tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87631272011-07-14T14:26:20.914-07:00Politics, spirituality, psychology, philosophy, poetry.Muxnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1118042114620013672005-06-06T00:11:00.000-07:002005-06-06T00:15:14.626-07:00

Did Michael Crichton (famous guy, writes "thrillers" that turn into movies that suck, but I liked the dinosaurs) just debunk the entire environmental movement?Have a read of a review of his new book "State of Fear" by Reason.Here's yer link:http://www.reason.com/0505/cr.rb.the.shtmlWhether he did or didn't, a writer of Crichton's "caliber" is sure to have an impact with this controversial

Muxnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1112674783765134132005-04-04T20:50:00.000-07:002005-04-04T21:19:43.766-07:00

So quite a few of my heroes are likely people you've never, or barely heard of (Pasteur, sure, but Norman Borlaug? Anybody? Saved ~1.2 billion people by 1975 via agrigenetics, and that number's still climbing - prob'ly around 3 bilion at this point), but here's a story about a guy who saved everyone 22 years ago.In 1983, via colossal Soviet Fuckup, Stanislav Petrov was ordered to launch the nukes

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1111267488203344352005-03-19T13:52:00.000-07:002005-03-19T14:24:48.206-07:00

Hey all,Things've vaguely stabilized on my front - I'm pursuing some serious sci/mgt opportunities, wrapping up some d'lightful papers at the Cancer Center, and (shamelessly) stalling on prepping a 1 hour scientific presentation as part of an interview in Cali next week just now. So R., a good friend of mine who also happens to be an envirosci student, is engaging in an discussion of global

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1110705127650803102005-03-13T01:45:00.000-07:002005-03-13T10:56:30.013-07:00

"If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha." so insisted a page in my little Zen Companion, apparently betraying me to my new acquaintance, Bun San, a monk living in Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture.The book had served me so well, so many gems...so many mental jungle-gyms it had provided, each one available to repeatedly offer a shifting mirror to the spectacles of daily life.As I walked next to the old

Corwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050990000407155571noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1109634600656250162005-02-28T16:08:00.000-07:002005-02-28T16:50:00.656-07:00

A quick break from the jobhunt/bizplan...A Palo Alto (California ) start-up, named Nanosolar Inc., claims that it has developed a commercial scale technology that can deliver solar electricity at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour. That's cheaper than most conventional energy generation methods, and if true, will change everything. (via these guys, so don't sell the farm just yet....).

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1109365584161176102005-02-25T13:09:00.000-07:002005-02-25T14:06:24.163-07:00

Errr.... . . . .Well, what to say--Funny, is life.When I started this blog, I committed to writing in it regularly. I have apparently failed in my commitment to do so, and, what's more, I didn't even let you all know what was going on. I just up and disappeared. Kinda rude, actually. Sorry!I guess life started happening so fast that I couldn't stop to comment on it. I tried to a few times, but by

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1109225370057665372005-02-23T22:43:00.000-07:002005-02-23T23:09:30.063-07:00

Hey, Layli - I'm currently between jobhunting, cadging together a business plan and quivering in wretched anxiety, but for what it's worth, my top 3 for the most controversial/riveting/popular scientific issues would go something like this:Controversial: It's now possible to generate animal-human hybrids by a plethora of methods. The chinese are transferring human nuclei into rabbit eggs to

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1109125480466621762005-02-22T19:23:00.000-07:002005-02-22T19:24:40.466-07:00

Hey,Scientists: what are 3 of the most controversial/riveting/popular scientific discoveries/developments that Americans should know about and generate an opinion on?I'm writing a science literacy curriculum unit and I need to know!Soonish.Please comment.

Laylihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14513951354411535171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1108250558204788582005-02-12T15:38:00.000-07:002005-02-13T22:22:43.923-07:00

Greetings. As I've grown tired of lobbing grenades from the sidelines, giving some of my best lines --both liberal and laughable-- to my friends, I thought I'd start taking ownership of my contributions with some direct commentary.(Thanks for the invite, Mookie!)Granted, I have much leftist indignation to explore...Forthwith, I look forward to discussing Chimaeric biotech involving humans as well

Corwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050990000407155571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1108020246875876552005-02-10T01:01:00.000-07:002005-02-10T00:24:06.876-07:00

As some Dear Readers know, it's, ah, been an eventful week. I'll spare you the tepid details - suffice it to say, change is good, and it's uncertain when I'll get the chance to post again (it all depends on the angels - and I mean that in the bootstrapping sense of the term). I'm sure Schpankhtar can relate, eh? The stars align, and everything changes, and nothing is ever the same again. I may

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1107642357899036672005-02-05T15:07:00.000-07:002005-02-05T15:25:57.900-07:00

Hellloooo? Here's a thought: Raisin Bran Crunch. I was introduced to this delicious little-bit-o-breakfast heaven over my trip to Seattle recently. I now go to bed at night thinking fondly of arising and eating a big bowl of RBC the next morning. Seriously. I haven't enjoyed this kind of food fascination in some time. Nearly 8 years ago, the previous Captain of my Heart was the now long

Laylihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14513951354411535171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1106971754417273002005-01-28T21:05:00.001-07:002008-04-10T10:50:29.842-07:00

Powered has asked that I post this enjoyable and also edifying news story.Mooks

Muxnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1106596163070717172005-01-24T01:28:00.000-07:002005-01-24T12:49:23.070-07:00

The 10 Worst Corporations of 2004 By Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman When the Multinational Monitor judges gather to pick the 10 worst corporations of the year, one of their instructions is: name no companies that appeared on the previous year's list (barring extraordinary circumstances). For the 2004 list, that means no Bayer (even though in 2004 the company pushed for import of

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1106267411844530552005-01-20T17:22:00.001-07:002005-01-20T17:30:11.843-07:00

Doctors Without Borders has published this list of underreported humanitarian crises. I am going to go curl up in the fetal position and wonder...

Laylihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14513951354411535171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1106249686797519362005-01-20T10:04:00.000-07:002005-01-21T14:30:30.813-07:00

CNN Poll: Nation split on Bush as uniter or divider Apparently, Forty-nine percent of 1,007 adult Americans said in phone interviews they believe Bush is a "uniter," according to the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Wednesday. Another 49 percent called him a "divider," and 2 percent had no opinion. Bwa ha ha! Seriously though, this really points to the two separate realities partisans seem

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1106177037706339832005-01-19T16:10:00.000-07:002005-01-19T16:27:56.090-07:00

This from Andrew Sullivan today: ". . .we do know from Gonzales' documents released yesterday that the Bush administration wants to reserve the right to torture detainees for the CIA. Rice has also confirmed this. They refuse to specify what "coercive interrogation techniques" they are sanctioning for security reasons. They say they don't want to tip off al Qaeda. So we don't have a right to

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1106175835103161272005-01-19T15:38:00.000-07:002005-01-19T16:03:55.103-07:00

Exciting news! The Mookblog has just added another major player to the ranks of the mook-annointed ("Mookssiahs"? Oh, wow, that's bad-- I can't believe I'm going to leave that in here): Congratulations Russ Klein! Russ has been fueling discussion here at the Mookblog for some time already, acting as the number one contributor of hat-tipped links via email. I don't always agree with

Muxnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1106173949419021302005-01-19T15:05:00.000-07:002005-01-19T15:37:35.036-07:00

I must say, I am enjoying this Brawl o' the Brainy immensely. The only thing hotter than a libertarian scientist and a public-interest NGO lawyer duking it out over federal regulation of genetically engineered foods is. . . well, really, nothing else comes to mind. Sexy! Richard Caplan, U.S. PIRG's Clean Water and Food Safety Advocate, responds below to GeneThug's earlier post entitled: "

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1106165533321141492005-01-19T13:00:00.000-07:002005-01-19T13:12:13.323-07:00

"If finite games must be externally bounded by time, space, and number, they must also have internal limitations on what the players can do to and with each other. To agree on internal limitations is to establish rules of play. The rules will be different for each finite game. It is, in fact, by knowing what the rules are that we know what the games is. What the rules establish is a range of

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105774699370805512005-01-18T01:01:00.000-07:002005-01-19T00:43:55.283-07:00

Sure, “little” and “wearing latex gloves”, I’ll grant you that. Oh, and “men” too. Definitely. But sniggering? Sniggering?! Puh-lease. I've always considered myself a cackler, don'cha know. ;) FWIW, the previous rant was intended as a dashed off comment rather than a post, and should be read as a reply rather than a proper assertion of position post per se (I'd've changed the wording a bit,

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105601273085177072005-01-15T01:53:00.000-07:002005-01-15T01:53:59.400-07:00

My parents converted to Islam before I was born. I don't know the details of their conversion at all, other than that it was a reaction to a spiritual direction they felt to follow as a result of their involvement with Subud-- see this post for details regarding-- they will be very relevant to the following passage. They asked the founder of Subud, a great spiritual master affectionately known

Muxnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105752180687487692005-01-14T17:41:00.000-07:002005-01-14T23:51:51.600-07:00

Oh, it is on. Apparently, Russ Klein (who is hence forth to be nick-named "Squeaky"-- referring both to that proverbial wheel and to the edgy cleanliness of his new mustachios) took one look at GeneThug's rabidly ranted response to Russ' post favoring U.S. PIRG's anti-corporate position (who'd a thunk?) on genetically modified foods, threw his hands into the air, and ran squealing (oh, there's a

Muxnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105688858152776272005-01-14T01:41:00.000-07:002005-01-14T00:49:45.566-07:00

Hat tip Russ Klein: Pentagon reveals rejected chemical weapons 15 January 2005 From New Scientist Print Edition. THE Pentagon considered developing a host of non-lethal chemical weapons that would disrupt discipline and morale among enemy troops, newly declassified documents reveal. Most bizarre among the plans was one for the development of an "aphrodisiac" chemical weapon that would make

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105642637835763072005-01-13T11:46:00.000-07:002005-01-13T11:57:17.836-07:00

