“And I’m deaf,” Mr. Chong added.
Waxing eloquent, Mr. Chong began comparing himself and Mr. Marin to wolves.
(“This is going to be a long one,” Mr. Marin said with a shrug. “Sorry.”)January 31, 2009
Cheech & Chong: The "Felimoy" Tour
Ok, so I don't know if you guys will care about this at all, but I'm posting this article because I totally, un-ironically, love Cheech and Chong. Especially Chong.
“And I’m deaf,” Mr. Chong added.
“And I’m deaf,” Mr. Chong added.
January 30, 2009
A daily dose of crazy
Straight from the Roman Catholic Church and their un-excommunicated Bishop Williamson.
January 29, 2009
The computer future
Chris' technology problems (as described in the "I like watching news as it happens" post) actually led me to an interesting question: will the average person of our generation ever choose to buy a desktop again?
As far as I can determine desktops offer no significant advantage to the vast majority of what I'll call our generation (loosely defining "our generation" to mean anyone who remembers the Internet explosion but who is too young to remember the introduction of Atari). Competitive hard drives, video cards, optical disc drives, memory sticks, and ethernet connections already exist for laptops. And as solid-state drives (a.k.a. big flash drives) become more competitive the price of hard-disk drives should fall even further than it has already.
Granted there exists a small, and possibly growing (?), population of users interested in high-end functionality (e.g. memory-intensive gaming, video editing, audio recording, etc.). These people will always desire the newest technology (as a technological difference in something like video editing capabilities can create wildly different end products), which is usually pretty bulky and cannot be fit immediately into a laptop, so they will usually require a desktop. Basically those in industries that pioneer the usage of new technologies will be chained to desktops, but I cannot imagine a situation in which a laptop with a docking station (including a full-size keyboard, mouse, and monitor) would be insufficient for a typical young computer user.
To take this argument one step further: I imagine that over time cheap, streamlined laptops (e.g. netbooks) with only a handful of features (e.g. web-browsing and text editing) will gain a huge foothold in the US market for computers (I don't have enough experience or knowledge to speculate outside my home country).
In my efforts to prove that I will someday be correct I ended up checking out Amazon's "most popular items in Laptop Computers." When I checked the list (updated hourly) thirteen of the top twenty-five most popular items were netbooks. The top four items are netbooks, and only one laptop was able to crack the top ten. Apparently netbooks, "[...] now account for 7 percent of all portable PCs [...]," a proportion much higher than I thought it would be.
As far as I can determine desktops offer no significant advantage to the vast majority of what I'll call our generation (loosely defining "our generation" to mean anyone who remembers the Internet explosion but who is too young to remember the introduction of Atari). Competitive hard drives, video cards, optical disc drives, memory sticks, and ethernet connections already exist for laptops. And as solid-state drives (a.k.a. big flash drives) become more competitive the price of hard-disk drives should fall even further than it has already.
Granted there exists a small, and possibly growing (?), population of users interested in high-end functionality (e.g. memory-intensive gaming, video editing, audio recording, etc.). These people will always desire the newest technology (as a technological difference in something like video editing capabilities can create wildly different end products), which is usually pretty bulky and cannot be fit immediately into a laptop, so they will usually require a desktop. Basically those in industries that pioneer the usage of new technologies will be chained to desktops, but I cannot imagine a situation in which a laptop with a docking station (including a full-size keyboard, mouse, and monitor) would be insufficient for a typical young computer user.
To take this argument one step further: I imagine that over time cheap, streamlined laptops (e.g. netbooks) with only a handful of features (e.g. web-browsing and text editing) will gain a huge foothold in the US market for computers (I don't have enough experience or knowledge to speculate outside my home country).
In my efforts to prove that I will someday be correct I ended up checking out Amazon's "most popular items in Laptop Computers." When I checked the list (updated hourly) thirteen of the top twenty-five most popular items were netbooks. The top four items are netbooks, and only one laptop was able to crack the top ten. Apparently netbooks, "[...] now account for 7 percent of all portable PCs [...]," a proportion much higher than I thought it would be.
