Without a Doubt Sat, 16 Oct, 2004
Ron Suskind's rather spooky article about GWB's faith-based absolute certainty and self-confidence, even when (especially when) reason and facts are against him, scares the living daylight out of me. But the spookiest passage of all was credited to a "senior advisor" talking to the author:

The aide said the guys like me were "in what we cann the reality-based community," which he defined as people who "believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality." I nodded and mermured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. "That's not the way the world really works anymore," he continued. "We're an empire now, and when we act, we create out own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, if you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors ... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."

Today's Bumper Sticker Fri, 15 Oct, 2004
"I wasn't using my civil rights anyway."

Students for an Orwellian Society Fri, 15 Oct, 2004
I particularly like their t-shirt contest. My favorite is the one with the pictures of Rumsfeld, Ashcroft and Bush, paired with the slogans "War is Peace", "Freedom is Slavery", and "Ignorance is Strength".

Microsoft Philosophy Fri, 12 Apr, 2002
We finally found out about their marketing:

"We're sort of in the Hegelian synthesis of figuring out where the products go once they've encountered the reality of the marketplace."

Google Reveals All Mon, 1 Apr, 2002
It is as I suspected: Google is powered by pigeon clusters (PCs) to create their internet indices. I was espically interested in Google's use of pigeon-hunting dogs (PhDs) to collect the pigeons from the local parks. This is a career path for me!

Power Steer in the NYT Magazine Sun, 31 Mar, 2002
An article following the life of a steer from birth, through the feed-lot and slaughterhouse, to the table. The last line sums it up well, but as a linguist I also enjoy the center-embedding:

"We are what we eat, it is often said, but of course that's only part of the story. We are what what we eat eats too."

Karl Popper in the New Yorker Sat, 30 Mar, 2002
Mostly about Popper's philosophy and personality, starting from the recent book Wittgenstein's Poker. Best quote:

It is not so much that we are drawn to things that
frighten us as that we are drawn to things that we
can think of as things--as subjects that exist
outside the boundaries of all that is just the way
we are. It is not merely that we do not live up to
our ideals but that we cannot, since our ideals are
exactly the part of us that we do not instantly
identify as just part of life. An original thought
is like a death mask of a man, with the solids made
hollow and the nose a cavity, a portrait pulled
inside out. We are our ideas for they include
everything we are--but turned right around to face
us, and looking back at us in surprise.

Paul Krugman on "Blinded by the Right" Fri, 29 Mar, 2002
As usual, a fine article. But one point he passes by way too quickly: why ISN'T there a vast left-wing conspiracy? There should be one--I'd sign up for it on the spot.

News: School strip-searches third-graders Fri, 29 Mar, 2002
Gee, my grade school never strip-searched us. Well, at least we have something for the defrocked priests to do.

New Media Business Math Quiz Fri, 29 Mar, 2002
You know Paul T. Riddell has spent too much time temping for "new business" companies down there in Tejas.

The First Post Fri, 29 Mar, 2002
This is the first post for my new weblog. It's kinda minimal, but that's how I like it. If you have any comments as the days go by, use the email link at the top of the page, which does require a little human insight to get the address right. Thanks for dropping by!