Now this is a statistic I'd like to sink my teeth into, from Time: "When Jigme Singye Wangchuck was crowned king of the Himalayan nation of Bhutan in 1972, he declared he was more concerned with “Gross National Happiness” than with Gross Domestic Product. This probably didn’t come as a surprise to the forest-laden country’s 810,000 to 2.2 million (estimates vary greatly) residents, most of whom

Laylihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14513951354411535171noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105579816959450582005-01-12T18:29:00.000-07:002005-01-12T18:36:34.020-07:00

Just what you need when you aren't happiness incarnate like Mookie & Keri. Check out the frollicking and irreverant advice from the rabbit. Somehow, the profanity eases the sentimentality. Love, my little dumplings, is worth the effort, and the effort lies in cultivating the right attitude about the world around you. Believing in your f***ing place in the world, being a little bit romantic

Laylihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14513951354411535171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105565260005336742005-01-12T14:23:00.000-07:002005-01-12T14:28:39.963-07:00

From Slate: "Send a Message to God: He has gone too far this time." By Heather Mac Donald Posted Monday, Jan. 10, 2005, at 11:59 AM PT In the wake of the tsunami disaster, it's time for believers to take a more proactive role in world events. It's time to boycott God. Centuries of uncritical worship have clearly produced a monster. God knows that he can sit passively by while human life is

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105564520502368242005-01-12T14:11:00.000-07:002005-01-12T14:15:20.503-07:00

SEOUL (AFP) - Stalinist North Korea has stepped up its campaign against long hair and untidy attire which its media says represents a "corrupt capitalist" lifestyle, reports said. North Korean state television, radio and newspapers have led the grooming drive, urging people to cut their hair short and to dress tidily, the BBC said in a dispatch citing broadcasts from Pyongyang. Men were asked

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105563669624206542005-01-12T13:59:00.000-07:002005-01-12T14:16:19.973-07:00

From the Oxblog: A FRIEND JUST POINTED ME TO this very interesting obituary of Sidney Morgenbesser from the NYT Mag. I had never heard of Morgenbesser, but he sounds wonderful and fascinating. Best anecdote: The most widely circulated tale -- in many renditions it is even presented as a joke, not the true story that it is -- was his encounter with the Oxford philosopher J. L. Austin. During a

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105563053315658372005-01-12T13:45:00.000-07:002005-01-12T13:50:53.316-07:00

(A reaction to the "Russ On Franken-Carrots" post. This needs to be read.) "Rabid"? Hardly. Look. If your friend believes that, say, businesses are Evil, or that the massive-but-random retroviral mediated gene transfer and cross hybridization that occurs in nature confers some sacred "purity" that purposeful genetic transfer defiles, that technological progress to increase food production and

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105377514524176292005-01-10T09:58:00.000-07:002005-01-10T17:20:28.263-07:00

Says Russ: Mu, I agree with PIRG here. If U2 agree, alert your following masses... U.S. PIRG : help stop contamination of the food supply Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 17:36:09 -0500 Dear U.S. PIRG supporter, The Bush administration is proposing to let huge agricultural conglomerates off the hook for contamination of our food supply by genetically engineered crops. This unscientific approach is

Muxnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105376173393766522005-01-10T09:53:00.000-07:002005-01-10T09:56:13.393-07:00

Mux, For anyone who loves a word challenge.... Russ ***********BEGIN LEFTIST PITCH*************** Hi! I thought you'd want to know about a contest being held by New American Dream at http://www.newdream.org/prius/index.php?contest_source=8 -- they're giving away a car! All you have to do is write a ten word (or less) slogan that tells automakers to bring more efficient hybrid vehicles to

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105347418028517882005-01-10T01:56:00.000-07:002005-01-10T02:19:04.376-07:00

Hi ho, loyal Mookbloggers! I promise this isn't gonna read like some spoofy article from the Onion: "Local Man Starts Blog, Quits Posting Two Months Later," subtitled: "Finally Gets A Life." Au contrare, mes amis--nothing could be further, I say! Truly, I have every intention of keeping this blog moving full speed ahead into this so-far fantastic new year, but life really has hit me like a bus

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105288247663461482005-01-09T09:29:00.000-07:002005-01-10T18:21:15.540-07:00

Officiandos of blogs are quite familiar with the ritual of Friday Cat Blogging. Here is some of the cutest I've ever seen. Sorry, couldn't help it. Update: Link fixed.

Laylihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14513951354411535171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105042009942578112005-01-06T13:23:00.000-07:002005-01-06T13:09:11.186-07:00

Some of you have probably never seen a picture of my lovely wife, Keri Myrna Elizabeth Ramsey. Here she is! Could she be any cuter? Me thinks not.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105041458246968832005-01-06T13:22:00.000-07:002005-01-06T12:57:38.246-07:00

Thanks to all of you who called and emailed to wish me a happy birthday yesterday! It really was a wonderful day for me. Highlights: --Taught a pilates class at 7am in the morning-- always a great way to start any day. --Was treated to a lovely traditional Ramsey family breakfast of grits, eggs over-easy, and turkey bacon all mashed together by my lovely wife.--Answered cards and phone calls

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105042693092293362005-01-06T13:17:00.000-07:002005-01-06T13:20:07.883-07:00

And a hearty congratulations to my dear brother, Gary Musisko, and his girlfriend, Jen-- I cannot wait to meet your new son. Love to you all, Mukhtar

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1105039292747946372005-01-06T13:16:00.000-07:002005-01-06T12:21:32.746-07:00

Helloooooooo there! AH! Feels good to be back a'blogging again! So much to say! I'll start with this-- "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Here's to another year of Mookness all round. Cheerio! Mooks

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1104955974402191632005-01-05T13:59:00.000-07:002005-01-05T13:12:54.403-07:00

Well, this blew my mind.... periodically, the always excellent folks at www.edge.org ask their stable of geniuses in physics, molecular biology, neuropsychology, et. al., to pontificate on an intriguing question, and post their replies. The 2005 annual question is: "WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS TRUE EVEN THOUGH YOU CANNOT PROVE IT?" Brain candy of the chewiest, stickiest sort. FWIW, I really enjoyed

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1104884075501989672005-01-04T16:29:00.000-07:002005-01-05T09:12:52.533-07:00

Before I forget (/rimshot), there was a recent scientific finding that any nearby people with brains may want to be aware of (via boing boing). Apparently, turmeric, the ingredient in curry that makes it yellow, contains a molecule called curcumin that provides a protective benefit against Alzheimers, by preventing the formation of beta-amyloid plaques (the accumulation of which tend to form 3-

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1104866899231726482005-01-04T13:23:00.000-07:002005-01-04T12:28:19.233-07:00

Just got home from a fantastic holiday with family in the Washington DC area, and I am taking a little time to get settled into the new year. January 5th is my birthday, (turning 32, thanks), so I figure I'll take today and tomorrow off to celebrate. But wow is there alot to talk about. Looking forward to it. Cheerio! Mooks

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103909512672561082004-12-24T10:30:00.000-07:002004-12-24T10:31:52.673-07:00

Okay, not really. But I think it is very fun right now to look outside my Houston, TX window and see SNOW FALLING! The palm trees are very confused. Happy Holidays!

Laylihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14513951354411535171noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103762160833879902004-12-22T17:07:00.000-07:002004-12-22T17:36:00.833-07:00

My postings will likely crater for about a fortnight, as holidays and relentlesss, remorseless gaming ensues, and net access is dubious. So as a start at an overview of the Middle East that might not necessarily be dominant in the MSM (main stream media), this essay by Harari (via an excellent series of links here) is a good starting point. There are plenty of other folks to datamine as well,

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103776588048504692004-12-22T17:05:00.000-07:002004-12-22T21:36:28.046-07:00

And seein' as its me that'll be on the receiving end of our dearest GeneThug's game-table thuggery over the next couple weeks, you can bet I'll be blog-blocked til next year, too. 'Til then, here's to a truly great couple months knocking skulls together on this here web log-- thanks for tuning in, and I look forward to more Mook madness with you all in '05! The future is very bright! Cheerio,

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103753262626036032004-12-22T15:02:00.000-07:002004-12-22T21:24:30.096-07:00

Here's a start to the psychology part of the Mookblog, as promised by the header. A very nice bit of pre-holiday family-feuding advice follows. It may look like a short list, but there's a lifetime of wisdom in this, The Principles of Dialogue: Listen with all of your attention with respect for everyone’s voice without fixing, problem solving, advice giving Suspend Certainty don’t let “what

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103733298120173162004-12-22T09:28:00.000-07:002004-12-22T09:34:58.120-07:00

So who does this remind you of? I laughed jasmine tea all over my monitor. More here.

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103674140090938962004-12-21T16:57:00.000-07:002004-12-21T17:12:35.083-07:00

As many of you know, I'm opening a Yakety Yak Wireless Store (a franchise) with Matt Destombe, a good friend of mine. He and I now need a name for our partnership, which will be established as an LLC. Suggestions would be much appreciated! (Disclaimer: you can forget about any royalties or rights other than "bragging," bub-- if we use anything offered here it comes free of charge by you. But

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103668246486163492004-12-21T15:25:00.000-07:002004-12-21T15:30:46.486-07:00

Hello dears! I've decided the Mookblog needs a moment of holiday happiness to brighten our day! Here are my two toothy friends from those Quiznos Sub commercials spreading their freaky joy to the world. Let's all hold hands and join in! (Fine, the music isn't exactly typical of the Christmas repetoire, but it sure is festive, eh?) Warning! This is noisy.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103674513288047422004-12-21T15:16:00.000-07:002004-12-21T17:15:13.286-07:00

As requested, here is a pretty thorough review of bad/flawed arguments, in the interest of understanding what makes an argument effective, or at the very least well reasoned. The poster on atheism web (where I found the link) was interested in only having really good debates about theism, and was tired of spurious arguments by both sides; a laudable goal, regardless of any questions regarding

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103667724018694272004-12-21T15:00:00.000-07:002004-12-21T15:22:45.760-07:00

