market emerging companies producing innovative technologies whose potential has not yet been realized in the homeland security market and providing a consultancy service to the venture capital market oriented specifically to the homeland security sector.

Yeah, real impartial. ASERO also refers to APCO Worldwide, the propaganda firm that brought us TASSC (and probably Steve Milloy, based on his astroturf organization's co-location with TASSC before they collapsed), as a "partner." Just sayin'. Back to the article:

To date, the TSA has more confidence in people than machines to detect suspicious behavior. A small program now is using screening officers to watch travelers for suspicious behavior. "It may be the only thing I know of that favors the human solution instead of technology," says TSA chief Kip Hawley.

Kip must have a really depressing sex life.

Here is the Cogito concept: A passenger enters the booth, swipes his passport and responds in his choice of language to 15 to 20 questions generated by factors such as the location, and personal attributes like nationality, gender and age. The process takes as much as five minutes, after which the passenger is either cleared or interviewed further by a security officer.

At the heart of the system is proprietary software that draws on Israel's extensive field experience with suicide bombers and security-related interrogations. The system aims to test the responses to words, in many languages, that trigger psycho-physiological responses among people with terrorist intent.

Don't you just love how "proprietary" is so often said like it's a good thing? "Proprietary" means you don't know shit about what it really does, like with Diebold and ES&S voting machines. As to what it's looking for, just how the hell do you determine what words evoke those responses in terrorists but not in other people?

The technology isn't geared toward detecting general nervousness: Mr. Shoval says terrorists often are trained to be cool and to conceal stress.

Remember how I told you to keep in mind that this is supposed to detect "fear of getting caught"? I suppose you could parse that as being distinct from general nervousness, but I'll just let you ponder how Mr. Shoval's explanation isn't supposed to apply to his earlier statement.

Unlike a standard lie detector, the technology analyzes a person's answers not only in relation to his other responses but also those of a broader peer group determined by a range of security considerations. "We can recognize patterns for people with hostile agendas based on research with Palestinians, Israelis, Americans and other nationalities in Israel," Mr. Shoval says. "We haven't tried it with Chinese or Iraqis yet." In theory, the Cogito machine could be customized for specific cultures, and questions could be tailored to intelligence about a specific threat.

Call me cynical, but I just know the customization would be shamelessly misused, especially behind the cloak of "proprietary software."

The biggest challenge in commercializing Cogito is reducing false results that either implicate innocent travelers or let bad guys slip through.

Right, because what's important isn't whether it works but whether it's commercially successful.

Mr. Shoval's company has conducted about 10 trials in Israel, including tests in which control groups were given terrorist missions and tried to beat the system. In the latest Israeli trial, the system caught 85% of the role-acting terrorists, meaning that 15% got through, and incorrectly identified 8% of innocent travelers as potential threats, according to corporate marketing materials.

And this has what to do with its reliability in catching actual terrorists or distinguishing them from the general population?

The company's goal is to prove it can catch at least 90% of potential saboteurs -- a 10% false-negative rate -- while inconveniencing just 4% of innocent travelers.

Okay, math time. What percentage of people "caught" by the system would actually be terrorists, even generously granting these numbers? Well, let's make the very generous (to Mr. Shoval) assumption that 1 in 100,000 people boarding planes in the US are terrorists (that's a ridiculously high 600+ a month based on these BTS statistics). Crunching the numbers, that's roughly 540 terrorists flagged each month, compared to 2,400,000 innocent people. So about 1 in 4500 people flagged by the system (or 0.02%) would actually be terrorists -- if it works as well as the company would like. Fewer terrorists makes these numbers even worse. Oh, yes, and 60 terrorists would still get through.

Even though his expertise is in human observation, U.S. behavior-recognition expert Dr. Ekman says projects like Cogito deserve a shot. He expects technology to advance even further, to devices like lasers that measure people's vital signs from a distance. Within a year, he predicts, such technology will be able to tell whether someone's "blood pressure or heart rate is significantly higher than the last 10 people" who entered an airport.

That's it, we are now officially living in a Philip K. Dick novel.

What takes precedence over blogging?

