Friday Ephemera
Impressive name, cunning plan. (h/t, Damian) || The thrill of golf. || Graph of note. || Scumbag interruptus. || Shades of grey. || Grace under pressure. || A substantial sedan. || Sculpted glass. || Lab shots of yore. || You know, for kids. || I remember CompuServe. || Because they’re so open-minded, you see. || Meme history. || Chillin’ in Harlem, 1978. || Edinburgh, 1920. || Variations on a theme. || News item of note. || Burly. || Savage. || The eco-friendly, waterless, multimedia urinal you’ve always dreamed of. || Can robots assemble an IKEA chair in under 9 minutes? || This thing here is one of these. || Aerial tour of an abandoned Chinese fishing village. || And finally, in forward-looking fashion news, a jumpsuit that flashes and vibrates whenever asteroids approach the Earth.
Then we must also question whether lesbians can paint naked women, or gay men paint men, and so on.
Not really. The objective is to vilify straight, white men. Consistent application of the “principal” would not serve to that end, and so isn’t applied. Just asking the question marks one as the Enemy.
On a different note, my condolences also Darleen.
Am I a bad person for laughing at this headline?
Re:
a jumpsuit that flashes and vibrates whenever asteroids approach the Earth.
Is it just me, or does that millennial reporter from the Verge sound like she’s just slightly brain damaged?
Meanwhile in Uganda…
Apparently the president of Uganda is unfamiliar with English slang…
Am I a bad person for laughing at this headline?
Possibly. My immediate reaction was, ‘in what barbaric place did this occur?’
David, sorry about the lack of a space between the italicized quote and my comment.
Am I a bad person for laughing at this headline?
To be honest, I’m still puzzling over this part:
NDTV reported that China has few regulations for its zoos and wildlife park, and pointed to a June incident where a donkey was dropped into a tiger pit due to unhappy business investors.
To be honest, I’m still puzzling over this part:
NDTV reported that China has few regulations for its zoos and wildlife park,
Quite. Reading assorted news, one keeps getting an impression of China having plenty of restrictions, but zero regulations.
Darleen,
My dad was a Marine F4U driver (VMF 312) in Korea, along with his brother. Both started early enough to have WWII service records, but were still in training.
Dad passed 3 years ago.
My condolences.
a jumpsuit that flashes and vibrates whenever asteroids approach the Earth.
I just got around to watching this, and I’m baffled. For a startup’s first prototype, I was expecting something a little more…actually wearable. What they’ve got there I could knock together out of an off-the-shelf Arduino, Raspberry Pi and a couple of programmable LED strips and a cell phone vibrator off of alibaba, in the same form factor. There’s no reason the “puck” needs to be that big, they should be able to minimize it to a flat panel similar to those sound-sensitive LED Equalizer T-shirts.
Actually, there’s some Typepad maintenance ongoing at the moment, so any bumps and glitches may be due to that.
Be honest, you find the overalls rather fetching.
David, sorry about the lack of a space between the italicized quote and my comment.
[ Notes date and time, laminates, files away for later use. ]
Be honest, you find the overalls rather fetching.
Have you tried the, er, savouries?
They’re best downed in one.
Hotep trolls Starbucks:
https://twitter.com/VibeHi/status/985642512206491649
Am I a bad person for laughing at this headline?
No, you’re a racist because something something something. But that doesn’t make you a bad person. Or did you mean bad like “good”?
Because, er, diversity, and maths is hard.
Britain’s first specialist engineering university will take school-leavers without A-level maths or physics…
Britain’s first specialist engineering university will take school-leavers without A-level maths or physics…
Admission is one thing. It depends on whether the math sequence at the university level is then dumbed down in order to get a degree. At my son’s STEM university, all students are required to take a math test upon admission with the results determining placement in the university math sequence. The university pays no attention to what a student had in high school or high school grades, believing its test is a better indicator of math ability.
It depends on whether the math sequence at the university level is then dumbed down in order to get a degree.
