A wonderful story from Pliny via the new book Abundence by Diamandis and Koltler.
"In one of his later volumes, Earth, book XXXV, Pliny tells the story of a goldsmith who brought an unusual dinner plate to the court of Emperor Tiberius.
The plate was a stunner, made from a new metal, very light, shiny, almost as bright as silver. The goldsmith claimed he’d extracted it from plain clay, using a secret technique, the formula known only to himself and the gods. Tiberius, though, was a little concerned. The emperor was one of Rome's great generals, a warmonger who conquered most of what is now Europe and amassed a fortune of gold and silver along the way. He was also a financial expert who knew the value of his treasure would seriously decline if people suddenly had access to a shiny new metal rarer than gold. "Therefore," recounts Pliny, "instead of giving the goldsmith the regard expected, he ordered him to be beheaded."
This shiny new metal was aluminum, and that beheading marked its loss to the world for nearly two millennia."
Friday, February 10, 2012
Ahab the Felon
A federal court is considering whether to include constitutional protection to five orcas--killer whales--owed by Seaworld. The complaint, brought by PETA, asks that rights against slavery be applied to the five mammals held in captivity at a Seaworld park.
"This case is on the next frontier of civil rights," said PETA's attorney Jeffrey Kerr, representing the five orcas. One assumes this case is pro bono. The orcas have made no public statement.
There are many observations one can make here, not the least is the danger of lawyers with too much time on their hands. What is of most concern is the lack of embarrassment, the lack of mortification. What rewards does this culture offer that would induce such a disregard for logic, common sense and triviality? How could a clear thinking individual allow himself to be associated with such an intellectual outrage? How could a lawyer allow himself to trivialize his own profession? And how could the judge allow law to be so abused?
Certainly no one is exempt from debating angels and pinheads.
"This case is on the next frontier of civil rights," said PETA's attorney Jeffrey Kerr, representing the five orcas. One assumes this case is pro bono. The orcas have made no public statement.
There are many observations one can make here, not the least is the danger of lawyers with too much time on their hands. What is of most concern is the lack of embarrassment, the lack of mortification. What rewards does this culture offer that would induce such a disregard for logic, common sense and triviality? How could a clear thinking individual allow himself to be associated with such an intellectual outrage? How could a lawyer allow himself to trivialize his own profession? And how could the judge allow law to be so abused?
Certainly no one is exempt from debating angels and pinheads.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
A Tee Shirt for the Tea Party
Santorum's recent success shows only that there is considerable conservative sentiment in the nation and there are apparently few people to lead it. This nation has been blessed in the past with good men emerging when the country needed them but now we are on the brink of important decisions that will either be made or forced upon us and we are looking at no leaders and questionable thinkers.
We are between Barack and a hard place. (patent pending)
We are between Barack and a hard place. (patent pending)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Modest Proposal: Reassessing "The Gallbladder in Room Six"
A physician walked into an outpatient department waiting room and asked for the family of a patient he had just operated on. The attending nurse called out a number, like a deli. The family came forward. Afterwards, the nurse corrected the doctor for using a patient's name as it violated HIPPA confidentiality laws. Numbers were to be used instead.
Perhaps instead we could all be given aliases when we are born. We could have two names like two sets of accountant's books, one to be used in real life and one when governmental agencies require privacy. We could pick them like avatars: Red Rider, Comanche 107, Hot Metal, STDemon.
Speaking of STDs, it might be of interest to know that everyone with a positive STD test must be reported to the government. No HIPPA there. And they must report their sexual contact. But those guys are ahead of the curve. The girls all report Jay-Z, the boys give up Angelina Jolie.
Perhaps instead we could all be given aliases when we are born. We could have two names like two sets of accountant's books, one to be used in real life and one when governmental agencies require privacy. We could pick them like avatars: Red Rider, Comanche 107, Hot Metal, STDemon.
Speaking of STDs, it might be of interest to know that everyone with a positive STD test must be reported to the government. No HIPPA there. And they must report their sexual contact. But those guys are ahead of the curve. The girls all report Jay-Z, the boys give up Angelina Jolie.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Cab Thoughts 2/6/12
The Republicans must be the dumbest political organization since the Know Nothing Party. They have taken a president with the worst economy since the depression, who had no issue to run on, a guy who is distant, didactic, mysterious, devoted to a virtually homicidal political philosophy of the early 1900's and made him an island of calm and intelligence.