Two Thoughts on the Economy
1. For reasons unknown, I have begun to read Rush Limbaugh's stimulus proposal. I haven't gotten far, but in the beginning he sets up a sharp contrast between the "Keynesian" (i.e., Democratic) solution of funding "shovel-ready" projects and the "supply-side" (Republican) solution of tax cuts.
My knowledge of economics puts me in a better place to discuss the Republicans' proposal than the Democrats'. Tax cuts will stimulate the economy to some degree - the more progressive the tax cut, the more short-term relief is brought about. This is because poor people spend the highest percentage of their income, while wealthier people tend to save/invest it. So tax cuts to middle- and upper- class folks will largely be saved, or used to pay down individuals' debts.
So my question is - assuming (and I think I can do so safely) that the average American currently has ballooning debt, is it possible that the tax cut route might actually be better, in that private debts (mortgages, credit cards) could represent a coming crisis that needs to be averted now? Just a thought.
(And I should add, it's entirely possibly that such a proposal wouldn't actually result in Americans making a net payment on their debt, or at least the right Americans paying down the right debts.)
************************************************************
2. This second thought it much more political than economic, but it's something to watch for: the Republicans need to carve out a voice ASAP if they want a shot at the 2010 elections. So they're going to have to find ways to oppose the Democrats. Thus far, they haven't had a lot of luck.
But with the economy being the number one issue, here's an argument you're going to hear more and more as election day comes ...
Let's say you're God. Let's say unemployment is currently 8%. Let's say without action, it will be 14%, with the Republicans' stimulus it will be 12%, and with Obama's stimulus it will be 10%.
So the Democrats say, "Wow, look at that, we saved a whole lot of jobs!"
So the Republicans say, "Wow, look at that, they didn't create any jobs. In fact, they lost jobs!"
I guess it would have been a whole lot easier for me to say "There's going to be an upcoming argument about jobs saved vs. jobs created." Oh well, you get the point.
My knowledge of economics puts me in a better place to discuss the Republicans' proposal than the Democrats'. Tax cuts will stimulate the economy to some degree - the more progressive the tax cut, the more short-term relief is brought about. This is because poor people spend the highest percentage of their income, while wealthier people tend to save/invest it. So tax cuts to middle- and upper- class folks will largely be saved, or used to pay down individuals' debts.
So my question is - assuming (and I think I can do so safely) that the average American currently has ballooning debt, is it possible that the tax cut route might actually be better, in that private debts (mortgages, credit cards) could represent a coming crisis that needs to be averted now? Just a thought.
(And I should add, it's entirely possibly that such a proposal wouldn't actually result in Americans making a net payment on their debt, or at least the right Americans paying down the right debts.)
************************************************************
2. This second thought it much more political than economic, but it's something to watch for: the Republicans need to carve out a voice ASAP if they want a shot at the 2010 elections. So they're going to have to find ways to oppose the Democrats. Thus far, they haven't had a lot of luck.
But with the economy being the number one issue, here's an argument you're going to hear more and more as election day comes ...
Let's say you're God. Let's say unemployment is currently 8%. Let's say without action, it will be 14%, with the Republicans' stimulus it will be 12%, and with Obama's stimulus it will be 10%.
So the Democrats say, "Wow, look at that, we saved a whole lot of jobs!"
So the Republicans say, "Wow, look at that, they didn't create any jobs. In fact, they lost jobs!"
I guess it would have been a whole lot easier for me to say "There's going to be an upcoming argument about jobs saved vs. jobs created." Oh well, you get the point.
I like watching news as it's happening
I had the pleasure of watching this last night. My first thought was "hey, that's gonna be news tomorrow." (Skip ahead to about 9:00)
There was also an interesting segment on Morning Joe this morning, but the clip is not up yet.