Short answer – what math ?
Instead they will work on real projects in groups of five, for nearly a month at a time, and build up a portfolio proving their skills, leaving with a pass or fail in a masters degree.
Ah. Clarity.
Query, how the university will justify a “pass” or a “fail” without reference to objective mathematics and/or physics? How will the students understand the critiques without a common reference point? Why do I believe “fail”s will be extraordinarily rare?
She doesn’t look the type.
They’re not teaching engineers. They’re certifying “engineering project managers”. The useless kind, whose work product consists of PowerPoint presentations. The kind of PM that competent engineers change employers to avoid.
You can’t make a real PM out of a non-engineer, for The same reason you can’t make a flight instructor out of a non-pilot.
On the various, rather desperate attempts to smear Jordan Peterson as a racist monster.
This might only be Jonah Goldberg’s weekly newsletter, but it may be the best thing he’s written since Liberal Fascism:
He also quotes Williamson himself:
I can’t tell you how glad I am that mainstream commentators are finally saying this. It’s been obvious to me for almost thirty years.
Palm Beach County tried the waterless urinal and found it to be a piss poor alternative.
Perhaps the multimedia part might be enough to distract from the rivers of urine encountered by students.
Palm Beach County tried the waterless urinal and found it to be a piss poor alternative.
Why, it is almost as if no one ever knew urine can be very corrosive, and diluting it with the water from a flush reduces the risk.
Perhaps the designers were graduates of no math pass-fail engineering schools.
Meanwhile, back in Palm Beach…
“The technology makes sense”, said Dr. Ludwig Dürr, designer of the Hindenburg…
I can’t tell you how glad I am that mainstream commentators are finally saying this. It’s been obvious to me for almost thirty years.
Ditto. Like being gaslighted by the gaslighted.
A real rebel talks out loud in an Ivy League classroom about how Jesus Christ is his or her personal savior.
My preferred form of rebellion is to use the masculine singular pronoun when referring to a generic individual of unstated sex (and to use “sex” when referring to human beings rather than the linguistic construct “gender”).
Historical competition.
“The technology makes sense”, said Dr. Ludwig Dürr, designer of the Hindenburg
It’s now well-understood the problem with the Hindenburg was the fire-retardant coating on the envelope, which when exposed to high UV over long periods (such as traveling above the clouds) broke down into a highly flammable compound. This is what caught fire and burned. The hydrogen was incidental, and most of it didn’t combust.
Hmmm. . .
Ehn, that’s a lovely bit of pontificating there, but singing a very pretty song is definitely the only thing going on in that statement.
Lesseee . . . Being an atheist . . . .
Being an atheist is just as much a statement of mere faith as any other statement of mere faith. As a form of mere faith, atheism also has absolutely nothing to do with genuinely personal religious experience and practice. The demonstration that atheism is faith is simple; Demonstrate as fact, and not merely by absence, that there is no god or gods or supernatural forces. When an atheist is thus unable to prove . . .
A real rebel talks out loud in an Ivy League classroom about how Jesus Christ is his or her personal savior.
Ehn? Why bring up chanting about Jesus, except to signal the exact same total conformity with the local flavor of mere right wing? The exact same right wing result is achieved by chanting Mohammad!! Mohammad!! Mohammad!! or by chanting Krishna!! Krishna!! Krishna!! or by chanting Odin!! Odin!! Odin!! because right wing demand of faith is indeed mere right wing demand of faith and thus remains mere right wing demand of quite mere faith.
—Leessee . . . do a quick bit of Googlemancy and Yes, Indeed, even the practicing Christians will instead cite Matthew 6:5-15 as a Christian religious practice.
