Month: February 2008

Words of wisdom from Thos. Jefferson

So with that said, we’ll leave with his words from “A Decalogue of Canons for Observation in Practical Life”:

…I could use help with 1, 3 (though not so much as when I had money), 6, and perhaps 10.

So with that said, we’ll leave with his words from “A Decalogue of Canons for Observation in Practical Life”:

1. Never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend your money before you have it.
4. Never buy what you do not want, because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.
5. Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.
6. We never repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened.
9. Take things always by their smooth handle.
10. When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, a hundred.

(Randall, Henry S. The Life of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 3. New York: Derby & Jackson, 1858, p.525.)

Some of these have been attributed to other sages, like Franklin, I think. But following even half of these would be worthwhile. I could use help with 1, 3 (though not so much as when I had money), 6, and perhaps 10.

quote of the day

It took us nearly two millenia and oceans of blood to reduce these savages to a noisome rump. We can spare a little attention to remember why we did it.

When Roy is on his game, look out. On the idea of state-backed religious discipline:

It took us nearly two millenia and oceans of blood to reduce these savages to a noisome rump. We can spare a little attention to remember why we did it. [From BIG-TIME NEGOTIATORS, FALSE HEALERS AND WOMAN-HATERS. A bride wants…]

we write letters

I was reading my latest MAKE [issue 13, should be up there real soon now] and I came across the article about making an internal combustion engine demo with all parts “available from Home Depot.”

…In fact, incomplete combustion or detonation is the cause of the pinging or knocking you can hear in an engine that is not properly adjusted or has the wrong grade of fuel and is considered to a Bad Thing, for reasons of efficiency and the life of the engine.

I was reading my latest MAKE [issue 13, should be up there real soon now] and I came across the article about making an internal combustion engine demo with all parts “available from Home Depot.”

The author insists that the convention IC engine is powered by “explosions, front and center,” not the burning of fuel. Unless things have changed radically since I went through my formative car phase, he has it exactly backwards. The whole notion of engine timing and fuel injection systems (seen a new car with a carburetor lately?) is based on making sure the fuel mixture is introduced and burned at the right (most efficient) time. In fact, incomplete combustion or detonation is the cause of the pinging or knocking you can hear in an engine that is not properly adjusted or has the wrong grade of fuel and is considered to a Bad Thing, for reasons of efficiency and the life of the engine.

It seems to be a commonly held misconception, as some of the Google search results I found refer to an explosion as the result of the spark plug igniting the mixture. But I think that is an oversimplification, given the speed of the reaction: it is called combustion, not explosion or detonation, after all.

Disappointing to learn that this is how 11 year olds are being taught about this (that’s about when I learned it myself from a small plane owner and pilot).

Continue reading “we write letters”

Does this rise to the level of “high crimes and misdemeanors? “

The Commerce Department has been forced by Judicial Watch to turn over records of spring, 2001 meetings held between Dick Cheney and execs from global oil giants, records that suggest that the group decided months before September 11th that the US energy policy would center on taking control of Iraq’s oil:

…Since we all now know the Bush administration’s energy policy, there can be only one explanation for the extraordinary efforts Cheney has taken to keep this secret–he was discussing the potential for a takeover of Iraq’s oil with the companies that might manage the resource, even before 9/11 gave him the excuse to do it.

The Commerce Department has been forced by Judicial Watch to turn over records of spring, 2001 meetings held between Dick Cheney and execs from global oil giants, records that suggest that the group decided months before September 11th that the US energy policy would center on taking control of Iraq’s oil:

In the late spring of 2001, Vice President Cheney held a series of top secret meetings with the representatives of Exxon-Mobil, Conoco, Shell and BP America for what was later called the Energy Task-force. Their job, ostensibly, was to map out America’s Energy future. Since late 2001 several public interest groups, including the very conservative Judicial Watch, sued to have the proceedings of those meetings opened to public scrutiny. In March 2002, the Commerce Department turned over a few documents from the Task-force meetings to Judicial Watch, among which was the map of Iraq’s Oil Fields, dated March 2001 (above) and a list of the existing “Foreign Suitors” for Iraq Oil. Since that time, Cheney’s office has fought fiercely (and so far, successfully), right up to the Supreme Court, to keep the proceeding secret and to keep any of the private industry officials from disclosing any information about the meetings. Since we all now know the Bush administration’s energy policy, there can be only one explanation for the extraordinary efforts Cheney has taken to keep this secret–he was discussing the potential for a takeover of Iraq’s oil with the companies that might manage the resource, even before 9/11 gave him the excuse to do it.

Link

[From Commerce Dept docs: Cheney and oil execs decided to take Iraq’s oil in spring 2001]

is the word “Kafka-esque” over-used yet?

When they got to the TSA checkpoint, the government stole their children’s food, saying that if they wanted to bring that much food past the checkpoint, they’d need a letter from a doctor.

…He said he pointed out that he and his wife were doctors, and then offered to get a pediatrician colleague on the phone…

I would like to see the TSA regs that specify the permitted quantities of baby food:

Two doctors — a married couple — were flying with their kids from Chicago to Manchest NH. Given the record delays, snows, etc, they brought along a bunch of extra baby-food. When they got to the TSA checkpoint, the government stole their children’s food, saying that if they wanted to bring that much food past the checkpoint, they’d need a letter from a doctor. So — being doctors — they offered to write the letter. No, the TSA said, you need a letter from a different doctor.

According to Dr. Soni, the T.S.A. officers said they would need a “doctor’s note” to bring on all of the food. He said he pointed out that he and his wife were doctors, and then offered to get a pediatrician colleague on the phone…

The T.S.A. officers confiscated some of the food. “They divided it up. They took a jar of prunes and one of bananas, and I think a bottle of formula,” he said.

Link (via Consumerist)

[From TSA steals food from doctors’ infant children]