Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Archive for March 2013

Wednesday Watering Hole: Check In & Hangout for the Herd

Good morning, Moosekind. Don’t forget to let your peeps know where to find you.

For those of you still waiting Spring starts at 7:02 AM Eastern, 6:02 AM Central, 5:02 AM Mountain and 4:02 AM on the left coast. As I write this, it’s winter. By the time many of you read, spring will have sprung. For those still waiting…

photo spring6_zpse4ab2832.jpg

 

What are you reading? Mar 20, 2013

For those who are new … we discuss books.  I list what I’m reading, and people comment with what they’re reading.  Sometimes, on Sundays, I post a special edition on a particular genre or topic.

If you like to trade books, try bookmooch

I’ve written some book reviews on Yahoo Voices:

Book reviews on Yahoo

Just finished

The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven. The sequel to Ringworld in which Louis Wu, Chmee and the Hindmost return to Ringworld, which has become unstable.

Now reading

Cooler Smarter: Practical tips for low carbon living  by the scientists at Union of Concerned Scientists, a great group. These folk make sense, concentrating on the changes you can make that have the biggest impact with the least effort.

Thinking, fast and slow  by Daniel Kahneman.  Kahneman, most famous for his work with the late Amos Tversky, is one of the leading psychologists of the times. Here, he posits that our brains have two systems: A fast one and a slow one. Neither is better, but they are good at different things. This is a brilliant book: Full of insight and very well written, as well.

What hath God wrought? by Daniel Walker Howe. Subtitled “The transformation of America 1815-1848. I am reading this with the History group at GoodReads.  This is very well written, and does a good job especially with coverage of the treatment of Blacks and Native Americans.

The hard SF renaissance  ed. by David G. Hartwell.  A large anthology of “hard” SF from the 90’s and 00’s. I think Hartwell takes SF a bit too seriously, but the stories are good.

On politics: A history of political thought from Herodotus to the present by Alan Ryan. What the subtitle says – a history of political thought.  

He, she and it by Marge Percy. Near future dystopian SF set on Earth.

Measurement by Paul Lockhart. About mathematics and, especially, how it should be taught and learned. Lockhart is wonderful; his first book A Mathematician’s Lament was, in my view, the best books on teaching math ever written.

Just started

Protector by Larry Niven  Another novel set in the same universe as the Ringworld novels

The Daily F Bomb, Tuesday 3/19/13

Happy Tuesday, Bombolooskies! No time for small talk, let’s engage in some small talk – see the following nosy questions:

Interrogatories

What is your current pet peeve? Who would you want to be stuck in an elevator with? If you could be a fly on the wall at any important or historical event, what would you choose? What are you procrastinating on right this minute? Would you rather be rich or famous? If you had the opportunity to know the exact date and time you will die, would you want to know?

The Twitter Emitter

Out the Back Window 03-18-13

Death of a Dove

This is a story of something that happened at our back window nearly two years ago.

It had been quite a while since I last used the window cleaning tools to reach those on the second floor. Maybe I would get around to it soon. But, I was in no hurry.

There was a loud thud on the window. Birds will often do that as they come and go at our feeders. Sure enough, there was a faint outline of a bird in flight on the glass. A Dove was dead on the patio below. A few small feathers stuck to the glass where it made impact. I could barely make out some other features on the glass.

Come below for more.

Superstition


photo BlackCat_zpsb5c5a4f9.jpg

Some people worry about black cats crossing their paths.

Blue jersey mom commented here today that black cats are the last to be adopted from animal shelters here in the U.S. because people think they are unlucky.

Since we just celebrated St. Paddy’s day, in honor of the Saint who in myth drove serpents out of Ireland, presumably to banish evil (though in many cultures snakes represent wisdom, and Ireland had no snakes) and we consume cereal called “Lucky Charms” in millions of bowls…and kids in my neighborhood grew up hopping over cracks in the sidewalk so as not to “break your momma’s back”, I got to wondering what superstitions you all grew up with, or practice?

Calling All Nerds! Take the Nerd Quotient Test!

Are you a NERD?  I know that I am, and I have my suspicions about some of your moosies! However, as an empiricist, I realize that nerdiness, like many other human qualities, is often a matter of degrees. Not the sort of degrees one gets in college, mind you, but something that can be measured, allowing us to compare ourselves on a continuum.

With this in mind, I have resurrected the Nerd Quotient Test from my files. I cannot claim authorship of this document, but remain profoundly grateful that a fellow geologist shared it with me many years ago. You may notice that some of the questions are a bit dated. Please feel free to adapt them to your circumstances and prevailing technologies.

Test scoring:  Each question is in two parts.  If you answer “yes” to the first part, give yourself one point.  If you answer “yes” to the second part, give yourself an extra two points.  The total number of points determines your percentage of nerdiness, up to 100%.  You already have a head start of one point just for reading this far.  If you stop now without taking the test, add 99 points.

