“If you only knew the top secret information I have access to…”

    Arthur Silber has pointed out several times that political leaders do not make major policy decisions (such as going to war) on the basis of “secret information,” but on the basis of political judgments.  Here is a quote on this from him (from the above link):
Intelligence is completely irrelevant to major policy decisions. [...]

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Someday We Could Run Our Cars on Syrup

Here news of another alternative to running our cars on fossil fuels.  This one involves supplying fuel cells with hydrogen, the fuel cells then producing electricity to run an electric car.  The idea of using hydrogen in fuel cells has been around for awhile, but the problem has been storing enough hydrogen safely, cheaply, and [...]

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Tandem Jumping in Marina, California

REC Jumpers Group Photograph
Originally uploaded by Not So Much.
A group from where I work went to a small airport in Marina, California (near Monterey), to sky dive in tandem with certified instructors. Here pictured (left to right) are Kim (didn’t jump), John, Tracy, Judi (didn’t jump), Lina, Brian [...]

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The Science of Morality

The next issue of Science will be publishing a review of the scientific consensus of the origins and mechanisms of morality, as told at sciencedaily.com.  Imagine if one day (soon) science can explain morality as thoroughly as it now explains biology.  There’ll be precious little room left then for souls, free will, and God.  Here’s [...]

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Self-Compassion

Here’s an article describing research on self-compassion and how it could be crucial in helping people overcome adversity.  Here’s how they define self-compassion:
Self-compassion involves three components. They are self-kindness
(being kind and understanding toward oneself rather than
self-critical); common humanity (viewing one’s negative experiences as
a normal part of the human condition); and mindful acceptance (having
mindful equanimity rather [...]

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Variety Important in a Good Walk in the Park

According to this article at sciencedaily.com, a visit to the park is more beneficial when there’s a greater diversity of species present.  It would be nice if city planners here in Modesto took that into account.

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Running Cars on Aluminum

Some researchers at Purdue have developed a process for extracting hydrogen from water using and alloy of aluminum and gallium.  The article at physorg.com gives some details on the process, it’s byproducts, and the economics.  You add water to this aluminum/gallium allow, and what you get out is hydrogen gas, aluminum oxide, and gallium.  The [...]

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Free Will Reduced to Brain Circuitry

Free will and true spontaneity exist … in fruit flies. This is what
scientists report in a groundbreaking study in the May 16, 2007 issue
of the open-access journal PLoS ONE.
“Animals and especially insects
are usually seen as complex robots which only respond to external
stimuli,” says senior author Björn Brembs from the Free University
Berlin. They are assumed to [...]

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Brother’s Photos on Flickr

DSC_0210
Originally uploaded by fastway.
I finally convinced my older brother to get a Flickr account. He’s got a few dozen photos up there now, including some he took on a trip to Knights Ferry two weeks ago, as well as some great photos taken at Yosemite a few [...]

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Last Night at Las Vegas

We went to the Cirque du Soleil show “Love” at the Mirage this evening.  It was a fantastic show.  And since we were at the Mirage, we walked outside to see the water show in the lagoon.  That was fun.  Tomorrow we check out and head back to Modesto, vacation over.
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