By Ryan NistlerIt’s been rather interesting to watch the theatrics regarding the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Here is a law that, according to recent polls, most Americans support repealing. And yet, the law remains on the books following the Defense Authorization Bill’s aborted run through the U.S. Senate. When opponents of the repeal were confronted with questions why they did not support it, two notable excuses included a perceived lack of debate regarding the amendment to frustration that legislature should wait for the military to consider...
Thursday, 30 September 2010
By Adam Baumli, JD.If you happened to be negatively affected by the Economic Recession, you lost some or all of your income, your house decreased in value, you ended up losing your house, and your nightmare does not end there. For many, this economic recession has been one long nightmare with different dreams that cause sleepless nights, frequent worry, and endless frustration. Some people end up losing their home. There are two ways to lose your house: you can lose it through foreclosure, or you can short sell your house. A short sell is where...
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
By Sean TurnerThis is my first guest post frankly on anything. I think I’ll ease into it with some dialogue on TAE’s thoughts on automated vehicles. I admit when I first read about TAE’s thoughts on automated vehicles here, here, here, and here (as well as possibly other posts I’ve missed) I disagreed. I thought that while the majority of people piloting their vehicles were incompetent and mindless, that I wouldn’t give up my “right” to drive my own vehicle. Let me put some background behind this.I have always been interested in cars and racing....
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
By Mark StongerWhenever I’m scrolling through the online news of the day, I usually take the time to glance through the headlines of my chosen profession, psychology. I like to see what psychological topics have made headlines, as well as reading how the psychological information has been interpreted in an article. I was catching up on the news of the day when an article caught my eye: “Battling the Boys: Educators Grapple with Violent Play.” Alright, I’ll bite-what is this all about? The news story leads with a seemingly factual statement, saying...
Monday, 27 September 2010
TAE is off this week to the ASME SMASIS 2010. That is, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Smart Materials and Structures International Symposium 2010. My plan is to spend three days learning by osmosis; having no original thoughts myself, I do my best when I can amalgamate the great ideas of two or more other people into a unique new idea and then take the credit myself...In any case, in anticipation of this I have opened my blog to a few friends...guest bloggers if you will. They have each submitted an essay which I will neither edit...
Ezra Klein: Our immigration policy should be primarily oriented around our national goals. And one goal is to have the world's most innovative and dynamic economy. It's never going to be the case that each and every one of the planet's most talented individuals is born on U.S. soil. But those born elsewhere could be lured here. People like living here. We should be leveraging that advantage, mercilessly roaming the globe to find the most talented people and attract them to our country - like Dog the Bounty Hunter, but for particularly...
In high school, I had to write an essay about "anything" and make it sound convincing. I wrote that if you could make titanium into a foam, rather than a solid rod of metal, it would make a much more biocompatible implant. The bones around the implant would be less likely to degrade, I wrote. This was 1999. Fast forward 11 years: Now Quadbeck and colleagues have created a titanium implant with a foam-like structure, inspired by the spongy nature of bone. The titanium foam does a better job than solid metal when it comes to matching the mechanical...
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
"There is a massive nationwide shortage of ammunition in the United States, as right-wing fanatics horde ammunition and guns." - KosSimply not true. Ammunition sales have tapered off since January 2009, and are currently at 2006 levels. TAE reports personally that handgun ammo was hard to find at the beginning of 2009, but for most of 2010 has been and currently is fully stocked at the local Cabela's. Currently, ammo is on sal...
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Lately, TAE has been pondering the different way the human mind stores mental memories versus smell memories or sound memories. For example if I asked you to picture in your head what your mom looks like, you could probably conjure up a pretty fair image of her. But if I asked you to picture in your head what she smells like, you will almost certainly draw a blank. Sure, you could say "she smells of lilac" but you wouldn't be able to actually remember the smell of lilac such that your brain is filled with the remembrance of the scent.However, if...
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
TAE honestly, succinctly praises women. Especially coming from a field like engineering, which is pointlessly dominated by men. Women are every bit as gifted mentally as men, and in some ways their unique traits, like their ability to invest more wisely than men, their ability to concentrate for longer periods than men, and their ability to multitask better than men all are very helpful traits for an engineer.With more women graduating college than men in America, and the ratio of graduate students having distinctly swung to women, it is no wonder...
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Freddie comes out of hiding to explain why he is not blogging....and since I am still egoist enough to assume that some care-- there are many reasons I could tell you for my stopping, and most of them true, but ultimately it comes down to simply this: I am incapable of writing on the Internet without becoming an asshole. This fact has asserted itself to me again and again. And while I believe the blogosphere is a narrow-minded and vulgar space,...
