Check out this great, short piece on the government of Pakistan from n+1 by S. Abbas Raza. The precis is that Musharraf’s admittedly undemocratic regime was actually better for the people of Pakistan than the democratic-in-name-only regime it ousted, and may have been essential for real democracy to take hold. Well worth reading, as is almost everything from n+1, which I like so much I sent its people money to keep doing it.
Archive for March, 2008
29
Mar
Pakistan, briefly
26
Mar
Flowcharts!
This piece may have already hit Cute Overload by now, but holy crap: The chihuahua thinks he’s a monk!
His name is Conan, people! He thinks all suffering is due to attachment to the illusions of the world!
Spoiler alert: the atheist survived. They went for best two out of three, and he lived through that also. I believe the ball is in your court, Richard Dawkins.
While reading one of Kate’s lovely posts, it occurred to me that extinction events like the one we’re most likely entering now are more exciting than terrifying in the grand scheme of things, clearing the path for new and much more wonderful species. What’s more inspiring than the Cambrian Explosion? Or, for those of you who don’t goob out even a little on the paleo, how about the dinosaur die-off that let our great-great-grand-shrews take over? Millions of years from now, little nerdy echinodermoid (or whatever-oid) kids are going to learn everything they can about the days when humans ruled the earth, and if that’s as good as we’re going to get, I’ll take it.
I once didn’t pay much attention to my viewer or referrer stats, but good lord, people: I am currently the number four Google hit for “the best joke in the world.” That is horrifying, especially if one reviews the joke in question. I do like the confused (?) comment at the end, though.
I’m sure there will be more horrifying bits to come. One poor reader found me through their search for “stole a pair of my underwear.” It wasn’t me, I swear!
22
Mar
The future of education?
I don’t link to Robert Cringely’s columns very often, though I do read them each week (thanks to Tom for the long-ago tip). He’s very smart and possesses the right ratio of hip:nerd to make me swoon, and while he spends an awful lot of his space on tech-business issues, I keep coming back. Those of you who know me and my threshold for boredom regarding business news know what that means – he’s got me hooked.
This week shows why. Without any obvious effort, as if on a whim, he explains how kids – and, more crucially, young parents – are dismantling the education system from within thanks to their intimate use of communication and search tech. It’s very smart, very short (~1,500 words, he tells you so himself) and well worth reading by you and everyone you know. You can taste the prescience, people!
21
Mar
Madness combat!
This video set is well worth watching, even though it doesn’t confront the issue of race in America in a refreshingly intelligent and uninsulting manner. On the contrary, it follows a barely recognizable little humanoid figure as it descends through level after level of carnage and insanity. Clowns, zombies, Jesus and endlessly inventive mayhem – that’s the stuff.
Big props to Ectoplasmosis, which is a great site and the originator of Cthulhu Cthursdays!
Oh, what do you know: It’s all here at madnesscombat.com.
Yeah, you might scoff at those of us who have strings dangling over the rims of our cups in the morning – but you’ll end up dead, just like the rest of them, when the white powder hits.
Try your best to ignore the unbelievably stupid quotes in this article, which touts the benefits of English Breakfast tea (no milk, please) against anthrax. There are only a few scientists who can pull off humor where their own work is concerned, and even they are usually better off just playing it straight and leaving the funny to a professional. Seriously, the Boston Tea Party? Come on.
14
Mar
Euphemistically yours
Next time you eat yourself sick on crappy bar food, just tell people you’re making biodiesel.
You said it, sister