June 30, 2004

The Onion

For me the Onion is a 'hit or miss' kind of thing. Some weeks it's on, some weeks it's off. This week it's on. Go check it out.

Also look for a new theme for tomorrow.

Must go now, getting ready to watch NASA's Cassini Press conference today at noon EDT.

Fahrenheit 9/11

I hate to repeat what others are saying, and probably saying better than I could, but I just want to highly recommend that everyone see this film. I saw it opening night and it was incredible. I laughed, raged, cried, and just gasped at some of what I learned that I didn't know before. Also very gratifying for me was running into my daughter Jessica and her boyfriend Mike in the lobby of the theatre afterwards. I was coming out as she was going in. We didn't plan it that way, she just wanted to see it too.

I have encountered among some people a resistance to seeing this movie that I find inexplicable. The people involved always seem to invoke the same argument; "That movie is nothing but propaganda. It's filed with lies and as a loyal American I don't need to see it. Now leave me alone. My favorite show on Fox News is coming on, 'Hannity pounds a Bozo Bop Bag', man this never get old."

. . .

Uh-huh. Right!

So loyalty is measured by the size of your blinders or your ability to keep your eyes shut tighter than the next guy. Meanwhile we need to keep tithing to the Republican Party so we can have more ads comparing John Kerry to Hitler. 'Never mind the facts I believe in this President. "Faith based initiatives" - indeed.

Exercise your freedom. Go see the movie.
Think for yourself. Make up your own mind.

As for Paul Bremer, and the late night, no frills, two day early, hand over and tactical retreat from Iraq, what can I say? Every time I hear about this story, all I can hear in my head is the last part of that scene in the Holy Grail with Sir Robin and his minstrels.

Brave Sir Robin ran away. Bravely ran away, away. When danger reared its ugly head, He bravely turned his tail and fled. Yes, Brave Sir Robin turned about And gallantly he chickened out. Bravely taking to his feet, He beat a very brave retreat. Bravest of the brave, Sir Robin.

At least the Supreme Court, finally, at long suffering last, did something right and told the Bush Administration that it cannot just seize and hold people indefinitely. About time they did something right.

Meanwhile

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
- Oscar Wilde

Cassini is closing on Saturn and will begin breaking on Thursday. This maneuver should leave the craft in orbit of the gas giant and its tour of the ringed planet and its moons will really begin. We will be watching and waiting with baited breath and high hopes.
New Scientist has a good write upon it here.

Transformers Breakdancing!

You can almost feel your sanity slipping away.
Where is Hawk and does he know about this?

Nods to xoverboard for pointing this one out.

June 27, 2004

Matthew and I

Here and now we begin
For whatever time we might have together
I will love, protect, amuse, and educate you
I will show the universe to you
And in seeing it through your eyes
See it all again anew
In mine . . .

June 24, 2004

ALL HAIL THE KING!

Yesterday my step daughter Talia graduated from high school. Congratulations Talia!
Pictures will be posted soon. For those of you keeping score that means three down, one to go.

Meanwhile check out a poker game with Dick Cheney and friends here.
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder why these evil, anti-reason, brain rapists aren't under arrest yet.
Thanks to Xoverboard for linking to this.

So, how is your sanity? Feeling pretty good about you're ability to deal with reality?
Well, if you're not sure, if you have any doubt at all, do not read this story about the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, dressed in a floor-length cape being dubbed "the king of peace" at a coronation ceremony in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, reportedly attended by 81 members of Congress.

I'm sorry, what country is this?
No wait, that's not the question anymore.
The question is what fucking planet am I on here?
Seriously, what in the name of sanity is going on around here?

The mainstream media is, of course, quietly pretending this didn't happen but we really need to put this in context. War, death, terrorism, genocide, starvation, . . . never mind all that, let's make time to go over and help the Rev. Moon proclaim himself ". . . God's ambassador, sent to earth with His full authority."

Really?! Hey that's great. Glad to hear it. I guess we can all relax now that Rev. Moon has let us know that he has been sent by God ". . . to accomplish His command to save the world's 6 billion people, restoring them to heaven with the original goodness in which they were created."

