The Wall Street Journal has an article today on the Legacy of the 'Flash Crash', the May 6th stock market mini-crash. The article is behind the paywall, but the info graphic is free and is interesting.
June 30th, security researcher Ed Felton wrote The Stock-market Flash Crash: Attack, Bug, or Gamesmanship?
Other than those two I haven't seen much about it.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Massive Censorship Of Digg Uncovered
oleoleolson writes Massive Censorship Of Digg Uncovered. "A group of influential conservative members of the behemoth social media site Digg.com have just been caught red-handed in a widespread campaign of censorship, having multiple accounts, upvote padding, and deliberately trying to ban progressives. An undercover investigation has exposed this effort, which has been in action for more than one year."
I don't read digg or reddit. The last similar site I did read was slashdot, many years ago. I know these sites have tried various voting schemes, but they always seem to get gamed. There's something to be said for human editors at news organizations, but alas, they're dying. Anyone use these sites and find them effective? Know any others?
I don't read digg or reddit. The last similar site I did read was slashdot, many years ago. I know these sites have tried various voting schemes, but they always seem to get gamed. There's something to be said for human editors at news organizations, but alas, they're dying. Anyone use these sites and find them effective? Know any others?
Paul Krugman Points out Paul Ryan's Lies
Paul Krugman in How To Read A CBO Report points out Paul Ryan's lies. "And, crucially, this means that most of the alleged savings have nothing to do with the supposed core of the Ryan plan, entitlement reform; they’re just invented out of thin air."
Update: He continues the evisceration in The Flimflam Man.
Update: He continues the evisceration in The Flimflam Man.
Jon Stewart One Ups Me
I thought I did well last Friday covering all the sides in Anthony Weiner Rips Apart Republicans on 9/11Health Bill, but Jon Stewart did it better on Wednesday with I Give Up - 9/11 Responders Bill. "Despite Anthony Weiner's passion and a clear majority, the House Republicans defeat a bill providing health care for 9/11 first responders."
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| I Give Up - 9/11 Responders Bill | ||||
| ||||
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Christopher Hitchens Has Metastasized Cancer of the Esophagus
He writes in Vanity Fair, Topic of Cancer. "My father had died, and very swiftly, too, of cancer of the esophagus. He was 79. I am 61. In whatever kind of a “race” life may be, I have very abruptly become a finalist." As always, he does write entertainingly...
"The bargaining stage, though. Maybe there’s a loophole here. The oncology bargain is that, in return for at least the chance of a few more useful years, you agree to submit to chemotherapy and then, if you are lucky with that, to radiation or even surgery. So here’s the wager: you stick around for a bit, but in return we are going to need some things from you. These things may include your taste buds, your ability to concentrate, your ability to digest, and the hair on your head. This certainly appears to be a reasonable trade. Unfortunately, it also involves confronting one of the most appealing clichés in our language. You’ve heard it all right. People don’t have cancer: they are reported to be battling cancer. No well-wisher omits the combative image: You can beat this. It’s even in obituaries for cancer losers, as if one might reasonably say of someone that they died after a long and brave struggle with mortality. You don’t hear it about long-term sufferers from heart disease or kidney failure. "
"It’s quite something, this chemo-poison. It has caused me to lose about 14 pounds, though without making me feel any lighter. It has cleared up a vicious rash on my shins that no doctor could ever name, let alone cure. (Some venom, to get rid of those furious red dots without a struggle.) Let it please be this mean and ruthless with the alien and its spreading dead-zone colonies. But as against that, the death-dealing stuff and life-preserving stuff have also made me strangely neuter. I was fairly reconciled to the loss of my hair, which began to come out in the shower in the first two weeks of treatment, and which I saved in a plastic bag so that it could help fill a floating dam in the Gulf of Mexico. But I wasn’t quite prepared for the way that my razorblade would suddenly go slipping pointlessly down my face, meeting no stubble. Or for the way that my newly smooth upper lip would begin to look as if it had undergone electrolysis, causing me to look a bit too much like somebody’s maiden auntie. (The chest hair that was once the toast of two continents hasn’t yet wilted, but so much of it was shaved off for various hospital incisions that it’s a rather patchy affair.) I feel upsettingly de-natured. If Penélope Cruz were one of my nurses, I wouldn’t even notice. In the war against Thanatos, if we must term it a war, the immediate loss of Eros is a huge initial sacrifice."
