VWXYNot?: Reasons Not to Believe - Part 1

VWXYNot?: Reasons Not to Believe - Part 1

I have read many (most?) articles written to support Creationism or Intelligent Design and the logic is flawed, or just wrong. I have not taken the time to validate reference material or verified quoted material on ID sites, mostly because it was difficult or impossible to determine the original source material.

This article is a gem - the author of the source material states that her research was taken out of context and the results incorrectly interpreted by reason.org (Reasons To Believe, RTB, or more correctly, Reasons Not To Believe).

Her article is a good read, and she posted a detailed article here. It's a good read, and I read it twice to really understand all her points. I particularly enjoyed the part about her 'favorite' ERV which links us to primates and has been around for 25-30 million years. Sort of a double whammy for the ID folks.

The New York Times > Business > What Corporate America Can't Build: A Sentence

The New York Times > Business > What Corporate America Can't Build: A Sentence

After Creationism and the Bush Administration, this is what frightens me most about the ability of the United States to compete in a global marketplace.

No one seems to be able to write. We receive resumes with misused words, misspellings, and worse. E-mail is unintelligible and no one writes memos in companies any more.

Why isn't Karl Rove in jail?

Bush Aides' Misuse of E-Mail Detailed by House Committee - washingtonpost.com

Karl Rove was trained in use of the White House mail system. He signed a form indicating he was trained in the correct use of the e-mail system and that he understood his responsibilities associated with his position and the operation of the e-mail client.

...yet he chose to use the RNC mail server (public, unsecured, not in compliance with required government security, audit, and archiving standards).

Why isn't Karl Rove held accountable for this security breach?
Why isn't Karl Rove in jail?

Update - Details regarding who was using the RNC mail server are detailed in an interim report prepared for Henry Waxman (WaxmanRNCE-MailReport.pdf).

The report is pretty damning and it's hard for me to understand how over 140 White House staff members ignored a published policy and decided to use the RNC mail server for White House business. It's not unlike people using AOL or another non-business server for business use.

Fourteen Characteristics of Facism

Dr. Lawrence Britt studied facists regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet. He found fourteen things common to all regimes, which he refers to as 'identifying characteristics of fascism'.

This article was originally published in the Spring 2003 issue of "Free Inquiry".

Oddly enough, all fourteen apply to the George W. Bush Administration.

The Questionable Authority : This is the way science should always work:

The Questionable Authority : This is the way science should always work

Following my theme about scientific method and Luddite's in the US Senate, this is a very good article that illustrates how science *should* work. A scientist publishes his or her findings with a summary of what they imply. It is then available for peer review and comment.

In this example, others described flaws with the software used to analyze data, the author of the original article concurred, and wrote a follow-up article to clarify the original report and conclusions.

Ars System Guide: June 2007

Ars System Guide: June 2007

Ars Technica and Extreme Tech published their Build-Your-Own guides this month.

I'm a fan of the Ars Budget Box recommendations, which I merge with some of my spare or preferred components (like the Logitech MX Revolution mouse).

I'm looking to get rid of a lot of my old hardware to get rid of some clutter in my office, basement, and office closet (where hardware goes to die...).

Last week I was at TechEd 2007 drinking the Microsoft Kool-Aid. I am very impressed with the new Microsoft Server products and plan to upgrade all my home systems to 64 bits (and 2-4 Gig of RAM) to support Windows 2008 Server and Exchange 2007.

What I Think About Evolution - New York Times

What I Think About Evolution - New York Times:

Sam Brownback is an idot and he went to the trouble of advertising this fact as a letter to the Editor in the New York Times.

I would be embarrassed to have this fool as my representative and I certainly don't want him as my President! The question of Evolution is very straightforward. It is a question of Science and scientific method, it is not a question of Faith. Man evolved from lower forms of life over a period of millions of years. If you don't understand or believe this as a fact, you ignore carbon dating, archeology, and scientific method.

I am a practicing Catholic. I believe in God. I have a degree in Chemical Engineering. These are not conflicting beliefs or facts. The more I learn about science and nature, the more I believe that a higher power was involved in the 'design'.

The thing that makes me crazy is people who limit themselves to a direct interpretation of any religious text to the extent that they ignore or vilify science.

I have to believe Brownback is catering to the Republican right because he can't be that stupid. What the hell does he mean by "atheistic theology posing as science"? Atheistic theology - there's an oxymoron for you, sort of like "intelligent Republican senator from Kansas".

Money & Business: Ranking the Largest Airports - US News and World Report

Money & Business: Ranking the Largest Airports - US News and World Report

I am not a frequent flyer, but I have been taking trips 1-2 times a month on average this year. From this chart, it looks like I'm in Airport Hell - every airport I fly in/out of is on the list.

At this point, I never fly into Logan because driving is faster, more flexible, and cheaper than flying. Although I have not had a problem on the last 4-5 trips through the airport, I have been selected for "Special Search" on ~40% of my trips for no obvious reason. I am using my US Passport (proof of citizenship, internationally accepted identification), and I book round trip flights purchased 1-2 weeks prior to my flight. Go figure.

What the President said to 'His Holy Father' | World | The Observer

What the President said to 'His Holy Father' | World | The Observer

I read the Sunday edition of The Observer every week while living in Ireland. I found it to be a very good newspaper. I was very amused to find read this article about President Bush's meeting with the Pope (my Pope).

Below is a quote from the article. Is George Bush, the President of the United States (my President), really this stupid? I truly am at a loss for words. I know he is under pressure. I realize public speaking can often be difficult, but he has been president for seven years, Governor of Texas prior to that, you would think he picked up *some* skills, but apparently not...

The Pope is addressed as 'Your Holiness'. Roman Catholics refer to him as 'The Holy Father'. But somewhere in the tumble dryer that is the part of the US President's brain set aside for words, the two concepts got tangled and he told Associated Press: 'I think His Holy Father will be pleased to know that much of our foreign policy is based on the admonition to whom much is given, much is required.'

Biofuels or Bio-fools? — AMERICAN.COM: A Magazine of Ideas, Online

Biofuels or Bio-fools? — AMERICAN.COM: A Magazine of Ideas, Online

This is an interesting article. The Bush Administration is clueless and this article just reinforces that fact.

Why is Ethanol not a viable fuel option?

Ethanol absorbs water
Ethanol is acidic - it can't be delivered via pipes, it needs to be shipped via trucks
Ethanol has lower potential energy than gasoline or diesel fuels