There was also an interesting segment on Morning Joe this morning, but the clip is not up yet.
January 28, 2009
Update
I have no witty comments or editorials on this article, but I thought it would be worth posting for those of you who have not seen this news/discussion about the USPS and service cuts.
[As I was attempting to choose the labels for this post, I didn't know whether to put recession or depression. Yesterday, a colleague of mine facetiously pointed out that people with jobs tend to call it a recession, those without, a depression. So, it's a recession for me.]
[As I was attempting to choose the labels for this post, I didn't know whether to put recession or depression. Yesterday, a colleague of mine facetiously pointed out that people with jobs tend to call it a recession, those without, a depression. So, it's a recession for me.]
Big Numbers
Inspired by one of Bart's links, I put the site's list of big numbers into an Excel form and then made an image out of it (Google Docs wouldn't display the really big ones the way I wanted).
To make the most sense of a number's name, take the exponent, divide it by three, and subtract one.
So Nonillion, or 10^30, comes from [(30/3)-1]=9, and is equal to one thousand plus 9 triplets of zeroes. Sexvigintillion, besides being the dirtiest sounding number in existence, 10^81, or one thousand plus 26 triplets of zeroes ("sex" meaning six and "vigint" meaning twenty?)
Finally, just in case you didn't know this, note that 10^100 (the only exponent on the list besides 1 and 2 that isn't divisible by 3) is called a "googol." And no, it doesn't seem that dictionaries are yet taking the spelling "google," an issue which arose in a game of Boggle I played with Desiree.
To make the most sense of a number's name, take the exponent, divide it by three, and subtract one.
So Nonillion, or 10^30, comes from [(30/3)-1]=9, and is equal to one thousand plus 9 triplets of zeroes. Sexvigintillion, besides being the dirtiest sounding number in existence, 10^81, or one thousand plus 26 triplets of zeroes ("sex" meaning six and "vigint" meaning twenty?)
Finally, just in case you didn't know this, note that 10^100 (the only exponent on the list besides 1 and 2 that isn't divisible by 3) is called a "googol." And no, it doesn't seem that dictionaries are yet taking the spelling "google," an issue which arose in a game of Boggle I played with Desiree.
Bacon Explosion
I'm not sure what to say about this. Good use of internet marketing? Congratulations, enjoy your heart attack?
WTF?
From a political perspective, why would a guy whose middle name is Hussein and has (in some ways) an image problem at home give his first presidential interview to a network whose name sounds no different than that of a terrorist organization to most Americans?
Here's an article I haven't yet read.
Update: Okay, I read the article. Seems this interview with a network that is a voice of moderation in the Middle East will serve our nation's actual interest at the cost of its petty obsessions.
I'm sorry I doubted you, O Great One.
Here's an article I haven't yet read.
Update: Okay, I read the article. Seems this interview with a network that is a voice of moderation in the Middle East will serve our nation's actual interest at the cost of its petty obsessions.
I'm sorry I doubted you, O Great One.
Rewriting history as it happens
I really disagree with this practice by the Wall Street Journal. Basically the WSJ is changing stories without noting when and how it has done so. Imagine that on January 20 I sent you a link to an article in which I really liked the opening line of "Rod Blagojevich re-declares his innocence on the Today Show." Well, if that is a WSJ article then when you check it out a few days later the story very well may not contain that line, may be significantly different in other ways (paragraphs completely removed, quotes missing, etc.), and may even have a different publishing date.
While I understand the importance of accuracy in a digital newspaper, I also think the the Portfolio author above is correct when he argues:
While I understand the importance of accuracy in a digital newspaper, I also think the the Portfolio author above is correct when he argues:
The WSJ is one of the key newspapers of record when it comes to this financial crisis, and increasingly it's being read online rather than on paper. In fact, much of the WSJ's online content never appears on paper at all, which means that the web is the only place to find it. It's therefore incumbent on the WSJ to preserve those web pages. If it doesn't, it's essentially erasing not only its own history, but also that of the financial crisis.
