Month: February 2007

  • GMU Goes Dhimmi: John Lewis Talk Cancelled

    George Mason University has abandoned its commitment to freedom of expression on campus. At the last minute, GMU has caved-in to pressure from Muslim groups and has canceled Dr. Lewis’s talk, “‘No Substitute for Victory’: The Defeat of Islamic Totalitarianism”, which was scheduled for tomorrow night, Wed, Feb 28, 2007. Please spread the word. read…

  • Environmentalists embracing pro-industry 'heresies'?

    The New York Times writes about an early environmentalist who realized he might be wrong about a few things and changed his perspective. One of the arguments used by those who believe that religion is a bigger threat to civilization than the anti-industrial revolution is that environmental claims ultimately concern reality, and can (eventually) be…

  • The Cover-Your-Ass approach to Terrorism

    Wired: “Much of our country’s counterterrorism security spending is not designed to protect us from the terrorists, but instead to protect our public officials from criticism when another attack occurs.” The idea that the political approach to disasters is to create excuses for the inevitable failure rather than the more costly effort of avoiding the…

  • A digital record of your life

    Last month, I wrote: A number of researchers are working on video cameras integrated into clothing or eye-ware that can record a 24/7 video stream from the wearer’s perspective. They predict that an entire lifetime of such recordings will be able to fit into a small device within 10 years. When this technology is merged…

  • Things to do with Flash memory

     5GB of Windows Vista memory for $40: I have 3GB of DDR2 memory, which is sometimes not enough for Windows Vista when I run graphics intensive applications or switch between users who have many applications open. I recently heard about Windows Vista ReadyBoost, which uses flash memory to speed up virtual memory, so I got…

  • University of Texas Admission Essays

    My girlfriend is applying to transfer to the University of Texas. She asked for help with the following essay questions on the admissions application: 1. The statement of purpose will provide an opportunity to explain any extenuating circumstances that you feel could add value to your application. You may also want to explain unique aspects…

  • Global cooling, warming, and – asteroids?

    First there was the global cooling scare.  Then there was global warming.  Are asteroids next?  How are they going to blame this on capitalism?

  • Digg: Polio Rises as Muslim Clerics Declare War on Vaccines

    The parents of 24,000 children refused to allow health workers to administer polio vaccine. Aid workers are being targeted due to the “vaccines are evil American plot” idea. Fatwa on employees of the UN, WHO and all other foreign organizations: “Killing their employees is in line with the teachings of jihad in Islam,” said a…

  • First Commercial Quantum Computer

    D-Wave just demonstrated the first commercial quantum computer. I think it’s too early to say whether the current quantum computing technology is practical, but a promising commercial effort is a good sign. Quantum computers could represent the sixth generation (electromechanical, relay, vacuum tube, transistor, integrated circuit) of digital computing. They are unlikely to ever replace…

  • New article on Environmentalism on the Objectivism Wiki

    I’ve started a wiki article on the Objectivism Wiki to serve as a resource on environmentalism. Here is the introduction: Philosophically, the essential principle of the ideology of environmentalism is the belief that “nature” has inherent moral value, and therefore the influence of man, and especially that of industrial civilization, is evil. Politically, this means…