Month: December 2005

Yeh, yeh. Well, they’re too small to be “pet peeves”. Just have to be petty peeves.

What is it with subliterates-especially professional subliterates in colonies of Mass Media Podpeople-who refuse to pronouce words, easily pronounced words, properly? February, for example. Every time I hear some talking head, you know, someone who is paid real money for talking, pronounce it “Feb YOU ary”-completely dropping the easily-pronounced first “r”-I wanna dock his pay. After slapping him upside the head with a dead fish. Or something harder. Much harder. With sharp, pointy protrusions.

And what’s with the idiot newsreader I heard the other night pronouncing “united” (as in “United States”) “You-NINE-ted”? Where did the extra “n” come from? The alternate reality where all the unwanted “r”s in FebRuary go?

Yeh, I know they can’t really read. They’re going by what they have misheard for years because they can’t hear or think, either.

Back to regularly scheduled whatever…

Yeh, yeh. Well, they’re too small to be “pet peeves”. Just have to be petty peeves.

What is it with subliterates-especially professional subliterates in colonies of Mass Media Podpeople-who refuse to pronouce words, easily pronounced words, properly? February, for example. Every time I hear some talking head, you know, someone who is paid real money for talking, pronounce it “Feb YOU ary”-completely dropping the easily-pronounced first “r”-I wanna dock his pay. After slapping him upside the head with a dead fish. Or something harder. Much harder. With sharp, pointy protrusions.

And what’s with the idiot newsreader I heard the other night pronouncing “united” (as in “United States”) “You-NINE-ted”? Where did the extra “n” come from? The alternate reality where all the unwanted “r”s in FebRuary go?

Yeh, I know they can’t really read. They’re going by what they have misheard for years because they can’t hear or think, either.

Back to regularly scheduled whatever…

As is so often the case, ditching newspeak and “political correctness” almost compels good sense. Such is the case with Fred Reed’s column this week talking common sense about “diversity”—for example:

“Diversity causes nothing but trouble. Think about it. Do old people want to hang around young people? No. Do young people want to hang around old people? Generally they would rather take poison. Do liberals and conservatives want to get within rifle range of each other? No. Except conservatives, because they have rifles.”

And, I might add, know how and when to use ’em. More at the link. Print it out and annoy a moonbat with it.

h.t. to Hugh. I know I’ll never miss a Fred column cos you’ll remind me, Hugh. Thanks.

Served up for Breakfast at Basil’s

As is so often the case, ditching newspeak and “political correctness” almost compels good sense. Such is the case with Fred Reed’s column this week talking common sense about “diversity”—for example:

“Diversity causes nothing but trouble. Think about it. Do old people want to hang around young people? No. Do young people want to hang around old people? Generally they would rather take poison. Do liberals and conservatives want to get within rifle range of each other? No. Except conservatives, because they have rifles.”

And, I might add, know how and when to use ’em. More at the link. Print it out and annoy a moonbat with it.

h.t. to Hugh. I know I’ll never miss a Fred column cos you’ll remind me, Hugh. Thanks.

Served up for Breakfast at Basil’s

Well, almost…

University of Floriday scientists have developed a neural network using rat brain cells and taught it how to fly a plane. Assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, Dr Thomas DeMarse, used 25,000 neural cells from a rat embryo to grow a neural network he then connected to an F-22 flight simulator. Although it had a steep learning curve and tended to crash a lot, the bio-computer eventually got its wings.

“When we first hooked them up, the plane ‘crashed’ all the time,” Dr DeMarse. “But over time, the neural network slowly adapts as the brain learns to control the pitch and roll of the aircraft. After a while, it produces a nice straight and level trajectory.”

DeMarse hopes to build hybrid computers for work situations, like unmanned space probes, that will be more fault-tolerant than all-inorganic computers.

I’m a little unsure about his “fault-tolerant” organic computer model. I don’t see evidence of Mass Media Podpeople’s and Loony Left Moonbats’ brains developing alternate pathways as their brains waste away… and what of the typical congresscritter? Hmmm, they all seem to give lie to Jerry Pournelle’s comment about how smart morons are… Wouldn’t trust any of ’em to fly a plane (or even a simulator) I was in given their track record on other matters. I’d rather trust a rat’s brain grown in a dish.

h.t. Roland Dobbins commenting at Chaos Manor

Well, almost…

University of Floriday scientists have developed a neural network using rat brain cells and taught it how to fly a plane. Assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, Dr Thomas DeMarse, used 25,000 neural cells from a rat embryo to grow a neural network he then connected to an F-22 flight simulator. Although it had a steep learning curve and tended to crash a lot, the bio-computer eventually got its wings.

“When we first hooked them up, the plane ‘crashed’ all the time,” Dr DeMarse. “But over time, the neural network slowly adapts as the brain learns to control the pitch and roll of the aircraft. After a while, it produces a nice straight and level trajectory.”

DeMarse hopes to build hybrid computers for work situations, like unmanned space probes, that will be more fault-tolerant than all-inorganic computers.