January 27, 2009
Promise for the Future...
We all have our issues. I mean, the issues floating around society that we are more interested in than the average person.
This is one of mine.
This is one of mine.
500th Post!
Somebody Think A Little has made it to the 500th post. I don't know about everyone else, but I am really happy with the progress of the blog so far.
On another positive note, as of yesterday Obama has his full cabinet.
On another positive note, as of yesterday Obama has his full cabinet.
Link Dump - Bart's Bookmarks
I figure that while no one else is posting anything I may as well bombard the blog. To that end I just sorted through all of my bookmarks (except my StumbleUpon bookmarks) and pulled out a list of ones that I think others may use and/or enjoy. They are loosely sorted. Good luck getting through them all. (To clarify in advance: some sections are labeled "Sites" while others are labeled "Specific." "Sites" implies that the links will be to complete websites that fit the category; "specific" implies the links lead to specific pages of websites. For example, Badass of the Week goes into the "Sites" section while a badass I particularly liked would go under "specific.")
Blogs - Funny:
Funny Art Sites:
Blogs - Funny:
- Photoshop Disasters
- Steve Don’t Eat It!
- A man eats terrible things and describes them! - Meme Pool
- Brokers With Their Hands on Their Faces
- I Am Neurotic.
- Fistpumps.com
- Strange Maps
Funny Art Sites:
- Brandon Bird’s Brandon Bird-O-Rama!
- Garfield Minus Garfield
- Kate Beaton
- The Nietzsche Family Circus
- Eric Joyner - A man who paints lots of robots and donuts.
- 270 to Win
- Badass of the Week
- Cracked
- Fan Fiction Net
- Gapminder
- Kermit Bale
- McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: One More Handful of Letters From Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids’ Letters to President Obama.
- Perot Charts
- PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter
- Porn for the Blind
- Science Debate 2008
- Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED)
- Pundit Kitchen
- NumberSpiral.com
- Amnesty International poster
- Octomatics
- Tempo over time
- The Hundred Greatest Theorems
- Inaugural Words - 1789 to the Present - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com
- The Ebb and Flow of Movies - Box Office Receipts 1986 — 2008 - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com
- Poodwaddle World Clock
- Science Debate 2008: Obama and McCain answers
- Age, Turnout and Votes
- The MegaPenny Project
- Movie-A-Minute summaries
- The Anti-Gym
- Conan O’Brien’s Harvard Commencement Speech
- Pterodactyl porn
- A Concise History Of Black-White Relations In The United States
- If they IM’d: Obama’s VP Prospects
- GovTrack: H. Res. 847: Text of Legislation
- McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: Midlife-Crisis Bible Stories.
- My Year of Flops
- Peter’s Evil Overlord List
- Creepy Japanese Mario Fan Art
- Disappearing Car Doors
- Why Can’t I Own a Canadian?
- Fiscal conservative comic
- Reverse September 11
- Jesus vs. Bush 43
- Fuck the Earth Day
- Gauss facts thus far
- Obama’s Short List for VP Leaked to Press
- McCain’s Short List for VP Leaked to Press
- Victoria From “The Maury Show” Had Her Baby
- Big Dick’s Halfway Inn: Home of the Original Minnow Shot
- SNL: Census Taker with Christopher Walken
- SNL: Word Association with Richard Pryor
- Flush Bush: A funny look at Bush’s approval ratings over time
- Hannidate
- Sleeping animal live feed
- Italians vs. Europeans
- Bush Approval Ratings
- Did McCain Lift His Russia-Georgia Speech from Wikipedia?
