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AI progress RL February 14, 2026 1:59 pm (Space/Science)

A Rubicon of Sorts ER February 12, 2026 5:33 pm (Space/Science)

Somebody help me out with telephone games. ER February 12, 2026 5:00 pm (CurrentEvents)

"Trump in heels" leads America's surrender in the global information war. BuckGalaxy February 11, 2026 12:08 pm (Flame)

Why do I do this to myself? podrock February 11, 2026 9:49 am (CurrentEvents)

Bad Musk Moon Rising BuckGalaxy February 10, 2026 12:07 pm (Space/Science)

Latinexus DEE-Fense ER February 9, 2026 6:48 pm (CurrentEvents)

Did we detect an exploding primordial black hole? RL February 7, 2026 5:29 pm (Space/Science)

Is anybody paying attention? ER February 6, 2026 4:47 pm (CurrentEvents)

Did you think there was a limit to Trump's narcissism? BuckGalaxy February 6, 2026 1:33 am (CurrentEvents)

A funny (?) interaction with chatgpt RL February 4, 2026 9:05 pm (Space/Science)

Trump Has Overwhelmed Himself BuckGalaxy February 4, 2026 3:53 pm (Flame)

George Will on creative destruction by TB March 24, 2012 11:50 am

It's sad this sort of post has to be placed on Flame, by ER 2012-03-24 13:15:04
- One of the fundamental flaws in your thinking is that you can't see the difference between tens of thousands of ... by TB 2012-03-24 14:51:27
  - On creosote: by TB 2012-03-24 14:58:51
    - What "one powerful entity" could you possibly be talking about? Where have I or anyone on this forum ever suggested ... by ER 2012-03-24 17:19:47
      - Does this mean George Will isn't on your "smart conservative" list any more? by TB 2012-03-24 19:09:29
        
        My "smart conservative" list gets shorter every day. by ER 2012-03-25 05:14:41
        
        You should see my "smart liberal" Post-It. by TB 2012-03-25 10:25:40
        
        As long as there's at least one name on it, you'll never get away with it. by ER 2012-03-25 11:35:53

The etch-a-sketch gaffe will never go away by BuckGalaxy March 23, 2012 7:58 pm

My god I can't believe what a gift this is! The guy who will likely win the GOP nomination ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-24 19:43:44
Somehow I don't think an attack based on "flip flops" or "lack of a core" would play well for Obama ... by TB 2012-03-23 21:54:42
- You're right. The Republican candidates have already pumped that well dry. I think the Dem TV campaign will simply consist of ... by ER 2012-03-23 23:27:24
The Right will blame it all on the Big Bad Liberal media, but I noticed both Santorum and Gingrich whipped ... by ER 2012-03-23 20:30:32
Link seems broken. Try this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/the-etch-a-sketch-incident-and-why-some-gaffes-catch-on/2012/03/22/gIQA8ob0TS_blog.html by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-23 20:01:55

U.S. Inches Toward Goal of Energy Independence by TB March 24, 2012 4:13 pm

So how are the Republicans going to use Obama's alleged discouragement of developing domestic reserves as a weapon against him ... by ER 2012-03-24 17:32:22

Any thoughts on Republican strategy for November? by bowser March 23, 2012 11:40 pm

Same as 2010. by TB 2012-03-24 10:46:55
- Reagan had no war, tripled the deficit. 3X. Cheney, VP under Bush, said the lesson was that deficits ... by bowser 2012-03-24 13:02:36
  - The deficit in 1980 (constant dollars) was $170.9 billion. In 1988 it was $242.5 billion. by TB 2012-03-24 13:23:01
I think the Republicans have already shot every arrow in their quiver--at each other. This election will be decided by events ... by ER 2012-03-23 23:50:24
- I wish I could agree, and while life is lived forward, it's understood backward. With Rove and Perry involved, ... by bowser 2012-03-24 10:35:23
  - No one will believe them, Bowz. The entire campaign for the nomination has been nothing but multiple lies directed ... by ER 2012-03-24 10:54:00
- Does it bother anyone else that politics has basically become a slander-filled version of Survivor? by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-24 00:39:47
  - This isn't new. by TB 2012-03-24 11:05:02
  - That's the way politics has always been throughout history. Its basically about guys in suits (or togas, or armor, ... by ER 2012-03-24 06:17:57
  - Everyone says it bothers them, and it's what works. by bowser 2012-03-24 01:10:50

