Cerebrate's Contemplations

Links for 2009-07-16 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-17T00:00:00-07:00

passive-aggressive (and just plain aggressive) notes — no, your mother ...

While I'm At It...

2009-07-17T02:40:58Z

...blasting politics that annoys me, here's another one, courtesy of The Sensuous Curmudgeon, a for-the-most-part-conservative blogger who at least in this post, and probably in a fair few others, speaks for me:

David, you and your fellow Discoveroids can run around claiming that you're advancing science, while at the same time you're all singing "I ain't no kin to no monkey," and we don't care -- as long as you keep it to yourselves. But be assured of one thing -- your Curmudgeon ain't no left-winger, and we're getting very annoyed that you creationists keep stinking up the Curmudgeon's side of the political spectrum.

Why don't all of you anti-science theocrats find yourselves another political party -- you're destroying the GOP. This should be the start of a golden age for the Republicans. There's a raving socialist in the White House, a totally crazed Congress, the economy is in free-fall, and our foreign adversaries grow increasingly emboldened. But still the GOP isn't poised for a return. Why? Because you guys are turning the Republican Party into the Noah's Ark Stupidity Society.

So as our Brit friends would say: Bugger off! Start your own political party. We've already figured out an impressive Latin name for it -- the Inlitterati. It's a good name. It suits you.

Amen, sir.

The Dragon Reborn, Robert Jordan

2009-07-17T02:23:19Z

And now, back to the Wheel of Time re-read. I really need to speed this up, seeing as the new book is coming out this year and my booklogging of The Great Hunt was back in February.

Much as Amy (her booklog here), I've pretty much said all the things I'm going to say about the early Wheel of Time books quite some time ago, and have no particular yen to go over it all again. It's solid and enjoyable, this one, one of the excellent four that occupy places 2-5 in the series, and is only slightly below the point of quality occupied by the two high points, The Great Hunt and The Shadow Rising.

And on I go.

Can You Say Epic Fail Yet?

2009-07-16T18:25:32Z

Twice, in readings this morning, the present Congress and administration have managed to descend below even my very low levels of expectation:

Investor's Business Daily reveals that, per their checking through the 1,018 pages of the "America's Affordable Health Choices Act" (read it yourself, if you can stand the legalese), and then confirming that it really did mean what they thought it meant, one of the "choices" on the table for the future will not be that of picking your own individual health cover:

When we first saw the paragraph Tuesday, just after the 1,018-page document was released, we thought we surely must be misreading it. So we sought help from the House Ways and Means Committee.

It turns out we were right: The provision would indeed outlaw individual private coverage. Under the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly states:

"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the legislation becomes law.

So we can all keep our coverage, just as promised -- with, of course, exceptions: Those who currently have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers.

Of course, as a small businessman myself, one of the implications of this - beyond, that is, the grotesque illiberalism of the whole thing, which as a libertarian you can take for granted - is this: "What will it do to entrepreneurship in this country when a decision to leave a large company and go into business for oneself bascially means giving up private health insurance and going on Medicare?"

Answer: Exactly what entrenched large corporations, who really, really hate smaller competitors entering their fields and meaning they have to, you know, compete in that nasty old laissez-faire capitalist style, want it to do.

Essentially, in the interest of protecting us all from the evils of Big Business and corporatism, the Democratic voters in their immense wisdom have recently banded together to elect a president and Congress who are now working on a plan that exerts subtle yet powerful influence to prevent anyone from ever starting a business again, thereby protecting existing Big Business from any potential competition from upstart Little Guys. Way to go, y'all!

That same president, by the way, included lots of talk about protecting civil liberties in his campaign blather. Of course, now he's appointed a White House chief of staff who made this fun little speech back in 2007, which has only just come to my attention. Shame it didn't come to everyone's attention back in the day, but, hey, can't win 'em all.

If you didn't watch it, or want to skip straight to the money quote, it's at 1:56, and also right here:

"if you're on that no-fly list, your access to the right to bear arms is cancelled, because you're not part of the American family; you don't deserve that right. There is no right for you if you're on that terrorist list."

Nice to know that the protection of civil liberties doesn't, evidently, contradict being arbitrarily deprived of your Constitutional rights not only unconstitutionally, not only without due process of law, but on the basis of a secret, unchallengable list notorious already for its high rate of false positives. (And even if you personally don't give a crap about this particular one of your Constitutional rights, you might spare a moment's thought for the precedent it sets in re the others.)

