Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Every D With The Power Should Do This
Mayors, governors (the few we have), legislatures (again, the few we have), whoever it requires..
People shouldn't have their lives ruined by an increasingly legal drug.
San Francisco will retroactively apply California’s marijuana-legalization laws to past criminal cases, District Attorney George Gascón said Wednesday — expunging or reducing misdemeanor and felony convictions going back decades.
People shouldn't have their lives ruined by an increasingly legal drug.
And What Army
Send the marshalls to lock him up.
State Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson) said Wednesday he would not turn over any data requested by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the wake of the gerrymandering ruling that Republicans are fighting in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Last week, the state high court ruled that Pennsylvania’s congressional map was the product of unconstitutional gerrymandering and ordered the General Assembly to submit files “that contain the current boundaries of all Pennsylvania municipalities and precincts” by noon Wednesday.
I Will Miss Him So Much
Trey Gowdy will retire.
And a D.
I suppose he generally voted the right way, but I never really understood why he was in Congress to begin with. He's a big local pol and Philly's his thing. Barring a meteor, a Dem (and probably a better one) will replace him.
And a D.
Bob Brady, the larger-than-life leader of Philadelphia’s Democratic Party, announced on Wednesday that he is not running for reelection to the U.S. House.
I suppose he generally voted the right way, but I never really understood why he was in Congress to begin with. He's a big local pol and Philly's his thing. Barring a meteor, a Dem (and probably a better one) will replace him.
The Ancient Days Of Blooging
I admit I hold grudges. And sometimes I don't even remember why I hold them. I just remember that there were people who pissed me off even if I can't remember why specifically.
Back when "political blogging" became a thing there was a whole existing blogging community which was a bit more... social, I guess. And non-political. Nothing is really non-political, of course, and to a great degree "non-political" just means "support for the status quo." So when political bloggers (née warbloggers) showed up, they fit right into this quaint little community. Liberal assholes like me didn't and pissed the "old timers" off. The conservatives (I mean very serious libertarian patriots who love America more than you do) fit right into the "non-political" blogging because all right-thinking Americans were mad about 9/11 and hated Osama bin Laden and sure George Bush wasn't perfect but AMERICA and also that Saddam guy was really really bad so what choice do we have? How dare you hippies bring POLITICS into it? If you really cared about Iraqis you'd be protesting Saddam!!! Salute the flag or get a 2x4 in the face, citizen.
But it wasn't just blogging. That was just a microcosm. The whole country was like that. It really was a bit out of the ordinary to criticize George Bush then. It was unseemly.
Anyway, lots of people who were like that back then have Very Strong Opinions now and that's good. My grudges are not so everlasting. Yet...
Back when "political blogging" became a thing there was a whole existing blogging community which was a bit more... social, I guess. And non-political. Nothing is really non-political, of course, and to a great degree "non-political" just means "support for the status quo." So when political bloggers (née warbloggers) showed up, they fit right into this quaint little community. Liberal assholes like me didn't and pissed the "old timers" off. The conservatives (I mean very serious libertarian patriots who love America more than you do) fit right into the "non-political" blogging because all right-thinking Americans were mad about 9/11 and hated Osama bin Laden and sure George Bush wasn't perfect but AMERICA and also that Saddam guy was really really bad so what choice do we have? How dare you hippies bring POLITICS into it? If you really cared about Iraqis you'd be protesting Saddam!!! Salute the flag or get a 2x4 in the face, citizen.
But it wasn't just blogging. That was just a microcosm. The whole country was like that. It really was a bit out of the ordinary to criticize George Bush then. It was unseemly.
Anyway, lots of people who were like that back then have Very Strong Opinions now and that's good. My grudges are not so everlasting. Yet...
Stop Speaking Random Bits Of Spanish, Politicians
I first became aware of "DREAMers," or specifically people in circumstances we associate with DREAMers (they weren't called that of course), when I was in grad school. A friend of a friend was doing a dissertation (sociology I think?) about them. That area (parts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Southeastern Connecticut) historically had a lot of immigration from native Portugese speakers, including people from the Azores and Cape Verde, some of which continued into the present. So there were a lot of "kids" who had been brought here when young, never naturalized, got in a bit of trouble with the law, and were deported to places they had never been to. Also they often didn't really speak the language, certainly not fluently and certainly not formal and written forms of the language with any skill. They spoke enough to communicate with their parents and that's about it (this is common for immigrant kids from everywhere).
Anyway, the point is that not that these people (now adults!) are immigrants from Mexico or wherever, the point is that these are Americans who lack papers. They have no other home. They don't have a home country. And many don't really speak Spanish or anything else other than English. Stop peppering political speeches to them with Spanish. It's missing the point.
Anyway, the point is that not that these people (now adults!) are immigrants from Mexico or wherever, the point is that these are Americans who lack papers. They have no other home. They don't have a home country. And many don't really speak Spanish or anything else other than English. Stop peppering political speeches to them with Spanish. It's missing the point.
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
SOTU Pre-Game
Decided to go see some fancy opera instead. Wagner. I've been told it's better than it sounds.
Have fun!
Have fun!
Bets On How Many People He Kills?
Trump: "I would love to be able to bring back our country into a great form of unity. Without a major event where people pull together, that's hard to do. But I'd like to do it without that major event, because usually that major event is not a good thing. I would love to do it."
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 30, 2018
Looks like the plan is "millions."
The White House’s original choice for U.S. ambassador to South Korea is no longer expected to be nominated after he privately expressed disagreement in late December with the Trump administration’s North Korea policy, according to people familiar with the matter.
Victor D. Cha, an academic who served in the George W. Bush administration, raised his concerns with National Security Council officials over their consideration of a limited strike on the North aimed at sending a message without sparking a wider war — a risky concept known as a “bloody nose” strategy.
Remember when Trump dropped bombs on Syria for no reason that anyone understood and every pundit in DC had an orgasm?
Stay away from DC. And Korea.
Hacks
Of course there's a degree of hackishness in political punditry. People are rooting for their team no matter how much they pretend they aren't. But there should be limits. News outlets that regularly put liars and hypocrites on the air or in the funny papers aren't actually providing "journalism" to their audiences.
A weird thing is that genuine ideological journalism (especially from The Left, but that's another conversation) is held in lower regard than just pure hackery. I'm not sure why that is.
A weird thing is that genuine ideological journalism (especially from The Left, but that's another conversation) is held in lower regard than just pure hackery. I'm not sure why that is.
And Who Will Carry It To The Door?
I'm not saying such a thing would have no useful applications, but like Segways, I think the usefulness of all of these self-driving ideas (even if they work!) is much more limited than people think.
Self-driving vehicles have a "last 200 feet" problem, and delivery vehicles have a "last 20 feet" problem. Whether pizzas or groceries, if it doesn't come right to my door it's a lot less appealing.
It seems super boxy, fully-autonomous concepts are all the rage these days. And now there’s a new startup looking to join the fray. Nuro.ai, started by two former Google engineers, revealed a driverless prototype that’s designed to handle low-speed, last-mile deliveries. Think dry cleaning or food.
Self-driving vehicles have a "last 200 feet" problem, and delivery vehicles have a "last 20 feet" problem. Whether pizzas or groceries, if it doesn't come right to my door it's a lot less appealing.
Media Criticism And Trump Criticism Aren't The Same
By typical measures the economy is pretty good now. I'm not blind to what those "typical measures" obscure and it's of course fair and important to talk about those things. But the unemployment rate is good, growth is ok, inflation is low (never as important as people think, but still), the stock market is high (not important to most of us), etc.
None of this is any different than trends during the last few years of Obama. There's no "Trump economic miracle" happening. But Trump gets to take credit for it, because that's what presidents do. Trump will exaggerate and lie and he has no idea what he's talking about, of course, but "my economy is good" is not really a lie.
That the narrative during the latter Obama years was largely that "the economy is doing better, but meh" and now suddenly we have a Trump miracle (I'm exaggerating, a bit, but the coverage is friendlier to Trump) despite things not really being different. This is something to criticize. Media should be better, but it's more about relative coverage. If The Trump economy is good this year, then the Obama economy was good last year.
None of this is any different than trends during the last few years of Obama. There's no "Trump economic miracle" happening. But Trump gets to take credit for it, because that's what presidents do. Trump will exaggerate and lie and he has no idea what he's talking about, of course, but "my economy is good" is not really a lie.
That the narrative during the latter Obama years was largely that "the economy is doing better, but meh" and now suddenly we have a Trump miracle (I'm exaggerating, a bit, but the coverage is friendlier to Trump) despite things not really being different. This is something to criticize. Media should be better, but it's more about relative coverage. If The Trump economy is good this year, then the Obama economy was good last year.
Guilds
Guilds are different than unions, because unions are about either gross uneducated dirty blue collar dudes or people doing women's work like nurses or teachers.
I'm kidding. But I've long been "amused" by the fact that newspaper unions are generally called "guilds." I think one fair observation about our newspapers (media generally, but local and national newspapers specifically) is they've been pretty hostile to unions over the years. Especially public unions, but not just. Labor hasn't really been an important beat, except for Labor boss corruption.
It's interesting as journalism has been one of the few highly unionized white collar professions (wasn't always white collar, but it became that). One journalist I know agreed that they often don't really see their "guilds" as the same as "unions" because reasons.
I suspect this will change. We're all proles now. Solidarity!
I'm kidding. But I've long been "amused" by the fact that newspaper unions are generally called "guilds." I think one fair observation about our newspapers (media generally, but local and national newspapers specifically) is they've been pretty hostile to unions over the years. Especially public unions, but not just. Labor hasn't really been an important beat, except for Labor boss corruption.
It's interesting as journalism has been one of the few highly unionized white collar professions (wasn't always white collar, but it became that). One journalist I know agreed that they often don't really see their "guilds" as the same as "unions" because reasons.
I suspect this will change. We're all proles now. Solidarity!
Always Ahead Of The Curve
VCs and companies who don't want to light money on fire should pay me large amounts of money to consult for them.