"The bargaining stage, though. Maybe there’s a loophole here. The oncology bargain is that, in return for at least the chance of a few more useful years, you agree to submit to chemotherapy and then, if you are lucky with that, to radiation or even surgery. So here’s the wager: you stick around for a bit, but in return we are going to need some things from you. These things may include your taste buds, your ability to concentrate, your ability to digest, and the hair on your head. This certainly appears to be a reasonable trade. Unfortunately, it also involves confronting one of the most appealing clichés in our language. You’ve heard it all right. People don’t have cancer: they are reported to be battling cancer. No well-wisher omits the combative image: You can beat this. It’s even in obituaries for cancer losers, as if one might reasonably say of someone that they died after a long and brave struggle with mortality. You don’t hear it about long-term sufferers from heart disease or kidney failure. "
"It’s quite something, this chemo-poison. It has caused me to lose about 14 pounds, though without making me feel any lighter. It has cleared up a vicious rash on my shins that no doctor could ever name, let alone cure. (Some venom, to get rid of those furious red dots without a struggle.) Let it please be this mean and ruthless with the alien and its spreading dead-zone colonies. But as against that, the death-dealing stuff and life-preserving stuff have also made me strangely neuter. I was fairly reconciled to the loss of my hair, which began to come out in the shower in the first two weeks of treatment, and which I saved in a plastic bag so that it could help fill a floating dam in the Gulf of Mexico. But I wasn’t quite prepared for the way that my razorblade would suddenly go slipping pointlessly down my face, meeting no stubble. Or for the way that my newly smooth upper lip would begin to look as if it had undergone electrolysis, causing me to look a bit too much like somebody’s maiden auntie. (The chest hair that was once the toast of two continents hasn’t yet wilted, but so much of it was shaved off for various hospital incisions that it’s a rather patchy affair.) I feel upsettingly de-natured. If Penélope Cruz were one of my nurses, I wouldn’t even notice. In the war against Thanatos, if we must term it a war, the immediate loss of Eros is a huge initial sacrifice."
Quote of the Day
DownWithTyranny! posted this quote, can you guess you said it?
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
He attributes it to Dwight Eisenhower who wrote it November 8, 1954. Nice.
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
He attributes it to Dwight Eisenhower who wrote it November 8, 1954. Nice.
Today's TED Talks
Dan Barber: How I fell in love with a fish is a classic example of how to tell a story and inject humor without distracting from the topic.
There's really some extraordinary stuff in The LXD: In the Internet age, dance evolves
There's really some extraordinary stuff in The LXD: In the Internet age, dance evolves
How beaches looked 100 years ago
How beaches looked 100 years ago Just look at the pics and skip the cryptic description: "Some of these photos are over a hundred years old. No bikinis , scooters , etc. But it seems that people had quite a lot of different entertainment and without it."
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
TED Talks
I've been going to the gym again and I've been watching TEDTalks while on the elliptical machine. Here are some I liked today:
Alan Siegel: Let's simplify legal jargon!Sam Harris: Science can answer moral questions reminded me of Monday's xkcd but I think really works.
I really enjoyed the first half of Ken Kamler: Medical miracle on Everest as one of the best short overviews of what it's like climbing Everest. The medical miracle in the second half was good but not as insightful.
Alan Siegel: Let's simplify legal jargon!Sam Harris: Science can answer moral questions reminded me of Monday's xkcd but I think really works.
I really enjoyed the first half of Ken Kamler: Medical miracle on Everest as one of the best short overviews of what it's like climbing Everest. The medical miracle in the second half was good but not as insightful.
30 Helpful Apps to Bring on Vacation
appstorm's 30 Helpful Apps to Bring on Vacation is a nice list of iPhone travel apps.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Astronomy News
Here's tons of hype to Get Ready for the Perseids.
In more theoretical news, Technology Review reports Big Bang Abandoned in New Model of the Universe.
"Shu's idea is that time and space are not independent entities but can be converted back and forth between each other. In his formulation of the geometry of spacetime, the speed of light is simply the conversion factor between the two. Similarly, mass and length are interchangeable in a relationship in which the conversion factor depends on both the gravitational constant G and the speed of light, neither of which need be constant. So as the Universe expands, mass and time are converted to length and space and vice versa as it contracts. This universe has no beginning or end, just alternating periods of expansion and contraction."
It goes on to say that Shu's theory easily explains the red shift seen in supernovas without having to resort to dark energy. But without a Big Bang, he has yet to explain the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. Still, interesting stuff.
