Funmurphys: the Blog

A Man Who Doesn't Know

John Kerry came to town the other day. The Boston Globe reports the following exchange on the plane coming here:

"Kerry also underlined that he would begin trying to broaden his base of voters. At one point on the plane, Kerry said he hoped to woo hockey-mad Michigan voters by lacing up his skates and playing a scrimmage with some members of the Detroit Red Wings before the state's Feb. 7 caucuses. Yet in states such as Missouri, where the citizenry is less rabid about passing the puck, Kerry acknowledged that he needed to come up with some other way to connect with voters.

"I guess I'll ride a bucking bronco or a bull or something," Kerry joked. "I'm game. Whatever they got."

I guess John has got us confused with Texas. Here's a tip to all the politicians blowing through St. Louis before the primary - if you want to fit in and make a connection, just tell us what high school you went to. It's really that simple.

A Man Who Knows

The man was in no shape to drive, so he wisely left his car parked and walked home. As he was walking unsteadily along, a policeman stopped him.

"What are you doing out here at 2 A.M.?"

"I'm going to a lecture," the man replied.

"And just who is going to give a lecture at this hour?" the cop asked.

"My wife," answered the man.

Who's Ready For Some Downloads?

The Superbowl is so passe. The hype, the ads, the game, the halftime show are just so last millenium. OK, I'm just bitter because the Rams aren't in it (again). I'm sure I'll watch it, ignore the hype, discuss the ads, root for the Panthers, and do something else at half time (they can't have U2 there every year). But the most important thing is that Pepsi is going to give away 100 million downloads through iTunes after the game. Hip Hip Hoorah! I love my iTunes, and I'm looking forward to burning some new CDs as I drink far more Pepsi than I should. While iTunes doesn't have everything, it does have a lot of good music: you can get the title cut from Traffic's Low Spark of High Heeled Boys for a mere 99 cents - an amazing value when you consider it is over 11 minutes long.

And just between you and me, Beyonce as a gladiatrix will never go out of style.

A Funmurphys: the Blog First!

OK, my first two parter! Sadly, this was not a case of following a plan, but having to leave the computer before finished with the last post. And then I couldn't get back until just now (the six hours I spent playing MOO3 over the weekend were absolutely vital to my mental well being and doesn't count). Now I'm going to talk about the objections to the Bush Space Initiative (hey, the other night the guys on the local TV news were calling the storm that went through here on Sunday "The Ice Storm Of 2004" complete with graphics and theme music) that I discussed below.

First there are the philosophical objections. One objection is that since Bush proposed it, it must be bad. This is idea is either irrefutable or self refuting, depending on your view of President Bush.

Another objection is that the money should be spent here on Earth. Well, it will be spent here on Earth. Seriously, the amount of money is trivial compared to all that is spent on the social programs wanted by the people who feel this way. The choice between space exploration and curing every want here on Earth is a false one. We can try to do both, although I will note that the Government spending money has been tried as a cure-all and while it can be pretty effective, has been shown to not be 100% effective.

Then there is the objection that people get in the way of good science. To which I say, so what. I don't recall a vote to give everything above the earth's atmosphere to the exclusive purview of science and scientists. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - only this time with the words of President Bush, the goal of the space program is the "establishment of a human presence throughout the solar system."

Then there are the technical objections. Cost is a big one. No, not what the President is projecting, but what the critics are. Rand Simberg, where you should always head first for your space needs, has a crack at the cost. I have to agree - we went to the moon over thirty years ago, we've continued to work on rocket engines etc. since then, so it should less expensive now. But I think you have to consider further - if you go to a car dealer and tell him you're willing to spend $40,000 for a car, you'll walk out with a car that costs at least that much. If you want something that costs only $10,000 you have to ask for a car that costs no more than that. I know some of you are thinking, yeah, but this is the Government we're talking about here, but the principle is the same. And I know it can be done since I've lived through the revolution in munition costs - where once a single Tomahawk cost more than a million dollars, now you have JDAMs costing around 20 grand each. How did that happen? The government demanded it.

Then there are the technical hurdles - a heavy lift vehicle, why are we going to the moon to get to Mars (i.e. why leave one gravity well just to climb down another). The non-space enthusiast, and even the casual enthusiast, would be surprised at the full range of study and work that has been done in this area for decades, from space cottage industry of space enthusiasts, grad students, and professors all the way up to the big boys like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. It's all engineering people, and we've done it before. Well, a lot of it, anyway. You'd be amazed at the amount of thought, study, and sheer ingenuity that has gone into how to get to Mars by a huge network of people over the years.

