Monday, January 14, 2013
Reagan
In case there was any doubt Rick Scott was a supervillain.
TALLAHASSEE — Shortly after winning the GOP nomination in 2010, Rick Scott announced to the world through Facebook that his family had rescued a Labrador Retriever.
And, with help from his Facebook friends, Scott gave it a name: Reagan
...
So the Scotts gave the dog back to his prior owner, Scott said, about a month after the family moved to Tallahassee. The governor's office on Monday told the Times it was trying to find Reagan and its new family.
Celebrity And Privacy
I didn't see her speech and am not interested in commenting on the Jodie Foster issue specifically at the moment, but generally I do think there are different types of "celebrities." There are people who act in TV and movies and who, given the nature of the beast, are obligated to engage in some promotion and self-promotion to further those projects, but who otherwise don't really trade on their image (including fashion and gossip). They're actors. Fame comes with the territory, but fame isn't really their thing. They don't have their publicists using the tabloids and similar to keep their names out there, to be famous because they're famous. They want to work as actors and make money at it.
And then there are the people who do exploit the whole gossip-tabloid-fame-celebrity thing, who use every tool in their arsenal, including their personal lives, in order to promote themselves. There's nothing wrong with that, but they have made a choice which limits their claims to privacy.
So, yes, even famous actors deserve their privacy. Unless they decide they don't.
And then there are the people who do exploit the whole gossip-tabloid-fame-celebrity thing, who use every tool in their arsenal, including their personal lives, in order to promote themselves. There's nothing wrong with that, but they have made a choice which limits their claims to privacy.
So, yes, even famous actors deserve their privacy. Unless they decide they don't.
The Bridge Crowd
No tunnels, but Old City is currently where the bridge crowd has decided the late night urban playground is. I have no idea where the people involved are from, but there's a general 'get fucked up and anything goes' atmosphere there.
F The Deficit
The additional maddening thing is that if you fix the jobs problem you largely fix the deficit problem. The reverse is not true. If you "fix" the deficit you kill the jobs.
Density Isn't Enough
Dense auto-centric development gives you all of the downsides of density but none of the upsides. Walkability requires building places people will actually want to walk. You need sidewalks and neighborhood retail.
Gun Nuttery
I understand the belief - though it's wrong! - that given the number of guns out there the safe thing to do is own a gun for protection. It's wrong because, you know, accidents happen and people have a nasty habit of killing their family members when the tools are available.
But the idea that more guns for everybody is better is just nuts.
But the idea that more guns for everybody is better is just nuts.
Freedom
Lots of us have obsessions. Many of those obsessions are generally harmless, and we manage to not let those obsessions overtake our lives. But there's a problem with being obsessed with a death machine. There's a nontrivial chance that obsession will end in tragedy.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Sunday Crass Commercialism
I'd recommend Fringe for people who like that sort of thing. It starts off as an "monster of the week" kinda show but eventually the writers say fuck it and become heavily invested in an ongoing plot arc. It isn't a perfect sci-fi show. There are dropped and unresolved plots (well, finale is next week so who knows), but the overall mythology is far more coherent than the X-Files was and much less random than I understand (didn't see) Lost's was. The general difficulties of maintaining a coherent plot arc for 22 or so episodes per year are present, but overall it's pretty good sci-fi nerdery.
And it's lasted about as long as it should. I like the show so it'll be a bit of a shame when it's gone, but it has probably run its course.
And it's lasted about as long as it should. I like the show so it'll be a bit of a shame when it's gone, but it has probably run its course.
Fed'd
I really hope this is just the Treasury and Fed giving each other cover (that's not awesome either) rather than the Fed deciding it has the authority to determine which bits of legal tender the Treasury can and can't deposit into its account.
Whether Platy was a good idea for various other reasons, it's clearly legal and almost certainly more legal than the other options if the Republicans don't raise the debt ceiling.
Whether Platy was a good idea for various other reasons, it's clearly legal and almost certainly more legal than the other options if the Republicans don't raise the debt ceiling.
It's Just A Cut
People who argue that the chained CPI is more accurate for the purpose of calculating cost of living changes for the elderly are just lying, and they know they're lying. It might be a more accurate measure of CPI as a whole - no real opinion on that - but there's no reason to think it's a more accurate measure of the cost of living that retired people face.
It's just a cut, and a dishonest one.
It's just a cut, and a dishonest one.
Swartz
I don't know whether you've seen this, but Aaron Swartz killed himself on Friday, at the age of 26. He was a hacker, epitomizing hackerdom. See danah boyd.
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