2006-07-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

How about this:

Your Token Reader has been indisposed for the past few weeks, busy depriving himself of sleep observing RS Ophiuchi. Admittedly, it's nothing special to look at, but in my defense I think I have good reasons to obsess over it instead of blogging, eating, or sleeping. Specifically:

it's a cataclysmic variable star that explodes in a thermonuclear nova every 20 years or so, most recently this past February
it's an overlapping binary system, with the white dwarf so close to the red giant that they share an atmosphere
it's building toward a type Ia supernova only 2000 light-years away (don't worry, it won't kill us)
the red giant in the system will probably eventually become a Mira variable that will expand and contract to only periodically dump matter on the white dwarf
it is very under-studied so far (IMHO), so there is still a lot to discover about it
it just plain rocks (no cite needed as this is self-evident)

There, now doesn't that sound more appealing than reading about Hezbollah doing the same old shit, Israel going on a glennocidal 'roid rage, and Congress ganging up on young girls in abusive families?

Why I Love The Bay Area

2006-07-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

Because you can get microbrews at the 7-11.

That is all.

Independence Day Patriotic 10

2006-07-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

Wingnuts might disagree with my characterization, but real patriotism isn't blind nationalism, it's working to better the country, uphold its (theoretical) ideals, and fight against the people fucking it up. Admittedly, the list is somewhat limited in variety, since I'm only including music on my iPod:

Dead Kennedys - "Stars and Stripes of Corruption"
A Perfect Circle - "Freedom of Choice"
Anti-Flag - "911 for Peace"
Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Fortunate Son"
Pennywise - "Land of the Free?"
Radiohead - "2 + 2 = 5"
Bad Religion - "You Are (The Government)"
System of a Down - "Boom!"
Pink Floyd - "The Fletcher Memorial Home"
Nine Inch Nails - "The Hand That Feeds"

Bonus spoken word -- "Die for Oil, Sucker":

And an updated version (sadly cut off at the beginning):

Posting for Peace

2006-07-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Too often, I believe, peace is defined in terms of the absence of something. The absence of war, the absence of violence, the absence of hostility. But this is deeply unsatisfying. War and violence are obviously things to avoid, but why is peace something worth working toward? Just what does peace mean?

Peace means the freedom to live your life.

Peace means harmony with your fellow human beings.

Peace means young men and women learning or building families instead of fighting and dying.

Peace means understanding each other's differences.

Peace means more resources to solve the world's problems.

Peace means empathy, compassion, and humanity.

And above all, peace means hope for the future.

Fireworks!

2006-07-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

Screw the fireworks shows tonight, this is some real Fourth of July pyromania:

Case In Point On Official Prayer

2006-07-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

As though right on cue, here's a concrete example of exactly what is so harmful about official prayer (h/t Pharyngula and Seeing The Forest):

A large Delaware school district promoted Christianity so aggressively that a Jewish family felt it necessary to move to Wilmington, two hours away, because they feared retaliation for filing a lawsuit. The religion (if any) of a second family in the lawsuit is not known, because they're suing as Jane and John Doe; they also fear retaliation. Both families are asking relief from "state-sponsored religion."

The behavior of the Indian River School District board suggests the families' fears are hardly groundless.

The district spreads over a considerable portion of southern Delaware. The families' complaint, filed in federal court in February 2005, alleges that the district had created an "environment of religious exclusion" and unconstitutional state-sponsored religion.

I'm sure Matt will tell us that this is harmless and anyone who fights against it is (or at least looks like) some kind of extremist, since, after all, if you can get so riled up about something so minor, you must be on the fringe. Of course, it should be obvious what an outrage this actually is. And if that didn't get your attention, maybe the death threats and eliminationist rhetoric will:

On the evening in August 2004 when the board was to announce its new policy, hundreds of people turned out for the meetng. The Dobrich family and Jane Doe felt intimidated and asked a state trooper to escort them.

The complaint recounts that the raucous crowd applauded the board's opening prayer and then, when sixth-grader Alexander Dobrich stood up to read a statement, yelled at him: "take your yarmulke off!" His statement, read by Samantha, confided "I feel bad when kids in my class call me Jew boy."

A state representative spoke in support of prayer and warned board members that "the people" would replace them if they faltered on the issue. Other representatives spoke against separating "god and state."

A former board member suggested that Mona Dobrich might "disappear" like Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the atheist whose Supreme Court case resulted in ending organized school prayer. O'Hair disappeared in 1995 and her dismembered body was found six years later.

The crowd booed an ACLU speaker and told her to "go back up north."

In the days after the meeting the community poured venom on the Dobriches. Callers to the local radio station said the family they should convert or leave the area. Someone called them and said the Ku Klux Klan was nearby. [emphasis added]

As Ed Brayton observes, "If even 10% of the allegations in this case are correct, it's one of the most outrageous cases I've ever seen." This is exactly why religion needs to be kept entirely out of government; not only is it oppressive in its own right, but it approves - even encourages - lynch-mob intimidation in the wider community.