And finally, there is the objection that it was all government (and NASA hasn't done a good job the last 20 years or so). Yes, President Bush gave NASA marching orders. I'm not sure what more people want him to do, since he cannot command private companies to do anything. Yes, NASA will most likely turn to the usual contractors for the official program. But there is nothing stopping the little guys from continuing their programs, and I think the renewed interest in space exploration can only help them -- especially financially, which is where they need it the most in the short term.

There is a type of engineer who every engineer has encountered - the guy for whom nothing will ever work. When asked for thoughts, he spews forth problems. When presented with a task, he immediately begins looking for reasons it won't work, not how to make it work. I had an older engineer explain to me that you need somebody like that around, because they made you solve all the problems and look for ways to make it work.

Space Bush

OK, I'm late to commenting on President Bush's space initiative. You should have read lots of good commentary already; if you haven't, then head on over to Mr. Simberg's blog, Transterrestial Musings, for enlightening space commentary. I think the primary goal of our national space program should be the permanent presence of mankind in space. Science in space is fun, interesting, nice, doable, worthwhile, etc. but should not be the primary goal of a national space progam (at least until we do have a permanent presence). So I have to like Mr. Bush's call for a manned Moon base followed by a manned trip to Mars because that really advances what I think should be the primary goal. And putting in terms of going somewhere, rather than just being somewhere, makes it sound so much better.

Character Matters

There is a striking contrast between the current President Bush and President Clinton, and it revolves around their character. No, I'm not trying to rehash old scandals, but I want to point out that while Bush has so far been bold and decisive, Clinton was a procrastinator. He got more done in has last week in office than he had in the rest of his presidency prior. Oh, he could move quickly when he had to, when his future was at stake, as he did with Welfare reform, but by and large it's amazing how little got done during his years in office - especially when you consider that during his first two years the Democrats had majorities in Congress and could only pass a small tax increase - no universal healthcare or any other pet project. After that it was either coopting Republican programs or scrambling to survive. It wasn't because he couldn't, it was because he wouldn't -- that's a procrastinator in (in)action.

I too am a procrastinator, so I understand the long periods of lassitude followed by brief periods of intense energy when a hard deadline looms. How long should it take to clean and staighten the downstairs? 30 minutes. Therefore, I'll start 15 minutes before my wife gets home and I'll be just finished when she walks through the door. That was Bill in the final week - desparately trying to cram a four year term into 168 hours.

Now that he's off giving speaches, he's apparently giving good ones, even by the standards of Jay Nordlinger and Ralph Peters. Maybe that's the ideal role for Clinton the procrastinator -- a firm deadline, and doing what he's good at.

Steel, then Blah Blah Blah

Victor Davis Hanson captures my thoughts (yes Virginia, even better than how I thunked them) on the 2004 State of the Union Speach. I think what you say and what you do is important in foreign affairs, but on the domestic front what you do is pretty much all that matters to me. So I listened to the first half of the speach, and when Bush started sounding like Clinton lite, I gave up.

Me So Geek

A discussion has broken out about who the Rohirrim are supposed to be in the "real world," the nexus of which is at this post at Impearls, which I discovered via Geitner Simmons. Well, they are forgetting that Tolkein rejected such allegory: "I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and have always done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence [emphasis mine]". The Rohirrim are simply a group that sprang from Tolkein's mind, with no doubt many an influence from history, but not a transposition of a real people from history.

Be sure to follow the links from site to site, or you'll miss many a gem, including this great sendup of (biblical) literary source criticism by Mark Shea.

I have to note, the discussion starts innocently enough, with Michael McNeil contrasting who Peter Jackson and company modeled the Rohirrim on for the movie, and who in his opinion they should have modeled them on. Fun stuff, but it is easy to get carried away.

While you can argue endlessly about who is the best historical fit for the Riders of Rohan (and believe me, there is every indication that that is the proper length of the discussion), there is no denying that the honor culture that the Vikings had, and is common to warrior peoples such as the Vikings, Sarmatians, Samuri, Navaho, Aztecs etc., is most accessable to Americans today through the Vikings and especially Icelandic sagas. I've often had trouble understanding (or at least appreciating) the motivations of characters in Victorian writings (and the movies made from them) like Howard's End, but I have no trouble understanding what motivates the characters of Njal's Saga.

As long as we're on the subject of Lord of the Rings and the Eorlingas, I have to say I think that the character of Theoden came through the best from the books into the movies, if only because he lost so little face time in the transition from one to the other. One of the nice things about Tolkein was that he didn't put modern characters into previous times; Theoden could have been lifted straight out of an Icelandic saga, with his concern over his honor and desire for glory. While I prefer the books to the movies, it is undeniable that certain parts simply work better in the movie -- even when taken straight from the book, and Theoden rallying the Rohirrim before their charge onto the Pellenor Fields is one of them and is one of my favorite parts of the movies. He also had the most detailed and believable growth in the movie, nosing out Sam.

