http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/2008/04/26.html#a2139 Talking about the class system etc. I can’t agree with many of the conclusions or the underlying models, but I’m absolutely sure that some of the observations mentioned are pure gold.
Read more →http://bendiken.net/2008/04/26/zero-sum-delusion is Arto’s post on capitalism. My issues with capitalism as it is typically formed by Libertarians are three fold. 1> Natural monopolies, like railways, networks, and irrigation and other river activities. 2> Creation of property rights over things like land by the State. 3> Limited liability as a subsidy to investors by the State. [...]
Read more →WAS IT ILLEGAL for American officials [who kidnapped Abu Omar in Italy] to send Abu Omar to Egypt? Yes, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which prohibits delivering someone to a country where there are “substantial grounds” to assume that he might be tortured. Were there substantial grounds to believe that transferring Abu [...]
Read more →Food riots have broken out across the globe destabilizing large parts of the developing world. China is experiencing double-digit inflation. Indonesia, Vietnam and India have imposed controls over rice exports. Wheat, corn and soy beans are at record highs and threatening to go higher still. Commodities are up across the board. The World Food Program [...]
Read more →By the way, do you know what Mycroft is?” I had some vague recollection of an explanation at the time of the Adventure of the Greek Interpreter. “You told me that he had some small office under the British government.” Holmes chuckled. “I did not know you quite so well in those days. One has [...]
Read more →I finally picked up a field recorder: the Zoom H2. Unexpected bonuses * extremely aggressive automatic gain control on “voice mode” * 24/96 recording * incredibly light but not chintzy * features like automatic gain control work even when it’s in USB mic mode – ideal for skype etc. quirks * UI is a bit [...]
Read more →Suppose six castaways are stranded on a deserted island, five Asians and one American. Further, suppose that the castaways decide to divide the work load among them in the following manner: (for the purpose of simplicity, the only desire the castaways work to satisfy is hunger) one Asian is put in charge of hunting, an [...]
Read more →http://engineering.curiouscatblog.net/2008/04/20/pigs-instead-of-pesticides/ Apples drop from trees due to infestation. Pigs eat apples, preventing reproduction. You think monoculture farming might be really, really stupid? Like, clearly this is pretty much how the apple trees evolved to do this – drop the fruit when there’s a problem, and something will eat it. Fence off the apples, keep out [...]
Read more →http://engineering.curiouscatblog.net/2008/04/10/mutualism-inter-species-cooperation/ Very, very cute inter-species cooperation story.
Read more →http://www.ecoworld.com/home/articles2.cfm?tid=336 Interesting possibilities.
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