- Geography game
- Study Bulb
- String Spin Toy
- Statetris (Tetris with states)
- Fake or Not (NSFW)
- Geosense
- Dice Wars - WiiPlayable
- World of Solitaire
- The eyeballing game
- Every Video Game
- Bush Shoe Game
- Wii Playable
- Puzzles.COM
- Random.org
- USAspending.gov
- Equation Sheet
- NationMaster
- StateMaster
- Kaiser State Health Facts
- NYC Subway Flash Overlay for Google Maps
- Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States
- Powerful Mp3 Music Search
- SendSpace
- YouSendIt
- MediaFire
- Google Maps
- HopStop
- NYC bridges on bikes
- Current Codes
- Get Human
- Torrent Pond
- NYC movie listings
- EasyBib
- Movavi Online Video Converter
- All UC
- IMDB
- Lostpedia
- VOTE411.org
- Gmaps Pedometer
- MediaCoder
- Bit.ly link shortener
A few quick links.
Let's get the blogging week started with a few interesting pages to check out:
- Nate Silver's writeup of "So Just Who Did Vote For The Bailout?" - A lot of interesting stuff in this one, including a statistical analysis of factors contributing to voting patterns on the first bailout bill last year and a brief discussion of the implications of writing one's own definitions of terms like Progressive.
- The Daily Beast - "The Best of Blago" - He is not only crazy; he has the ability to take legitimate literary quotations and warp them to suit his purposes. Wonderful spin, Rod.
- Bit.ly - An alternative to the Tiny URL service, Bit.ly has all of the same features, but is also copying (in their entirety), cataloging, and organizing all sites that users create shortened URLs for. It will take a while or the benefits to pan out (beyond the link-shortening, that is), but it should be interesting to see what researchers can pull off with that amount of information.
- Red Bull Snowscrapers - On February 5 a bunch of professional snowboarders will be jumping off a 90' ramp built in East River Park. Carly and I drove past this last week and saw the main ramp being built. The ramp is pretty cool, with the main support being provided by stacked shipping containers (see photo below). I kind of want to figure out a way to see this from afar so I don't have to hang out with a bunch of snowboarders to see one person jump this. Check out this site for more pictures of the actual ramps.
- Update: I also meant to include the fact that Texas dealt a blow to creationism in a recent schoolboard ruling.
January 25, 2009
Anyone looking for a new hobby?
A few nights ago Carly, Katie, and I had a group Wiki-diving session that ended up using up about forty-five minutes of our time and required three different types of searches (Wikipedia, YouTube, and Google Products). I’ll introduce the topic here the same way in which we learned about it: a video of some guy in a park playing with a clear ball.
The Wiki-diving actually began as an argument about whether the guy in the video was holding a real ball or a digitally created image of a ball that was added at a later time. This led us, naturally, to Wikipedia, where we found out that, “Contact juggling is a form of object manipulation that focuses on the movement of objects such as balls in permanent contact with the body. Having little in common with ‘toss’ juggling, it most typically involves the rolling of one or more completely transparent balls on the hands and arms to create visual illusions, such as that of a ball fixed in space” (Contact juggling). Who knew?
A few related links that we enjoyed:
Since we watched nearly all of Moschen’s very strange TED talk Katie determined that the three of us are TED addicts and may need professional help.
The Wiki-diving actually began as an argument about whether the guy in the video was holding a real ball or a digitally created image of a ball that was added at a later time. This led us, naturally, to Wikipedia, where we found out that, “Contact juggling is a form of object manipulation that focuses on the movement of objects such as balls in permanent contact with the body. Having little in common with ‘toss’ juggling, it most typically involves the rolling of one or more completely transparent balls on the hands and arms to create visual illusions, such as that of a ball fixed in space” (Contact juggling). Who knew?
A few related links that we enjoyed:
- Contact juggling balls for sale (it turns out that this is a fairly cheap hobby);
- Michael Moschen, the founder of the activity;
- Michael Moschen’s TED talk;
- ”Contact Juggling: Day 114”.
Since we watched nearly all of Moschen’s very strange TED talk Katie determined that the three of us are TED addicts and may need professional help.
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