As long as I'm talking about characterization in Lord of the Rings, one of the oddities of the books is that Frodo, ostensibly the main character (I do happen to agree with the analysis that in fact Sam is the protagonist - a reference to which I don't have the time to track down at the moment) is in many ways the least likable or interesting. His main strength is simply enduring the unendurable. His most selfless single act is trying to leave Sam behind along with the rest of the Fellowship, which he both fails at and which feels more like cowardice than sacrifice. Jackson made his overall sacrifice clearer by having him note that while he saved the Shire, he didn't save it for himself -- he's a tragic hero. Sam on the other hand gets to be a loyal and true friend, and he gets most of the good lines (both in the books and in the movie). Merry and Pippin go from baggage constantly needing rescuing to the fearless and competent leaders of the Scouring of the Shire (left out of the movie, and so Jackson made them into complete to bumpkins in the beginning to provide their growth) where they even scold Frodo for his lack of action. Faramir is just screwed in the movies, although the extended version of The Two Towers explains the relationship with his father better which doesn't make him look as bad.

OK, enought Geek for one post.

Kudos to Dennis

As long as I'm going on about the press and columnists, I want to highlight good work by one. I think this column about Jews, Christians, and Mel Gibson's The Passion is simply outstanding. This is a very grown-up column (our culture fails us by the cooption of the adjective "adult" to mean only sexual), a rarity in today's media (a probably in yesteryears too - I wasn't around then so I don't know). Dennis Prager tackles an emotional, controversial topic in a very calm manner while doing full justice to differing viewpoints. It really is a wonderful job of writing that begins with a full grasp of the issue and sensitivity towards the people involved. If only our normal political reporting, let alone opinionating, was as grown-up. Wouldn't it be nice to see a column about social security written at this level, if only just once?

Something You Don't See Everyday

I think Halley's comet comes around more often that the elements of this story. A columnist dissed a segment of society, the segment put it's money where it's mouth is, and the columnist apologized. Now, the details: A columnist wrote another cliched column about video games (violent one's specifically) being the ruination of our youth (in an earlier era, it was comic books -- I'm sure every era has something that causes the ruination of its youth). So when readers at penny-arcade.com read it, they didn't get mad, they demonstrated that the colunist was wrong by raising $146,000 in cash and toys for Children's Hospital in Seattle (full disclosure - my daughter has spent time in Children's hospital right here in St. Louis). When the columnist found out, he apologized and wrote a column celebrating the exploits of the video gamers at penny-arcade.com. If only every protest was conducted in such a positive manner.

Mars From Above

I don't know about you, but I didn't realize that there was more to the European mission to mars than the Beagle 2 lander. So it came as a bit of shock to read about the exquisite picturea the orbiter (dubbed Mars Express) was taking of Mars. Expect the unexpected, and more really cool pictures.

Horserace results

The Iowa caucases demonstrate once again the political acumen of political reporters: The unstoppable Howard Dean was stopped by the left-for-dead duo of Kerry and Edwards. It's a military truism that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and it's just as true of the press that no media prognistication survives first contact with reality.

The presidential ambitions of Dick Gephardt ended last night. The press is claiming that Gephardt's political career is over. While he isn't running for re-election to congress, I'm not so sure that he won't run for office here in Missouri. If not, I'm sure he can catch on as a lobbyist for a lot more money. I suppose it's nice that Gephardt has enough hold on reality to drop out of a campaign he can't win -- when will Kucinich and Sharpton wake up and smell the coffee?

Can Howard Dean come back? Of course he can. And according to the news reader on the radio station this morning, winning Iowa isn't a good predictor for winning the nomination in either party. But since those are the only results we have, that's all we'll hear about until New Hampshire, whereupon Iowa will become one footnote among many in a long campaign.

All Quiet on the Blog Front

I have been busier at work lately (I don't think I can get much busier at home); last week I was in Huntsville. So if you're wondering why it's been all quiet on the blog front, now you know. I spent too much time in meetings to see much of the town, but I did manage to go to a great little restaurant -- eating out is about the only recompense for company travel IMHO. So if you're ever near Huntsville Alabama, you have to go eat at The Chef's Table and try their tappas style dinner - make sure you get dessert.

Beyond Cool

As you can probably figure out from my own blog, I'm not one to put much stock in a lot of fancy gee-whiz stuff on a web page. But I have to make an exception for the redesigned Dust in the Light. Justin Katz has provided a visual treat to go with his verbal one. The site is so far beyond the ordinary, it requires a new URL.

Tanya's Back

I've been remiss, but I'll let you know that Tanya's back, reminding us of why we missed her when she was AWOL.

A Pygmy on the Shoulders of Giants

It time for one of those posts, inspired by bloggers like J Bowen and Tom McMahon.