The old adage about how campaign speeches aren't even worth the paper they're printed on rings even more true in this era of the Teleprompter.

By Schism Rent Asunder, David Weber

2009-07-16T18:01:35Z

And now the sequel to Off Armageddon Reef (booklogged here; and by Amy here).

I'm really enjoying this series. I have enjoyed most of Weber's series that I've read (the Honor Harringtons and Mutineers' Moon series, primarily), but I think I like this one best so far. (Who knows, perhaps Napoleonic naval battles are best as Napoleonic naval battles, rather than Napoleonic naval battles IN SPACE.)

Anyway, the story continues along the same excellently-plotted lines, although the mood shifts. After the warfare-heavy end of Off Armageddon Reef, Schism shifts to the politics of Safehold, and we learn a great deal more of the internal workings of Charis, other realms, and the Church as the repercussions from this work themselves through, along with the revelation of a secret society that retains some knowledge of the world's true history, and the transformation of the Kingdom of Charis into a larger polity.

(For those of you who can't hear "Weber" and "politics" in the same paragraph without quailing - well, I was never as bothered by the politics in the Harrington books as a lot of people, but suffice it to say that these are handled a lot more subtly.)

And we end the book heading back into a third volume with the promise of more warfare then. Fortunately, By Heresies Distressed arrived here yesterday, so it sits nice and soon on my to-read pile.

Virtual Road Trip

2009-07-14T16:40:06Z

So, you remember that this year for Blogathon I'm going to be spending 24 hours wandering around the Second Life grid, blogging about cool stuff I find on the way?

It's kind of like a virtual road trip, when you think about it. So, logically enough, if you're going on a virtual road trip, you need a virtual car, right?

Here's mine:

It's a Dominus Shadow, something of an SL classic, with options picked to reflect my age-old longings for cherry-red convertible awesomeness (although, alas, sans longhorn skull). It drives very well, and for those of you wondering what happened to the 21st century we were promised, it also flies.

In another way, it's also appropriate for my Blogathon road trip, because this model of virtual car has participated in raising money to fight cancer before. In 2006, a customized pink Shadow was auctioned off to raise money for Relay for Life, at a final bid price of L$600,000 - or, to translate that into non-virtual money, something over $2,000.

So, let's see what we can do to help raise some money again for the American Cancer Society, eh? I'd surely appreciate it if you could throw some money in the pot for the virtual road trip. It's all going to a very good cause, after all, and one that affects pretty much all of us, sooner or later. And whether you can find some or not in these trying times, please do stop by between 8 am Central/6 am in-world on Saturday 25th and the same time the following Sunday to catch up, say hi, and cheer me along. I'll try to make it an interesting show!

(Note to any SG-1 geeks out there: Yes, the Stargate in the picture also works.)

The Heir Apparent, Joel Rosenberg

2009-07-14T15:07:20Z

And on with the Guardians of the Flame in my booklogging, with book #4, The Heir Apparent. (The third, The Silver Crown, is booklogged here.)

I don't really have that much to say about the continuing series on the meta-level. The individual scope of this book expands into the bigger picture, certainly, dealing with the problems of the new empire that Home has turned into after the events of the last book, while simultaneously dealing with renewed and expanded slaver plots, and most of all, Karl's heir getting himself into a plenitude of trouble. And it does include the death - and a suitably fitting death - of one of the main characters in the series.

But fundamentally, it maintains the qualities the series has held up so far, and so I repeat myself once again: quick, enjoyable, gritty, satisfying read. On we go.

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2009-07-14T00:00:00-07:00

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2009-07-11T00:00:00-07:00

How to Ease Your Transition to Google Voice - Google Voice - Lifehacker

Mass Transit

2009-07-10T14:50:37Z

Let's forget the standard arguments as to whether mass transit is a good idea or not, okay? Or at least, let's not have them here, 'cause they're having them all over the Internet, and really, they weren't that interesting to start with.

(Okay, okay, if you really want to know what I think about the economic arguments, go read this on Stephen Dutch's site. That's pretty much word-for-word what I think, and no, I'm not interested in arguing with people who don't understand what he's saying, either.)

