Wednesday, June 28, 2006

More on Net Neutrality...

It's amazing how in the face of the evidence that government intervention inevitably harms rather than helps, that pundits are so blind to the foolishness behind the so-called "Net Neutrality".

Here's some real balance. Try out Reason.com's latest article: Neutering the Net.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Who is Eric Schulman?

I receive emails whenever somebody comments on my blog. Last week, I received one of those emails saying that one E. Schulman has commented on a post I made in April, three months ago! I ask myself, "Self, why would somebody comment on a post I made three months ago? What post is it anyway?"

Schulman commented on a post I made on How to Write a Scientific Paper. So, I clicked on my own link to this silly paper, and found that the writer of this humorous piece was, ironically enough, the same Eric Schulman, the master of science hilarity!

Schulman frequently writes scientific humor. He has a cool book out called A Briefer History of Time, which you can download as an eBook (free on his website) or purchase on Amazon.

He also has an excellent piece out called The History of the Universe in 200 Words or Less, which I will now paste here so you don't even have to click on the link. I am assuming he won't mind me doing this...

I am honored to have been visited by such an esteemed and eminent guest such as Schulman. I hope he comes back to my blog more often. So, without further adieu:
The History of the Universe in 200 Words or Less

Quantum fluctuation. Inflation. Expansion. Strong nuclear interaction. Particle-antiparticle annihilation. Deuterium and helium production. Density perturbations. Recombination. Blackbody radiation. Local contraction. Cluster formation. Reionization? Violent relaxation. Virialization. Biased galaxy formation? Turbulent fragmentation. Contraction. Ionization. Compression. Opaque hydrogen. Massive star formation. Deuterium ignition. Hydrogen fusion. Hydrogen depletion. Core contraction. Envelope expansion. Helium fusion. Carbon, oxygen, and silicon fusion. Iron production. Implosion. Supernova explosion. Metals injection. Star formation. Supernova explosions. Star formation. Condensation. Planetesimal accretion. Planetary differentiation. Crust solidification. Volatile gas expulsion. Water condensation. Water dissociation. Ozone production. Ultraviolet absorption. Photosynthetic unicellular organisms. Oxidation. Mutation. Natural selection and evolution. Respiration. Cell differentiation. Sexual reproduction. Fossilization. Land exploration. Dinosaur extinction. Mammal expansion. Glaciation. Homo sapiens manifestation. Animal domestication. Food surplus production. Civilization! Innovation. Exploration. Religion. Warring nations. Empire creation and destruction. Exploration. Colonization. Taxation without representation. Revolution. Constitution. Election. Expansion. Industrialization. Rebellion. Emancipation Proclamation. Invention. Mass production. Urbanization. Immigration. World conflagration. League of Nations. Suffrage extension. Depression. World conflagration. Fission explosions. United Nations. Space exploration. Assassinations. Lunar excursions. Resignation. Computerization. World Trade Organization. Terrorism. Internet expansion. Reunification. Dissolution. World-Wide Web creation. Composition. Extrapolation?

Copyright 1996-1997 by Eric Schulman.
Reprinted from the Annals of Improbable Research, Volume III, Number 1, January/February 1997, page 27.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

International Philosophy Soccer Match

In the international spirit of the World Cup...

So, if Plato played against Marx, who would win? Find out as Monty Python does the commentary in the following YouTube clip.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Home, public, and self education

Gray North speaks on homeschooling and self education.

This article is an interesting comment about homeschooling and self-education. North starts by saying that he has known for twenty years that homeschooling, and private schools, are superior to the public school systems in terms of education. However, there are still flaws in how homeschoolers "do school". In essence, his criticism is that homeschoolers have focused too much on protection and environment than developing a comprehensive cognitive skill set ready for intellectual confrontation.

I love this quote:

We need a hard core of graduates who are prepared to challenge the statist presuppositions of this era and the one to come. We need college students who can think for themselves, research for themselves, and develop comprehensive alternatives. Such students should not be asked to feast on the dumbed-down pabulum of the committee-screened high school textbook.

Amen, Gary. Too bad this is not what is happening. Homeschooling, in a way, is a victim of its own success. People are entering the homeschooling movement who do not identify with the original core values of the older homeschoolers, nor do they have the courage and tenacity to go against the coming tide of state absolutism. The private schools bailed on this one years ago, and if homeschooling does not recapture it we will probably be doomed to failure.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Mises University 2006

I was recently informed by the Mises Institute that I have received a scholarship to attend the Mises University 2006 session in the first week of August. It is an intense week of learning and deep scholarship of economics and philosophy, taught by the eminent scholars of the Mises Institute. This is an exciting and once-in-my-lifetime opportunity to learn more than I ever have before about the economics and classical liberal philosophy (to remind you, classical liberal is not leftist, like socialist democrats are).

The university is held at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama. Scholars teaching will include Thomas DiLorenzo, Robert Murphy, Thomas Woods, George Reisman, Hans Hermann-Hoppe, Walter Block, Joseph Salerno, Peter Klein, and more. Considering that I rarely get to talk to more than one or two people at a time who share my views on limited government and free-market economics, to me this is the equivalent of a 14 year old sports nut getting to hang out with Michael Jordan, Nolan Ryan, and Joe Montana for a week.

Link to Mises University

Monday, June 12, 2006

Net Neutrality?

The Mises Institute has put together an interesting set of links regarding the hot issue of net neutrality. My view is that this is the government's attempt to latch onto the internet and begin another regulation monstrosity. I guess I'm not surprised, though, the Feds have been dying to make a stab at it. The so-called "unfair treatment" that would happen without this regulation (what a bunch of bunk) just gives them their political justification. Now, they can popularize that they are doing "what's best for the people." Whatever...

Saturday, June 10, 2006

The Motivator: Inspire! Motivate! Mock!

This is perhaps the single greatest website I have seen in the last month. Imagine the fun you can have by creating your own motivation posters!

The Motivator

Here's something I thought of right after I found this...



Try your own, comment with a link!

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

My computer is against me!!!

Yesterday my computer was having major trouble. It made me feel kinda like this.

Computers are funny things, but I definitely enjoy having them around!