1. Has anyone ever called you a nerd?  Did you take it as a compliment?

2. Have you ever taken a course in statistics or calculus?  As an elective?

3. Do people ask you for definitions or synonyms for difficult words?  Even when they have a dictionary or thesaurus within reach?

4. Do you (or did you) sit in the front row at school most of the time?  And arrive early to get the best seat?

5. Have you ever used a “system” for taking class notes?  Did you create that system yourself?

6. Were you tormented in high school (stuffed into a toilet, made to wear “kick me” signs, etc.)  by the jocks?  By other nerds?

7. Do you know Avogadro’s number?  Did you ever put it on the back of an athletic shirt thinking it would be funny?

8. Do you use a computer for four hours or more every day?  Including weekends?

9. Do you prefer computers to humans?  Including the person with whom you are having an intimate relationship?

10. Did the phrase “intimate relationship” make you blush?  Or did you wonder what qualifies as an intimate relationship?

11. Have you ever owned a Star Trek gizmo (tricorder, fake ears, ship model, etc.)?  And a uniform?

12. Can you outline the plot of six or more Star Trek episodes?  Do you ever come up with script alternatives because “Spock would never say that?

13. Have you ever taken Latin?  Do you enjoy using it in everyday conversation?

14. Have you ever told a joke about chemistry or physics?  Did most or all of your friends get it?

15. Do you attend parties where most of the guests have advanced science degrees?  Do you host them?

16. Have you ever analyzed a fake food (Twinkies, Cheez Whiz, etc.) for chemical content? And then eaten it?

17. Do you have a pet ferret, iguana, alligator, tarantula, or snake?  Did you name your pet after a Nobel laureate?

18. Have you played Dungeons & Dragons in the last year?  With the same people you’ve played with for two years or more?

19. Can you convert Fahrenheit to Centigrade in your head?  Do you find yourself doing so unconsciously?

20. Is your SAT math score 600 or more?  Is it higher than your SAT verbal score?

21. Do you own a T-shirt with a picture of Einstein on it?  Do you wear it with a suit?

22. Do you wear button-down shirts with the tails out?  Over shorts?

23. Do you wear glasses?  Do they change colors outdoors?

24. Do you have a slide rule?  And know how to use it?

25. Do you know what a font is?  Do you know what font you’re reading now?

26. Have you ever owned a chemistry set?  Since the age of 12?

27. Have you ever browsed through Radio Shack?

On a date?

28. Do you wear a digital watch?  With built-in calculator?

29. Have you ever read the dictionary or encyclopedia for fun? Cover to cover?

30. Do you play chess?  Do you read books about chess?

31. Do you own a pocket protector?  Are you wearing it now?

32. Do you have friends on the Internet?  Are they your best friends?

33. Is your IQ a) greater than your weight, or b) constant to your weight in the same ratio as your eyeglass prescription over pi?  Did you actually try, even for just a moment, to calculate the answer to that question?

There are no unacceptable outcomes on this test, nor is it an accurate predictor of your success in any nerd-related endeavors. It’s simply intended for your own amazement, so feel free to post your Nerd Quotient in the comments, annotated with footnotes, supplemented with supporting documentation, and peer reviewed.  

Yes she can…run for office and win


photo DemocraticwomenCongress2013_zps6e825a28.jpg


This last election was a very good year for electing Democratic women to national office.

We seated Elizabeth Warren (MA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Mazie Hirono (HI) and Heidi Heitkamp (ND) in the Senate, and Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) will now be serving a full term.

There are new freshwomen in the House:

(AZ) Ann Kirkpatrick and Kyrsten Sinema, (CA) Gloria Negrete McLeod, Julia Brownley,(CT) Elizabeth Esty, (FL) Lois Frankel, (HI) Tulsi Gabbard, (IL) Tammy Duckworth, and

Cheri Bustos, (NV) ***Dina Titus, (NH) *** Carol Shea-Porter and Ann McLane Kuster,(NM) Michelle Lujan Grisham, (NY) Grace Meng, (OH) Joyce Beatty and (WA) Suzan DelBene.

(*** has been in Congress before)

And there is a chance that we will see more bids for the White House made by women, in the years ahead.  

That’s the good news.

Here’s the bad news.

The United States ranks 77th in the world in women’s participation in government.  

The Daily F Bomb, Monday 3/18/13

Happy Monday, Bomberbots! If there is such a thing.

Let’s move right to the intrusive questions…

Interrogatories

What was your favorite subject in school (pre-college)? What was your least favorite? What was your major in college? How many siblings do you have? What is your favorite candy? Are you more of a leader or a follower?

The Twitter Emitter

Previous

Next