See also Bartholomew's Notes On Religion for some background.

This is a Christian blog now?

2006-07-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Well, no, not really, but I was very amused by this Technorati trackback:

A pity it looks like they've since removed the link. I guess they figured the dick joke was a little un-Christian. (True fact: I found the location of that passage by thumbing through my dog-eared and underlined paper Bible. Some heathen I am.)

I don't know weather to laugh or cry

2006-07-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

Actually, I'm pretty sure "curl up in a corner and bang my head against the wall while drinking heavily" is the most appropriate response to this (h/t Sadly, No!):

So, to recap - America is currently at war and its enemies are domestic liberals and The New York Times. This war was started by Al Gore and Jimmy Carter when they opposed the invasion of Iraq. The New York Times is allied with Al Qaeda and their latest plot against America is to provide their terrorist friends with a roadmap to the vacation homes of Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld so that they can be assassinated. That is what is being reported today by three of the largest "conservative" blogs on the Internet, along with Horowitz, the leader of the conservative effort to wipe out anti-conservative bias on college campuses.

Teh funny, no? More like teh scary:

Another upstanding, patriotic blogger -- after linking to the blog which posted the address of the Times photographer -- has now posted this:
So, in the school of what's good for the goose is good for the gander, we are providing this link so YOU may help the blogosphere in locating the homes (perhaps with photos?) of the editors and reporters of the New York Times.

Let's start with the following New York Times reporters and editors: Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger Jr. , Bill Keller, Eric Lichtblau, and James Risen. Do you have an idea where they live?

Go hunt them down and do America a favor. Get their photo, street address, where their kids go to school, anything you can dig up, and send it to the link above. This is your chance to be famous - grab for the golden ring.
He's urging people to find the names and addresses of New York Times editors and reporters in order to "hunt them down and do America a favor." And he said that right after he posted the link to the address of the Times photographer. And this is just the beginning of this syndrome, not the end.

Open incitement to terrorism like this scares the bejesus out of me, because as history has shown, they will act on it. And make no mistake, Malkin, Assrocket, and Horowitz know exactly what they're doing (Horowitz in particular -- he's always been a pro-terrorist authoritarian, with political affiliations depending on who is most friendly to this) in agitating the less weasly fascists (if the jackboot fits...) toward open instigation of violence. True, I can't help but be amused at how the trolls in Greenwald's comments (especially the aptly-named "dipshit") go far beyond his jokes and show that they are truly beyond satire (good for a few hearty laughs is dipshit's 'observation' that "With all Clinton's blabbering about how bad the USA is anytime he goes overseas, do you think Al-Qaeda has him in their sights? [links obviously added]"). But that does nothing to make this any less frightening.

UPDATE (23:11): Okay, one more thing. I really can't let this bullshit from Clay-Eating White Trash (credit to Retardeau Montablan for the moniker) go unremarked:

Disclosing national secrets is a criminal offense. The AG and the US Attorneys should not only consider charges, but file charges against the individuals who participated in the publication of stories - the government employees that told the reporters, the reporters, the editors, and even Pinch himself. [emphasis added]

Like hell it is. The US, thank "Bob", doesn't have an Official Secrets Act (yet):

There is no such law called the Unauthorized Release of Classified Information Act.

And it's a good thing, too. The NBC story "made it sound as if we already had an Official Secrets Act in this country," leaker par excellence Daniel Ellsberg told Secrecy News.

A congressional measure to legislate a generalized statutory prohibition against unauthorized disclosures of any classified information was vetoed by President Clinton on November 4, 2000 in response to widespread opposition from media outlets, civil liberties organizations and others.

But the misapprehension persists.

I wonder why that might be. Dana Priest gets it, and it's glorious watching her verbally bitch-slap Bill Bennet over this on Press The Meat. William Safire (!) comparing the Bush Administration and their allies like Bennet (especially Peter King) to King George II is just the icing on the cake.