Our first one is via J Bowen, and documents the original product development team's titanic struggle.

Next up we have courtesy of Tom McMahon a truly non-obvious and penetrating insight into marketing at The Sharper Image.

If you are a scientist with luxuriant flowing hair, there is a club especially for you, and only for you. Please note that this isn't a club for scientists who want luxuriant flowing hair, but for those who already have it.

Check out the official Rube Goldberg website.

Scientists with entirely too much time on their hands have discovered that cockroaches suffer from physical age related debilitation much like humans. No word if aging takes a toll on the mental capacity of roaches. (And don't even mention viagra).

I had no idea Megan had a disease named after her , but there is what sounds like a very common disease with a newly discovered cure - a can of soda. From the article:

"People with McArdle’s disease – a condition marked by low tolerance for exercise and high risk of activity-related muscle injury – can dramatically improve their exercise tolerance by consuming a soft drink or equivalent before physical activity, investigators have discovered."

Everything is New Again

When the Marines head back to Iraq, they will be adopting "new" tactics according to the Washington Post. What are these new tactics? More interaction with Iraqis, respect for peaceable civilians and religious and cultural etiquette, and Marine platoons scattered throughout the region living among the people in towns and villages to facilitate training of the Iraqi police and civil defense forces. For Iraq, these may be new tactics, but they really come pretty much straight out of the Marines Small Wars Manual (available here for download, which was written in 1940 and summarized the counter insurgency experience of the Marine Corps in such places as the Phillipines, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. An excellent account of the experience can be had by reading Max Boot's The Savage Wars of Peace, as well as the use and applicability specifically to Vietnam alluded to in the WaPo article in Lewis Sorley's A Better War.

Both books are excellent reading and well worth your time, and if I had any, I'd write and post reviews of them over on Blogcritics

Coincidence or Fate?

OK, I'm mildly freaked out. If Lileks writes about going to the beach in Delaware anytime soon, I'll be really freaked out. He just went to Scottsdale. Our vacation last year (not this past year - thus pre-dating the blog) was to Pheonix - which is adjacent to Scottsdale. We hooked up with friends (she - my junior year R.A., we had singles across the hall from each other; he - one of the thousands who were my brother's housemates at 2101 Santa Cruz; both - maried to each other yet not introduced by my brother or I) who took us to the Sugerbowl. Before that, he went to Vegas. Well, I wrote about my recent trip to Vegas too.

I know what you're thinking (besides the fact that Lileks writes much better than I) - he also goes on about his annual trips to New York. Well, I just found out today that I have to go to Newark, which is close enough to elevate my freak out level past orange.

Power of the Press

I'm surprised this story didn't get much traction, but apparently the man who blew up the headquarters of HSBC bank in Turkey was motivated by persistant claims in portions of the Turkish press that US soldiers have raped thousands of Iraqi women. I don't blame the war critic, Dr. Susan Block, who wrote a crazy screed called "The Rape of Iraq" in Counterpunch that didn't claim any US soldier actually physically raped an Iraqi woman. No, if you want to print lies and distortions, you'll find a way.

There are plenty of people in this country who believe the harmless lies of our tabloids: that Elvis is still alive, that there is a miracle cure for (arthritis, cancer, lupus, ...), that some lady in Arkansas really did have a baby with space aliens. The problem is when the information stream becomes polluted with stuff that isn't harmless. And we have some of that here -- too many in the press have given up the goal of informing us and instead want to persuade us through the manipulation of facts themselves. Now, we do still have standards, fast eroding though they are, but it should be remembered by the press what they are, the responsibilites they bear, and that critics can criticize for good reasons as well as partisan ones.

New Year Predictions

Now that I'm back from staying at home (There are no truth to the rumors that Archpundit and I ran off together, or that I was stuck for weeks in Forest Park at the St. Louis '04 Eve debacle), I'm keeping with the blogosphere trend and offering my own predictions for 2004.

1. My blog posting will be light with intermittent dropouts.

2. Celebrities will continue to engage in shocking behavior to attract attention. Every year the behavior has to be worse to remain shocking, but still no limit will be discovered.

3. There will be no peace in the Middle East.

4. Politicians and various activities will be compared to Hitler and various Nazi atrocities without any basis whatsoever other than the comparer doesn't like them.

5. People will be the most passionate about the things that really matter the least.

6. Intellectuals will decry the faults of the common man with great vigor while the common man by and large ignores intellectuals.

7. I will busier than a one armed cashier at Wal-Mart.

8. Elites won't live up to their billing.

9. What we worry the most about won't happen but what we didn't give a thought to will.

10. There will be no really good 5 cent cigar for sale in America.

In other words, why should we expect something different if we keep doing the same stuff?