Random
catdynamics | December 6, 2007Chad wants seasonal songs that don't suck, he already knows about the Pogues.
I keep tellin' ya:
The definitive short song selection of Icelandic carols - youtube is blocking embedded links on this one - click through if you want to see what we had to grow up with.
Hey, if my kids have to march in circles pretending to hold a walking stick, so should yours...
Dubba, dubba, dum-dum.
I'm tellin' ya.
Ok, it is hard to beat...
"Pabbi Komdu Heim..." might match it for pathos but not for grit.
catdynamics | December 4, 2007Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revalation
And the mind's true liberation
Confused about Iran?
Doc Foland at Nuclear Mangos explains it all.
FWIW, I broadly concur with him.
The published NIE is if anything more dovish than I'd think. In fact it is hard to reconcile the Iranian public posture on enrichment with it the NIE in its entirety, and Iran is clearly moving closer to "breakout" capability - where they don't have a nuclear weapons program, but could put one together real fast, if…
catdynamics | December 3, 2007it would appear that meetings are now being cancelled at a rate asymptotically approaching the rate at which they are being called...
31st Carnival of Space is Out of the Cradle
catdynamics | November 30, 2007Crisp and clear friday, and we approach the iPod with Intent and ask:
so, iPod dude, will we really get bucketloads of snow this weekend?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Mi-Aout - Henri Des
The Crossing: Le vent dans la plaine - Claudio Arrau
The Crown: Stir It Up - Bob Marley and the Wailers
The Root: Gaudeamus - Stuttgart Men's Choir
The Past: Lilli og Marteinn Læðast - Thorborn Egner
The Future: Sixpence Only - Spilverk Þjóðanna
The Questioner: Warning Sign - Talking Heads
The House: Intro (Excerpt) - Alpha Blondy
The Inside: Drops of Jupiter - Train
The Outcome: I Can…
catdynamics | November 26, 2007Pittsburgh 3 Miami 0
24 yard field coal with 20 seconds to go in 4th quarter.
Ugh.
catdynamics | November 26, 2007ships are sailing and oil is flowing and nukes are being fueled
weird little snips of news piled over the last week:
the US navy is still heavily out - the USS Truman has joined the Enterprise in the Gulf, where they should overlap for a few weeks if the Enterprise does a normal length tour. Though Navy is saying the Enterprise is wrapping up and going home for christmas.
Bunch of helicarriers and landing ships still out there also, although a couple are now headed home.
The paranoiacs at Debka.com keep insisting that the USS Nimitz is in the Gulf, but she just returned to San Diego a few…
catdynamics | November 22, 2007thankfully it is friday, and we pose a big question to the Mighty iPod:
is it a correct simple theory of something?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Torna a Surriento - Three Tenors
The Crossing: Fashion - David Bowie
The Crown: Venus in Flares - Half Man Half Biscuit
The Root: Nobody Home - Pink Floyd
The Past: Bought Me A Cat
The Future: Jólasveinar Ganga um Gólf - Barnakór
The Questioner: Song of Encouragement - Half Man Half Biscuit
The House: Krummi Krunkar Úti
The Inside: Wasted Reprise - Pearl Jam
The Outcome: Der Vogelfanger bin ich - Mozart, Magic Flute
"A…
catdynamics | November 18, 2007Nuclear Mangos says US aid on Pakistan nukes did not include PALs
There have been news reports that the US provided ~ $100 million assistance to Pakistan over the last few years to "secure" their nuclear weapons, and there was some speculation as to whether this included providing them with Permissive Action Links.
Apparently not
The armscontrolwonk concurs.
Not good, messy.
Since Pakistan is not an NPT signatory any US help risks being seriously illegal, and if the US was providing physical security or protocols, rather than something like PALs to block unauthorized detonation, then the US…
catdynamics | November 18, 2007When there was a channel on television that showed music videos...
...nothing but. New and interesting, old and familiar. Brilliant it was.
A news headline channel, 24 hour per day, continually updated news headlines from around the world.
No opinion. No celebrity. No talking heads.
Very handy. It was trusted.
I remember bookstores that sold books.
Coffeeshops that sold coffee.
It was hot and black and liquid. You could have milk or sugar.
I remember when sending unsolicited commercial e-mail was the ultimate sin you could committ on a network.
When string theory looked like a promising…
catdynamics | November 16, 2007Joyous Happy Sunny Day!
Billy Bragg Podcast #8 is up: Waiting For the Great Leap Forward
In which Billy and Wiggy discuss the making of "Workers Playtime".
