David Koepp, the screenwriter behind the current blockbuster movie War of the Worlds has said: “the Martians in our movie represent American military forces invading the Iraqis.” As InstaPundit observed, you just can’t make this stuff up. It’s hard to lampoon the Hollywood left any more, because they keep uttering inanities that venture beyond far,… Continue reading The Hollywood Left is from Venus?
Gayness is hard, lesbianism soft
Fascinating. This NYT article bears out a suspicion I’ve held for a long time about the plasticity of sexual orientation. The crude one-sentence summary is that, if you go by physiological arousal reactions, male bisexuality doesn’t exist, while female bisexuality is ubiquitous. I’ve spent most of my social time for the last thirty years around… Continue reading Gayness is hard, lesbianism soft
Punishment, Coercion, and Revenge
Because I’m both both a libertarian and famous for conducting a successful propaganda campaign, libertarian activists sometimes come to me for tactical advice. During a recent email exchange, one of these criticized me for wishing (as he thought) to “punish” the Islamist enemies of the U.S. and Western civilization. I explained that I have no… Continue reading Punishment, Coercion, and Revenge
Lies and Consequences
Eason Jordan has resigned as CNN’s chief news executive following rumors that he said at a conference in Davos that the U.S. military had deliberately targeted journalists for death. Jordan denied making this allegation, but two U.S. legislators who were present agree that he did, and the Davos organizers have denied repeated requests to release… Continue reading Lies and Consequences
What Do You Believe That You Cannot Prove?
I wrote this for John Brockman’s 2005 Edge Question. Can’t see any good reason not to blog it as well. I believe that nature is understandable, that scientific inquiry is the sharpest tool and the noblest endeavor of the human mind, and that any “final answers” we ever get will come from it rather than… Continue reading What Do You Believe That You Cannot Prove?
How the Left Betrayed Iraq
Every opponent of the war in Iraq must read this essay by an Iraqi, How The Left Betrayed My Country. Short, sweet, and devastating.
A Unified Theory of Male Slobbishness and Female Preening
It’s all about asymmetrical investment, boys and girls…. One of the hot topics in the blogosphere recently has been the difference between male and female standards of attractiveness, and what this has to do with feminism and “the beauty myth”. Ann Althouse has been having fun at the expense of Laura Kipnis’s column bemoaning the… Continue reading A Unified Theory of Male Slobbishness and Female Preening
Appreciating Joe Satriani
I like to listen to instrumental electric guitar, and have a very large collection of the genre from the pioneering Jeff Beck albums of the 1970s forward, and including most of the output of Jeff Beck, Steve Morse, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Gary Hoey, Marc Bonilla, and half a dozen other guitar virtuosi. The seldom-disputed… Continue reading Appreciating Joe Satriani
Susan Sontag is Dead
Imagine a writer/playwright/intellectual whose most famous single remark was “the black race is the cancer of human history”. Who said “The Pinochet revolution is astonishingly free of repression and bureaucratization.” Who praised the attack on Pearl Harber as a brave deed. Do you suppose such a person would collect laudatory tributes and glowing obituaries on… Continue reading Susan Sontag is Dead
The Journalist as Herd Creature
In September 2004, well before the elections, I wrote an essay on the collapse of mainstream media influence. I predicted that the Rathergate scandal and the Swift Boat Vets would lock up the election for George W. Bush, despite the MSM’s most determined efforts to get Kerry into the White House. I related this to… Continue reading The Journalist as Herd Creature
Where’s Tom Wolfe when you need him?
The Ananova site brings us this little gem: Baseball star’s wife makes ultimate threat The wife of a top US baseball player has vowed to have sex with all of his team mates if he ever cheats on her. Anna Benson, a former model and stripper who was named Baseball’s Hottest Wife by FHM, is… Continue reading Where’s Tom Wolfe when you need him?
Hacking My Way To Stardom
This is storyboard art for a movie called Nightmask, with the interesting property that I will probably get a speaking part in it if it’s actually produced. “Whoa!” you may well ask. “How does a middle-aged geek with no showbiz history beyond a few singer/songwriter coffeehouse gigs in his college days land a part in,… Continue reading Hacking My Way To Stardom
The Revenge of the Nerds is Living Well
Grant McCracken has argued in his book Plenitude that one of the defining characteristics of the last fifty years is an explosion of subcultural variety — people creating new lifestyles and new identities around occupations, sexual tastes, hobbies, genres of art and music, religions, and just about any other investment of time human beings have… Continue reading The Revenge of the Nerds is Living Well
Upgrading to WordPress
The WordPress update is now complete. Unfortunately, I deleted some recent comments while clearing out comment spam. Comment spam is now blocked using a simple and clever method which I will not disclose in public.
The Racist of Earthsea
In Slate magazine, SF author Ursula LeGuin complains that the producers of the new Earthsea miniseries have butchered her work. One form of butchery that she zeroes in on is by casting characters who she intended to be red, brown, or black as white people. I have mixed feelings. LeGuin has every right to be… Continue reading The Racist of Earthsea
Left2Right – a critical appraisal
I’ve been reading a new blog called Left2Right, founded in mid-November 2004 as an attempt by a group of left-wing intellectuals to reach out to intelligent people on the right of the American political spectrum. It is indeed a thought-provoking read, but the thoughts they are provoking are not necessarily of the sort they intend.… Continue reading Left2Right – a critical appraisal
Free Falling
My friend Howard Tayler, the cartoonist behind Schlock Mercenary, invited me to post this.
What happens if the Democrats collapse?
I’ve written several blog essays recently [1] [2] [3] [4] pondering the deep trouble the Democratic party is in. I believe, on current demographic and political trends, that their problems are going to get worse and might actually prove terminal — especially if the Republicans have the strategic sense to run Condi Rice for President… Continue reading What happens if the Democrats collapse?
Condoleeza Rice in 2008!
So Condi Rice is going to replace Colin Powell as Secretary of State. I have to think this means she’s being groomed for the Republican ticket in 2008. Well, I hope so anyway. I know very little about her, but I’ve discovered that I really want to have a ringside seat on the farcical hijinks… Continue reading Condoleeza Rice in 2008!
Hurray for Dollywood
Hot damn! I wonder if this here post by Iowahawk means I’m gonna git me someplace near here in Pensylvay-ni-ay that can serve up a decent mess of Texas barbeque? Put me down as a proud purple-stater. I like guns, but I hate country music. I love burnt-ends sandwiches, but I despise chewing tobacco. I… Continue reading Hurray for Dollywood