Perfect.

How do we know this guy is for real? Well, he just told us . . . God told him so.
Several members of our Congress were there and that makes it official.

You know what though, I've asked around a bit and not all of us are interested.
Thank you anyway, but we're fine, right here on Earth.
Don't let us stop you though, if you and your followers want to head on up to heaven, you go right ahead.
When will you folks be leaving exactly?
Anything we can do to help? You need anything? Arsenic, Hemlock, Grape Drink?

. . .

This is really just too fucking much. Honestly, are we never to learn?

. . .

While we're declaring ourselves things;
I declare myself King Frank the First - Lord of the Solar System - Emperor of the Galaxy.
No one else has claimed it, so there it is; now it's mine. Why not?
As my first royal decree I command you, the puny minions of my galactic domain, to put aside all superstition, wake the fuck up, and start thinking for yourselves. Put aside religious zealotry, violence and fear and embrace reason, personal responsibility and peace.

There you go, problem solved.
Long live the KING!

June 22, 2004

Woo Hoo! I was just on Air America!

I called in to Unfiltered and got on the air talking about the new "Registered Traveler" program being introduced. According to the programs supporters, all you need to do is get registered with some biometric information (fingerprints, retinal scan, etc.) and you can wait less time at airports. My question was how long before corporations use this as yet another screening prerequisite forcing you to comply? Once such a program is in place, what is to stop corporations from saying "this job requires travel so you must be pre-qualified through this program before we will hire you."? Shades of 1984 indeed.

Meanwhile, very exciting stuff on the commercial space front, with the successful Space Ship One mission yesterday. New Scientist has a good write up on it here.

June 17, 2004

Set Phasers on wide beam and . . . Fire!

New Scientist has an article on this and it is quite interesting. I've often wondered how long it would take to develop effective energy projection weapons. Whatever the risk of such weapons, they don't compare with the dangers of lead projectile weapons. I'm sure this technology is still in its infancy but I'm also sure new plasma based, Phaser style weapons will soon be developed and available in the private (*cough* non-military) sector.

June 15, 2004

Whoa! What he said!

The angry Crypto-Fascist Haberdasher let's lose with a barrage of biting, spitting, anti-religiousness that make me look like a moderate.
Highly recommended - Not for the easily offended.

Also check out the new post on Xoverboard titled "THIS. IS. BRILLIANT."
Very good stuff.

Worth a thousand words . . .

Our Top Story Today . . .
Former President Ronald Reagan is still DEAD!

Now on a serious note:

Speaking out as to current events, I'd like to suggest that we can not afford to wait until November to take action here. I'd like to put forth the notion that we (and by "we" I mean all Americans, everywhere) have been betrayed.
We have been misled, manipulated, and dishonored before the entire world and we can no longer afford to wait to take action. We need to begin to arrest and impeach officials at the top levels of our Executive branch of government and we need to do it right now! Let them stand trial on charges of treason. Let us have fair and open trials on these charges and let the evidence be presented.
Now I know that many say we can't do that because the Republicans control too much of the other two branches, but I think we need to reach out to congressmen and senators alike and make it clear to them that this issue transcends partisan political lines. This is not a question of expediency or practicality. This has become a matter of principal, a matter of national honor. America, like it or not, is a world leader. If we do not act to show the world what we stand for I believe that everything this country has stood for is at risk. Also let it be clear, and let us be understood from the onset, that for those who are found guilty we must bring to bear the full limit of punishment that our laws allow.
Treason, the corruption and subversion of our Constitution, the deliberate violation of our lawful treaties, and the blatant misuse of our armed forces, must not be countenanced.
We must make it clear that our law enforcement officials not only implement the law but are also subject to it. We must make it clear that a just democracy draws its lawful powers from the consent of the governed and we must make it clear that we do not consent to the actions of this administration.

I am not alone in this, here is a link, to a story about one City Council that agrees with me.

June 7, 2004

Updates from Out There.