I’m a little unsure about his “fault-tolerant” organic computer model. I don’t see evidence of Mass Media Podpeople’s and Loony Left Moonbats’ brains developing alternate pathways as their brains waste away… and what of the typical congresscritter? Hmmm, they all seem to give lie to Jerry Pournelle’s comment about how smart morons are… Wouldn’t trust any of ’em to fly a plane (or even a simulator) I was in given their track record on other matters. I’d rather trust a rat’s brain grown in a dish.

h.t. Roland Dobbins commenting at Chaos Manor

“You never appreciate how smart a moron is until you try to program a robot — but robots do get programmed.” –Jerry Pournelle

Which compels the question: “Which are Mass Media Podpeople? Morons or robots?”

Talk amongst yourselves…

Noted at bRight and Early’s Overnigt News Open Post

Now, I’ll admit I’m not your average football fan. (*cough* Haven’t watched a whole game from start to finish any time in the last decade that I can recall—heh. But I do enjoy football in bits and pieces. It’s the whole “watching someone else play a game” thing that bores the heck outa me, most times.) This article about football, however, really held my attemtion:

Coach Leach Goes Deep, Very Deep

Interesting. I might just watch a whole football game sometime in the next decade… Maybe more than one. Who knows?

h.t. Roland Dobbins commenting at Jerry Pournelle’s Chaos Manor.

OK, this is an Open Trackback Alliance Open Post. Link to this post in a post of your own, then trackback. I’ll round things up later.

“Thingie pinged” at TMH’s Bacon Buts’ “Bacon Break — Be Gentle”, Choose Life.

So, I’m open downfield; hit me!

Well, lots has happened today while I was caught in the twilight zone between the blogosphere, email and real world…

Yesterday, Committees of Correspondence chose to use the quote accurately, instead of paraphrasing (OK, wittingly misquoting) as I did, in citing Franklin Roosevelt’s: A Date Which Will Live In Infamy My own words could never do this Day justice instead I choose to remember these. December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked Yet even the eloquence of Franklin D. Roosevelt…

[A tribute worth reading]

Over at TMH’s Bacon Bits, DL thumps the “obvious” nerve: They Make It Too Easy Only liberals, in this case vanquished ex-dirt slinger Tom Daschle, would have the audacity to criticize another candidate for running a poor election when they were just thrown out of office in their own career ending campaign.

[OK, it’s patently obvious, but DL rags on ’em so well, it’s just plain fun to read. Get ’em DL! 🙂 ]

Radioactive Liberty says it so very well: In Remembrance Today I honor those people, who gave for their country, so that the next generation would not have to. Today I am humbled, and even humiliated by the greatness exhibited by an entire generation of American citizens.

[“Me too” is lame… but true.]

Missed this one late Tuesday (well, late for me that Tuesday–heh) from Israpundit–good point: Saudis have radicalized 80% of US mosques By HAVIV RETTIG, JPOST Mainstream US Muslim organizations are heavily influenced by Saudi-funded extremists, according to Yehudit Barsky, an expert on terrorism at the American Jewish Committee. Worse still, Barsky told The Jerusalem Post last week…

[’bout time they were “radicalized” right on back. There’s an old TWC remedy for such… ]

And how did I miss these?!?!?

Another pointed post from TMH’s Bacon Bits: From Russia To Iran Via Gore A decade ago, Al Gore was making a secret deal with a Russian gangster that would allow Russia to sell hi-tech missiles to Iran, which might prevent us from taking out Iranian nukes (should we need to).

Choose Life brings news of the vested interests of those who’ve done flawed research into breast cancer out into the light with Studies Denying Abortion-Breast Cancer Link Debunked World Net Daily reported on Professor Joel Brind’s latest paper in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons in an article by Ron Strom posted December 1, 2005.

[You have a mother or a sister or a wife or a daughter? Well, then read the post.]

What do you mean I won’t believe it, freedom folks? HAven’t I found you reliable before? 🙂 The Chicago Way Mexican drug-you’re not going to believe this-Mexican drug cartels are running marijuana farms in the United States.

[Well, you were wrong about one thing: I do belive it.]

And last for today, but far, far from least, is Romeocat’s Advent post for today, The Town. Go. Read. (I’ll have a “fun” version of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” up tomorrow or the next day, but for now, no music for a leadoff into this one. Just read it.)

Shamelessly flogged at TMH’s Bacon Bits.

OK, it’s really an Advent song, but conversations with Romeocat about her Advent posts on Cathouse Chat have made me hungry to post it. Here’s the tune (HYFERDOL) by Rowland Prichard performed by an artist whose name I can’t recall (If you know who played this performance, please let me know. I probably pulled it off a CD years ago, but going through stacks and stacks of Christmas CDs is just… not gonna happen. heh). Below the media player, the words by Charles Wesley:

(This tune feels so good, I almost want to just loop it and let it play constantly… )

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a Child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit,
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Such a joyous tune mated with wonderfully, triumphantly hopeful lyrics. A perfect match.