We've entered another unfashionable period for the War in Iraq, according to a new poll. Apparently, a majority of Americans think that our security has improved over the long-term as a result of the conflict, but that the cost in troops hasn't been worth it. Money quote: While a slight majority believe the Iraq war contributed to the long-term security of the United States, 70 percent of

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103665412373908282004-12-21T13:40:00.000-07:002004-12-21T17:11:16.076-07:00

Hi folks! I'm back from a weekend of unrestrained and unimagineably macabre Chinese torture and have lived to tell of it! "Mook! Surely your final exams weren't that bad?" I hear you ask/exclaim. "Ha ha ha har har har hee hee har!" Is how I reply. And just to show how threaded is the fabric of my very soul from this experience, I will now give you your own ten question quiz on OMT with real

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103647759633143782004-12-21T09:27:00.000-07:002004-12-21T09:49:19.633-07:00

The lovely gentleman over at conscientia alerted me to this article about Autism Activists. I have to say, I am very sympathetic to their goals. Don't cure it, understand it and treat us with civility. Understand that Asberger's Syndrome (depicted in the movie "Rainman") is VERY different from the more severe and profound disability of Autism, where the person can have almost no language

Laylihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14513951354411535171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103581476159196512004-12-20T13:10:00.000-07:002004-12-20T15:24:36.160-07:00

A quick break from political agonizing - very exciting news on the applied materials chemistry front. A group of pan-European researchers/entrepeneurs are rolling out plastic sheets of solar cells, at a (projected) 1 Euro/watt cost and (projected) 10% conversion efficiency (lots of other groups are doing the same, as reported by the always interesting and multiply linked to futurepundit). Now

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103570059920714692004-12-20T11:23:00.000-07:002004-12-20T12:14:19.920-07:00

Before we go into a tutorial on Middle Eastern Resources (which will, regardless of where one sits on the various religious/nationalistic/population divides, be an unpleasant and hopefully educational process), I thought it might be helpful to post a few thoughts, and a very good lecture. 1) Hyperbole aside, I doubt that anyone reading this is particularly bloodthirsty or craven on the issue of

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103478102345340872004-12-19T10:40:00.000-07:002004-12-20T12:27:20.986-07:00

Taking final exams today and yesterday. . . Blog you later. UPDATE: My last final is tonight (Monday). Anatomy and Physiology-- promises to be insanely hard. But so far I am kicking exam arse-- wish me luck and forgive me for ignoring me blog one more day . . .

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103330249241169712004-12-17T17:17:00.000-07:002004-12-17T17:37:29.240-07:00

Mookie made some fine, thoughtful, and reasonable points in his reply to my reply (below), and while I look forward to CRUSHING them over many hours of Catan soon ( ;) ), I thought I'd post my initial response here. > Yglesias contends that War with Iran is more likely to occur because the Bushies are reckless, snooty, and insular." Those are your words, not his. Sure. Yglesias's specific

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103328356646200902004-12-17T16:32:00.000-07:002004-12-17T17:22:28.596-07:00

I really like that. "Underwar." You heard it here first. Refers of course to Iran's coming victory in the January elections in Iraq. I'll be spending my Christmas holiday practicing my most annoying "told you so" voice. Ignatius has this to say about it in the Washington Post today. Money quote: Iran is about to hit the jackpot in Iraq, wagering the blood and treasure of the United States.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103313418534331642004-12-17T13:44:00.000-07:002004-12-17T12:57:40.360-07:00

Congratulations to Ben and Steven, my wee-little and highly endearing brothers, for starting their own Mook-inspired blogs! Enter the minds of a fourteen and thirteen year-old (respectively) if ye dare. The Mookblog will go ahead and take credit for inspiring one more blogger still, that being Gary Musisko, a person not of small stature at all--he is our modern (and as yet undiscovered) Elvis

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103312619490579042004-12-17T13:32:00.000-07:002004-12-17T12:43:39.490-07:00

If you haven't yet read any of the "poetry" (that is, actual statements to the press re-written as verse) by Donald Rumsfeld, (and I know many of you have, sorry to bore you-- but those that haven't really aught to), then please enjoy the following. It's spectacular. Courtesy of Slate. The Unknown As we know, There are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know There are

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103311320235130562004-12-17T13:06:00.000-07:002004-12-17T12:22:00.236-07:00

Oh yeah-- so, my scooter officially won't be going anywhere anymore-- at least, not with me on it. For one, it won't start. This is because the kick-starter fell off of it sometime ago. Just fell off, and I don't know where. And now the electric starter won't work either, God only knows why. For two, I'm sick of the thing-- I believe it gave me an attack of "wind-cold," as the Chinese would

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103310388343610312004-12-17T13:02:00.000-07:002004-12-17T12:22:34.663-07:00

So you can see I had a busy day, yesterday-- that would explain the light blogging. That, and the fact that I have all my final exams this weekend. And when they're done, I'm heading home for the holidays. I guess I may as well ask you for an extended pardon and excuse myself for a while. I'll still try and post regularly-- it just won't be at the rabid rate I was at before. I have every

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103310049651478972004-12-17T11:31:00.000-07:002004-12-17T12:31:27.646-07:00