Pay me a bunch of money and I'll tell you that it's going to be slightly longer than slightly longer.
Though I still don't understand why everyone (even the cynics!) thinks a technology that doesn't even work will be "safer." As I've said a million times, I don't really think safety is the issue, but I also don't get the widespread belief that they'll necessarily be safer.
Carmakers and tech companies are predicting that self-driving cars will hit the road as soon as 2020 and presumably transform our entire society in just a few short years after that. But as we collect stories about the tech, the talent and the unintended consequences of autonomous vehicles, I’m putting my money on a slightly longer timeline.
Pay me a bunch of money and I'll tell you that it's going to be slightly longer than slightly longer.
Though I still don't understand why everyone (even the cynics!) thinks a technology that doesn't even work will be "safer." As I've said a million times, I don't really think safety is the issue, but I also don't get the widespread belief that they'll necessarily be safer.
Monday, January 29, 2018
Evening
Enjoy.
...and the most popular man in America, Chris Christie, gets a job.
It's almost impossible to get as low approval ratings as he did unless you are caught on tape slaughtering several children. So, you know, perfect for a medium which requires charismatic telegenic people
...and the most popular man in America, Chris Christie, gets a job.
Former Gov. Chris Christie has landed a TV gig, NJ Advance Media has learned.
Christie has been hired as an occasional contributor to ABC News, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
It's almost impossible to get as low approval ratings as he did unless you are caught on tape slaughtering several children. So, you know, perfect for a medium which requires charismatic telegenic people
From Bean To Cup They Do Fuck Up
Just received my ticket for the State of the Union. Looks like @BetsyDeVosEd was in charge of spell checking... #SOTUniom pic.twitter.com/ZgFTGtTkzv
— Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) January 29, 2018
BUT DELIVERIES
Whenever someone brings up removing a bit of parking for a bike lane or even (god forbid) pedestrianizing a block or two, one objection is WHATABOUTDELIVERIES (here in the urban hellhole they just say it's ok to treat the bike lane as a loading zone), as if this problem isn't solved everywhere else in the world in various ways.
It's weird because frankly delivery trucks are really what snarl traffic during the day. It's something *drivers* should care more about. And yet... delivery trucks just double park and block everything and there isn't enough enforcement to deter them.
The point isn't that THIS ONE SOLUTION is the solution, the point is that there are pedestrianized zones (and bike lanes) in basically every European city and one way or another they manage to handle the delivery situation. Often it's that smaller local vehicles are just allowed to drive through the pedestrian zone. In some places they generally throw everything in a hand cart and pull it the rest of the way. In Venice they offload the boats onto them! Anyway, this is a solvable problem and most stores don't actually need giant delivery trucks blocking a lane (car or bike) out in front regularly.
To facilitate the needs of smaller businesses which are not able to organise early-morning drop-offs, the city of Gothenburg helped launch Stadsleveransen (the City Delivery) to pool together deliveries for shops and businesses within a central zone stretching about 10 streets. Private transport companies leave their packages at a freight consolidation terminal from where Stadsleveransen’s fleet of two electric cars and two cargo bikes carry the goods the final couple of kilometres. There is also a small electric van assigned for transporting fresh fish from the harbour to Gothenburg’s Fish Church market.
It's weird because frankly delivery trucks are really what snarl traffic during the day. It's something *drivers* should care more about. And yet... delivery trucks just double park and block everything and there isn't enough enforcement to deter them.
The point isn't that THIS ONE SOLUTION is the solution, the point is that there are pedestrianized zones (and bike lanes) in basically every European city and one way or another they manage to handle the delivery situation. Often it's that smaller local vehicles are just allowed to drive through the pedestrian zone. In some places they generally throw everything in a hand cart and pull it the rest of the way. In Venice they offload the boats onto them! Anyway, this is a solvable problem and most stores don't actually need giant delivery trucks blocking a lane (car or bike) out in front regularly.
Tiny Bits Of Progress
It's the kind of thing that, when it happens, no one can quite explain why it didn't happen years ago.
The Cleveland Indians will stop using the Chief Wahoo logo on their uniforms beginning in 2019, according to Major League Baseball, which said the popular symbol was no longer appropriate for use on the field.
Spot The Obvious Problem Here
I think you can.
DETROIT — Don't tell Henry Ford, but getting a car in black may soon get harder.
That's because self-driving cars are safer and more efficient when they're light-colored, industry suppliers say.
...
Rather, it's because of how self-driving cars, which are poised to become every bit as revolutionary as Ford's Model T was then, are going to operate. One of their key sensors, the laser light-mapping systems called LiDAR, can more easily detect light-colored vehicles. A self-driving car needs to "see" other cars in order to avoid them.
Chairman Of House Appropriations
Kind of a big job to retire from.
NJ-11
GOP Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, announced he will not seek reelection Monday.
NJ-11
President Rubio
I try to express this in various ways, but don't think I've quite managed to do it. Trump is a problem, but Trump is not the problem. Sure the Trump agenda might, around the edges, be a bit worse in some ways, but policy wise would Little Marco's agenda be any worse? It's Mitch's agenda. It's Ryan's agenda. Rubio pretends to care about the DREAMers, but he's totally cool with cutting immigration otherwise.
It isn't about Rubio. He's just an example. The problem is a deeply horrible Republican party, from which we can count on no saviors, and a feckless opposition that is blowing it*, as they did during the election, by making it about Trump instead of about Republicans.
*I predict Dems will do well in November (well enough to take the House? Don't know!) and then...?
It isn't about Rubio. He's just an example. The problem is a deeply horrible Republican party, from which we can count on no saviors, and a feckless opposition that is blowing it*, as they did during the election, by making it about Trump instead of about Republicans.
*I predict Dems will do well in November (well enough to take the House? Don't know!) and then...?
Tomorrow Is The Day He Became President
Journalists are already teeing up the "TRUMP IS REALLY PRESIDENTIAL NOW" narratives, because reading from a teleprompter is the sole qualification for the job. They literally will not judge him on the content, just the ability to not shit himself visibly for 45 minutes. I have no idea why "objective" political journalists feel like part of their job is bad theater criticism, but apparently they do.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Who Needs Leakers
This should have occurred to someone.
BEIRUT — An interactive map posted on the Internet that shows the whereabouts of people who use fitness devices such as Fitbit also reveals highly sensitive information about the location and activities of soldiers at U.S. military bases, in what appears to be a major security oversight.
Stay Home
I have no idea if this is really Trump-related, but I would advise anyone to avoid visiting this country, and certainly advise anyone to not come here to be a student, right now. I don't mean in a "BOYCOTT TRUMP" sense, I just mean that once they start playing Calvinball with immigration in various ways, you can quite easily find yourself on the "banned from re-entry" list because some CBP agent decided you looked at them the wrong way. Don't come unless you need to, because you might not be allowed to when you actually need to.
Travel to the U.S. has been on the decline ever since President Donald Trump took office, and new data from the Commerce Department shows the slump translates to a cost of $4.6 billion in lost spending and 40,000 jobs, according to an analysis by the U.S. Travel Association.
Causes
I saw someone unearth this on Twitter last night, and no it wasn't just some debate club position taken for the purpose of argument.
We've all chosen to forget now, because of course we're always on the side of good, a shining city on the hill, a force for morality and democracy in the world, but once upon a Apartheid was a very tribal thing in American politics. If you were a good conservative or a "hard-headed foreign policy realist" you were pro-Apartheid. If you were a Republican or a part of the "foreign policy establishment" or a young overachiever who wanted to be the latter, you were basically pro-Apartheid, or at the very least anti-trying to do anything about Apartheid. And there's nothing the "foreign policy establishment" hates more than the rabble attempting to influence world events outside of their control. Well, that and leftish governments and self-determination by brown people.
The basic justifications for maintaining Apartheid were that a)black people aren't really capable of governing - just look at American cities! and b) if white people are the minority in a democracy black people might treat them as white people have been treating black people.
Glad plagiarist Zakaria is having such a wonderful career, convincing the totebagger crowd that conservative foreign policy positions are actually liberal.
My hobby: very long political grudges. pic.twitter.com/3MVEmPV2nf
— Jacob Remes (@jacremes) May 29, 2017
We've all chosen to forget now, because of course we're always on the side of good, a shining city on the hill, a force for morality and democracy in the world, but once upon a Apartheid was a very tribal thing in American politics. If you were a good conservative or a "hard-headed foreign policy realist" you were pro-Apartheid. If you were a Republican or a part of the "foreign policy establishment" or a young overachiever who wanted to be the latter, you were basically pro-Apartheid, or at the very least anti-trying to do anything about Apartheid. And there's nothing the "foreign policy establishment" hates more than the rabble attempting to influence world events outside of their control. Well, that and leftish governments and self-determination by brown people.
The basic justifications for maintaining Apartheid were that a)black people aren't really capable of governing - just look at American cities! and b) if white people are the minority in a democracy black people might treat them as white people have been treating black people.
Glad plagiarist Zakaria is having such a wonderful career, convincing the totebagger crowd that conservative foreign policy positions are actually liberal.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
12,000
I am curious how 12,000 employees are going to get too and from this thing every day. Let's say 8,000 work traditional hours, arriving and leaving during the morning rush hours. One highway lane can optimistically carry 2,000 per hour (that's at peak flow, with the perfect number of cars and no congestion) and of course the transition from highway to street always involve some degree of bottleneck.
Not saying it's not possible, just...probably not a lot of fun.
Not saying it's not possible, just...probably not a lot of fun.
Friday, January 26, 2018
No Wrinkle In Time
FT has a good interview with Jared Walker which touches on my various obsessions (free, have to register, sorry).
But, of course, not everyone wants to do that and lots of people are used to living in places where that’s physically impossible because of the way communities have been designed, and so, of course, we perceive this last mile problem. It’s not a problem you have in the middle of London, of course. You can get close to where you’re going and it’s very easy to walk even a mile to your destination. So we first have to understand what that problem is really about and who’s really having that problem. And then we have to ask, okay, what can we do efficiently? And the reality is, you have to have the Tube, you have to have high-quality rapid transit. You have to have high-quality bus services because only they can move people the long distances in a way that uses space efficiently. The idea of a car that’s going to pick you up at your house and take you to your destination across the city is always only going to be viable for an elite because there isn’t room for everyone to do that; there physically isn’t room.
