Letters Received: 712
Letters Published: 80
Most Popular Topic: Oregon's Measure 49
Number of Letters: 96
'Yes' on 49: 57
'No' on 49: 34
No position: 5
Next Most Popular Topics:
Oregon's Measure 50: 67 letters
Bicyclists/traffic safety: 61 letters
Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.
Thomas Paine
All extremist doctrines invoke the principle (found, sadly, in the Gospels) that "he who is not with me is against me."
Tzvetan Todorov
Justice is the only worship. Love is the only priest. Ignorance is the only slavery. Happiness is the only good.
Robert G. Ingersoll
[ a fully caused & embodied blog ] [ Good Sense Without God ]
It is in the prosecution of some single object, and in striving to reach its accomplishment by the combined application of his moral and physical energies, that the true happiness of man, in his full vigour and development, consists. Possession, it is true, crowns exertion with repose; but it is only in the illusions of fancy that it has power to charm our eyes. If we consider the position of man in the universe,—if we remember the constant tendency of his energies towards some definite activity, and recognize the influence of surrounding nature, which is ever provoking him to exertion, we shall be ready to acknowledge that repose and possession do not indeed exist but in imagination. - Wilhelm von Humboldt, The Sphere and Duties of Government (The Limits of State Action) (1854 ed.)
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Dinesh D'Souza is an idiot.
D'Souza, in the King's College debate, really has no clue what science is.
He says:
a scientist or have any knowledge about science, the statements: "How does matter obey laws?" or "matter ... follow[s] rational principles" are at best meaningless, perhaps only ignorant, but more likely stupid.
Matter - electrons - do NOT "obey" Einstein's laws! (And even better, they did not stop obeying Newton's laws once Einstein formulated his!) Scientific laws, theories, etc. are simply our predictive descriptions in a way we can understand, ie.&eg. mathematics. They are not reality! At most, scientists will admit, at times (see Popper), that hypotheses are at best our guess at reality. But in reality, a theory or law is simply our model that seems to work. Nothing more.
What a maroon!
He says:
... Modern science itself is based on three Christian assumptions that are at root metaphysical.
Assumption number one: The universe as a whole is rational. The universe embodies rationality. ... that matter and objects and planets embody a certain kind of rationality they follow rational principles.
. . .
Number two: The universe obeys laws that are comprehensible in the language of mathematics. ... How does matter obey laws? How does the electron know what to do? ... It follows the laws of Newton's inverse square law, it obeys Einstein's laws.
. . .
A third one: The laws out there in nature are mirrored by the goings-on in my minds. We can apprehnd and understand the laws. Very odd. Why should the goingson within our head match the goings-on in the universe?
Now if you are ...
a scientist or have any knowledge about science, the statements: "How does matter obey laws?" or "matter ... follow[s] rational principles" are at best meaningless, perhaps only ignorant, but more likely stupid.
Matter - electrons - do NOT "obey" Einstein's laws! (And even better, they did not stop obeying Newton's laws once Einstein formulated his!) Scientific laws, theories, etc. are simply our predictive descriptions in a way we can understand, ie.&eg. mathematics. They are not reality! At most, scientists will admit, at times (see Popper), that hypotheses are at best our guess at reality. But in reality, a theory or law is simply our model that seems to work. Nothing more.
What a maroon!
Oh come on!
People! Duh!: "House Panel Screw-Up Reveals Whistleblower Email Addresses Honestly", email is no way to do anything secretly. Why is this lost on people? Computers track everything! EVERYTHING!
(Right Paul? Send me an email if you want. I have been wondering about you -- and everyone else -- too.)
(Right Paul? Send me an email if you want. I have been wondering about you -- and everyone else -- too.)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
My Work & Design Philosophy
As I wrote in this post I have recently been very motivated. Motivated in a personal development sense. I hope to write more, but the short version is that I needed to get out of my then current position at work.
So I started looking externally. And in doing so I felt I need to be able to present myself. In fact, I want(ed) to present me as a person and as a programmer so I made some serious improvements to my website.
But, I eventually found an internal opportunity that I hope will pan out. My old boss, though, wanted to know if I might explain why I wanted to leave his team and the department. So I wrote this little story.
So I started looking externally. And in doing so I felt I need to be able to present myself. In fact, I want(ed) to present me as a person and as a programmer so I made some serious improvements to my website.
But, I eventually found an internal opportunity that I hope will pan out. My old boss, though, wanted to know if I might explain why I wanted to leave his team and the department. So I wrote this little story.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Vader Youtube Clip
Sure it is an internet meme with a half-life of .. oh .. already over. But still funny!
[Hat-tip Joshua!]
[Hat-tip Joshua!]
Sunday, October 14, 2007
PrjPlanner: My Open-Source Python project
I recently have been spending a lot of time feature enhancing and updating documentation for my open-source project: PrjPlanner. PrjPlanner is a project management tool for developers and small teams, hopefully ideal in an Agile methodology.
Well, I just released 1.1.0 -- a major feature enhancement release. I also announced on freshmeat.net.