Yay.
catdynamics | November 16, 2007I. Hate. Proposal. Season.
Even mini-proposal season...
So, as we rush to the bus stop through the snow, clad in t-shirt and sneakers, we ask...
Oh, Mighty iPod, modulo the Vagaries of Fallible Panels, what will the Fate of Our Proposals be, this season.
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Getting Into Something - Alison Moyet
The Crossing: It Must Be The Place (Naive ) - Talking Heads
The Crown: Valentine's Day is Over - Billy Bragg
The Root: If - Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Past: Stir It Up - Bob Marley
The Future: Pabbu Segir
The Questioner: Lost John - Lonnie Donegan
The…
catdynamics | November 14, 2007Froomkin at the WaPo catches Bush making a signing statement.
Bush made another of his curious signing statements to the DoD 2008 appropriations bill
"This one says: "The Act contains certain provisions identical to those found in prior bills passed by the Congress that might be construed to be inconsistent with my Constitutional responsibilities (sections 8005, 8009, 8012(b), 8034(b), 8052, 8082, 8085, 8089, 8091, and 8116, and the provision concerning consolidation under the heading 'Operation and Maintenance, Defense Wide'). "
Here is the text of the bill
and section VIII
Bush has done…
catdynamics | November 10, 2007I had a minor geek spree this week, not entirely sucessfully
Got a "personal certificate" (X.509 2048 bits) from Thawte - they give personal certs out for free, to sustain a pool of interested customers for their commerical business - quick google suggested they were trustworthy, if anyone knows they're not, let me know.
Anyway, piece of cake to install - use Firefox to signup and download a certificate. Back it up into a .p12 file, then have Mac Mail search for it and import it.
Voila, unbreakable encryption, unless someone has a robust multibit quantum computer, or unless thawte put a…
catdynamics | November 9, 2007the mystery of the "Syrian box" continues
as you know, Bob,
the Israelis bombed a big box in eastern Syria a few weeks ago (or, did they? - there's a bizarro story in the j-post source to al-Jazeera that the US did the bombing - don't believe it - but there may be more to the story, like maybe the Israeli planes had US special forces guidance or elint support, or they came from the east, staging out of Iraqi bases - since apparently Syrian AA cover is anisotropic... - that would explain the Syrian strange rant about Israeli aircraft circling over the Med west of Syria - they could have been…
catdynamics | November 9, 2007Snow?
Of course, it is friday.
So, we ask the Mighty iPod: will I ever be able to buy a ticket to orbit? Just for laughs?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Ofboðslega Frægur - Stuðmenn
The Crossing: Menuett F-Dur - Mozart
The Crown: Santa Claus if Coming to Town
The Root: Heart Like a Wheel - Billy Bragg
The Past: Hateful - Clash
The Future: Should I Stay or Should I Go - Clash
The Questioner: Memories Can't Wait - Talking Heads
The House: Spanish Bombs - Clash
The Inside: Killy City - Iggy Pop
The Outcome: Sumarið Er Tíminn - GCD
Wow. Mighty is the iPod.
The Covering is…
catdynamics | November 8, 2007there is an interesting side effect of the dollar's recent pronounced decline
a lot of countries, especially smaller, poorer countries, finance their public debt in dollar bonds - the loan is in dollars, and so is the repayment, but the funds to make the payment ultimately come out of local revenue
so, in driving down the US dollar, a lot of countries have an opportunity to write off a significant fraction of their public debt, eg by converting to euro bonds - if the central banks can pull it off, get refinancing, and if they time it right (incorrect timing just reinflates the debt in local…
catdynamics | November 8, 2007Georgia Governor announces back up drought plan
Er, dood, I was joking.
It doesn't work...
catdynamics | November 7, 20072,4,6,8
never too late!!
to up the beat!
I actually like Feist, but compared to the Tom Robinson Band it is a bit insipid
Oh, and must include this variation on another classic by TRB...
catdynamics | November 6, 2007With the end of the tropical storm season in sight, it is not looking good for the drought in the south-east US
Particularly since we have entered a la Nina and the winter forecast is for "warm and dry"
This is from the 1999 drought - this one is worse.
Atlanta, Georgia, now has about 75 days of reservoir water left, at which point they will need to pump "dead pool" water from below the intakes.
It is not clear if enough water can be pumped, nor how drinkable it will be - though it should be fine for watering golf courses.
If the region doesn't get a LOT of rain by the new year - sustained…