Octopodial ChromeBob Uhl's thoughts on life.We're Driving Toward Disaster- May 28, 2008 <p> James Kunstler argues that <a href="http:www.washingtonpost.comwp-dyncontentarticle20080523AR2008052302456.html">Americans are literally driving toward disaster<a>. We think that we can magically wish our way out of the energy and food cost increases.<p> <p>He may not be correct that we’ve reached Peak Oil; however, I think it’s pretty clear that whether it is in the future or the recent past, we will not have cheap oil...http://octopodial-chrome.com/blosxom/blog/current-events/driving-toward-disaster-kunstler.... Return of the Lisp Machine- May 28, 2008 <p> Arto Bendiken <a href="http:bendiken.net20080527the-lively-road-not-taken">notes that Lively Kernel is a reinvention of the Lisp Machine concept<a>. For those who’ve not heard of them, Lisp Machines were <em>really<em> great pieces of work: at a time when command-lines and static software which crashed were the norm, they provided full GUIs, dynamic software and elegant error recovery. Perhaps <a...http://octopodial-chrome.com/blosxom/blog/tech/lively-kernel-lm.html Australian Driver Hits Fifty Cyclists- May 26, 2008 <p> An Australian driver in a fit of road-pique (I like that better than <q>road-rage<q>—it conveys the pathetic nature of the emotion better) <a href="http:www.smh.com.aunewsbeijing2008cycle-pack-attack200805081210131112608.htmlpage=fullpage" >tried to kill a line of 50 cyclists<a>.<p> <p>’Tis a pity Australia has done away with the death penalty; the driver is a prime candidate.<p>http://octopodial-chrome.com/blosxom/blog/bike/driver-hits-50.html The Freedom to Say No- May 26, 2008 <p> Elaine McArdle reports that <a href="http:www.boston.combostonglobeideasarticles20080518the_freedom_to_say_nopage=full">gender disparity in science and technology may be a result of gender preferences<a>—that is, two different studies show that men and women seek different things (big surprise, huh). Of course, anyone who actually dealt with men and women would know this, but I guess it has taken science time to move from thinking of women as defective.http://octopodial-chrome.com/blosxom/blog/philosophy/mcardle-gender-prefs.html Lockhart's Lament- May 23, 2008 <p> The Mathematical Association of America have published <a href="http:www.maa.orgdevlindevlin_03_08.html">and insightful condemnation of the methods by which we teach mathematics<a>. A must-read for anyone who has ever learnt math, taught math or who has children who may one day learn math. <em>Really<em> good stuff.<p> <p>Me, I think math should be taught using <a...http://octopodial-chrome.com/blosxom/blog/mathematics/lockharts-lament.html Sunblock Kills Coral- May 23, 2008 <p> It turns out that <a href="http:news.yahoo.comsafp20080523ts_afpenvironmentpollutionspeciescoral">sunblock kills coral reeves<a> (yes, I prefer <q>reeves<q> to <q>reefs<q>). So it looks like the choice is to burn and get cancer, or to kill coral—or to stay in the shade. I choose the shade.<p>http://octopodial-chrome.com/blosxom/blog/philosophy/natural/sunblock-kills-coral.html In Which Robert Turns 30- May 23, 2008 <p> Well, I’ve managed to make it through thirty years of life. I don’t really know how it happened: one day I was in college thinking that the thirty-year-old alumni were ancient, and then one day <em>I<em> was old.<p> <p>I guess it’s immature to want to be younger, and I don’t actually want to <em>be<em> a twenty-year-old again, as I was kinda a twit at that age. All of us are, probably. OTOH, it sure...http://octopodial-chrome.com/blosxom/blog/current-events/birthday-2008.html John Graduates!- May 20, 2008 <p> On Saturday my brother John Richard Uhl graduated from <a href="http:www.mesastate.edu">Mesa State College<a> with a degree in that queen of subjects, History. For the first time in over a year, all four of us Uhl brothers were together to celebrate. We went to church, broke bread, drank beer, smoked cigars, saw <cite>Prince Caspian<cite> (about which more later) and just generally enjoyed one another’s company. It was great spending time.http://octopodial-chrome.com/blosxom/blog/current-events/jru-graduates.html Graduation Day- May 14, 2008 <p> Today marks eight years since Black Sunday, that sad day when I donned cap and gown and was cast headlong into the working world. I’ve since spent twice as many years out of school as I did in it.<p> <p>When I look at what I wrote on the <a href="blosxomblogetcfour-years-graduation.html">fourth anniversary of my graduation<a>, I don’t see that I’m much further along at 29 than I was at 25: making a little more;...http://octopodial-chrome.com/blosxom/blog/etc/eight-years-graduation.html The Truth about Health Care- May 14, 2008 <p> Dr. Lawrence Huntoon has written a <a href="http:www.haciendapub.comarticle49.html"><em>great<em> article about health care costs<a>. He says pretty much what I’ve been saying for years, so naturally I think him a genius. Medical insurance is no longer insurance at all, but rather inefficiently pre-paid medical care. Since it is generally obtained through an employer (due to tax laws dating back to the Second World War), it is more...http://octopodial-chrome.com/blosxom/blog/philosophy/politics/huntoon-health-care.html |