November 15, 2010
September 13, 2010
July 26, 2010

Inception

halphillips:

Inception is one of those movies people theorize about, so here’s my take.  I have not read about it or looked it up except to check the characters’ names, so this is based solely on what I got from watching it.  Needless to say, tremendous spoilers follow for those who have not seen it.

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May 27, 2010
May 7, 2010

robertreich:

“Why Public Education is More Important Than Wall Street, and What We Must Do”

Last year, America’s top 25 hedge fund managers earned an average of $1 billion each — enough to pay for 20,000 teachers.

March 23, 2010
tj:

potjie:

tedjseverson:

moltz:

potjie:

Now that healthcare is done, maybe education. Perhaps start with math.

Whaaaaaaaa?

In fairness, there could be a large block of unreported undecideds, thus making 41% the plurality winner. But either way, that’s still sloppy reporting.

OK, fair enough. To close the loop, full numbers:
41% went too far
24% not far enough
18% just right
14% shouldn’t have done anything
I read that as 83% thought healthcare needed to change but disagreed on how. 14% wanted status quo.
But no matter how you read it, still a horrible headline for this completely unscientific poll of people wo happened to answer the phone this afternoon.

…
JANE Listen, a Liberty Foundation poll’s about to come out…
JOSH A poll!?
JANE 68% say we spend too much on foreign aid. 59% want foreign aid cut.
[later]
JOSH So, if we’re lucky, foreign aid’s going to be funded for another 90 days at 75 cents  on the dollar. No one who’s ever said they wanted bipartisanship has ever meant it.  But the people are speaking. Because 68% think we give too much in foreign aid, and  59% think it should be cut.
WILL You like that stat?
JOSH I do.
WILL Why?
JOSHBecause 9% think it’s too high, and shouldn’t be cut! 9% of respondents could not fully  get their arms around the question. There should be another box you can check for, “I  have utterly no idea what you’re talking about. Please, God, don’t ask for my input.”
West Wing episode “Guns, Not Butter”
Transcripts from http://communicationsoffice.tripod.com/4-12.txt
I know I’m probably Toby, but I like to think I’m Josh.
(Actually I’m probably the guy who sweeps up after they’ve left for the day, but it’s my fantasy world, so let me have this.)

More than anything else, this makes me miss The West Wing.

tj:

potjie:

tedjseverson:

moltz:

potjie:

Now that healthcare is done, maybe education. Perhaps start with math.

Whaaaaaaaa?

In fairness, there could be a large block of unreported undecideds, thus making 41% the plurality winner. But either way, that’s still sloppy reporting.

OK, fair enough. To close the loop, full numbers:

41% went too far

24% not far enough

18% just right

14% shouldn’t have done anything

I read that as 83% thought healthcare needed to change but disagreed on how. 14% wanted status quo.

But no matter how you read it, still a horrible headline for this completely unscientific poll of people wo happened to answer the phone this afternoon.

JANE
Listen, a Liberty Foundation poll’s about to come out…

JOSH
A poll!?

JANE
68% say we spend too much on foreign aid. 59% want foreign aid cut.

[later]

JOSH
So, if we’re lucky, foreign aid’s going to be funded for another 90 days at 75 cents on the dollar. No one who’s ever said they wanted bipartisanship has ever meant it. But the people are speaking. Because 68% think we give too much in foreign aid, and 59% think it should be cut.

WILL
You like that stat?

JOSH
I do.

WILL
Why?

JOSH
Because 9% think it’s too high, and shouldn’t be cut! 9% of respondents could not fully get their arms around the question. There should be another box you can check for, “I have utterly no idea what you’re talking about. Please, God, don’t ask for my input.”

West Wing episode “Guns, Not Butter”

Transcripts from http://communicationsoffice.tripod.com/4-12.txt

I know I’m probably Toby, but I like to think I’m Josh.

(Actually I’m probably the guy who sweeps up after they’ve left for the day, but it’s my fantasy world, so let me have this.)

More than anything else, this makes me miss The West Wing.

January 15, 2010
cocktailstraw:

biorhythmist:

suitep:

Click on through for huge, because it’s lovely.


I love this. So. Hard.

Perfect indeed. And awesome.

cocktailstraw:

biorhythmist:

suitep:

Click on through for huge, because it’s lovely.

I love this. So. Hard.

Perfect indeed. And awesome.

January 7, 2010
TextMate: the text editor that proves that the patent-pending Duke Nukem Development Model™ need not be reserved for video games.
December 18, 2009
The larger the group, the more toxic, the more of your beauty as an individual you have to surrender for the sake of group thought. And when you suspend your individual beauty you also give up a lot of your humanity. You will do things in the name of a group that you would never do on your own. Injuring, hurting, killing, drinking are all part of it, because you’ve lost your identity, because you now owe your allegiance to this thing that’s bigger than you are and that controls you.
December 17, 2009

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