So I bought a large retail business yesterday. It's that wireless/cellphone store I mentioned previously. It's called "Yakety Yak"-- a franchise, actually. Catchy name. We'll sell cellphones by the sea shore-- all the name brands-- Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, etc., in one place. It'll be in a really high traffic location-- a packed strip-mall ten minutes from my home, right next to a Blockbuster, a

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103220214688516242004-12-16T11:00:00.000-07:002004-12-16T11:03:34.690-07:00

Catch the much trumped SciFi special "The Legend of Earthsea?" It was based on Ursula LeGuin's (love that name) truly awesome books "The Wizard of Earthsea" and "The Tombs of Atuan"-- childhood favorites of mine. Turns out Ursula's pissed. Slate has the story, titled: "A Whitewashed Earthsea: How the Sci Fi Channel wrecked my books." Written by the author herself.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103219781661079802004-12-16T10:53:00.000-07:002004-12-16T10:58:53.356-07:00

From the Political Wire: The latest Gallup poll shows a "historic surge" in Republican party affiliation, with those identifying themselves as Republicans jumping to 37% of the public, with Democrats trailing with just 32%. Also, this: President Bush "dominated the South so completely in last month's presidential election that he carried nearly 85% of all the counties across the region -- and

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103219509884616792004-12-16T10:47:00.000-07:002004-12-16T10:51:49.886-07:00

That's right! We've got another newly annointed Mook! And this one's been a fan of Mookness for a long time, now. She likes it so much she married it. Introducing my lovely wife, Myrna. A.K.A., "Keri." Or vice versa. You pick. Love you, Sweet pea!

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103218416001382092004-12-16T10:27:00.000-07:002004-12-16T10:33:36.000-07:00

I was so happy to read this article on cnn today. Apparently there’s a power plant in Benson, Minnesota that runs 90 percent on turkey dung. They expect that it will produce enough clean power for 55,000 homes. In PA we were allowed to decide where our electricity came from (i.e. wind power, coal, etc.). Imagine if one of the options to check was turkey dung. Gobble gobble!

Myrnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15300517691514896085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103158147290009442004-12-15T17:41:00.000-07:002004-12-15T17:49:07.290-07:00

The lady who works at mys school's clinic front desk from 12PM to 9:30PM on Wednesdays is the birthday girl today, so I'm picking up this killer-shift for her. I'll be a'blogging more tonight and tomorrow. In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves . . .

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103143812744789932004-12-15T11:41:00.000-07:002004-12-15T13:58:30.923-07:00

So as one of my guiltier pleasures, I LOVE outre art (part of my "anywhere/when but here" thang, I guess). Javanese Gamelan performed by elephants? Check. Art by psychopaths and chimps? You bet. Dogs barking Xmas tunes? I'm there. Creepily, I'm also a bit of a snob, so I only like really "good" crank art. So... I was just delighted to hear on NPR yesterday that Google is scanning in the NY

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103079134388657872004-12-14T19:41:00.000-07:002004-12-14T19:52:14.390-07:00

Last Friday was a funny day-- I called into work (at my school's clinic front-desk) to say I'd be a little late, only to hear that I wasn't needed anymore. Don't worry, I wasn't fired. They hired a clinic manager to take over my shift and wanted me to do student recruitment for admissions instead-- a much better job. Later that day, I met with the new director for the Arizona Public Interest

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103067813831152952004-12-14T16:41:00.000-07:002004-12-14T16:43:33.830-07:00

It's fun, and it took me an hour just to figure out how to set it up. You'll find it in white text on black in the margin to the right. Have at it!

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103063292935615972004-12-14T15:22:00.000-07:002004-12-14T15:28:12.936-07:00

Al Jazeera's Sci-Tech section fascinates Mook once again, this time with a piece on a truly inspiring new x-ray replacement technology. "[T-rays] can see through clothing, plastic and packaging well enough to identify explosives, guns or even biological weapons instantly and accurately." "Because T-rays are low energy, they are also safe to use around people, unlike X-rays." "They can even

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103062270492774142004-12-14T15:04:00.000-07:002004-12-14T15:11:10.493-07:00

From the Guardian: This year's Literary Review Bad Sex award goes to Tom Wolf, for his latest novel "I Am Charlotte Simmons." The annual prize is awarded to the worst description of sex in a contemporary novel. Wolfe triumphed with the following - edited - passage: "Hoyt began moving his lips as if he were trying to suck the ice cream off the top of a cone without using his teeth ... Slither

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103061535651519842004-12-14T14:56:00.000-07:002004-12-14T14:58:55.650-07:00

"Finite games can be played within an infinite game, but an infinite game cannot be played within a finite game. Infinite players regard their wins and losses in whatever finite games they play as but moments in continuing play." From James Carse's "Finite and Infinite Games."