Matthew Yglesias: Wanker of the Day

2006-06-30T00:32:00.000-07:00

Well, he did ask for it:

At the risk of being made the wanker of the day, I thought Nathan Newman made several good points about Barak Obama. To make a more general point, while I appreciate blogospheric concern about re-enforcing conservative talking points, at the same time it's obviously the case that liberals aren't going to be able to improve either our electoral performance or our policy performance if people aren't going to be allowed to criticize what they see as broad tendencies in progressive politics. To make a more specific point, on the particular issue of allowing prayer or other religious gestures in official facilities and at official events, I tend to agree with what Obama is saying here -- that liberals should ease up on this. [emphasis added]

You know, for a philosopher by training, that is some really sloppy fucking thinking. It doesn't take a genius to recognize that there's a world of difference between "in official facilities" and "at official events," especially with the later clarification that, yes, he really does mean officially led and directed prayer.

OK, so Matt churned out some bone-stupid wankery in between his usually sharp wonkery; what else is new? Gotta keep up those contrarian and moderate credentials after all. I could just leave this at some snark, but for the benefit of those of you who grew up completely isolated from society (or were born yesterday), I'll point out just why his assertion that there is "no harm" in this is so hopelessly, stupidly, mind-numbingly wrong.

Let's start with the most clear-cut case of direct harm: schools. School is an official event children are required to attend*, so there is no opt-out cop-out here. Now, to avoid being accused of a straw man (who am I kidding, nobody reads this), let's say instead of an unconstitutional-since-the-50s forced mass prayer in class, it's at the pep rally (which, let me assure you from experience, is often just as mandatory as class). So you shamble on down there, sit down, and the principal leads the whole school in a ~~non-denominational~~ ~~Judeo-Christian~~ ~~Christian~~ Protestant prayer (credit where credit is due: Matt did at least recognize "non-denominational" prayer for what it is). Say you're an atheist, or that you're Muslim or Jewish or Wiccan. What is the clear, unambiguous message the government is now officially sending you? That you don't belong, that you're not a full member of society, that there's something wrong with your beliefs. Wait, you know what? Someone said the meaning of this far better than I ever could:

No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.

And this takes us directly to how it is injurious when officially sanctioned in any capacity: it sends the clear message, exactly the message desired by those promoting this, to all Americans that part of being American is being Christian (specifically, Protestant). Therefore, if you aren't Christian, you aren't really a "true" American. It's officially sanctioned bigotry and marginalization of religious minorities, nothing less.

I really can't see why this is so hard for some people to grep. Same goes for the distinction between officially led/sanctioned prayer and use of official facilities (assuming the facilities are available on a neutral basis -- and I don't just mean religiously neutral). I think a lot of people just deliberately ignore the bleeding obvious, or don't give a shit. One tangential observation about a common defense of officially mandated prayer and other obvious violations of the Establishment Clause, specifically the argument that it's simply a recognition of our country having an overwhelming Protestant majority and so it simply reflects the people: there is some definite fascist thinking lurking in there. I am talking not about Nazi thinking, but Umberto Eco's Ur-Fascism:

5. Besides, disagreement is a sign of diversity.

Ur-Fascism grows up and seeks consensus by exploiting and exacerbating the natural fear of difference. The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders. Thus Ur-Fascism is racist by definition.

That spells out the motivation. Here's the thinking behind it being alright because it reflects the People:

13. Ur-Fascism is based upon a selective populism, a qualitative populism, one might say.

In a democracy, the citizens have individual rights, but the citizens in their entirety have a political impact only from a quantitative point of view -- one follows the decisions of the majority. For Ur-Fascism, however, individuals as individuals have no rights, and the People is conceived as a quality, a monolithic entity expressing the Common Will. [emphasis added]

The theme, of course, is that the People are monolithic, that the Will of the People and that of one of the people must be the same, or at least cannot (must not) differ in important ways. The exact same argument for official prayer or "one nation, under god"/"In God We Trust" applies (almost) equally well to this Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one white, homophobic nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The only thing that doesn't perfectly analogize is the racial component, since you really can't be coerced to change your race like you can be coerced to (publicly) change what you believe or who you love (though you can't be coerced to truly change either). And you've got to admit, this version really shows how farcical the ending is.

As for Obama, from what I read of his speech, he didn't say anything quite as stupid as Yglesias, and did stick to use of official facilities. However, if he is strictly speaking about that, he's using a right-wing fundamentalist talking point to demagogue against a liberal straw-man. A small part of an otherwise generally good speech, but still. And a lot of what he said also had a strong Manichean (in the original sense of the term) feel to it. So, to paraphrase George Carlin, "Fuck Barak Obama! Fuck him with a big rubber dick. Then break it off and beat him with the rest of it."

*Please, no one spout bullshit about private schools or homeschooling -- most parents don't have near the resources for either.

Glad I didn't promise anything...

