August 12, 2012 – 8:58 pm
Here’s the damage to the U.S.S. Porter, in case you were wondering.
August 12, 2012 – 8:56 pm
This little physics game is highly addictive.
August 12, 2012 – 7:00 pm
Just stood in the checkout line at the Wellfleet general store with Noam Chomsky. We didn’t chat.
August 12, 2012 – 12:08 pm
The inevitable showdown between the Brotherhood and the military in Egypt has arrived: Mohamed Morsi has sacked generals Tantawi and Anan. The military were the last bastion against the complete Islamization of Egypt, and were the real managers of the national convulsion that naifs in the West called the “Facebook revolution”. Now the newly elected […]
August 11, 2012 – 11:11 am
So! Paul Ryan it is. Good choice, I think. It tilts the centrist Romney’s ticket toward fiscal conservatism, and makes the choice in November crystal-clear. Also: can’t wait for the Ryan – Biden debates! Last night on Twitter, just after the choice was “leaked”, Jonah Goldberg tweeted: “Joe Biden just soiled himself.” Will Antonin tweeted […]
August 10, 2012 – 8:29 pm
Following on our earlier item about unintended consequences, here’s another. They’re everywhere, it seems. Who knew?
August 10, 2012 – 2:29 pm
Are you a transgendered Wiccan in a stable polyamorous relationship? Got a craving for a juicy, crispy, perfectly seasoned chicken sandwich, but would sooner camp out for Donny Osmond tickets than darken the door of a Chick-fil-a? Well, sir or madam, today’s your lucky day. Have a look here.
August 9, 2012 – 10:13 pm
Behold the geniuses who want to run the world.
Here’s a stunning 360-degree panorama from Mars, courtesy of the rover Opportunity.
With a hat tip to reader JK: In 1970, a Zambia-based nun named Sister Mary Jucunda wrote to Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, then-associate director of science at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, in response to his ongoing research into a piloted mission to Mars. Specifically, she asked how he could suggest spending billions of dollars on […]
August 7, 2012 – 11:31 pm
“Such is the nature of man, that for your first gift — he prostrates himself; for your second — kisses your hand; for the third — fawns; for the fourth — just nods his head once; for the fifth — becomes too familiar; for the sixth — insults you; and for the seventh — sues […]
August 6, 2012 – 10:10 pm
Here’s a clever graphic presentation by the Times putting all the Olympic 100-meter winners since 1896 in the same race.
NRO posted a good piece by Yuval Levin today, on competing views of the mediating layer that stands between the individual and the State. Here.
I like this: our Reconnaissance orbiter snapped a picture of Curiosity descending to Mars last night. Here.
August 5, 2012 – 11:34 pm
“Give me the razor, Jim,” said Turkle, his eyes glittering coldly. “Not until you drop that fish,” I told him, letting the strop slip from my hand. I heard it slap dully against the titanium frame. The… thing on the bench began to stir. One chance, I thought to myself. I’ll get one chance. “Jesus […]
August 5, 2012 – 11:03 pm
All eyes on Mars tonight! I’ll bet the thing lands on a cat. More here.
August 4, 2012 – 11:23 pm
Have a look at this remarkable sculpture by Neil Dawson, mounted on a hilltop in New Zealand. More views of it here.
It’s August, and it’s hot and sticky, even here in the Outer Cape. Under these conditions, my little grey cells are roused to action with the greatest reluctance, and even then give only second-rate service. So for the next few weeks substantial posts may be sporadic at best; all I’m likely to have on offer […]
Things having gone so well elsewhere in the region, it appears we have decided to throw our weight behind the Syrian rebels.
Will this thing replace the mouse, do you think? I’m skeptical. It’s a great accessory, but one important feature of using a mouse is that one can rest one’s hand on the desk. Holding your arms up all day to use your computer would be tiring, I think.
August 1, 2012 – 11:01 am
Autonomous swarming quadracopters. Here.
Yet another appalling story of Federal bullying, this time courtesy of our e-pal David Duff. Here.
In response to a recent post featuring Victor Davis Hanson’s series of essays on the decline of civilized life in California’s Central Valley, a reader complained about all this pessimistic “conservative porn”. Here, then, is Dr. Hanson showing some optimism. Perhaps readers seeing this will be inclined to take his reporting from Mexifornia more seriously.
You’ve seen those ads for the Most Interesting Man In The World, I’m sure. Here’s someone who I think could give him a run for his money.
Victor Davis Hanson’s family has lived for generations in the agricultural heartland of California — an area that is now, after decades of ruinously misguided policymaking, in the vanguard of America’s decline into third-world decrepitude. Nobody tells this dismal story better than Dr. Hanson does in his periodic dispatches. His latest is here (with thanks […]
Patrick Buchanan explains, clearly and sharply, why the GOP will die, a witless suicide. Here.