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1103060282792485322004-12-14T14:30:00.000-07:002004-12-14T15:47:39.896-07:00

Hi ho-- GeneThug comments here. My response as follows. GT: "Both Zakaria and Yglesias seem like bright guys, but seem to have completely overlooked in their analysis two crucial members of the conflict: Iran and Israel." Mook: But Zakaria does not overlook Israel-- check the first link: "And then there is Israel, which has long seen Iran as its greatest threat. It is unlikely to sit

Muxnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102988286579617772004-12-13T18:37:00.000-07:002004-12-13T18:38:06.580-07:00

A Thought On Death When life as opening buds is sweet, And golden hopes the fancy greet, And Youth prepares his joys to meet,-- Alas! how hard it is to die! When just is seized some valued prize, And duties press, and tender ties Forbid the soul from earth to rise,-- How awful then it is to die! When, one by one, those ties are torn, And friend from friend is snatched forlorn, And man is left

Laylihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14513951354411535171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102988185992500002004-12-13T18:28:00.000-07:002004-12-13T18:36:25.993-07:00

measure every grief... I measure every grief I meet With analytic eyes; I wonder if it weighs like mine, Or has an easier size. I wonder if they bore it long, Or did it just begin? I could not tell the date of mine, It feels so old a pain. I wonder if it hurts to live, And if they have to try, And whether, could they choose between, They would not rather die. I wonder if when

Laylihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14513951354411535171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102970271566693782004-12-13T13:51:00.000-07:002004-12-13T13:37:51.566-07:00

Iran has been playing cat and mouse with Europe and the US on the issue of developing nukes out of their efforts at nuclear energy production, and it looks to me like there's little chance that we and our "allies" will be able to stop them. A response scenerio often put forward has the US/Israel bombing the 20 odd suspected R&D sites into dust and then waiting to see if Khumeini blinks. Bad

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102967101878321112004-12-13T13:41:00.000-07:002004-12-13T13:57:03.910-07:00

More clamor from the progressive rabble for a Howard Dean make-over for the Democratic party. I like where this guy is coming from. Here's how he starts: A friend of mine had the chance to meet with Howard Dean in a small group format the other day... Dr. Dean showed up on time, answered all questions asked, and though not a "buddy buddy" kind of guy, generally won the renewed respect of those

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102965921489909162004-12-13T13:14:00.000-07:002004-12-13T13:59:59.756-07:00

I went to bed last night thinking, "Gee, isn't it swell that Bush is actually going to do something about the long-term insolvency of social security." Of course, I was extremely uncomfortable with the fact that he would have to add another couple trillion dollars to the national debt to do it, but I was hopeful that maybe that number could be too high. At least the guy was willing to stick his

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102926383002107242004-12-12T22:15:00.000-07:002004-12-13T02:47:03.676-07:00

So, a while back there were some questions raised by Layli in some commentary on a post by GeneThug on the coming age of techno-immortality. The gist of it was, "Hey, seriously-- do we really want to live forever? Never mind that-- do we actually want to live forever around the kind of people who would also want to live forever?" I failed to weigh in at the time, other than to thank GT up and

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102914814757433142004-12-12T22:08:00.000-07:002004-12-12T22:13:34.756-07:00

It's apparently because I'm left-handed. So says Al Jazeera's Sci-Tech section, of all places. An interesting ditty on why left-handed people beat the crap out of Darwin.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102897715200885492004-12-12T17:27:00.000-07:002004-12-12T17:28:35.200-07:00

For light blogging! Weekends are busy for me-- the fun to resume tomorrow. Cheerio! Mooks

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102789655986441332004-12-11T11:25:00.000-07:002004-12-11T11:27:35.986-07:00

Dedicated to my sister, by way of thanks. Look out for the space-squid, Loo.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102789264522592442004-12-11T11:21:00.000-07:002004-12-11T11:22:34.786-07:00

Love in the past is only a memory. Love in the future is a fantasy. Only here and now can we truly love. --Buddha

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102721282838342532004-12-10T16:20:00.000-07:002004-12-11T11:29:02.416-07:00

Sit there, breathing very lightly, and slow, so You don't know. It's getting dark. Time to Trill on a watery note-- Let it lick, Taste, Wash something away-- we'll see it later. One day it washed you away. Water whirled you 'round the world (Toilet bowl effect); I dipped in a toe But my heart pushed me in And slowly I melt, fragment Dust And then float lightly around you. 2/5/91

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102719511572418552004-12-10T15:48:00.000-07:002004-12-10T15:58:58.846-07:00

Kevin Drum and Armed Liberal begin what looks to be an excellent diablog on the question of why/where/how Democrats need to understand national defense if they plan on winning another presidential election anytime soon. I'll try to patch you into the thread; it's kinda all over the place, but it's good reading now and bound to get better as it gets deep . . . Kevin Drum starts it here. Armed

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102717715053511992004-12-10T15:28:00.000-07:002004-12-10T15:28:35.053-07:00

I know it's the wrong holiday season for it, but check out this neato flash "documentary" on ghosts captured on film, recordings, etc. Of course, Some of the stuff on this video is a little silly, all of it is questionable, but much of it is pretty compelling, nonetheless. I post, you decide. Subuders-- listen to the voice of a ghost doing latihan at the end of the video-- it's unmistakable.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102709836119105092004-12-10T13:59:00.000-07:002004-12-10T13:17:16.120-07:00