2006-05-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

What can I say? Real life got in the way of blogging. I should be able to get back into things for most of the summer, though, once I settle back down in the Bay Area. In the meantime, here are some pictures from my deliberately extended drive back from Walla².

How thoughtful of CalTrans to let us know

Squaw "Creek" Falls, near Sisters, OR

The view from the top, sitting right next to the falls

The Metolius River, and why I love having an SLR

No, you aren't overlooking the stream those falls are from -- they come straight out of the hillside

For those who know me, and therefore would never believe it, here's proof that I started my hike at 7AM

Update (5/28): Flikr images were broken. Now they're fixed... I hope.

Here I come back from the dead

2006-03-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

I have been a bad, bad blogger going on an unannounced two-month hiatus. What can I say, I was temporarily driven into unholy madness by my occult studies here at Miskatonic U. Posting will be irregular and infrequent, and I'm not promising anything in case I get distracted again (very likely), but I'm at least kinda sorta back. Besides, I owe y'all for not blogging over spring break, so even though I said no promises, I just might have to blog about Juan Cole's lecture here next week.

Gulf War (II) Syndrome

2006-01-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

Your Token Reader spent this afternoon wandering the depths of Miskatonic University's occult building, searching for the fabled Necronomicon. Though he has yet to find that unholy tome, he did stumble upon knowledge nearly as disturbing: a three-month-old issue of Science News (vol. 168, no. 17) that has mysteriously remained (to this reader's knowledge) unremarked-upon, perhaps because it has driven all previous readers into shrill, unholy madness. This cursed booklet told of a parasitic disease afflicting wounded Iraq (and Afghanistan) war veterans, a disease that had spread to kill some who were never overseas. Here, without further comment, is the tale of this war's Gulf War Syndrome (though I take no responsibility for insanity that may follow, and if the AAAS complains I'll take it down):

BIOMEDICINE
Iraq war casualties often complicated

Hundreds of injured soldiers returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan harbor an unusual bacterium that complicates their wound healing and may be spreading to other patients in hospitals where the soldiers are treated, a new study shows. Moreover, the microbe seems to be lingering in soldiers, cropping up during rehabilitation care recieved months after they have returned to the United States.
Paul M. Scott, a physician at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., and his colleagues isolated the bacterium, called Acinetobacter baumannii, from 148 wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan between November 2002 and September 2003. Since then, more than 100 additional wounded combatants have been diagnosed with A. baumannii.
Many of the A. baumannii strains found in these soldiers don't match those occurring naturally in Iraqi soil, Scott notes. Their origins are "murky," he says.
A. baumannii can cause pneumonia and infect the urinary tract and blood, says Walter E. Stamm, a physician at the University of Washington in Seattle and president of the Infectious Disease Society of America.
The infection also slows wound healing. It responds to antibiotic treatment, and none of the combat casualties so far has died from the infection. However, 18 people in the United States and Germany who weren't in active service but were being treated in the same hospitals as the wounded soldiers who have also been found to be infected with A. baumannii. Five of these other patients have died, Scott says.
Richard O. Oehler, a physician at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, Fla., reports that seven of the nine wounded soldiers admitted there for rehabilitation between June 2004 and January 2005 harbored A. baumannii strains that were resistant to certain commonly used antibiotics. One soldier has died, and the others have recovered.
"This is an unusual bacterium that has not been seen frequently as a cause of disease in U.S. hospitals," Stamm says. "Once it's introduced into a hospital, it can be difficult to get rid of." —N.S.

Busy, busy, busy

2006-01-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

Not the blog. I'm just really busy now, so the Token Reader will probably only be blogging on a weekly basis or so. Nothing this past weekend, since I was off getting burried head-first up to my ankles in snow under a pile of a half dozen people (sled accident). You can see the aftermath here:

I survived the Oregon Trail!

2006-01-12T23:39:00.000-08:00

And that's about the best I can say. All I'm gonna tell you is that I will NEVER complain about the roads or the weather anywhere in California ever again. That and I have a small vocabulary lesson for y'all:

White-knuckle driving: n. 1. Extreme, potentially fatal driving conditions with no opportunities to pull over and stop. 2. Driving I-5 through Oregon at night in rain so hard you want to crank the windshield wipers up to 11, near-freezing temperatures, and winding mountains with potholes bigger than wheels (no joke) and three-trailer trucks to dodge. (See 1)

On the plus side, gas in Oregon was only around $2.20 a gallon and full-serve is required by law there. Plus, I think I got some nice pictures from along the Columbia River. As long as I didn't screw them up too bad (I'm still getting used to my new SLR) I'll post some once I get them developed.

