I thought American schoolchildren were muddled in their historical thinking, believing that Abraham Lincoln was at the first Thanksgiving, or that George Washington delivered the Gettysburg Address. (For the record, neither of those are true. Just so we’re clear.) It turns out that factual mistakes of historical knowledge aren’t limited to children on this sideContinue reading “On Winston Churchill, Astronaut”
On the Bush Mosaic
A few short days ago the United States reached the fifth anniversary of its military involvement in Iraq. Yesterday — Easter Sunday, for those of the Christian inclination — another milestone was passed. The four thousandth American soldier fell in Iraq. An artist has commemorated that dubious milestone with a photomosaic of President Bush andContinue reading “On the Bush Mosaic”
On The Quiet of the World
Did anything happen over the weekend? It doesn’t seem like it. I haven’t seen anything interesting in the news. Except, of course, that Duke lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Which, really, in the long run, is insignificant. I was disappointed. No Cubs on WGN over the weekend. White Sox, yes. ButContinue reading “On The Quiet of the World”
On Doctor Who Viewing
Last night BBC America showed the third season Doctor Who two-parter, “Human Nature”/”Family of Blood,” in a two-hour long block. If you missed it last night and you have BBC America, have no fear — they’re repeating it again this afternoon. Watching the two-parter in a single sitting last night, it occurred to me howContinue reading “On Doctor Who Viewing”
On Fiddling with WordPress
Wednesday I decided it was time. WordPress 2.5 wasn’t officially released, but there was a release candidate available. The WordPress Podcast said that, as best they could tell, it was stable and probably good to go. And I’m a tinkerer. Even if that means taking my blog’s sanity into my own hands. I upgraded toContinue reading “On Fiddling with WordPress”
On the Tibetan Protests
In a TrekBBS thread on Arthur C. Clarke, I wrote the following: Someday. I loved the film [of 2010], even if it cut out my favorite sequence in the book — the Tsien on Europa. That’s something I loved about Clarke’s work. His near-future science fiction had a cosmopolitan feel to it. That the UnitedContinue reading “On the Tibetan Protests”
On Egyptian Astrology
This is strangely intriguing… Satis Peace-loving and tolerant, receptive to wealth, analytical and science-minded, tender towards those who are not ignorant, can sometimes be angry. Colors: male: deep red, female: deep blueCompatible Signs: Amon-Ra, Set Dates: Jan 1 – Jan 7, Jun 19 – Jun 28, Sep 1 – Sep 7, Nov 18 – NovContinue reading “On Egyptian Astrology”
On Some Beatles Updates
After all my excitement that the Beatles back catalogue was finally coming to iTunes, unfortunately that’s not actually the case. I swear, it’s like Lucy and the football. Eventually, a deal will be made. There’s too much money to be made for there not to be a deal. Not just in digitial distribution, but inContinue reading “On Some Beatles Updates”
On Testing the Emergency Broadcast System
Whhhhoooooopppppppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. The broadcasters of your area in voluntary cooperation with the FCC and federal, state and local authorities have developed this system to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual emergency, you would have been instructed where toContinue reading “On Testing the Emergency Broadcast System”
On the Five Year Anniversary
Five years ago today the United States invaded Iraq. In that time, four thousand American soldiers have died. In that time, countless Iraqis have died. Some of the casualty estimates I’ve seen are appalling. Despite a speech proclaiming that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended” six weeks after the start of the war, thereContinue reading “On the Five Year Anniversary”