...
I’ve been hearing that all my life; these are all ideas I’ve always been hearing. All my career, people have been writing to me, saying, have you seen this cool new technology? Won’t that change everything about public transport? And my answer is always, and unless it actually helps us run high-capacity fixed-route vehicles more efficiently, the answer is no. There’s no other way to move so many people in so little space as conventional fixed-route public transport: rail and bus. And we know that geometrically and once we know that geometrically, we know that it’s not going to change.
What's The End
I don't think there's anything which would cause Republicans to impeach Trump (or Democrats, really, and certainly no way to get conviction in the Senate in any case), and so even if Mueller has the goods (and by the standards of Clinton impeachment, of course he does)...
Hilarious
For obvious reasons.
INDIANAPOLIS -- In order to make Indianapolis more attractive as home to Amazon's second headquarters, a House committee gave the green light Wednesday to a bill that would lift the current ban on light rail that's written into Indiana law.
Amazon said direct access to rail, train, subway/metro and bus routes is one of four key requirements in its request for proposals.
State Rep. Justin Moed (D-Indianapolis) says all mass transit options need to be on the table to keep Indy in the race for Amazon's second headquarters.
Morning Thread
Tuesday evening, I remember thinking, good grief, we're just two days into the week and already there are so many major stories I can hardly keep up. Today, three days later, there has been so much happening, I hardly remember what took place on Monday and Tuesday.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Bye Bye
Good riddance you weirdo.
Rep. Pat Meehan will not seek reelection amid a furor over his use of taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual harassment claim lodged by an aide, and the national response to his describing the woman as his “soul mate.”
“After consultation with my wife Carolyn and with my three sons, and after prayerful reflection, I write to inform you that I will not seek re-election to the United States Congress for the 7th Congressional District in 2018,” the Delaware County Republican wrote Thursday in a letter to his campaign chairman. “Today I communicated the same to the office of Speaker Paul Ryan.”
Bill Kristol Is Bad
"BUT WE NEED ALLIES!!!"
No, really, we don't. Bill Kristol is bad and always has been bad and always will be. The voice of the "resistance" should not be Republicans. The voice of Republicans is Republicans. The voice of the Tea Party is Republicans. The voice Trump is... Republicans. The public voice of everyone in politics is always Republicans. OK, and "centrist Democrats" who are, mostly, Republicans.
Republicans are bad. Stop promoting bad people just because they don't like Trump.
Also, too, Bush was bad. Bush's people were bad. It was horrible. Why does nobody remember?
No, really, we don't. Bill Kristol is bad and always has been bad and always will be. The voice of the "resistance" should not be Republicans. The voice of Republicans is Republicans. The voice of the Tea Party is Republicans. The voice Trump is... Republicans. The public voice of everyone in politics is always Republicans. OK, and "centrist Democrats" who are, mostly, Republicans.
Republicans are bad. Stop promoting bad people just because they don't like Trump.
Also, too, Bush was bad. Bush's people were bad. It was horrible. Why does nobody remember?
Ursula K. Le Guin, RIP
I admit I only read the Earthsea trilogy...and probably when I was about 9 so I don't really remember it. Did just order The Left Hand of Darkness to fill the gap.
Chase The Soccer Ball
One thing the Right (Republicans, talk radio, other conservative media) can do without fail is get the "respectable" media to chase whatever soccer ball they kick. Thus the latest "Secret Society" nonsense. It doesn't matter how absurd it is, how little presented evidence there is, or how may times the same dishonest actors have pulled the same move. All they have to do is start shrieking "OHMYGODWEHAVESOMETHINGBIG," give it some sort of catchy name, hint at something even darker, and every political desk in the country scrambles to figure out what it's about and why it is, in fact, good news for Republicans and probably John McCain specifically.
His "star" faded somewhat, but even after James O'Keefe was caught selectively doctoring and misrepresenting videos, for about a year everyone held their breath when "OH MY GOD A NEW O'KEEFE VIDEO IS GOING TO DROP THE DEMOCRATS ARE DOOMED."
His "star" faded somewhat, but even after James O'Keefe was caught selectively doctoring and misrepresenting videos, for about a year everyone held their breath when "OH MY GOD A NEW O'KEEFE VIDEO IS GOING TO DROP THE DEMOCRATS ARE DOOMED."
Loud Obbs
I know MSNBC is the "liberal news network" now, despite the fact that it spends mornings with former conservative Republican congressman Joe Scarborough and most of the rest of the day as a neoconservative/Bush Administration rehabilitation platform, but once upon a time CNN was the "liberal news network." It's quite amazing how many people from that era have moved seamlessly to Fox. Sure, Lou was always on the conservative side at CNN, but there have been others. Bill Hemmer, John Roberts, ...
Entrepreneur
Gotta admire his initiative.
As a former high-stakes corporate-fraud prosecutor with the Department of Justice, he had secretly stockpiled sealed lawsuits brought by whistleblowers. Now, he would sell copies of the suits to the very targets of the pending government investigations — and his services to defend them.
Wertkin carried out his plan for months, right up until the day an FBI agent arrested him in a California hotel lobby.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
And Exactly Why Is That
I don't think it's unreasonable that people have some say in a transit project (like a new little train, or a 16 lane freeway, or whatever) that's going to go through their neighborhood but this is still hilarious.
Paragraphs earlier...
They got it moved away from the residential neighborhood so they now complain it doesn't serve residents.
Transit-to-the-burbs is often just not worth the bother because of this. People who don't want it (and they're allowed to not want it!) make it worse then complain that it's bad. Maybe just don't spend the money.
While the route shift addressed the most pressing concern from people in the community, many are still not pleased with the project, Cowhey said. The project is far more likely to benefit Upper Merion’s businesses than its residents, he said. It doesn’t have stops that are easy to access on foot for people living along the route, he said, and he anticipated the costs for sidewalks, walking bridges, and street redesigns could fall on the community.
Paragraphs earlier...
The proposal up for a vote diverts the railroad tracks away from a community that opposed an earlier design that had the line running nearly through residents’ back yards. The final plan, which shifts the tracks to the north side of I-276 away from the Valley Forge Homes development, represents a “huge victory,” said Dan Cowhey, a leader of opposition to the line through the No KOP Rail group.
They got it moved away from the residential neighborhood so they now complain it doesn't serve residents.
Transit-to-the-burbs is often just not worth the bother because of this. People who don't want it (and they're allowed to not want it!) make it worse then complain that it's bad. Maybe just don't spend the money.
Metro is Good!
No my experience as a tourist is not comparable to the experience of someone who lives there and especially not someone with a daily commute, but LA's Metro is good! Armed with a good transit app on your phone - in LA I particularly liked the transit app called.. wait for it... Transit - and you can go anywhere!
Metro is also facing competition from ride-hailing companies such as Lyft and Uber. The car services are faster than most buses, and — thanks to subsidies from venture capital firms — cost just a few dollars more than a Metro trip.
But, yes, subsidized (by their money-losing VCs) cabs (I am tired of people calling them ride-shares. They aren't. They're a cab.) are competition.
Until VCs tire of lighting their money on fire.
Metro is also facing competition from ride-hailing companies such as Lyft and Uber. The car services are faster than most buses, and — thanks to subsidies from venture capital firms — cost just a few dollars more than a Metro trip.
But, yes, subsidized (by their money-losing VCs) cabs (I am tired of people calling them ride-shares. They aren't. They're a cab.) are competition.
A few years ago, Bowden would have had no other option. Now, when she's tired or it's late, she gets off the bus and takes a Lyft at her halfway point. That ride costs a few dollars more but saves her half an hour.
Until VCs tire of lighting their money on fire.
Lock Them All Up
The law is an ass and I am not qualified to have Opinions on specific appropriate criminal charges, but as Charlie says, all of Nassar's enablers, and the enablers of the enablers, need to pay. If appropriate legal remedies are not available, then they should not be able to go out in public without people shouting at them.
Burn it all down. That is the calm and reasoned conclusion to which I have come as one horror story after another unspooled in the courtroom. Nobody employed in the upper echelons at USA Gymnastics, or at the United States Olympic Committee, or at Michigan State University should still have a job. If accessorial or conspiracy charges plausibly can be lodged against those people, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Those people should come out of civil courts wearing barrels. Their descendants should be answering motions in the 22nd Century. In fact, I can argue convincingly that none of those three institutions should continue to exist in its current form. USA Gymnastics and the USOC should lose their non-profit status forthwith. Michigan State should lose its status within the NCAA for at least five years. American gymnastics is no longer a sport. It’s a conspiracy of pedophiles and their enablers.
Trump Did Something Stupid And Horrible And LOL Nothing Matters
I can't even get interested in the outrage(s) of the day anymore. But aside from a slight chance he'll move from rage tweeting to rage nuking, Trump isn't the problem. The Republican party is. There is not one quick trick to removing Trumpism. It's all Trumpism.
65 MPH is 65 MPH
Even this cynic has been a bit guilty of seeing "driving on highways" as the simple self-driving car problem. In many ways it is, but there's still the little issue of driving really fast. It apparently isn't that easy to recognize that a parked fire truck is parked.
I have no idea why Tesla isn't being sued into oblivion for calling their super-cruise control "autopilot" and generally promising self-driving features that haven't materialized. From 2016:
Narrator: that trip never happened.
On Monday, a Tesla Model S smashed into a stopped firetruck that had responded to an accident on the freeway in Culver City, California. The car buried itself under the rear of the truck, crumpling the hood to less than a third of its original length and folding it over the windshield. Nobody was hurt. According to the fire department, the driver claimed that the car was “on autopilot”. The National Transportation Safety Board is now reportedly considering an investigation into the crash.