In more theoretical news, Technology Review reports Big Bang Abandoned in New Model of the Universe.
"Shu's idea is that time and space are not independent entities but can be converted back and forth between each other. In his formulation of the geometry of spacetime, the speed of light is simply the conversion factor between the two. Similarly, mass and length are interchangeable in a relationship in which the conversion factor depends on both the gravitational constant G and the speed of light, neither of which need be constant. So as the Universe expands, mass and time are converted to length and space and vice versa as it contracts. This universe has no beginning or end, just alternating periods of expansion and contraction."
It goes on to say that Shu's theory easily explains the red shift seen in supernovas without having to resort to dark energy. But without a Big Bang, he has yet to explain the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. Still, interesting stuff.
Four Deformations of the Apocalypse
Reagan's OMB director David Stockman wrote an op-ed on Saturday Four Deformations of the Apocalypse.
"More fundamentally, Mr. McConnell’s stand puts the lie to the Republican pretense that its new monetarist and supply-side doctrines are rooted in its traditional financial philosophy. Republicans used to believe that prosperity depended upon the regular balancing of accounts — in government, in international trade, on the ledgers of central banks and in the financial affairs of private households and businesses, too. But the new catechism, as practiced by Republican policymakers for decades now, has amounted to little more than money printing and deficit finance — vulgar Keynesianism robed in the ideological vestments of the prosperous classes."
"More fundamentally, Mr. McConnell’s stand puts the lie to the Republican pretense that its new monetarist and supply-side doctrines are rooted in its traditional financial philosophy. Republicans used to believe that prosperity depended upon the regular balancing of accounts — in government, in international trade, on the ledgers of central banks and in the financial affairs of private households and businesses, too. But the new catechism, as practiced by Republican policymakers for decades now, has amounted to little more than money printing and deficit finance — vulgar Keynesianism robed in the ideological vestments of the prosperous classes."
TCM Summer Under the Stars
Turner Classic Movies has an August marathon this month, Summer Under the Stars "which highlights a different star each day for 24 hours."
Beards: The Infographic
Proof there are too many infographics: Beards: The Infographic "Everything you could possibly want to know about beards and the heroic men who wear them."
DC's Strange Love Affair with Paul Ryan
Kevin Drum has fun writing about DC's Strange Love Affair with Paul Ryan.
F.B.I. Challenges Wikipedia Over Use of Its Seal
The New York Times writes F.B.I. Challenges Wikipedia Over Use of Its Seal.
"The bureau wrote a letter in July to the Wikimedia Foundation, the parent organization of Wikipedia, demanding that it take down an image of the F.B.I. seal accompanying an article on the bureau, and threatened litigation: ‘Failure to comply may result in further legal action. We appreciate your timely attention to this matter.’
Other organizations might simply back down. But Wikipedia sent back a politely feisty response, stating that the bureau’s lawyers had misquoted the law. ‘While we appreciate your desire to revise the statute to reflect your expansive vision of it, the fact is that we must work with the actual language of the statute, not the aspirational version’ that the F.B.I. had provided."
The letter sent is a fun 3 page read and a lesson on how to read to law phrases.
"The bureau wrote a letter in July to the Wikimedia Foundation, the parent organization of Wikipedia, demanding that it take down an image of the F.B.I. seal accompanying an article on the bureau, and threatened litigation: ‘Failure to comply may result in further legal action. We appreciate your timely attention to this matter.’
Other organizations might simply back down. But Wikipedia sent back a politely feisty response, stating that the bureau’s lawyers had misquoted the law. ‘While we appreciate your desire to revise the statute to reflect your expansive vision of it, the fact is that we must work with the actual language of the statute, not the aspirational version’ that the F.B.I. had provided."
The letter sent is a fun 3 page read and a lesson on how to read to law phrases.
Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty
David Corn writes in Mother Jones, Confessions of a Tea Party Casualty.
"It was the middle of a tough primary contest, and Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) had convened a small meeting with donors who had contributed thousands of dollars to his previous campaigns. But this year, as Inglis faced a challenge from tea party-backed Republican candidates claiming Inglis wasn't sufficiently conservative, these donors hadn't ponied up. Inglis' task: Get them back on the team. 'They were upset with me,' Inglis recalls. 'They are all Glenn Beck watchers.' About 90 minutes into the meeting, as he remembers it, 'They say, 'Bob, what don't you get? Barack Obama is a socialist, communist Marxist who wants to destroy the American economy so he can take over as dictator. Health care is part of that. And he wants to open up the Mexican border and turn [the US] into a Muslim nation.'' Inglis didn't know how to respond."