The media is like this big bunch of slobbering puppies when it comes to Stephen Hawking quotes. "Stephen Hawking fears alien invasion." "Stephen Hawking Thinks God is Pointless." "Stephen Hawking Says Time Travel is Possible." "Stephen Hawking Likes Justin Bieber."While I do admire the many accolades of Stephen Hawking, and hope he is remembered forever as a brilliant scientist, the fact is that he is one of thousands of brilliant physicists, is but one voice amongst 7 billion, and honestly, what significant scientific contribution has he made...
Friday, 10 September 2010
Here's an overdone movie plot for you: a man defines himself at an early age as a prodigy in his field. He has daddy issues, because his dad means a lot to him. He quickly intimidates and dominates all his competition. After a short period of utter domination, he falls in love with a girl. The movie picks up the ominous steam here, as his fame causes him to be tempted by the wiles of many a cheap, gorgeous harlot. Soon, he slips; he is tempted away from his faithful and beautiful wife, and disappoints his all-too-important father. Things begin...
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Am I supposed to sympathize when images like this show a huge mansion, alone in what once was beautiful woods,reduced to a pile of ashes next to their lucrative, private tennis court? Honestly, sympathy for the rich is a little hard at times.Meanwhile, in two years their house will be rebuilt via homeowner's insurance, the surrounding fields of formerly pine trees will be a lush carpet of wildflowers and grass, elk will play in their backyard, the Pine Borer beetle will suffer a setback, and the local and regional ecosystem will get a boost in...
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
I have to admit I have a dog in the fight when it comes to the diagnosis and medication of America's hyperactive youth. Both sides of this conflict are clearly defined. On the one hand, you have people who claim that some kids need the (ADD and ADHD) medication in order to keep up with their peers, in order to not be a distraction in the classroom, or in order to not coerce an unfair amount of a teacher's time. These people tend to blame parents for producing hyperactive, or certainly frenetic, children and not teach them self-control. Or they...
Friday, 3 September 2010
Technically this isn't a "poem" it is a song, but because it follows a strict AAAB, CCCD quartrain pattern, I felt it was close enough."The Ballad of Love and Hate," by The Avett Brothers.Love writes a letter and sends it to Hate.My vacation's ending. I'm coming home late.The weather was fine and the ocean was greatand I can't wait to see you again. Hate reads the letter and throws it away."No one here cares if you go or you stay.I barely even noticed that you were away.I'll see you or I won't, whatever."Love sings a song as she sails through...
A Reader Answers Conor's Query: Science is one of the most misunderstood professions in America. There are several reasons for this: 1. No one really understands the science itself. Science is hard and unless someone is a dedicated science enthusiast (nerd), they're not going to take the time to understand the subtleties of emerging scientific discoveries. This leads to a lot of sketchy reporting on science by the media and complete misinterpretation by a large part of society. 2. Science is not a serious focus in American public schools....
With an Arduino Duemilanove on the way, TAE is considering what his first few projects should be. Back at the beginning of the year, I mentioned that I'd like to experiment with sous-vide cooking. Unfortunately it turns out that the cheapest "at-home" sous-vide cooker is $449, which is ridiculous. This New York Times article details the Sous-Vide Supreme, and suggests that a DIY sous-vide system would cost in the neighborhood of $1,500 to make on your own. The article then goes on to suggest that the SousVideMagic device, a PID controller to maintain...
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Lee’s hand shook as he filled the delicate cups. He drank his down in one gulp. “Don’t you see?” he cried. “The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt,’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest...
Theodore Roosevelt: The American grizzly is a symbol of the American character: strength, intelligence, ferocity. Maybe a little blind and reckless at times... but courageous beyond all doubt. And one other trait that goes with all previous.Reporter: And that, Mr. President?Theodore Roosevelt: Loneliness. The American grizzly lives out his life alone. Indomitable, unconquered - but always alone. He has no real allies, only enemies, but none of them as great as he.Reporter: And you feel this might be an American trait?Theodore Roosevelt: Certainly....
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
So everyone knows the government secretly uses contrails to actually produce chemtrails. These chemtrails are being used from everything from releasing hormones to keep people from revolting to controlling the weather. It's true, just look at the evidence.Lately reports have surfaced that the drones in Pakistan have been busier than ever, doing whatever the Government wants them to, from attacking militants to spying to who knows.And now Pakistan is having the worst floods in decades. Could it be that the new tactic the US Government is using to...
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