I've finally unearthed a response from the Left on Food-for-Oil, the fate of Kofi Annan, reforming the UN, etc. It's a scattered and weak article in general and offers few specifics-- but it's literally the first such article I've come across in my admittedly peripheral search efforts. I'll be interested in hearing what Layli has to say on this front, since some of what's said here mirrors

Muxnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102715205916997062004-12-10T13:53:00.000-07:002004-12-10T14:46:45.916-07:00

I'm gonna have some time on my hands after my final exams to read something other than Oriental Medical Theory. Any suggestions? I'm completely open to anything, but I'm a huge snob for good writing if its fiction-- make it good.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102711716130702262004-12-10T13:49:00.000-07:002004-12-10T13:49:28.563-07:00

And believe it or not, this is rated by YT as only the second most interesting thing in the news today. See below for today's winner.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102706756282787642004-12-10T13:47:00.000-07:002004-12-10T13:49:48.670-07:00

This is by far the most interesting thing in the news today, courtesy of Drudge. Man, I would have liked to have seen some footage of that-- it somehow strikes me as the most honest reflection of holiday-season secular madness I've heard of yet. Totally awesome.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102708131360997392004-12-10T13:33:00.000-07:002004-12-10T12:48:51.360-07:00

Here's the best analysis of inside-the-Democratic party post-election Howard Dean dynamics you'll find on the web right now. Really good stuff, for the most part.

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102660943398009182004-12-09T23:31:00.000-07:002004-12-09T23:50:35.333-07:00

I could be. . . . . . . . missing . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . for a few days . . .. . . . stumbled. ... . . across .. . ... . this . . . . . . a couple hours . . ago ... . . . . ... . . Sooo . ... . . . . . happy ... . . .. . . . .

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102659955135293482004-12-09T23:21:00.000-07:002004-12-09T23:25:55.136-07:00

1. In Judaism, school goes for one year, but it seems like 40. Everyone fails the class, but the teacher plays favorites and graduates a few of the students despite their grades. Failure means a year of punishment; graduates get to watch the others suffer, knowing they just got lucky. 2. In Christianity, school goes for one year. There are two teachers-- one who gives out candy and lets you do

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102622483458941002004-12-09T13:50:00.000-07:002004-12-09T13:01:23.456-07:00

"In one respect, but only one, an infinite game is identical to a finite game. Of infinite players we can also say that if they play they play freely; if they must play, they cannot play. Otherwise, infinite and finite play stands in the sharpest possible contrast. Infinite players cannot say when their game began, nor do they care. They do not care for the reason that their game is not bounded

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102621729820724492004-12-09T13:27:00.000-07:002004-12-09T12:48:49.820-07:00

Howard Dean once again set the tone in a major political campaign, this time for his party's top job (Chair of the Democratic Committee-- that being the governing body of the Democratic Party, for those of you who quite understandably shy away from inside-party politics) in a short speech he gave yesterday. It's worth a read, as it may very well be the new voice of this tragically self-defeating

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102626236574418762004-12-09T13:11:00.000-07:002004-12-09T14:06:13.286-07:00

Here's a fascinating and important piece on wolf ecology. As some of you know, I went canvassing door-to-door through the hellish depths of a Pittsburgh winter in order to save the last remaining wolf habitat in this country and create a little more, if possible. Inevitably, I remember the conversations in people's living rooms would turn into a kind of fairytale face-off over this mysterious

Muxnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102622808862354082004-12-09T13:02:00.000-07:002004-12-09T13:06:48.863-07:00

Black-- as is my need; bleeding-- as is my heart . . ." Have a cupcake, Strindberg's of the world. "For you!"

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102609391638079032004-12-09T09:04:00.000-07:002004-12-09T09:23:11.636-07:00

While I dither on about extropian tech, some of the deeper bloggers over at Winds of Change & Calpundit have been busy hashing out a liberal framework for anti-terrorism, as well as mapping out what the actual threat of al-Qaeda is (I couldn't recommend Dan Darling's and AL's writings on the WoT more highly) - a short excerpt: "Unfortunately, a great many authors and analysts, even the entirely

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102538419239471782004-12-08T21:36:00.000-07:002004-12-09T09:01:23.543-07:00

Layli raises some thoughtful questions re: the Countdown to the Singularity post (below) and rather than answer in the comment section, I thought that it might be helpful to expand the response into a post in its own right. Basically, the issues of life extension have been kicked around for some time - sorry if my response seems canned (or snarky! I had to work through breakfast/lunch today, & my

GeneThughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13044227656127290191noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763127.post-1102550825064037452004-12-08T16:54:00.000-07:002004-12-08T18:20:07.453-07:00

Hi! Sorry about the light blogging today-- I'm having a minor bout of facial paralysis (seriously!) for which I was treated to a really intense acupuncture treatment this morning by one of my professors, so I'm a wee bit woozy still. Prognosis is good-- don't mean to worry anyone. I'll be back in true form soon enough, have no doubt, but in the meantime-- here! Keep yourselves merrily

Muxnoreply@blogger.com1