He tells another story...
"I sat down, and they said on the back of your Social Security card, there's a number. That number indicates the bank that bought you when you were born based on a projection of your life's earnings, and you are collateral. We are all collateral for the banks. I have this look like, "What the heck are you talking about?" I'm trying to hide that look and look clueless. I figured clueless was better than argumentative. So they said, "You don't know this?! You are a member of Congress, and you don't know this?!" And I said, "Please forgive me. I'm just ignorant of these things." And then of course, it turned into something about the Federal Reserve and the Bilderbergers and all that stuff. And now you have the feeling of anti-Semitism here coming in, mixing in. Wow."
The rest of the article is quite good. Here's a conservative Republican who get's it and was pushed out of his party by the crazies and wonders why the party is going along with them.
"It was the middle of a tough primary contest, and Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) had convened a small meeting with donors who had contributed thousands of dollars to his previous campaigns. But this year, as Inglis faced a challenge from tea party-backed Republican candidates claiming Inglis wasn't sufficiently conservative, these donors hadn't ponied up. Inglis' task: Get them back on the team. 'They were upset with me,' Inglis recalls. 'They are all Glenn Beck watchers.' About 90 minutes into the meeting, as he remembers it, 'They say, 'Bob, what don't you get? Barack Obama is a socialist, communist Marxist who wants to destroy the American economy so he can take over as dictator. Health care is part of that. And he wants to open up the Mexican border and turn [the US] into a Muslim nation.'' Inglis didn't know how to respond."
He tells another story...
"I sat down, and they said on the back of your Social Security card, there's a number. That number indicates the bank that bought you when you were born based on a projection of your life's earnings, and you are collateral. We are all collateral for the banks. I have this look like, "What the heck are you talking about?" I'm trying to hide that look and look clueless. I figured clueless was better than argumentative. So they said, "You don't know this?! You are a member of Congress, and you don't know this?!" And I said, "Please forgive me. I'm just ignorant of these things." And then of course, it turned into something about the Federal Reserve and the Bilderbergers and all that stuff. And now you have the feeling of anti-Semitism here coming in, mixing in. Wow."
The rest of the article is quite good. Here's a conservative Republican who get's it and was pushed out of his party by the crazies and wonders why the party is going along with them.
Solar Eruption Sets Stage For Rare Sight of Northern Lights
The Boston Globe reports Solar eruption sets stage for rare sight of northern lights "The northern lights may be visible rippling across New England skies tonight and tomorrow night if conditions are right."
How does stoning work in Iran?
Christopher Beam writes in Slate, How does stoning work in Iran? "First, you get buried. Iran's Islamic Penal Code states that men convicted of adultery are to be buried in the ground up to their waists; women, up to their chests. If the conviction is based on the prisoner's confession, the law says, the presiding judge casts the first stone. If the conviction is based on witness testimony, the witnesses throw the first stones, then the judge, then everyone else—generally other court officials and security forces. Stones must be of medium size, according to the penal code: Not so big that one or two could kill the person, but not so small that you would call it a pebble. In other words, about the size of a tangerine. The whole process takes less than an hour."
Closing down Guantánamo
This week's Economist (yes I'm caught up) has a good article on the current state of Closing down Guantánamo: Out of court.
Mary Carillo's Badminton Rant - Athens 2004
I don't remember this from 2004, but YouTube does... It starts to get really good about 1:30 into it...
Monday, August 02, 2010
A Brief History of Ice Cream
A Brief History of Ice Cream - Lemondrop.com "The delicious dessert (or dinner, if you're us), was invented by the Greeks, perfected by the Italians, and gluttonously consumed by us Americans. In celebration of the Dog Days of August, here's a look at a brief history of ice cream from our friends at the Medical Insurance site who want to remind us."
Sunday, August 01, 2010
"1945-1998" - Mapping Nuclear Explosions
Gizmodo pointed to this piece of art, "1945-1998" by Isao Hashimoto saying "This video, by artist Isao Hashimoto, charts every nuclear detonation from the US's tests in 1945 to the modern era. Even if you're versed in history, it still offers a perspective that's tough to entirely grasp in numbers alone."
I had no idea that the US set off close to 1000 nuclear explosion within our own borders.
I had no idea that the US set off close to 1000 nuclear explosion within our own borders.
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