Lance on Dec 16 2007 | Filed under: Lance's Page, Technology
This seems to have really improved the speed at which I browse:
Speed up Firefox. If you have a broadband connection, you can speed up your page loads. This allows Firefox to load multiple things on a page instead of one at a time. By default, it’s optimized for dialup connections (why??). Here is what […]
Joshua Foust on Nov 15 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Notes on the war, Technology, social science
Cross-posted to The Conjecturer.
Defense & The War
What, they’re accused of only murdered 14 people? Let’s see if the White Rabbit can break his weeks-long silence to defend them this time.
Well, at least they’ve finally joined the war.
Oh great. With friends like these… who says we’ll ever fix Iraq?
Max Boot has a problem, and the only […]
Lance on Nov 06 2007 | Filed under: Environment, Lance's Page, Technology, Urban planning and development
Very Cool:
The City Car, a design project under way at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is envisioned as a two-seater electric vehicle powered by lithium-ion batteries. It would weigh between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds and could collapse, then stack like a shopping cart with six to eight fitting into a typical parking space. It isn’t […]
MichaelW on Nov 01 2007 | Filed under: Media, MichaelW's Page, Technology
Why is it that news sites refuse to publish the documents upon which they report? I mean, even Glenn Greenwald produced the emails he was mischaracterizing. Why can’t The Washington Post do the same with the infamous “snowflake memos” it has managed to obtain? If it did so, it would answer questions […]
Keith_Indy on Oct 26 2007 | Filed under: Culture, Keith's Page, Society, Technology
Self - Check
Spouse - Check
Kids - Check
Pets - Check
Important Papers - Checks
Satellite Receiver - WTF
The nerve of some corporations!
When this Azola couple got back from their honeymoon, they had about an hour of matrimonial bliss before being forced to flee as their house was engulfed in flames. So you can understand they had some things […]
Keith_Indy on Oct 23 2007 | Filed under: Culture, Economics, Education, History, Keith's Page, Religion and theology, Society, Technology
Sometimes information like this makes me sit back and think “whoa” (sounding to much like neo in the matrix.) Not only is this a small world (which we often forget,) but it is becoming an exponentially complex and interconnected one.
glumbert - Shift Happens
The Singularity is Near.
Heck, I read sci-fi, and try to keep up […]
Joshua Foust on Oct 19 2007 | Filed under: Culture, Foreign affairs, Military Matters, Technology
Still posted first over at The Conjecturer.
Defense & The War
More on the internal battle over imperial anthropology.
Around the World
Also have you seen the possibly-NSFW Shaolin balls conditioning video? Basically, they are the world’s greatest fighting force—well beyond the ninja. I already knew this from David Carradine. Now I know this from YouTube.
Barnett Rubin asks if […]
Keith_Indy on Oct 18 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Keith's Page, Technology
When I first heard about this story about a fugitive being caught after 35 years, I didn’t think twice about it. Until I saw a detail about the Intelligence Fusion Center being involved.
State investigators say the very things that helped a convicted Indiana murderer stay under the radar for more than three decades were […]
MichaelW on Oct 15 2007 | Filed under: Media, MichaelW's Page, Technology
The MSM (or “Legacy Media” or whatever term floats your boat) is suffering at the invisible hands of technology, which has prompted the rise of not just cable news, but also blogs and online magazines. Blogs in particular often draw snarling reactions and comments from major MSM players, mostly because the MSM is routinely […]
Joshua Foust on Oct 10 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Foreign affairs, History, Law, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Technology, regulation
Cross-posted on The Conjecturer.
Defense & The War
Dear God. The USAF thinks it will win counterinsurgencies by copying the Viet Cong? These guys are almost as bad as the PMFs. In a must-read analysis, Abu Muqawama concludes, “This, America, is your uniformed military leadership. Be proud.” Oh I am.
“The reliable replacement warhead is a symptom.” […]
Joshua Foust on Oct 08 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, History, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Technology, social science
Cross-posted on The Conjecturer.
Defense & The War
Finally, after years of occupying their country, we’ve liberated Iraq from the burden of living in fear for collaborating with us.
P.W. Singer (again) on the devil’s bargain of PMCs. I like how he wonders how a force can be cost effective when it’s more expensive and so detrimental to […]
Joshua Foust on Oct 03 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Technology, regulation
Repeated at The Conjecturer.
Defense & the War
P.W. Singer on how no one is really asking the right questions about Blackwater and PMCs in general. Contrary to other arguments, it is a question of legality and accountability, since even employees accused of and fired for committing crimes like murder have not been prosecuted for it. But […]
Keith_Indy on Aug 31 2007 | Filed under: Keith's Page, Military Matters, Technology
Joshua brought up this little tid-bit in his last post…
There is also a rather shocking exhibit of an underreported side effect of the war: advances in medical technology now allow survivability after injuries that once were fatal. Which means a new generation of the crippled and maimed are coming home.
There have been “advances” in battlefield […]
Keith_Indy on Aug 30 2007 | Filed under: Keith's Page, Law, Society, Technology
When threats are phoned in, how seriously should they be considered?
At my last company, one of the buildings we had offices in would get a bomb threat called in 2 or 3 times per month. Now, the company gave us the latitude to go wait outside the building until it was cleared, or we […]
Joshua Foust on Aug 25 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Society, Technology
Throwing rocks at HAMAS over at The Conjecturer.