. . . an age where Satanists don the mantle of rebellion but are quick to clarify they’re not crazy like — you know — those whacky Christians. . . . Except, of course, that Satanists, quite by definition and practice, are those whacky Christians absolutely as much as all the other Christians. Does Satan come out of Shinto or Buddhism, just to grab a couple of handy examples? No, Satan is not found there. References to “demons” do turn up, sort of like large termites or wasps, and they’re dealt with in about the same manner. In Judaism, “Satan” is, at most, a stock variety of quite godly angel from heaven with a license to annoy. So again, that statement is merely standard and empty right wing cant as opposed to genuinely conservative religious observation, on several levels.
Sooo . . . if the fellow wants to piss off the left wing—and prolly piss off the right wing as well—with a practice that is openly, clearly, and genuinely conservative as opposed to being merely left wing or merely right wing, he can have a look at a fellow named William Swing, and an actually religious and conservative practice called a Cooperation Circle.
And
Of course, if being genuinely religious is too much of a cross to bear, there is an easy way out. Remember, in the Americas and Europe, being a Christian on a college campus isn’t rebellious; it’s one of the most tedious forms of conformity.
Oh, yeah, speaking of being religious, as opposed to merely declaring conformity to the local faith:
I keep reading that the Catholics have been having more and more fun reminding the right wing what religious actually means . . . . . . . . .
Oh, and for that Financial Times link noting right wing against religious, I’m not an FT subscriber. I just pulled the complete article up out of Google, except that apparently getting the article instead of a subscription demand may be a matter of the whims of your local browser while supplicating the kami of Javascript and Adblock . . . .
Going with this alternative and selecting the first result seems to be a workaround . . .
And, while trying to get back to assorted studies, got reminded of another learned discussion of modern Christianity.
lmao rofl
Could have phrased it more clearly?
“We encourage people and dogs alike to do their business in other places, like a proper restroom or one of our fire hydrants, which are stronger and made out of cast iron.”
Hal: so you are saying that true Christianity is socialism?
Hal: so you are saying that true Christianity is socialism?
Ditto. Not a big Jesus guy myself per se, and certainly not one to speak for Him, but I think one would be very hard pressed to find support for government solutions to these problems in anything JC said. Seems to me JC was saying very much the opposite. Also not a big fan of much rightist religious philosophy either but when disasters strike, many of those people are on the front lines in helping. This Narrative of mocking the religious right and picking on their hypocrisy is itself quite hypocritical. And becoming extremely tiresome. Especially when emanating from certain corners, IYKWIM.
…healing the sick, caring for the poor, feeding the hungry…
Hal, are you unaware that Christians give much more to charity than do atheists and leftists?
Hal: so you are saying that true Christianity is socialism?
Not my mythos. Either one of ’em.
So, again being reminded of that utter gulf between mere faith and actual religion, when considering that . . . many of those people are on the front lines in helping . . . you could take the question up with Bishop Swing and his people on those front lines and see what responses you get.
. . . are you unaware that Christians give much more to charity than do atheists and leftists?
And also as pointed out, which of whom? Are you asking of the leftist Christians, the rightist Christians, or the religious Christians? Are you asking of the atheists who are just as filled with their atheistic faith as any other right winger, are you defining as atheist anyone who states not being Christian, whom?
You’ve got far too many overlapping sections in your quite several part Venn diagram there.
And also as pointed out, which of whom? Are you asking of the leftist Christians, the rightist Christians, or the religious Christians?
“Rightist Christians” are indeed among the Christians who give much more to charity than do atheists and leftists.
It has long been a favored meme on the left that Christians–and especially “rightist” Christians are lacking in charity, but it’s not true.
re Hal’s ‘toon
“Go forth & petition Caesar to seize your neighbors’ crops and redistribute them.” #ThingsJesusNeverSaid
BTW I don’t know of any candidate who is against helping the poor – but is it the province of the State to provide or the realm of the individual?
Re: there is a reason why California has only 12% of the national population but 33% of welfare recipients and 1/5 of the nation’s homeless.
Addiction to “free stuff” and the resulting entitlement mentality outstrips heroin or opioids by several factors.
It has long been a favored meme on the left . . .