I have no idea why Tesla isn't being sued into oblivion for calling their super-cruise control "autopilot" and generally promising self-driving features that haven't materialized. From 2016:
ELON MUSK WANTS you to take your hands off the wheel, foot off the gas, and let him do the driving. Rather, let his cars take over. Tonight, at a press conference, he announced that every new Tesla will be fully capable of driving itself. After being upgraded with a suite of cameras and sensors, Musk says this means his cars will have the potential for level 5 autonomy—the highest level, which requires zero interaction from the driver.
...
Tesla hopes its ghost in the machine will be fully ready by the end of next year, and the proof will be a cross country road trip. Musk said he could have a Tesla pick someone up from their home in LA and drop them off in the bright lights of Times Square, New York—then park itself. “It will do this without the need for a single touch, including the charger,” says Musk.
Narrator: that trip never happened.
Logic
Not finding it here.
Safety is a red herring. Always has been. Safety isn't the barrier to self-driving cars. If they work they'll be safe. That people keep talking about it as if it's the thing...
This brings up the question, how safe is autonomous driving? More than 90% of all car accidents are attributed to human error. So if we remove the human, theoretically, driving should become much safer.
Safety is a red herring. Always has been. Safety isn't the barrier to self-driving cars. If they work they'll be safe. That people keep talking about it as if it's the thing...
That's Precisely What Happened
We've seen an evolution of the conservative conventional wisdom on the Iraq war. I don't want to rehash the whole chain of absurdity, but it sort of culminated in "Bush had bad intelligence." Or so I thought that was the culmination of that particular bit of revisionism. But, no, it hasn't stopped there. Now the bad intelligence was actually a CIA plot, masterminded by Democrats, to make George Bush look bad.
As Roy says:
I'm not sure this will get much above the fever swamps, but the fever swamp dwellers run the country now, so I predict that within 3 months young conservatives (and young is anybody under 40...well, anybody white under 40... these days) will accept this history as gospel. In another couple of years the war will have been started by President Gore, and his disgrace led to the election of George Bush in 2004, who cleaned up Gore's mess which is why we have no more troops in the Middle East.
As Roy says:
Again, once upon a time I assumed such a brain-melting idea as the Democrats using the CIA to trick Bush into the Iraq War would be beneath a popular radio star like Limbaugh -- the proof being that he never tried it before, presumably because even his numbskull listeners would assume he'd lost it. But in our new age he apparently thinks it's worth a shot.
I'm not sure this will get much above the fever swamps, but the fever swamp dwellers run the country now, so I predict that within 3 months young conservatives (and young is anybody under 40...well, anybody white under 40... these days) will accept this history as gospel. In another couple of years the war will have been started by President Gore, and his disgrace led to the election of George Bush in 2004, who cleaned up Gore's mess which is why we have no more troops in the Middle East.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Hats
Haha.
While Musk’s venture hasn’t done much yet, beyond dig a few test tunnels and talk about the state of the technology of tunnel borers and how much it could be improved, it has sold a lot of hats – 50,000, to be exact, a figure which Musk himself touted when citing the company’s ability to make money from its branding even before attempting to commercialize its primary business. That was apparently something a speaker at the council meeting raised, too – but as a warning.
Said meeting attendee called the Boring Co. a “thinly capitalized company that has made money selling hats,” Bloomberg reports.
What's It All About Then
Every now and then the urge strikes, but mostly I stopped trying to raise money (as in, ask you, dear readers, to contribute along with me) for candidates. This is why.
The article hints there possibly could be some baby steps towards changing practices, but... The ability to raise money is prized, in part, because a lot of that money gets spent on the right people. When those consultants lose elections, well, whatchagonnado, blame The Professional Left.
James Thompson, who lost a close special election in Kansas and is again running for the Wichita seat in 2018, said the DCCC is specific about why it wants candidates to raise money. “They want you to spend a certain amount of money on consultants, and it’s their list of consultants you have to choose from,” he said. Those consultants tend to be DCCC veterans. A memo the party committee sent to candidates in December lays out some of the demands the DCCC made around spending.
The article hints there possibly could be some baby steps towards changing practices, but... The ability to raise money is prized, in part, because a lot of that money gets spent on the right people. When those consultants lose elections, well, whatchagonnado, blame The Professional Left.
Buy And Hold
Went to get my hair cut, because my household robot doesn't do that yet, and was entertained by the guy in the next seat chatting to his stylist.
"So...do you know anything about cryptocurrency?"
"I really wish I had invested in bitcoin back when it was $.17... I would have been a multimillionaire by now... Going to do it soon."
I, too, wish I had bought lots of bitcoin then! I, too, would be a multimillionaire now. People make money on bubbles. The people who don't make money on bubbles are... the people who start talking about it to their stylist way after the inflationary period.
"So...do you know anything about cryptocurrency?"
"I really wish I had invested in bitcoin back when it was $.17... I would have been a multimillionaire by now... Going to do it soon."
I, too, wish I had bought lots of bitcoin then! I, too, would be a multimillionaire now. People make money on bubbles. The people who don't make money on bubbles are... the people who start talking about it to their stylist way after the inflationary period.
I Suppose They Can Both Be True
I believe I can fly.
“True autonomy for every single use case, is some ways away,” Khosrowshahi began, acknowledging that the problem is a massive one to solve. But, he suggested that the first Uber autonomous vehicles to be deployed commercially would be on streets relatively soon.
“We will have autonomous cars on the road, I believe within the next 18 months,” he said. “And not as a test case, as a real [use] case out there.”
...
The Uber CEO described how in, for example, Phoenix, there will be 95% of cases where the company may not have everything mapped perfectly, or the weather might not be perfect, or there could be other factors that will mean Uber will opt to send a driver. “But in 5 percent of cases, we’ll send an autonomous car,” Khosrowshahi said, when everything’s just right, and still the user will be able to choose whether they get an AV or a regular car.
If you can't even handle Phoenix...
R&D is a process, blahblah, but I do think everyone involved just doesn't get (or pretends not to get) that cars that don't go many places just aren't very useful. Fixed or semi-fixed route shared vehicles (shhh: buses) that work this well might be useful, though I think not nearly as useful as people think. The fantasy is finding ways to bring transit to places where transit is not especially good because, in part, it is just too expensive to provide decent service. I do not really see such systems solving this problem, but I might be wrong! The semi-fixed route vision is you run buses on a fixed route, and people can hit the button to divert the bus to make optional stops closer to their house/work/destination. But those diversions take a lot of time and add trip time uncertainty. Too many optional stops and suddenly your 15 minute bus ride is 45 minutes. People don't like that!
And, ultimately, a bus is a bus is a bus is a bus. A bus without a driver is... still a bus. I love buses. Lots of people don't, and while I think that's ridiculous, I have no idea how removing the driver changes that.
Stupid Cooking Tricks
I am sure I am the last to know this, but just in case.
I tried making poached eggs a couple of times and failed and figured it just wasn't worth the bother. Still I was always puzzled by the fact that even low rent brunch places managed to crank them out at a steady clip. There must be some trick. There is!
Get a tea cup. Fill halfwayish with water, enough to submerge an egg. Crack your egg into the water. Put in the microwave for 45-60 seconds depending on how you like it. Perfect poached egg.
I tried making poached eggs a couple of times and failed and figured it just wasn't worth the bother. Still I was always puzzled by the fact that even low rent brunch places managed to crank them out at a steady clip. There must be some trick. There is!
Get a tea cup. Fill halfwayish with water, enough to submerge an egg. Crack your egg into the water. Put in the microwave for 45-60 seconds depending on how you like it. Perfect poached egg.
Monday, January 22, 2018
Faster, Millennials, Kill! Kill!
Burn it all down!
Warehouse clubs such as Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club have for decades been an American staple: a place where families can stock up on bulk items, try free samples and spend the better part of a weekend morning meandering through aisles filled with 26-packs of canned salmon and king-size mattresses. But as more of Americans' buying shifts online, some retail analysts say warehouse clubs may largely be left behind.
"The core club customer is older: It's generally someone with a family and a house," said Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst at the research firm Forrester. "Costco has been one of the least digitally forward companies out there. This segment has had its head in the sand when it comes to competing with Amazon."
Monday Crass Commercialism
Never trust the cloud. It's just a computer owned by some company that might go bankrupt someday or change their "policies" before you have time to react.
Buy an external drive! 2TB! $69.99 These things get cheaper every day.
Buy an external drive! 2TB! $69.99 These things get cheaper every day.
Stand Up Or Give Up
I don't actually know what the right strategery is for the Dems trying to force the Republicans to actually do something for the DREAMers, but I do know that make a half-hearted attempt to try and then backing down and then *not* making clear who is to blame achieves nothing but base demoralization and a bunch of deported DREAMers.
Republicans don't want to help the DREAMers. Okay. Make them say so. Clearly. Instead of pretending to support "something" but then never supporting anything.
An end to the impasse over funding the government that doesn’t resolve at least one of these two basic problems—Trump’s weakness or Ryan’s cowardice—is one that leaves the immigration dynamic unchanged. It creates a process that is likely to sputter and allows Republicans to avoid taking an unambiguous position on whether the Dreamers should be allowed to stay or not.
Republicans don't want to help the DREAMers. Okay. Make them say so. Clearly. Instead of pretending to support "something" but then never supporting anything.
And Everything Goes Crazy
This will be interesting.
Pennsylvania's Republican-leaning congressional map is illegal and must be redrawn, according to a 4-3 ruling by the Democratic-leaning state Supreme Court.
The 3-page ruling was released this afternoon.
The order says the state’s 2011 map “plainly and palpably violates the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” The ruling directs the GOP-controlled Legislature to redraw the map and submit it to Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, by Feb. 9 and the court for approval by Feb. 15. If lawmakers or the governor miss those deadlines, the court would draw its own map “based on the evidentiary record developed.”
America's Stupidest Humans
Andrew Sullivan.
Why do conservatives never have editors and fact checkers? Why does New York Magazine pay someone who famously spent a yearish in their city whining about how horrible it was before fleeing back to DC?
Life is full of mysteries.