Oh, yeah, one other thing. There really ought to be a law of nature preventing hangovers without the requisite intoxication, but apparently there isn't. I woke up yesterday with what may have been my worst hangover ever, and I hadn't had a drop of alcohol (or a toke of pot, or anything else) for two days. It seems a 12-hour drive from San Francisco to Portland will do that. Fair warning for anyone thinking about repeating my stupidity.

Not to say "I told you so," but...

2006-01-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

I told you so:

Not only will a future administration have to kill human space exploration when it becomes clear we're pissing away billions of dollars for no good reason, but in the meantime they're going to have to pretend they aren't just charging it to the national debt, and that means delaying, scaling back, or abandoning useful parts of the space program.

In fact, it turns out I was far too generous to Preznit Spaceman. I never considered the possibility that the spending boondoggle of Bush's manned mission to Mars would also provide a convenient excuse to kill inconvenient research. Alas:

Triana was never able to overcome its roots. NASA has quietly terminated what may have been its most important science mission. Critics of programs to limit emissions argue that climate change is caused by solar variation, not by atmospheric changes. There is one unambiguous way to tell: locate an observatory at L-1, the neutral-gravity point between Earth and Sun. It would have a continuous view of the sunlit face of Earth in one direction, and the Sun in the other, thus constantly monitoring Earth's albedo. Al Gore initiated the observatory project in 1998 to inspire school children with a continuous view of climate unfolding on our fragile planet. It was even given a poetic name, Triana, the sailor on the Santa Maria who was first to sight the New World (WN 24 Jul 98) . But Triana's importance to climate research, perhaps Earths biggest challenge, was not recognized until later. With urging from the National Academy, it was finished in 2001 and given a new name. It was still waiting to be launched when Columbia crashed. By then we had a new President and a new "vision." It was put on hold. The official reason for killing it is "competing priorities." The priority is to replace Gore's vision of the world with the Bush vision of sending people back to the moon. We should all weep.

Friday Random 10

2006-01-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

The Offspring - "Americana"
The Clash - "Red Angel Dragnet"
King Missile - "The Sandbox"
Bad Religion - "I Want to Conquer the World"
Bad Religion - "I Love My Computer"
NOFX - "American Errorist (I Hate Hate Haters)"
Tool - "Reflection"
Morphine - "Thursday"
Pennywise - "Now I Know"
Nine Inch Nails - "Just Like You Imagined"

Administrative Notes

2006-01-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

I've had a bit of catching up to do on blog maintainance, and now I've finally gotten around to it. First, the BARBARians were getting restless, so I finally added some new recruits I had failed to include thus far. Apologies on the delay to:

Two other bloggy additions:

I've been reading the indespensible firedoglake for quite some time, but never added them to my blogroll until now; shame on me.
John Gorenfeld is no longer updating Where in Washington, D.C. is Sun Myung Moon?, but still has great stuff at his not-really-a-blog website; I have updated the blogroll accordingly.

Finally, I've added Cryptome to the reference section, as their information on spying, counterintelligence, and privacy has proven invaluable in contextualizing the transformation of the NSA into secret police. Besides, their information on cryptography is nice to have around, and you've got to love a website that posts pictures of Darth Cheney's "undisclosed location."

I never realized dilithium was that kind of crystal

2006-01-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

With so many insignificant things taking our attention -- illegal domestic spying, corruption that would make Boss Tweed wretch with disgust, and the perpetually worsening Charlie Foxtrot that is Iraq -- I'd like to take a few moments to deal with issues that really matter:

Crackpots. New Agers. Quantum mysticism. Sadly, I'm not talking about What the #$*! Do We Know!? No, instead I'm referring to the latest stupid waste of money by the US Air Force and NASA. Put down those drinks, y'all, 'cause this is spit-take-worthy craziness that, ignoring the cost difference, puts Star Wars to shame.

Via /., it looks like the USAF and NASA have teamed up to combine the Air Farce's Project Stargate and antimatter bombs with NASA's perpetual motion machine into one unholy bundle of wastefulness and credulity: a hyperspace engine.