‘k, but what does anyone left wing have to do with this discussion???? While quite true that I, for one, am quite conservative, as opposed to left or right wing, there is no particular political orientation implied when simply noting that political reality consists of the mere right wing, the conservatives, and then the mere left wing—Or the other way ’round, to taste . . .
. . . but it’s not true.
What would help with that claim is stating actual numbers and citing a source—you may be perfectly correct, but we have no idea . . .
As noted, you will also need to cite the numbers for the actual religious Christians and their contributions, as contrasting with the rightist Christians.
It is counterfeit grace to publicly advocate for charity by offering up your neighbor’s paycheck to the Government.
I hold such people in very low regard.
Re: there is a reason why California has only 12% of the national population but 33% of welfare recipients and 1/5 of the nation’s homeless.
Yeah, it’s called weather.
And while attempting to stir in scattered numbers, the other reason is that California is physically the third largest state, after Alaska and Texas. Consider Rhode Island, which doesn’t have the room.
you could take the question up with Bishop Swing and his people on those front lines and see what responses you get.
Or you could take it up with me or anyone else who isn’t hostile to the religious right who has actually worked with them to help the poor and struggling. What gives some random California left-wing bishop of the Catholic church absolute knowledge on these matters? Never saw him in the north Georgia mountains. Saw some other kinds of people, though. But hey, his personal experience trumps mine because…something something something.
‘k, but what does anyone left wing have to do with this discussion????
Because it seems that many British conservatives have in recent years assimilated the anti-Christian calumnies of the Left. I was, in fact, quite struck when I realized just how vicious the hatred could be.
What would help with that claim is stating actual numbers and citing a source
There have been studies of charitable giving here in the United States. It would be difficult to cite the various sources that I read years ago, but I’m sure that Google would be your friend here.
What gives some random California left-wing bishop of the Catholic church absolute knowledge on these matters?
And it is not unheard of for far-left atheists to go to seminary, get a theological degree, and set up shop in a church where they preach Social Justice while ignoring the Bible (except where they can quote it selectively in the service of Marxist economic theory.)
Wherein Hal loses the plot again…
Yeah, it’s called weather.
California does not equal Los Angeles, or the narrow strip of the state that has mild weather most of the year. Obviously you have never been to Ft. Irwin either in January or August. Except for the humidity, Tupelo, Mississippi, has a better climate than most of California.
…the other reason is that California is physically the third largest state, after Alaska and Texas…
I see, that explains why Texas and Alaska are overrun with welfare recipients and homeless, well their size and the various notoriously leftist Texan policies.
you could take the question up with Bishop Swing and his people on those front lines and see what responses you get.
. . .
What gives some random California left-wing bishop of the Catholic church absolute knowledge on these matters?
Hmmm. You’re going to have to explain whom it is you’re referring to when you state random California left-wing bishop of the Catholic church.
It the meantime, regarding Bishop Swing, William Edwin Swing is a retired bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States.
—Just in case, for those not familiar with the larger parts of the nine billion sects of Christianity, The Episcopals are considered a variation of the Church Of England, and the Catholics are the fellows based in Rome.
Wherein Hal loses the plot again…
Siiigggghhhh . . . really, when proclaiming totally random and vague selections from the nearest dictionary or phrase book, actually having a context and citing examples does help y’know.
Have an example: California does not equal Los Angeles,
Darleen’s statement was Re: there is a reason why California has . . .
Darleen did not state . . . Los Angeles, or the narrow strip of the state that has mild weather most of the year.
In turn, another example of my remaining quite correct:
…the other reason is that California is physically the third largest state, after Alaska and Texas…
I see, that explains why Texas and Alaska are overrun with welfare recipients and homeless,
. . . where the weather in Alaska, once you get there, rather tends towards zero, be it Fahrenheit or Celsius, where Texas rather tends towards 100 Fahrenheit . . . while sometimes also hitting zeroIsh.
So I remain quite correct in reminding that the majority issue is the weather