Venus transit here.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/venus_transit_2004.html

Cassini closing on Saturn here. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/cassini_update_040603.html

Mars update here
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/rover_crater_040605.html

Now in one classic trek episode, called "Patterns of Force", there was a character named Professor John Gill who had the really terrible idea of recreating the Nazi Party on an alien world as a means of helping them out. As one might expect things go horribly awry and Kirk and Spock have to beam down and set things right. The point is that this was a just an unbelievably terrible idea.
This has led, (and with apologies to the writers of Free Enterprise,) to a new feature here: The Elysian Visions - Professor John Gill Award for Really Stupid Ideas.

Our first winner of the PJGARSI will surprise many here.
The award today will go to RUSH (The progressive rock band.) for their John Gill like plan to release a new album of sixties cover tunes called Feedback.
The press release, forwarded to us by one of our agents abroad, says this atrocity of an album will feature cover tunes like "Summertime Blues", "Mr. Soul", and "Seven and Seven Is"?!
I am not linking to this, you want to know more, go Google yourself.
Now as anyone who knows me can tell you, I'm a huge fan of this band and their work but . . .what the hell is this?

Clearly this qualifies as yet another clear sign that the end is near.

June 4, 2004

Republican Meltdown and more

"If we can hit that bull's-eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards . . . Checkmate." - Zap Brannigan

Sideshow Bob: "How can one ordinary man have so many enemies?"
Homer: "I'm a people person . . . who . . drinks."

Well, it's about time but it looks like the current administration's house of cards is finally falling in on itself. From Chalabi to Tenet, and so on, people are starting to wake up to the fact that this just isn't America anymore. This administration does not represent the people of this country, and it's time to face facts, and clean house. Of course the professional political commentators can't stop speculating about whether Tenet was ordered over the side of the sinking ship or whether he was just the first guy to put on a dress, grab a life like baby doll, and start yelling 'women and children first', while plowing his way into the first available lifeboat and lowering away. From here it doesn't seem to make much difference. With everything that is coming to light now, all the investigations, and internal backbiting, and the impending release of Fahrenheit 911 it certainly looks like the end is neigh for the Republican right wingers and their repugnant agenda.

Meanwhile New Scientist has two articles worthy of note.
First a piece on using lasers to levitate and position Carbon Nanotubes.
Second a piece "on what happened recently when researchers revealed that they had deleted huge chunks of the genome of mice without it making any discernable difference to the animals." Whoa! I'm still trying to get my own head around this one.

On the personal front, I'll be turning 42 in just a couple of days. My favorite comment on the impending roll over of my life clock comes from my dad. Who, on having to be reminded of how old this birthday will make me and after a moment's reflection said "Wow . . You're going to catch up to me." I'm sure it must seem that way.

June 2, 2004

Do you know what we need around here?

It's a new theme!
So here it is, the new theme is Classic Trek.
Just for fun you know, a bit of a lark, high spirits and that kind of thing.
"Classic Trek!" It's like 'Classic Coke,' only with that cool sixties future perfect thing. Chic baby!
. . .
I'm not feeling that well today. Not sure what the exact problem is. I'm not actually sick, with a cold or anything, just sort of exhausted all the time. Maybe my outrage is just wearing me out. I mean I'm outraged all the time, about just about everything, so maybe it just takes more energy than I have. It's hard to say. As my regular readers will both know from past entries I've gone from being a commentator on science, accelerating change, and the implications of new technologies to being a political blogger. This shift was not intentional. However the behavior of my fellow humans has gone from merely outrageously bad to out and out, ludicrously blatant, raw, naked, baby eating evil! The frequency of which has taken up all my late hours with trying to respond in a calm measured, reasonable, manner.

Okay maybe not.
Well, whatever the case; not today. Today we'll have a new theme and a bit of a break.

June 1, 2004

Site updates, World War III, and Ragnarok well underway.

"How can anybody be enlightened?
Truth is after all so poorly lit."
- Neil Peart (Rush)

Iraq Coalition Causality Count link.

Special thanks to Tom Tomorrow for linking to this.