Now, before I get into just why this is so ridiculous, I should note that the idea of a warp drive is theoretically sound based on our current understanding of physics. The Alcubierre warp drive is the most prominent example, and others are mostly variants on the same concept. I should also say that nobody would be more thrilled than me if someone invented an actual working warp drive; I'd probably die of happiness with a big smile on my face and a soiled pair of underpants. The basic principle is simple: bypass the universal speed limit of the speed of light by not moving at all, but instead shrinking space in front of you and expanding it behind. These warp drives have difficulties of their own, such as requiring either more energy than is contained in the known universe or some source of exotic matter, but they aren't just pulled out of someone's ass.

Not so with this one. This warp drive depends on Heim theory, the completely unsupported claims of Burkhard Heim, a Nazi weapons scientist cum reclusive GUT physicist cum New Age icon. Heim actually didn't publish his theory in a scientific journal, but rather published in a book through a notorious New Age clearinghouse, Resch Verlag. Despite this, his theory actually was consistent with experimental results in particle physics for many years. The key word here, however, is "was." As measurements of particle properties have become more precise in recent decades, experimental results have diverged from Heim's predictions (unless you fudge the value and/or behavior of Newton's gravitational constant). Additionally, this leaves out the complete lack of any evidence for new particles his theory predicts, the chimerical "gravito-photon" and an electrically neutral electron, both of which would be well within the energy reach of modern experimental devices if they existed. On top of that, Heim theory is just plain wrong -- wildly wrong -- in light of more recent astrophysical discoveries, especially magnetars, which would have to be completely different if Heim's failed electrogravitics described our universe. Not so coincidentally, as Heim's claims got further from reality, they grew in prominence and support among crackpots of all stripes, especially New Agers and UFO enthusiasts (read the whole perpetual motion link above for a good example).

So then why the hell are we spending money on this nonsense? And why are USAF brass and NASA management actually buying the claim that they can have a working warp drive in five years? Simple: the 'gee-wiz' factor. It just sounds so cool, so why would they want to listen to the naysayers who babble about stuff like experimental evidence? This is doubly true when the people in charge can't tell the difference between science and science fiction, and won't listen to experts who can. After all, these guys sound all science-y and use lots of big words and complicated equations; if some other nerdy types say it's wrong, well, who's to say who's right? Balance and all that.

We now return to your irregularly scheduled programming.

Happy New Year

2006-01-04T00:29:00.000-08:00

A few days late, but happy new year anyway. I suppose I should have a few resolutions, so I have some empty promises to break in the next few weeks. Here goes:

Restrain my schadenfreude as I watch Abramoffapalooza unfold
Blog a bit more consistently
Start learning some language other than English (HTML and C++ don't count)
Get a 3.5+ GPA (minimum for honor roll)

Now, that last one might baffle some BARBARians, since you all know I'm just a slacker with too much time on my hands. But, as some of you may be aware, starting next week the Token Reader will be studying the occult at Miskatonic University in scenic R'lyeh. (Okay, not really, but I did get in to [redacted] College and will be studying astrophysics.)

One minor note of no particular interest... Other BARBARians who failed to attend Drinking Liberally tonight missed out on a real treat: legendary Moonie-hunter John Gorenfeld was in attendance. You may (or may not -- your loss) be familiar with his articles on Rev. Moon's influence in Washington, D.C., beyond the Moonie Times and UPI, particularly Bad Moon on the Rise and Hail to the Moon King (be sure to watch the video). Of course, being a physics geek, your Token Reader must confess to being partial to "Bleep" of Faith, his comprehensive and entertaining takedown of the cult-financed quantum mysticism flick What the #$*! Do We Know!?

No Coup Necessary

2005-12-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

Reading Kung Fu Monkey today, I found John's depressingly funny post Al-Quaker, in which he spells out a useful heuristic:

Good general rule: as soon as you have the military doing anything non-military, you have screwed up.

This reminds me of the Parameters (journal of the Army War College) paper I told some of you BARBARians I would post a link to, but apparently never got around to it. So, for your masochistic reading enjoyment, here it is: The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012. John's rule reminds me of this because one of Lt.Col. Dunlap's main points in that paper was that when the military begins doing non-military jobs (policing, drug interdiction, reconstruction, etc.), something has gone seriously awry and it will only lead to more serious problems down the road. What's particularly depressing upon re-reading that paper after the domestic spying (secret police by any other name) revelations is that the dystopia depicted (as the author emphasizes, merely a literary device) requires no military coup; as Paul Bigioni notes (via Buck at Bad Attitudes), we're well on our way there, led, as Germany and Italy were, by business, not the military.

Small reminder on the paper: it was written in 13 years ago, so any dates later than 1992 mentioned in it are extrapolations or refer to plans/suggestions/etc., not statements of fact (i.e., not all of them came to pass or didn't happen at the time stated).