I haven’t commented on the Chick-fil-A affray — so much creeping totalitarianism, so little time! — but Mark Steyn has, and you can read it here. This is a horrible story, and a frightening glimpse of the road ahead. To his credit, Michael Bloomberg publicly refused to join the mayors of Chicago, Boston, and San […]
I saw a little of the Olympic opening ceremony last night; it was playing on the television at a local eatery where our small nuclear family, soon to be riven to opposite hemispheres of the globe, had gathered for a bite. It was, from what I could see, a dismayingly shallow and garish entertainment. Apparently […]
At least you haven’t got any of these. I hope.
In a tart item at NRO today, Kevin D. Williamson points out that eleven times more people die each year from neglecting to fill their heart-disease prescriptions than in gun assaults, and makes the piquant observation that “Gun control isn’t about guns; it’s about control.” Well, here’s something that should enliven the discussion: out there […]
A year and a half ago, as the West enjoyed a collective thrill up the leg over the flowering of democracy in Tahrir Square, I suggested that the real beneficiary of the “Facebook revolution” would be the Muslim Brotherhood — an outfit our leaders apparently figured they could do business with, despite its mortal and […]
Here’s something worth having a look at: a lightning strike at 7,207 frames per second. See also here.
OK folks, here you go: Ayn Rand meets Johnny Carson.
From longshoreman Eric Hoffer, November 29th, 1974: I cannot see myself living in a socialist society. My passion is to be left alone and only a capitalist society does so. Capitalism is ideally equipped for mastering things but awkward in mastering men. It hugs the assumption that people will perform tolerably well when left to […]
I rail often about our swaggering, authoritarian mayor, Michael Bloomberg. (He gave me yet another reason to do so, just last night — and for a really tangy rant about Hizzonner, check out the inimitable Fran Lebowitz, here.) One issue I think he’s clearly on the right side of, though, is the battle over the […]
In the wake of the Aurora massacre, the usual groups are saying the usual things. Some of these things are flamboyantly stupid. For example, E.J. Dionne, complaining that dialogue about gun laws is “prevented” in America, wrote that ” where a gun massacre is concerned … an absolute and total gag rule is imposed on […]
Here’s an update on the situation in Syria, from John McCreary’s latest NightWatch newsletter: Opposition fighters attacked the provincial police headquarters in the Qanawat district of old Damascus, news services reported on the 19th . Gunfire was intense for an hour, a Qanawat resident said. Rebels also claim to have attacked and seized three border […]
By now you’ve heard about the mass murder in Colorado. Among those killed was a sports writer by the name of Jessica Redfield, who last night tweeted: Of course we’re seeing Dark Knight. Redheaded Texan spitfire, people should never argue with me.Maybe I should get in on those NHL talks… Ms. Redfield published a blog […]
Attention stoners: if pot ever becomes legal, you’re going to have more disposable cash. Learn more here.
Insurgency being centripetal, the lethal attack against the Assad family in Damascus marks a strategic tipping point in Syria. Assad is now said to have left Damascus for Latakia. No cheering, please. There is no good outcome here, no matter what happens.
There’s been quite a ruction over Mr. Obama’s “you didn’t build that” remark. Are you one of the legions of his supporters who insist that his words were twisted out of context? Fine, then. Here’s Jim Geraghty responding, point, by point, to the rest of that horrifying, deeply revealing speech.
One thing connects to another in unexpected ways. Last Friday I had lunch with a well-known conservative blogger. We didn’t meet to talk about politics, though: I had noticed, in some of this writer’s posts, references to the “Fourth Way” teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff and his pupil, P.D. Ouspensky — and having both a personal […]
OK, here’s something completely uncontroversial and apolitical: some beautiful images from a National Geographic photo contest. And don’t miss these.
Took ’em down. Too overwrought. Back in a little while.
I live not far from Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery (which, as mentioned in this breezy and highly informative little post from 2006, contains Brooklyn’s highest point, Battle Hill). It’s a beautiful cemetery, and a lot of notable folks are buried there. Who, exactly? Well, I’ve just found a list, courtesy of the fantastic website FindAGrave.com. Have […]
It’s just too warm and humid to write. So here’s an article, in two parts, about the way we parse the world, and why. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.
This is pure gold: a dance montage featuring the heartbreakingly lovely Rita Hayworth, set to a familiar soundtrack. How vulgar our modern “culture” seems in comparison to the artistry, elegance, and allure on display here. It would have been even better with the original music, but what a treat nevertheless. Have a look.