Doing this project has taught me a lot. Not about the technologies used: Python, Qt, XML, but about myself. This is the most fun I have ever had programming. I have loved using the open-source community's resources (SourceForge, freshmeat). I love writing the documentation for the tool, especially the page on my Agile project management philosophy. I love the idea that today (Oct. 14th) PrjPlanner's website has been hit 829 times for a total of 220 pages! Who are these people?! Have they downloaded the tool and used it? What do they think? And why will they not leave a message in the forum!!?!
But, I was not motivated to work on PrjPlanner because it is fun, but because I have not enjoyed my day job for a long time. And so I began looking elsewhere. Doing so was the motivation behind this work and other efforts. [to be continued]
Well, I just released 1.1.0 -- a major feature enhancement release. I also announced on freshmeat.net.
Doing this project has taught me a lot. Not about the technologies used: Python, Qt, XML, but about myself. This is the most fun I have ever had programming. I have loved using the open-source community's resources (SourceForge, freshmeat). I love writing the documentation for the tool, especially the page on my Agile project management philosophy. I love the idea that today (Oct. 14th) PrjPlanner's website has been hit 829 times for a total of 220 pages! Who are these people?! Have they downloaded the tool and used it? What do they think? And why will they not leave a message in the forum!!?!
But, I was not motivated to work on PrjPlanner because it is fun, but because I have not enjoyed my day job for a long time. And so I began looking elsewhere. Doing so was the motivation behind this work and other efforts. [to be continued]
Purpose of this Blog
Well, when I started I hoped I could be similar (pale of course) to political bloggers such as: Atrios, Glenn, Arthur, etc. But I also have other interests that I could blog about but I have not because I thought this blog was not going to be a personal blog. Of course, I have already made non-political posts, but still I was filtering. Not anymore; hope you do not mind.
Hillary Clinton: Bad for Iraqis, Iranians, Americans and Democrats
This drove me to write this post.
Hillary voted for the Iraq invasion, each subsequent funding request, and the belligerent Senate resolution on Iran.
It should be extremely clear to anyone. Do not vote for Hillary.
Her Iraq related votes:
Other voices:
Hillary voted for the Iraq invasion, each subsequent funding request, and the belligerent Senate resolution on Iran.
It should be extremely clear to anyone. Do not vote for Hillary.
Her Iraq related votes:
- (-) Voted to Agree To: H.J.Res. 114; Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002
- (-) Voted to Reject: Durbin Amdt. No. 4865; To amend the authorization for the use of the Armed Forces to cover an imminent threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction rather than the continuing threat posed by Iraq.
- (-) Voted to Reject: Levin Amdt. No. 4862; To authorize the use of the United States Armed Forces, pursuant to a new resolution of the United Nations Security Council, to destroy, remove, or render harmless Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons-usable material, long-range ballistic missiles, and related facilities, and for other purposes.
- (-) Voted to Reject: Byrd Amdt. No. 4868; To provide statutory construction that constitutional authorities remain unaffected and that no additional grant of authority is made to the President not directly related to the existing threat posed by Iraq.
- (+) Voted to Agree To: Byrd Amdt. No. 4869, As Amended; To provide a termination date for the authorization of the use of the Armed Forces of the United States, together with procedures for the extension of such date unless Congress disapproves the extension.
- (-) Voted to Agree To: S. 1689 As Amended; Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan Security and Reconstruction Act, 2004
- (-) Voted to Agree To: Biden Amdt. No. 1190 As Modified; To express the sense of the Congress that the United States remain engaged in Iraq in order to ensure a peaceful, stable, unified Iraq with a representative government.
- (-) Voted to Pass: S.762, As Amended; Supplemental Appropriations Act to Support Department of Defense Operations in Iraq for Fiscal Year 2003
- (-) Voted to Agree To: Warner Amdt. No. 3260, as Modified; To authorize appropriations for a contingent emergency reserve fund for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- (-) Voted to Reject: Kerry Amdt. No. 4442; To require the redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq in order to further a political solution in Iraq, encourage the people of Iraq to provide for their own security, and achieve victory in the war on terror.
- (-) Voted to Agree To: Motion to Table McConnell Amdt. 4269; To require the withdrawal of the United States Armed Forces from Iraq and urge the convening of an Iraq summit.
- (+) Voted to Agree To: Feingold Amdt. No. 3164; To safely redeploy United States troops from Iraq.
- (+) Voted to Agree To: Levin Amdt. No. 2898; To provide for a reduction and transition of United States forces in Iraq.
- (+) Voted to Agree To: Feingold Amdt. No. 2924; To safely redeploy United States troops from Iraq.
- (+) Voted to Agree To: S. J. Res. 9; United States Policy in Iraq Resolution of 2007
- Voted to Agree To: Kyl Amdt. No. 3017 as Modified; To express the sense of the Senate regarding Iran.
- Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Support of Stop Iran Now Rally
- Clinton: No Military Action on Iran Without Congressional Authority
Other voices:
Arthur Silber
Chris Floyd
Tally: Week of Oct. 5 - 11, 2007
Letters Received: 661
Letters Published: 80
Most Popular Topic: The Bush administration
Number of Letters: 72
Oppose: 69
Support: 3
Letters Published: 80
Most Popular Topic: The Bush administration
Number of Letters: 72
Oppose: 69
Support: 3
Thursday, October 4, 2007
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