The six-year graduation rate for public four-year programs is 55 percent. In addition, about one-third of bachelor's holders are in jobs that don't require degrees.
While the Obama decision to mandate abortifacts for all hospitals is a stupid, defiant, arrogant and probably unnecessary line in the sand, is this intrusion into matters of faith much different than the decision on Mormon polygamy?
Just out of curiosity, who delegated Buffett as the spokesman for financially successful working people? And what are the requirements for the job?
Exciting Super Bowl. But what does it say about the game itself when, at the end, one team tries not to score and the other team tries to let them score?
The six-year graduation rate for public four-year programs is 55 percent. In addition, about one-third of bachelor's holders are in jobs that don't require degrees.
While the Obama decision to mandate abortifacts for all hospitals is a stupid, defiant, arrogant and probably unnecessary line in the sand, is this intrusion into matters of faith much different than the decision on Mormon polygamy?
Just out of curiosity, who delegated Buffett as the spokesman for financially successful working people? And what are the requirements for the job?
Exciting Super Bowl. But what does it say about the game itself when, at the end, one team tries not to score and the other team tries to let them score?
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Books and the End of the West
"Everything else in your life is fluid, but here is this text that doesn't change. Will there still be readers 50 years from now who feel that way? Who have that hunger for something permanent and unalterable? I don't have a crystal ball. But I do fear that it's going to be very hard to make the world work if there's no permanence like that. That kind of radical contingency is not compatible with a system of justice or responsible self-government."
Who is this and what is he talking about? The Constitution? A radical Supreme Court decision? The right to bear M-50s? No, this is Jonathan Franzen, the well regarded American author, talking about....e-readers! E-readers are going to undermine the democracy, ruin our search for human rights and destroy the justice system.
Hyperbole is a fine and dandy technique but at some point does exaggeration undermine how seriously you will be taken?
Who is this and what is he talking about? The Constitution? A radical Supreme Court decision? The right to bear M-50s? No, this is Jonathan Franzen, the well regarded American author, talking about....e-readers! E-readers are going to undermine the democracy, ruin our search for human rights and destroy the justice system.
Hyperbole is a fine and dandy technique but at some point does exaggeration undermine how seriously you will be taken?
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Political Science #2
Professor Howarth's PR support from the Park Foundation, an environmental activist group, raises some fascinating problems.
Earthjustice, Earthworks, the Delaware Riverkeeper, Otsego 2000, the Community Environmental Defense Council, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy are all similar groups, many supported financially by The Park Foundation. The Park Foundation had net assets of $246 million in 2009 and spent $23 million, some $17.6 million to grants and contributions to environmental groups, most in opposition to gas drilling.
These are not lobbyists. These are huge political and economic groups, with private interests and aims, masquerading as concerned citizens. Their annual expenses were recently reported as over 126 million dollars.
Now this information was not reported by a source friendly to these economic groups ( http://eidmarcellus.org/2011/11/28/homespun-or-just-spin/ ) but, if anywhere near true, science and technology are increasingly becoming the instruments of simple propaganda and our ability to make rational decisions about any of these questions will become increasingly compromised.
Earthjustice, Earthworks, the Delaware Riverkeeper, Otsego 2000, the Community Environmental Defense Council, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy are all similar groups, many supported financially by The Park Foundation. The Park Foundation had net assets of $246 million in 2009 and spent $23 million, some $17.6 million to grants and contributions to environmental groups, most in opposition to gas drilling.
These are not lobbyists. These are huge political and economic groups, with private interests and aims, masquerading as concerned citizens. Their annual expenses were recently reported as over 126 million dollars.
Now this information was not reported by a source friendly to these economic groups ( http://eidmarcellus.org/2011/11/28/homespun-or-just-spin/ ) but, if anywhere near true, science and technology are increasingly becoming the instruments of simple propaganda and our ability to make rational decisions about any of these questions will become increasingly compromised.
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