Why do conservatives never have editors and fact checkers? Why does New York Magazine pay someone who famously spent a yearish in their city whining about how horrible it was before fleeing back to DC?
Life is full of mysteries.
They're As Racist As They Say The Are
The tendency of our guardians of the free press to downplay the racism of right wingers, even when they are completely open and honest about it, is quite something. Most recently we have all of the "dapper nazi" pieces. Going back we pretend the Republican party wasn't solidly behind the Apartheid government in South Africa. There a billion examples.
It's one thing (usually wrong!) to start with the premise that lefties/liberals are a bit too sensitive about such things, but when racists are yelling "I'm a racist!" into a bullhorn, perhaps you should listen to them.
It's one thing (usually wrong!) to start with the premise that lefties/liberals are a bit too sensitive about such things, but when racists are yelling "I'm a racist!" into a bullhorn, perhaps you should listen to them.
The. Police. Are. There.
Watching the local news coverage of the on the street celebrations of my local sports franchise's victory was pretty annoying. The newscasters felt the need to mention THE POLICE ARE THERE every 5 seconds. Of course it's reasonable there's a police presence whenever big crowds gather in public, and sure there is some history of sportsball celebrations going a bit bad, but even when they go bad...they go a bit bad. A bit of vandalism, a few fights. It isn't really as if The Purge has suddenly taken effect and the murders are going to begin. And, yes, you're pissed off if your car window gets bashed but it's hardly the end of civilization if it does.
Sure the locals have a bit of a reputation, not entirely undeserved but mostly due to a 40-year-old event involving "Santa" that has been misreported ever since.
Sure the locals have a bit of a reputation, not entirely undeserved but mostly due to a 40-year-old event involving "Santa" that has been misreported ever since.
All The Garbage People
Will vote for first presidential candidate who promises to abolish ICE.
He'll get media attention because he's "white" but the case still deserves attention.
Niec, now 43, never fathomed that his legal status in the United States would become an issue. With a renewed green card, and nearly 40 years in the country, his Polish nationality was an afterthought for Niec, his sister told The Washington Post. He doesn’t even speak Polish.
But on Tuesday morning, immigration authorities arrested Niec at his home, just after he had sent his 12-year-old stepdaughter off to school. Niec, a physician specializing in internal medicine at Bronson Healthcare Group in Kalamazoo, Mich., has been detained in a county jail ever since, awaiting a bond hearing and possible deportation.
He'll get media attention because he's "white" but the case still deserves attention.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
But They Don't
It's never clear precisely why, but there are certain issues that our "objective" press seems to fall on one side about. Often it's things like "SOCIAL SECURITY MUST BE CUT" but sometimes it's better things, like the cause of DREAMers. I'd say "we" all agreed a few years ago that they shouldn't be deported and so something should be done. DACA was implemented by Obama as a stopgap. Trump was smart enough to convince gullible journalists - Maggie keeps saying this - that he cared deeply about the DREAMers (and then he stopped DACA). Maggie still believes he cares deeply about the dreamers, or at least did a week ago.
But this just isn't true.
The writer uses polling data to support this assertion, but my point is that while Republicans are pro-DACA enough, *elected Republicans* are happy to deport them all. There are a few Republicans - it pains me to say, including Lindsey Graham - who genuinely seem to care, though of course they all have other things they care about, too.
But this just isn't true.
How disadvantaged are the Democrats when it comes to negotiating? So disadvantaged that the senior Democrat in the Senate was willing to agree to something that his party hates (and most Americans oppose) in exchange for something that nearly everyone, including Republicans, support.
The writer uses polling data to support this assertion, but my point is that while Republicans are pro-DACA enough, *elected Republicans* are happy to deport them all. There are a few Republicans - it pains me to say, including Lindsey Graham - who genuinely seem to care, though of course they all have other things they care about, too.
Boo
Apparently all of the concussionaball fans from Minnesota are very frightened of Eagles fans.
Yes there used to be a courtroom right in the stadium. They closed it. Times change.
Yes there used to be a courtroom right in the stadium. They closed it. Times change.
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Saturday Evening
I think it's a bit... out of date... but I at least get why members of Congress used to blather on about bipartisan this and bipartisan that. And, yes, of course sometimes compromise is necessary and it's nice if people can work together, though the outcome is the thing, not the process (This is the part our political press does not understand. It does not matter if TipnRonnie have beers, it matters what they do before and after).
The scary thing is some senators really... believe it? They think they've been elected to form gangs and go the gym together or whatever. Strange people. I'm looking at you Claire McCaskill. Stop it.
The scary thing is some senators really... believe it? They think they've been elected to form gangs and go the gym together or whatever. Strange people. I'm looking at you Claire McCaskill. Stop it.
And Another
Dumbasses.
Was 60-40 R-D in 2016, but it's notionally a swingy district. Presidential was 49.3-47 Trump-Clinton.
WASHINGTON — Representative Patrick Meehan, a Pennsylvania Republican who has taken a leading role in fighting sexual harassment in Congress, used thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to settle his own misconduct complaint after a former aide accused him last year of making unwanted romantic overtures to her, according to several people familiar with the settlement.
A married father of three, Mr. Meehan, 62, had long expressed interest in the personal life of the aide, who was decades younger and had regarded the congressman as a father figure, according to three people who worked with the office and four others with whom she discussed her tenure there.
But after the woman became involved in a serious relationship with someone outside the office last year, Mr. Meehan professed his romantic desires for her — first in person, and then in a handwritten letter — and he grew hostile when she did not reciprocate, the people familiar with her time in the office said.
Was 60-40 R-D in 2016, but it's notionally a swingy district. Presidential was 49.3-47 Trump-Clinton.
To Live In LA
A game we play sometimes is trying to come up with 10 cities in the US that we'd be willing to live in. Obviously I am not aware of all cities in the US and my views of places I have spent time in are of course mostly dated. I don't have perfect information about everywhere in the US. I am also not so picky that I am unwilling to go places temporarily. I'd go many places for a year or two without complaint if need be, but that's different than wanting to live in them "forever."
Anyway, Los Angeles never really made that list before. I lived in SoCal 17 years ago, and while I didn't live in LA, I spent a reasonable amount of time there. I did not like it. It was not good. I just spent 10 days or so there and I can say...maybe it's good now?
I have my own peculiar baseline for wanting to live anywhere. I need to be able to get around without a car. I don't mean that I need to not own a car, I just have to not need to use it all the time. I want to be able to walk or use public transit for most of my regular needs/wants. You know, supermarket, coffee shop, some restaurants+bars, basic neighborhood amenities... within walking distance, and then decent transit (including buses!) to take me to at least some other places I want to go.
17 years ago LA lived up to its stereotype pretty well. Transit was pretty bad. Nobody walked anywhere. Downtown was deserted at night (and not actually thriving during the day).
Now they have trains and subways (they had a bit of this when I was there, but they were not so useful) and a bus system that is really really good. I went "everywhere" on transit - during the day, at night - and had no problems. The LA region is really really big, so trying to get around on mass transit is never going to be perfect, but... it worked really really well! Downtown is hopping. Having an active downtown makes it easier to establish a good transit system, allowing it to radiate from a core, even if visiting downtown doesn't interest people.
And the surrounding areas are... much nicer now. Except for the obvious "rich people areas" much of LA was pretty run down 17 years ago. A lot of retail strips struggling or even boarded up. The city is "back" even in the non-downtown areas. And, yes, having a reprieve from the cold is not so bad. I am getting old.
Anyway, Los Angeles never really made that list before. I lived in SoCal 17 years ago, and while I didn't live in LA, I spent a reasonable amount of time there. I did not like it. It was not good. I just spent 10 days or so there and I can say...maybe it's good now?
I have my own peculiar baseline for wanting to live anywhere. I need to be able to get around without a car. I don't mean that I need to not own a car, I just have to not need to use it all the time. I want to be able to walk or use public transit for most of my regular needs/wants. You know, supermarket, coffee shop, some restaurants+bars, basic neighborhood amenities... within walking distance, and then decent transit (including buses!) to take me to at least some other places I want to go.
17 years ago LA lived up to its stereotype pretty well. Transit was pretty bad. Nobody walked anywhere. Downtown was deserted at night (and not actually thriving during the day).
Now they have trains and subways (they had a bit of this when I was there, but they were not so useful) and a bus system that is really really good. I went "everywhere" on transit - during the day, at night - and had no problems. The LA region is really really big, so trying to get around on mass transit is never going to be perfect, but... it worked really really well! Downtown is hopping. Having an active downtown makes it easier to establish a good transit system, allowing it to radiate from a core, even if visiting downtown doesn't interest people.
And the surrounding areas are... much nicer now. Except for the obvious "rich people areas" much of LA was pretty run down 17 years ago. A lot of retail strips struggling or even boarded up. The city is "back" even in the non-downtown areas. And, yes, having a reprieve from the cold is not so bad. I am getting old.
Where Do I Store His Binky
One weird thing about autonomous car proponents is that they don't seem to understand how most people use cars. I assume these people tend to be drivers, because most people are, but maybe they're all just SF techbros who rely on Uber and so they don't actually get car ownership anymore than I should as a non-carowner.
A driverless car fantasy (aside from the fantasy that they'll work) is that individual car ownership will be significantly reduced as people can just hit the button on their phone and summon one. This could be true, a bit, in places where lots of people already don't own cars (urban hellholes), and don't rely on them for commuting, but it's hard to see how that works generally. The obvious issue is rush hour. People who rely on cars to commute all need cars at the same time.
Even aside from that, have you seen how families use cars? They're filled with car seats for the kids and toys and a water bottle and spare items and ... People store stuff in them. Stuff they want to be there when they get into the car, stuff they don't want to have to remember to lug out to the car every time they go somewhere.
It just isn't the case that everyone wants to travel by taxi, even if they're cheap (which they won't be, and also they won't work).