But let's talk about something which I am puzzled about the absence of in these debates, seeing as the political philosophy of many mass-transit advocates tends to play up these things heavily: yeah, let's talk about semiotics and subtext and narratives and suchlike.

Let's think about mass transit:

Well, it's exactly that. It's mass. You're part of a giant blob of faceless commuter drones, and must conform, Conform, CONFORM to being pushed, planned, scheduled, coordinated, numbered, hurry up and wait on line to be picked up from a designated place and dropped off at a designated place, neither of them terribly convenient. Please select what you want from a limited menu of choices. And if you listen to a great many of its advocates, (a) you also have to live in the manner - "high density, mixed use" - they designate to make it work, and (b) it's all for the good of the collective.

Narrative: You're the third worker drone to the right in a Fritz Lang movie or a Kafka novel. Try not to show too much personality.

And then there's the automobile. And notwithstanding a traffic jam occasionally, the thing is about the automobile is that any time you feel like it, you can put some good driving music on, find a nice open stretch of highway, aim that sweet machine's nose at the horizon, open the throttle wide, and go wherever the hell you want, without having to plan, schedule, hesitate or seek any damn permissions from anybody.

That feeling you get when you do that? That would be sweet, mobile, unchallenged, giving-your-finger-to-would-be-central-planners, because-I-suddenly-feel-the-need-to-okay-pal, freedom.

And since a lot of us around here are still ornery and disinclined to play along with those who feel they're special enough to order everyone's lives for 'em, that's probably the biggest problem with trying to sell The Mass Transit Way here in the US, even if you fixed the economics of it.

A Secret Atlas, Michael A. Stackpole

2009-07-10T13:30:43Z

I am pleased to report that the Age of Discovery trilogy, or at least its first book, more than lives up to the expectations I have for Stackpole after enjoying his work in the X-Wing series of Star Wars EU books.

The worldbuilding is particularly enjoyable, owing more to Asian cultures and Chinese models than the Western models pervasive in fantasy. (We also see a part of the world based on the even more rarely seen Mesoamerican model.) Also worth noting is the interesting magic system based on excellence, in which magic (and extended lifespan) is generated by great skill in a particular field. This also ties very well into both the historical backstory, in which the aftermath of a great battle warped the land in all kinds of interesting ways and demolished most of civilization, and the plot of the book, in which one definitely sees the suggestion - as one follows the mapmaking family who are the protagonists - that the map can affect the territory even as the territory is being mapped.

And the plot lives up to the worldbuilding, being nicely complex and intrigueing, with a rich cast of secondary 'tagonists, both pro- and an-, and and plenty of different aspects brought into play, and it flows along very smoothly, keeping you turning the pages.

The real question, I suppose, will be how well it holds up with the next book. He leaves this divergent set of plot threads dangling with the end of this one, and how well they're picked up, continued, and reconverged in the next books will be the real test of the trilogy.

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2009-07-10T00:00:00-07:00

Internet Meme Database | Know Your Meme

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2009-07-09T00:00:00-07:00

Classical Liberalism and the Fight for Equal Rights

The End of the Libertarian Democrats

2009-07-08T16:53:57Z

...is the title of this article (hat tip: Instapundit).

Dear "Libertarians for Obama",

Go figure, huh?

With all due respect, guys, were you asleep for the last few decades, or just indulging your delusions here? Very occasionally, we get something from right-statists. If we're improbably, near-impossibly lucky, we get a Calvin Coolidge or nearly a Barry Goldwater. Usually, we're not that lucky, but still get something courtesy of a Ronald Reagan or - switching to the other side of the pond for a moment - a Margaret Thatcher. But occasionally, something, courtesy of the remaining small-government conservative clade.

But we NEVER get ANYTHING from left-statists. Not only do they pursue the craziest statist/stasist/technocratic solutions to not merely the economy but also everything else, but even in those areas where left-statists and libertarians appear to have something in common - civil liberties, gay rights, corporatism, etc. - as the present administration has admirably demonstrated, we get something between "jack shit" and "bugger all". Not even a cookie.

Try to get this right in '10 and '12, 'kay?

Regards,

The Cerebrate,

Stater-of-the-Bloody-Obvious-in-Chief

The City of Gold and Lead, John Christopher

2009-07-08T16:29:00Z

And now, the sequel to The White Mountains (booklogged here), in which our protagonist, now living in the small Swiss community of free humans, joins in a mission to infiltrate the city of the Tripods, under cover as one of their slaves, and discover information about them and theit ultimate plans for Earth.