How do you say "whitewash" in Russian?

2005-12-26T12:10:00.000-08:00

Just a small reminder that "who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes," is not a uniquely American way of adding insult to injury: 'No mistakes', Beslan report says

In case you don't remember, here's the short version:

Chechen terrorists take a bunch of children hostage.
Russian military decides killing terrorists is more important than rescuing hostages.
Russian military pumps chemical weapons (probably fentanyl) into the school, enough to incapacitate any adults in there, which is also obviously enough to kill (by respiratory failure) most of the children. Hundreds die at the hands of their supposed rescuers. Many probably could have been saved using Narcan if doctors knew about the fentanyl, but the military, to cover their asses, wouldn't say what they used.
Paliamentary inquiry charitably finds that the military was incompetent.
Russian authorities investigate themselves, unsurprisingly find that nothing went wrong. (Why am I reminded of China Miéville's post on Hurricane Katrina, "Everything has gone according to plan"?)

Ho Ho Ho, Happy Hannukkah

2005-12-25T15:37:00.000-08:00

I have something to tell Bill "Falafel Factor" O'Reilly: you're right, there is a War on ~~Saturnalia~~ Christmas. As you constantly remind us, there is a massive conspiracy of liberal secular communist Jews, led by Jon Stewart, intent on destroying the ~~pagan solstice celebration~~ baby Jesus' birthday.

But, Mr. O'Reilly, you underestimate the deviousness of The International Jew. Why should we eliminate Christmas when we can take all the good parts? After all, presents are fun. Getting drunk and Xeroxing our butts is fun, at least if we don't get caught. Highly flammable trees wrapped in damaged electrical wires are fun. And pigging out is not only fun, it's downright Jew-y. So we have presents, we have parties, and we pig out around the Hannukkah Bush. My Jewish grandfather even used to dress up as Santa every year. (One time the Rabbi stopped by right as he was walking down the stairs in his Santa suit. After a few moments of awkward silence, he quipped "ho ho ho, Happy Hannukkah, Rabbi.")

So I'll tell you what, ~~Grinch~~ Bill. I had, as usual, a very Merry Christmas: a great dinner last night, lots of rum cut with a little egg nog, and even fun opening presents around the Hannukkah Bush. But since I did this, and I'm one of them Christmas-hating liberal secular Jews, that must not be very Christian or Christmas-y. So, since a Christian Christmas is so important to you, how about we (sane people -- Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddist, Hindu, atheist, whatever) keep all these heathen debaucheries, and you can preserve the parts you find so important. Just picture it: while we're eating, drinking, and being merry, you can arrange a cheap plastic manger built for Wal-Mart by enslaved Indonesian children, you can listen to carols as vapid as they are sappy, and you can watch sacchrine made-for-TV movies about some version of Jesus' birth not found anywhere in the Bible. Oh, yes, and you can snap "bah, humbug," at anyone who wishes you a Happy Holiday. I doubt Jesus would approve, but to each his own.

And the award for Creative Use of Quotation Marks in 2005 goes to...

2005-12-23T22:02:00.000-08:00

... the BBC, for their recent headline:

Sailors 'die' after rebel clash

They only get this award, however, because Marie Jon' is disqualified in perpetuity due to a clear lack of understanding of how these inverted comma things are supposed to work. If anyone thinks someone else is more deserving, chime in, but I think this is hard to beat.

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

2005-12-23T18:04:00.000-08:00

I finally, finally, FINALLY got my internet connection working. Why'd it take so long? You try running ethernet cable through leaking walls in a storm. (Ironically, the problem leaks came from the holes drilled for the cable I use to connect.) So I'm back... again. Just in time to let everyone know I won't be able to make it to the next BARBARian Bash, or any others for a while -- it's kind of a long commute to Oakland from Washington.
That's right, my other reason for singing the Ren & Stimpy song is that your Token Reader somehow convinced a college to accept him (how? search me). So as of January 7^th, The Token Reader will no longer be a Bay Area blog, at least geographically. I say "geographically" because no matter where I live, the Bay Area will always be my home, and "The City" will always be San Francisco, you bastards.
With those administrative notes out of the way, let me just wish you all a Merry Fucking Christmas, a (C)Happy (C)Hannukkah, a belated Spaced-out Solstice, an Orgasmic Saturnalia, a Groovy Kwanzaa, a Drunken New Year, and above all else, a Disappointing Festivus.