A driverless car fantasy (aside from the fantasy that they'll work) is that individual car ownership will be significantly reduced as people can just hit the button on their phone and summon one. This could be true, a bit, in places where lots of people already don't own cars (urban hellholes), and don't rely on them for commuting, but it's hard to see how that works generally. The obvious issue is rush hour. People who rely on cars to commute all need cars at the same time.
Even aside from that, have you seen how families use cars? They're filled with car seats for the kids and toys and a water bottle and spare items and ... People store stuff in them. Stuff they want to be there when they get into the car, stuff they don't want to have to remember to lug out to the car every time they go somewhere.
It just isn't the case that everyone wants to travel by taxi, even if they're cheap (which they won't be, and also they won't work).
Shutdown
John Kelly is as big a racist xenophobe as Stephen Miller, if perhaps for different reasons, and you can't make a deal with bestest boy Donald about immigration (or anything) because they'll run interference and get him to "reconsider." The New York Times reporters spent all last night (in their shitty newspaper and on the twitters) blaming Democrats for the shutdown, because it's always their fault, so cancel your subscriptions. Please. I am so sick of this shitty newspaper destroying our politics. From Whitewater to Iraq to Clinton Cash to Emails to Maggie when will people learn. It is a bad newspaper. Local media is often horrible but at least they cover things that nobody else does so give your guilt money to them instead.
Autopilot
Really shouldn't call it that.
"Autopilot" should not be conflated to "self-driving," as one allegedly inebriated Tesla driver found out after failing to cross the Bay Bridge last Saturday evening.
The man had apparently passed out in the stopped car while stuck in the flow of busy bridge traffic at 5:30 p.m. that day, according to the California Highway Patrol. When he was awoken, he ostensibly attempted to reassure arresting CHP officers onsite that the car was "on autopilot."
Friday, January 19, 2018
One Thing I Know For Sure
There is nothing that upsets the Majority Leader more than knowing that some kids might lose their health insurance. If only he had any power to do something about it.
Travel Day
Um, let's see, (spins wheel), self-driving cars aren't gonna happen anytime soon?
They're always 3 years away...
So, when an automaker tells the world that it will have self-driving cars by 2020, it likely means Level 3 or Level 4 cars will be available as commercial vehicles, in specific cities or regions without consumer sales by that time.
They're always 3 years away...
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Sure, Believe That's The Straw. Whatever. Lol You Garbage People
Fates are already sealed.
But some episodes can’t be ignored. Trump’s comments during a closed-door immigration meeting last week in which he referred to “shithole” countries are still reverberating, with several administration officials privately worrying that their future job prospects could be damaged by association, according to a person familiar with their thinking.
No Foods
I've experienced shortage problems at my local Whole Foods a couple of times recently, though I have no idea if it's related. It's one thing if they're out of kelp or something, but another if you can't be sure you'll find onions and potatoes and other basic staples. Twice I've had to go the Other Supermarket across the street for really basic stuff.
Supermarkets need to be overstocked. Yes that'll lead to waste, but...
But Whole Foods employees say the problems began before the acquisition. They blame the shortages on a buying system called order-to-shelf that Whole Foods implemented across its stores early last year.
Supermarkets need to be overstocked. Yes that'll lead to waste, but...
Thursday, Thursday
Many things to deal with today. I thought things were supposed to be simple in this country. That's what we used to tell Europeans, at least.
Lunch Thread
Too late to make this today, but maybe tomorrow.
Psst, not for those watching their cholesterol, that's for sure.
Psst, not for those watching their cholesterol, that's for sure.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
But Atrios, The NYT Is Good
Stop telling me to cancel my subscription!
Ah, remember back to 2009, when Obama won the presidency, Dems controlled Congress, and our liberal media did nothing but profile...the same fucking people they're profiling now. They just called them the Tea Party then.
On Thursday, the NYT is not running any editorials in print. The ed board is devoting the page to letters from Trump supporters. Check it out https://t.co/feU41BwXNU
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 17, 2018
Ah, remember back to 2009, when Obama won the presidency, Dems controlled Congress, and our liberal media did nothing but profile...the same fucking people they're profiling now. They just called them the Tea Party then.
Not Very Supreme
One of the themes of Get Out (see it, really) is that white people really believe black people have all the advantages these days, and that these advantages are somehow unfair to white people. This extends beyond the belief about "no fair affirmative action!!!!" to the sense that maybe black people are, actually, better (more athletic, more attractive, etc.).
When you look who the patron saint of white supremacy is these days - Donald Trump - you get that the white nationalist "movement" is less about a belief in white supremacy, and more the increasing fear that... they're not. The competition is tough. Superior genes, hahahahaha.
When you look who the patron saint of white supremacy is these days - Donald Trump - you get that the white nationalist "movement" is less about a belief in white supremacy, and more the increasing fear that... they're not. The competition is tough. Superior genes, hahahahaha.
Norms
I think the "STOP NORMALIZING THIS!!!" is a bit overdone, but it's obvious that the press is just accepting things they would never just accept from other presidents (certainly not ones with a -D after their name). The press is not omnipotent, but though they pretend not to they, collectively if not individually, have the power to create scandals when they want to, to "monster" people when they want to. We've all lived through nightly flood the zone coverage of certain issues. We know they can do this. Who knew Congressional witnesses could "choose" how and whether to cooperate without invoking any relevant valid legal doctrine to do so. Things change fast!
When Trump is gone we will be back to tan suits being month long scandals for President Democrat. I'm not sure that's good or bad, but...
Steve Bannon’s attorney relayed questions, in real time, to the White House during a House Intelligence Committee interview of the former Trump chief strategist.
That’s according to people familiar with the closed-door session who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
During the day-long interview Tuesday, Bannon’s attorney Bill Burck was asking the White House counsel’s office by phone whether his client could answer the questions. He was told by that office not to discuss his work on the transition or in the White House.
When Trump is gone we will be back to tan suits being month long scandals for President Democrat. I'm not sure that's good or bad, but...
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Who Has The Power
It's obviously a crass way to think about to this, but a lot of industries have problems without immigrants, and I'm not just talking about undocumented workers. The Trump war on immigrants isn't just on undocumented immigrants or even just low skilled immigrants. It's creating an unwelcoming place for almost all immigrants. I wouldn't pick up and move somewhere for a job, even I were relatively high income (like tech workers), or go somewhere for university, if I knew the country was playing Calvinball with my immigration status. If I knew I could never bring my family over. If I knew meeting someone and getting married would be a problem. None of these things ever worked smoothly of course, but there was a general attitude of openness for a couple of decades. That there is no effective pushback on the Trumpkins' war on immigrants from the powers that be (and so far I'm just talking about people with proper status) is... interesting. Even if you're only playing Calvinball with people from shithole countries, it doesn't make Norwegians too interested in coming (even if they were before) either. There's no way to contain such cruelty, to limit it, once it is our approach to immigrants and immigration.
That's even before we have ICE ripping apart families. Going to need a Truth and Reconciliation committee in the future. Hah, I kid, look forward...
That's even before we have ICE ripping apart families. Going to need a Truth and Reconciliation committee in the future. Hah, I kid, look forward...
Civilization, How Does It Work?
I do think one element of conservatism is imagining that they'd win the post-apocalyptic feudal games.
Let's suppose you're minding your business in a lovely suburb of Honolulu. Honolulu gets ALL BLOWED UP. But, hey, you don't die in the initial fireball. OK let's say you don't die of radiation poisoning within the next week or two. You've survived! That cancer will be along in a few years, but, hey, no worries for now.
Best case scenario, you live in current day Puerto Rico for a bit. No electricity, no water, but, hey, you're alive. Also, nobody is going to get near your radiation zone. No rescues, no supplies, no nothing. Enjoy your last couple of weeks on Earth, I guess. I suppose you can forage for fruit, for a bit, and as a good conservative you own guns so you can shoot all the "looters" who are trying to take "your" fruit, but...
No, I do not want to survive the initial blast.
Prepare to live. As tempting as it may be, don’t spend the precious minutes between missile alert and missile impact texting family, sending tearful goodbyes on Snapchat, or attempting to reconcile old grudges. Don’t do it. First, you have to understand that the odds are overwhelming that you’ll survive an initial blast. Nuclear weapons are devastating, but it’s a Hollywood myth that any individual strike will vaporize an entire American city, much less the suburbs and countryside. You can go to sites like nuclearsecrecy.com to see the blast radius of direct nuclear strikes at various yields.
The bottom line, even if a nuclear weapon as big as the largest North Korea has ever tested were to impact squarely on Manhattan, the vast majority of New Yorkers would survive the initial blast. A strike would devastate central Honolulu but leave many suburbs intact. If the missile misses a city center even by a small amount, the number of initial casualties plunges dramatically.
Let's suppose you're minding your business in a lovely suburb of Honolulu. Honolulu gets ALL BLOWED UP. But, hey, you don't die in the initial fireball. OK let's say you don't die of radiation poisoning within the next week or two. You've survived! That cancer will be along in a few years, but, hey, no worries for now.
Best case scenario, you live in current day Puerto Rico for a bit. No electricity, no water, but, hey, you're alive. Also, nobody is going to get near your radiation zone. No rescues, no supplies, no nothing. Enjoy your last couple of weeks on Earth, I guess. I suppose you can forage for fruit, for a bit, and as a good conservative you own guns so you can shoot all the "looters" who are trying to take "your" fruit, but...
No, I do not want to survive the initial blast.
Family Travel
Still sorta busy for the rest of the week. Familial obligations. Stuff is complicated.
Sure Why Not
Reader c sent this one in:
I'm not even completely against big stupid projects, but can they be slightly less stupid?
The study, conducted by Montreal group WSP, proposes three crossing points from Long Island: Oyster Bay to Rye, N.Y., just south of Greenwich; Kings Park to Bridgeport; and Wading River to New Haven. An 18-mile tunnel or bridge from Oyster Bay to Rye would cost $8.5 to $55.4 billion; a 30-mile equivalent from Kings Park to Bridgeport would cost $13 to $31.2 billion,;and a 32-mile tunnel or bridge from Wading River to New Haven would cost $15.8 to $32 billion.