It's hard to give too much information on the plot without spoiling the book for future readers, but it's no spoiler to say that the high quality of characterization and setting continues from the first book, and - it occurs to me to mention, since the copyright date here is 1967 - that it hasn't dated badly as so many SFnal books do. Plot-wise, it gets even better than the first book.

Recommended for both its intended YA readers and for non-YA readers looking for a read that while short, is also good quality.

Links for 2009-07-07 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-08T00:00:00-07:00

Brain and brain! This Is Brain!

2009-07-07T19:13:54Z

Blogathon

2009-07-07T14:24:30Z

This year, I too will be blogging away for 24 hours for Blogathon, in support of the American Cancer Society. This is something of a special cause to me at the moment; while I am and have always been against cancer in general, in much the same way as I'm against illness, death, entropy and other such damnfool concepts, those of you who know me personally and thus are familiar with those parts of my personal life I prefer not to talk about much on my blog will know why.

In short, for those who don't: I am tired of losing people. This time, it's personal.

So, please join me this July 25^th, starting 0800 Central Time, when I shall be blogging right here for the space of 48 posts in 24 hours. For my theme, I'm going to spend 24 hours in-world in Second Life, starting by walking through a brief introduction to the virtual world, and then going on to showcase some of the more interesting, beautiful, or useful places I know here and there on the grid. Or maybe, later on, I'll just wander randomly and blog whatever it is I come across. But in any case, 24 hours in-world.

Just to show I'm putting my money where my mouth is, as some of you may know, I sell a few devices in-world, including the PingHud (see it on Xstreet SL), an attachment which allows you to post to your social networks and blogs without needing to leave the world. All revenues in the month of July from the sale of PingHuds will also be donated to the American Cancer Society.

Anyway. It's for a good cause - I think we can all agree that lack of death is a good cause, right? - so please consider clicking this link and sponsoring this epic feat of blogging.

(P.S. Sponsors will receive link credit right here on the blog as the event starts and on through it if anyone chimes in late. If I don't know your link, drop me an e-mail at avatar@arkane-systems.net when you pledge, and I'll use that one.)

(P.P.S. Missy at The Chef's Table also has a really good cause, and from Blogathon's past, also gives really good value in blog posts and tasty recipes for your pledge. Go visit her, too!)

King of Foxes, Raymond E. Feist

2009-07-07T13:57:21Z

(See my booklogging of the first in this series, Talon of the Silver Hawk, here.)

Not quite back to the old Feist form, as I noted in the above-mentioned previous booklogging, but a definite pick-up from where we were with Talon. Characters fill out nicely, as does the plot.

Speaking of which, an interesting thing is that this middle book in many ways feels like a final book; inasmuch as the first-book-eponymous protagonist, Talon, completes his plot arc and has his revenge on those who destroyed his people, the main villain and the main-er villain receive their comeuppance, and except for a few dangling threads, we receive plot closure...

It looks, in fact, as if the protagonist hat for Exile's Return - based on hints, the title, and the short extract we see at the back of the book - will switch to one of those former main villains, the now-exiled-on-the-far-side-of-the-world Duke Kaspar of Olasko. That's an interesting trick, and seeing as said Olasko has been built up as quite an interesting character in his own right over the course of this book, one I hope comes off well.

Declaration of Independence Reading/Pro-Liberty Rally

2009-07-04T15:05:02Z

...was where I was this morning. Seemed appropriate.

I blog to point out the best sign I saw there, in the hands of someone who - like the demographics of the event in general - gives the lie to the notion that it's only old white guys who attend this sort of thing:

"Lincoln Freed My Great-Grandfather;

Obama's Enslaving My Great-Grandchildren."

Metaplace: Minarchia Square

2009-06-30T17:03:53Z

So, Metaplace now lets you embed your virtual worlds into a web page, such as a blog, for ease of access or to integrate them more fully into your site.

So, just to try things out, here's Minarchia Square, a simple creation of mine as a "hub" world for further development, using principally existing furnishings:

I'm going to be AFK for a while getting lunch, but I'll be hanging out in there from 1:30 PM (Central) if any of y'all want to drop in. Metaplace account required, but you can sign up right from the world.

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2009-06-25T00:00:00-07:00