Defense & The War
More on what The Surge is accomplishing: “Despite some evidence that the troop buildup has improved security in certain areas, sectarian violence continues and American-led operations have brought new fighting, driving fearful Iraqis from their homes at much higher rates than before the tens of […]
Joshua Foust on Aug 24 2007 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Media, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Technology
Cheating on your ex-boyfriend at The Conjecturer.
Defense & The War
So, according to President Bush, if we leave Iraq, the communists will triumph? Like how they won the Cold War? I don’t get it. The argument from civil war doesn’t move me much, either—the only thing keeping Iraq from civil war before was a tyrant; short […]
MichaelW on Aug 13 2007 | Filed under: Environment, Media, MichaelW's Page, Technology
My favorite class of all time was a course on chaos theory that I took my senior year in college. I think it was listed as part of the Chemistry Department’s curriculum (hey, whaddya know, it still is!), but it also involved physics and statistics (and thankfully, little math). My fondness for […]
Keith_Indy on Aug 09 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Keith's Page, Technology
And proud of it!!!
Sen. George Allen makes a good point.
Contrary to some pundits, Americans are not “addicted to oil” but are instead addicted to freedom - freedom of movement especially, former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) told a large crowd of college conservatives last week.
In my high school, and I’m certain, in many other […]
MichaelW on Jul 20 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Law, MichaelW's Page, Notes on the war, Technology
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
– U.S. Constitution, Art. 3, Sect. 3
The […]
Keith_Indy on Jul 16 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Environment, Keith's Page, Technology
The increase in the amount of bio-fuel production, specifically ethanol, is driving up the costs of anything that feeds or is produced with grain. This is leading to higher prices for milk, ice cream, cereal, and a host of other staples. The UN is also having a harder time buying grain to feed […]
Joshua Foust on Jun 28 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Technology
Defense
It saddens me to see that a general neglect of our soldiers has a long and storied tradition in this country. I honestly think us to be better than that.
Uh-oh, is our new strategy in Iraq geared for cutting and running? Those defeat mongers at the Pentagon must want Al-Qaeda In Iraq to win. Except […]
Keith_Indy on Jun 25 2007 | Filed under: Developmental economics, Domestic Politics, Economics, Environment, Keith's Page, Technology
Instapundit links to an article in Reason about how the increased production of ethanol is leading to higher prices for food.
I also think it could lead to increasing reliance by America on foreign grain. Which, as we saw with the pet food recall, could mean a riskier supply. You can poison grain, but […]
Keith_Indy on Jun 21 2007 | Filed under: Keith's Page, Technology
Well, all the attention crashed their web servers, so they’ve hosted the simulation on YouTube.
I must say I’m impressed with the animation. You can certainly see why a collapse was near inevitable with what looks like 1/3 of the major inner columns destroyed or damaged. And this story makes me wonder how some […]
Keith_Indy on Jun 21 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Keith's Page, Louisiana Politics, Technology
Gee, parts of N’Awlins are still under sea level (and unlikely to change.) You would think the above headline was a given.
And why does it NOT surprise me that what the local leaders were most concerned about…
As part of the report, the corps plans to make available a Web site that allows New Orleans […]
Joshua Foust on Jun 19 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Foreign affairs, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Technology
Defense
The Vatican-embassy in Baghdad is too understaffed and too restricted to be useful, Ambassador Crocker told SecState Rice. He said we are either at war or we are not at war, and the priorities of the Department must reflect that. Naturally, he’ll be ignored.
Taxi to the Darkside, a documentary about the “accidental” death of an […]
Joshua Foust on Jun 12 2007 | Filed under: Developmental economics, Domestic Politics, Foreign affairs, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Technology
Cross-posted at The Conjecturer.
Defense
Could the shakeup at JCS be an indication of a possibly positive move toward skepticism on Iraq? Possibly. I’m more intrigued with putting two Navy guys in charge of our insurgency campaigns—what kind of insight might they bring a more traditional land warrior cannot?
Then again, the DoD does have a habit of […]
Joshua Foust on Jun 01 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008, Foreign affairs, Hugo Chavez, Media, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Technology
Cross-posted on The Conjecturer.
Defense
The IDF is generally thought of as one of the world’s top armies—though it lacks expeditionary capability (which is usually a function of solid logistics), its warfighting is top notch. Not so, according to the Winograd Commission, which examined IDF policies in the wake of the Hezbollah war last year. Why […]
Joshua Foust on May 30 2007 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Military Matters, Notes on the war, Technology
Cross-posted at The Conjecturer.
Defense
An entire security detail was abducted in Baghdad, in a secure area, leading to questions about the extent to which local security forces are collaborating with the insurgents, whether private companies are appropriate agents, and the whole legitimacy of the operation.
An excellent post on the continued need for civilian control of the […]
Keith_Indy on May 16 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Environment, Keith's Page, Technology
I’ve often commented that I don’t really trust computer climate models because they’ve seemed to me to be missing a lot of variables. So, it’s a little satisfying to see this article, which shows that MIT researchers are enhancing the model to more accurately account for a significant variable.
Global climate models are missing a […]
Joshua Foust on May 15 2007 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Economics, Foreign affairs, Military Matters, Technology
The Pentagon
Oh, Noah. The CIA isn’t the only spy agency with a questionable kid’s page. There is also the NSA, which urges children to learn cryptography. I don’t think these are bad things per se (and the CIA’s large hit count is probably more due to the World Fact Book than interest in […]
Multinational Force-Iraq
QandO
Marginal Revolution
The Volokh Conspiracy
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