New York’s Department of Transportation has deemed such an audacious undertaking “feasible,” Cuomo said. Its Connecticut counterpart would likely disagree. On Wednesday, Gov. Dannel Malloy threatened to smother $4.3 billion in badly needed highway repairs if the legislature fails to direct money into the state’s Special Transportation Fund.
I'm not even completely against big stupid projects, but can they be slightly less stupid?
Overnight
DASH CAM VIDEO: Bus barely misses getting hit by a car that went airborne and crashes into 2nd floor of a Santa Ana dental office. We showed you surveillance of 2 near misses, including this bus. Now, a look from the bus driver's view. @nbcla @KHOLMESlive pic.twitter.com/WiMCXr0RF4
— Christine Kim (@ChristineNBCLA) January 16, 2018
story...
Monday, January 15, 2018
Significant Municipal Investment
Huzzah.
”Ford’s vision for the smart city is an interesting premise, but at this point it’s not much more than that,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds executive director of industry analysis. “Bringing this smart city to reality will require significant municipal cooperation and investment, and it remains to be seen if local governments share Ford’s ambitions. It’s admirable that Ford is taking a philosophical approach and is looking at how connected vehicles can change society for the better, however, this future is a long way off.”
Sunday, January 14, 2018
The Algorithm is Always Changing
I'm so old I remember when the facebook business model was for local restaurants to get enough "likes." Pay me $5000 per month in consulting fees so I can say "no" every time Facebook asks you to do something.
But Stalin Only Appointed the Best Judges, So I Will Vote To Approve Them All
Flake is such a poser.
According to excerpts obtained by NBC, Sen. Jeff Flake is planning to confront President Trump's anti-media comments in a speech to the Senate this week, comparing the president's labeling of the media as the "enemy of the American people" to comments made by Josef Stalin.
Neato
And if it had a driver, what would be the difference?
Don't get me wrong, I do think these types of fixed route driverless buses can "work" in some circumstances (unlike the driverless car fantasy), but why would people who won't ride a bus ride these? I mean, it's free, sure, who doesn't love a free taxi ride, but otherwise?
Sure if going driverless really brings down costs (questionable) and these things proliferate I'm not going to stand in the way, but from the consumer preference side, who cares if it doesn't have a driver? "Ooh it's neat" lasts the first time you ride it. If you wouldn't have taken the shuttle with a driver, why would you take one without one? I don't get it. Also, too, it isn't any faster than walking, which isn't weird for this type of thing, but normally people used to driving get very upset if you tell them it will take 10-15 minutes to go .6 miles.
People is weird.
On my last day in Las Vegas, I trekked up to Container Park, where the shuttle loop begins and ends. And after my short, ten-to-fifteen minute ride, I have to say: If this is the future of public transit, sign me up.
Don't get me wrong, I do think these types of fixed route driverless buses can "work" in some circumstances (unlike the driverless car fantasy), but why would people who won't ride a bus ride these? I mean, it's free, sure, who doesn't love a free taxi ride, but otherwise?
Sure if going driverless really brings down costs (questionable) and these things proliferate I'm not going to stand in the way, but from the consumer preference side, who cares if it doesn't have a driver? "Ooh it's neat" lasts the first time you ride it. If you wouldn't have taken the shuttle with a driver, why would you take one without one? I don't get it. Also, too, it isn't any faster than walking, which isn't weird for this type of thing, but normally people used to driving get very upset if you tell them it will take 10-15 minutes to go .6 miles.
People is weird.
There's Always Money In The Banana Stand
Bailing out companies isn't always wrong, but bailing out executives, as is the custom now, is.
The men in suits will all be fine.
As talks continued on Sunday morning Unite, the UK’s largest trade union, called for a public inquiry into what it called “reckless corporate irresponsibility”, including the conduct of directors.
Carillion, which is based in Wolverhampton, in the Midlands, and employs 43,000 staff, said it was still hopeful it could map out a future, involving its bank lenders swapping chunks of its £900m debt for shares. That plan would probably wipe out all existing shareholders.
...
The company derives £1.7bn – about a third of its revenue – from public sector contracts and public private partnerships. These include providing school dinners, cleaning and catering at NHS hospitals, construction work on rail projects such as HS2 and maintaining 50,000 army base homes for the Ministry of Defence.
Carillion is understood to be keen for the government to provide guarantees on some of its public sector contracts to give lenders the confidence to keep backing the company.
The men in suits will all be fine.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
The Slow Lane
Try to hand off a lane to buses and everybody freaks, but sure sure just do this.
just hand over even more space!
The clutter of those damn pedestrians and legacy vehicles. Gotta get rid of them.
The first robot rides will operate at low speeds, moving cautiously enough even in dense traffic that urban planners may add specifically defined pickup areas and slow lanes for automated vehicles. That will help prevent rear-enders and other similar crashes that result from impatient, inattentive humans. There will also probably be human minders, either on board or monitoring remotely, poised to take control if artificial intelligence needs to be replaced with the biological variety.
just hand over even more space!
Your trip from an office in Manhattan to a restaurant downtown would start once you meet your robo-taxi at a designated pickup area for autonomous vehicles. Separate pickup and drop-off areas will make it simpler and safer for the robot to find its fare without the clutter of pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
The clutter of those damn pedestrians and legacy vehicles. Gotta get rid of them.
The Cell Phone Alert System Is Bad
Have you ever been somewhere (like a concert hall) when 1600 cell phones go off simultaneously because there's a missing kid 50 miles away?
It is bad.
It is bad.
Free Money For Black People
Just a senile old man who watches Fox news.
It isn't just Fox News, of course. In various ways big and small our "mainstream" media regularly portrays poverty (except that of unemployed coal miners as they are the cool fashion trend) and welfare especially as black issues.
And, of course, aside from Medicaid, pennies for food stamps, and a patchwork of social programs, there isn't anything that, even in the broadest sense, can be called "welfare" anyway.
President Donald Trump was apparently unaware that not all—in fact, the vast majority—of welfare beneficiaries are not black as recently as last March, according to a new report.
In the spring of 2017, the newly elected president met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. During that meeting, one of the members mentioned to Trump that welfare reform would be detrimental to her constituents— adding, “Not all of whom are black,” according to NBC News.
It isn't just Fox News, of course. In various ways big and small our "mainstream" media regularly portrays poverty (except that of unemployed coal miners as they are the cool fashion trend) and welfare especially as black issues.
And, of course, aside from Medicaid, pennies for food stamps, and a patchwork of social programs, there isn't anything that, even in the broadest sense, can be called "welfare" anyway.
When The Tunnels Go
One thing that doesn't get mentioned enough in the context of Christie cancelling the tunnels so he could run for president - New Jersey needs them more than NYC does.
Booker shouldn't have needed this eye-opening journey. Just ride the "normal" train in and it's pretty obvious.
Christie’s folly became clear in October 2012. Hurricane Sandy struck the region with 80-mile-an-hour winds, and the water off New York rose higher than at any time in the city’s recorded history. The Hudson River surged over the banks of Manhattan, poured into a submerged railyard, and flooded Penn Station’s venerable tunnels. A few days later, Amtrak pumped out 13 million gallons of seawater from those tubes and two that run beneath the East River. But chemicals had penetrated the walls and begun gnawing away at concrete and power systems that dated to the time of the Orange Blossom Special.
Even after Sandy, a post-ARC construction effort called the Gateway Program languished. At a hearing in Trenton in 2015, Stephen Gardner, an Amtrak vice president, tried to stoke some urgency among legislators by brandishing a fearsome-looking hunk of wire from the tunnels’ malfunctioning electrical system. “Mr. Chairman, this is a portion of the feeder cable that failed,” he said. “These are 1930s-vintage, lead-lined, oil-filled, paper-insulated copper cables, and they do a pretty amazing job. As you can see here, they are quite an antique, and we rely on them every day.” Tom Wright, president of the Regional Plan Association, a local urban policy group, attended the hearing. He was stunned: “I mentioned to Steve afterwards, ‘Jesus, that looks like a set piece from the old Bride of Frankenstein movie.’ He kind of laughed and said, ‘Actually, I think it’s older than that.’ ”
The same month, one of New Jersey’s Democratic senators, Cory Booker, rode through one of the tunnels in a special Amtrak observation car, equipped with floodlights. Booker was shocked to see cracks in the walls. “It was incredibly eye-opening,” he says in an interview, adding that Amtrak officials told him if there were another storm as strong as Sandy, the tunnels might not survive.
Booker shouldn't have needed this eye-opening journey. Just ride the "normal" train in and it's pretty obvious.
Miscarriage
Wonder what this is about.
How horrible do you have to be to get booted from this administration?
Teresa Manning, the controversial official in charge of the Title X federal family planning program, was escorted from HHS premises on Friday.
How horrible do you have to be to get booted from this administration?
Friday, January 12, 2018
Shut Up, Joe Biden
Just shut the hell up and go away forever. Try knitting.
Thanks for the bankruptcy bill, by the way.
Thanks for the bankruptcy bill, by the way.
He's Not Racist - But People Love That He's Racist!!!
To point out the obvious, the problem isn't that the asshole in charge said that he didn't want uneducated or even poor people coming to the US. I find that a problem, but it isn't strictly racist. To say that we only want Ph.D engineers coming here from other places isn't my immigration position, but it's a race-neutral position (sort of, anyway). It fits in with the whole "merit migration" view. But to want people from "Norway" regardless of their supposed skills, and not people from, well, where black people come from even if they're Nobel Prize winners is, you know, racist AF.
It Occurs To Me That The President Might Be A Racist
Not even really sure why this might have tipped the scales and not the last 40 years of his life, but whatever...
Thursday, January 11, 2018
We Don't Need No
Private schools are the best.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Wisconsin private school that asked fourth graders to list three good reasons for slavery and three bad ones apologized to parents after the mother of a black student shared the assignment on Facebook, calling it offensive.
Word to Your Mother
This type of commentary makes people mad, but ICE didn't merge fully formed on Trump's inauguration day. Almost all of the bad things you hear about ICE now were happening before Trump came along. The focus of deportations is different, and that is certainly bad, but private prison labor camps didn't spring up overnight. They aren't new.
OFFICIALS AT A privately run Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in rural Georgia locked an immigrant detainee in solitary confinement last November as punishment for encouraging fellow detainees to stop working in a labor program that ICE says is strictly voluntary.
Day 2 Of The President Not Rubbing Feces On Himself On Camera
Members of the press (the NYT specifically, but not just) can't possibly be as stupid as they pretend to be. They know what they're doing. It is important to keep that in mind.
Cheaper Than The Tunnels
But almost as important.
New Jersey Transit train service into and out of New York has been temporarily suspended after the Portal Bridge got stuck in the up position Thursday morning.
Midtown Direct trains are being re-routed to Hoboken and NJ Transit buses are accepting train tickets. PATH will accept NJ Transit ticket at Newark Penn, Hoboken and 33rd Street in Manhattan.
Well Then
I'm mostly over caring about extra-marital affairs even among the extreme Family Values types (mostly, it depends on how extreme), but this goes waaay beyond that.
That's the lead paragraph, but the real lede is that he blindfolded her, tied her up naked, took a picture of her, and used it to blackmail her.
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- Governor Eric Greitens on Wednesday night confirmed to News 4 he had an extramarital affair, an admission a months-long News 4 investigation prompted.
That's the lead paragraph, but the real lede is that he blindfolded her, tied her up naked, took a picture of her, and used it to blackmail her.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Congratulations, Eschaton World Industries!
Winner of Donald Trump's "suckiest blog" award at tonight's fake news awards.
Those happened, right?
Those happened, right?
Sure
People hate buses because they have to be near strangers, but this will be different because... Um, there won't even be a driver to intervene if there's a bad passenger? I don't understand anything anymore.
Actually ridesharing of the "let your uber pick up multiple passengers at multiple locations" usually sucks worse than a decent bus because there's such uncertainty and it barely saves any money (or cost). The way to speed things up is to make them fixed route, and if you make them fixed route then...they're a bus. OK a bus with no driver, but see above.
Aside from Toyota, which invested in Uber in May 2016, Uber is also working with Volvo and Daimler on driverless cars. Those relationships represent opposite sides of a spectrum of possible business models. Uber’s work with Toyota may fall somewhere in between.
As it exists today, Uber’s relationship with Volvo entails agreeing to buy 24,000 cars which will be outfitted with the ride-hail company’s proprietary self-driving technology and software. With Daimler, the agreement is simply that the German automaker will leverage Uber’s ride-hail network.
Actually ridesharing of the "let your uber pick up multiple passengers at multiple locations" usually sucks worse than a decent bus because there's such uncertainty and it barely saves any money (or cost). The way to speed things up is to make them fixed route, and if you make them fixed route then...they're a bus. OK a bus with no driver, but see above.
I Suppose That Would Be The Point Of Driverless Cars
Yes, innovation is a process blahblah, but the coverage of "driverless cars" is hilarious.
LAS VEGAS – Auto and tech companies are racing to get human drivers completely out of their self-driving cars, perhaps as soon as this year.
Numerous companies have been testing small fleets of autonomous vehicles on highways and city streets, yet, to date, nearly all of these vehicles have had test drivers or engineers inside, ready to take over should the unexpected happen.
Bye Mr. Car Alarm Guy
Should be held for war crimes just for that.
I guess I really don't understand ambition. Issa is rich. Why would anyone that rich want to be in the House, anyway? It's really not that great of a job.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., announced he will not seek re-election, adding to a record number of House Republicans heading for the exits ahead of the 2018 midterms — perhaps seeing the writing on the wall of a possible wave election.
There are now 31 Republicans who will not seek re-election in November: 19 who are retiring outright and another 12 who are running for higher office. And that list is is expected to grow in the coming weeks.
I guess I really don't understand ambition. Issa is rich. Why would anyone that rich want to be in the House, anyway? It's really not that great of a job.
Trump's Perfectly Normal
No journalist who has spent time with him could possibly agree with Wolff's characterization of him.
On topic of yesterday's White House meeting w/members of Congress about immigration, Trump says he received "letters" from news anchors claiming "it was one of the greatest meetings they've ever witnesses.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 10, 2018
"They probably wish they didn't send us those letters of congratulations" pic.twitter.com/Uf6ezYI4iD
How The President Is Covered Now
This isn't even true, but even if we accept that it is...
He was clearly able to follow the debate, and mount a defense of his own controversial positions -- on a border wall, for example -- without causing obvious offense, and appeared magnanimously open to other viewpoints.
Tuesday, January 09, 2018
So Much For Those Jobs And Overtime
I'm guessing this isn't what border patrol agents were expecting.
The Berlin wall didn't "work" because it was a wall. It worked because it was a wall with guard towers and rifles. Not that I want that, but take away the people and...well, your wall isn't going to last too long.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration would cut or delay funding for border surveillance, radar technology, patrol boats and customs agents in its upcoming spending plan to curb illegal immigration — all proven security measures that officials and experts have said are more effective than building a wall along the Mexican border.
The Berlin wall didn't "work" because it was a wall. It worked because it was a wall with guard towers and rifles. Not that I want that, but take away the people and...well, your wall isn't going to last too long.
Not About Oprah
This wasn't a criticism of Oprah, or even a "Oprah can't run for president!!!!" kind of statement. I respond similarly when liberals get excited about "The Rock" running for president. To the extent that it isn't a bit of a joke (which is fine)...um, guys? All evidence says The Rock is, if anything, a Republican. Though more importantly, whatever he was in the past or considers himself to be...what is The Rock's position on, well, anything?
I would be shocked if Oprah decided she was a Republican. I'm not saying that. I just mean...we like Oprah, so she should be president is...really not good. Oprah can run like anybody else and I look forward to subscribing to her newsletter and getting a better sense of what Benevolent Dictator Oprah would be like. Right now I have no idea and nor do most people. But's she's Oprah! shouldn't be enough. That's why it's annoying.
I'd respond the same to numerous other celebrities (I dunno, Tom Hanks maybe?) who we all probably rightfully sense are basically Democrats and maybe decent enough human beings but who, aside from some basic platitudes, or maybe on an issue or two, haven't really expressed views on anything that matters.
I would be shocked if Oprah decided she was a Republican. I'm not saying that. I just mean...we like Oprah, so she should be president is...really not good. Oprah can run like anybody else and I look forward to subscribing to her newsletter and getting a better sense of what Benevolent Dictator Oprah would be like. Right now I have no idea and nor do most people. But's she's Oprah! shouldn't be enough. That's why it's annoying.
I'd respond the same to numerous other celebrities (I dunno, Tom Hanks maybe?) who we all probably rightfully sense are basically Democrats and maybe decent enough human beings but who, aside from some basic platitudes, or maybe on an issue or two, haven't really expressed views on anything that matters.
Self-Driving Delivery Trucks
I often see people talk about using self-driving vehicles for deliveries and I wonder if their brains are broken.
First let's talk "delivery." Unless it comes to my door, it isn't delivery. If I have to put on my boots and winter coat to go fetch it, then it isn't delivery.
So, OK, it can be self-driving (if it works) with... a worker. I really don't think the additional capital expenses and complications would make that worth it. Maybe in the future!!!
I've seen people argue that it will let people who don't have cars be that worker. Um, you can just have a company fleet for that. No need for it to be self-driving.
So the point is...? I have no idea what the point is. Some ideas are just stupid. Maybe it gets free press. Probably that's the point.
Toyota and Pizza Hut teamed up to announce a partnership that could have the latter delivering hot and fresh pizza to your door without a driver. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) today, Toyota revealed its autonomous concept vehicle, the e-Palette, a vehicle that may one day not only deliver, but cook Pizza Hut offerings en route.
First let's talk "delivery." Unless it comes to my door, it isn't delivery. If I have to put on my boots and winter coat to go fetch it, then it isn't delivery.
So, OK, it can be self-driving (if it works) with... a worker. I really don't think the additional capital expenses and complications would make that worth it. Maybe in the future!!!
I've seen people argue that it will let people who don't have cars be that worker. Um, you can just have a company fleet for that. No need for it to be self-driving.
So the point is...? I have no idea what the point is. Some ideas are just stupid. Maybe it gets free press. Probably that's the point.
Conservative Media Figures
I admit I have a hard time engaging them anymore. They are so transparently full of shit and ridiculous that it's not worth bothering. I'm not one who imagines there was some glorious past when moral and intellectual giant William F. Buckley was someone deserving of respect, but now they're all basically 35-year-old college Republicans. I mean, even Jonah Goldberg would try (and fail) to pretend to not be an idiot. They're all full of shit and they don't know or care (lying or stupid, the eternal question).
Monday, January 08, 2018
Maybe Stick To The Teslas
Yes of course these things happen.
SpaceX, however, never officially confirmed mission success. On Monday, Ars began to hear discussion from sources that the mysterious Zuma spacecraft—the purpose of which was never specified, nor which US military or spy agency had backed it—may not have survived. According to one source, the payload fell back to Earth along with the spent upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket.
When We Were Crazy
Bush was popular for a long time. He didn't really drop below 50% until 2005, and he didn't drop below 40% until 2006. Even before 9/11 he was pretty popular! Crazy liberal bloggers were crazy! Bush was popular!
Jew Counters
Asked if Trump is antisemitic, Wolff says: "He's aware of who is Jewish in a way that feels creepy."
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) January 8, 2018
I've experienced this type of person quite a lot in my life. I'm not Jewish. I've never self-identified as Jewish. There are are Jews on my father's side (not my mother's) but he never really self-identified as Jewish. Still for whatever reason people I've met (the fathers of girlfriends, for example) suspected I was Jewish and upon finding out about my family background thought it somehow made sense (I have actually been told that). I was never quite sure that meant, but OK.
Were these people anti-Semitic? I'd say yes, but maybe that's too strong. Still "aware of who is Jewish in a way that feels creepy" described it exactly.
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