From one of my favorite online comics by TB March 24, 2012 11:57 am

In Response to ER's COPS Program by Vitruvius March 23, 2012 8:56 pm

The police don't like people doing their job for them. Not only can it lead to big trouble when ... by ER 2012-03-24 00:05:33
A COPS program like mine is great for a quiet neighborhood because it reassures the residents, discourages villains, and frees up ... by ER 2012-03-23 23:24:20
You have to wonder about the kind of person who thinks they can make a difference doing this, and then ... by bowser 2012-03-23 22:09:10
- Blue lights are not a good idea. by ER 2012-03-24 10:07:11
  - They aren't legal and are probably more trouble than they are worth. I'd guess very foolish. I have ... by bowser 2012-03-24 10:31:32
It's weird. Most of my life, there weren't any. Or at least, none that made the news. by TB 2012-03-23 21:26:05

A question for ER by bowser March 22, 2012 11:43 pm

Flex by RobVG 2012-03-23 09:22:44
- I was in Deck Dept. Those guys in the black gang (Hull Dept), are all crazy. We used to ... by ER 2012-03-23 10:38:57
- That's about an inch of torque deflection every three feet or so. That sounds pretty high for high-strength steel. by TB 2012-03-23 10:04:35
  - I don't remember my ship flexing like that, but we were much smaller, and much more ruggedly built and internally ... by ER 2012-03-23 10:24:02
    - This is one thing we need to fix if we want good spacecraft. Vehicles planetside (mainly air and sea ... by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-23 20:18:43
      - Everything constructed to resist any kind of load will "flex" under that load. by TB 2012-03-23 21:43:14
        
        I did notice that in the video. I also noticed all the parts that were flying off the shuttle ... by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-24 00:44:01
        
        That's ice coming loose. by TB 2012-03-24 11:09:13
That's a pretty standard high speed turn, its what destroyers are designed to do, high-speed maneuvers while chasing or dodging ... by ER 2012-03-23 05:28:19
- Appendix by ER 2012-03-23 06:51:39

Liberalism 1.0 by TB March 22, 2012 8:11 pm

There's a difference between liberalism and socialism. Also, despite complaining about taxes, conservatives have no problem hiking them up. by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-23 14:43:15
- It used to be a spectrum, from left to right: radical, liberal, moderate, conservative, reactionary. The boundaries were fuzzy and ... by ER 2012-03-24 06:37:31
"What can men do against such reckless hate?" King Theoden of Rohan by ER 2012-03-23 13:02:32
Pity the person who thinks there is nothing more to life, to community, to existence than Legos. Those wretches ... by bowser 2012-03-22 21:22:35

Tinker Tailor by ER March 23, 2012 8:08 pm

Guinness is a hell of a tough act to follow. Was Gary Oldman any good? by TB 2012-03-23 21:29:52
- Oldman was excellent, as always, and I'm a huge fan, but I believe he was miscast here. I would have ... by ER 2012-03-23 23:15:10

Underground "sonic booms" in Wisconsin by RobVG March 21, 2012 8:13 am

Cave Collapse, probably. This area of the state has lots of dolomite bedrock, and is known for karst formation. Here's ... by podrock 2012-03-21 10:28:17
- Ooops...I was wrong...a closer look at the geology map of the state, and local reporting, the bedrock in the area ... by podrock 2012-03-22 12:35:07
  - USGS says: earthquake by podrock 2012-03-23 16:40:38
- And another geological formation is gone. Normally I wouldn't care (these things happen all the time naturally), but personally, ... by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-21 16:24:17
  - Gone? No, just eroded a bit, leaving a pile of rubble. Completely natural process. I can show you outcrops of ... by podrock 2012-03-21 18:33:53
    - The "Jefferson Process" - "Movin' On Up". by bowser 2012-03-22 14:50:19
  - Your concern is very valid. Much of Florida is Karst topography, and when the water table is dry, underground ... by ER 2012-03-21 18:11:11
    - What caught my eye was the article said they had about twenty reports, which is similar to my relative's situation. ... by podrock 2012-03-21 18:47:05

Access to contraception: moving the goal posts by TB March 22, 2012 8:09 am

Possibly the most effective way to cut government costs would be to supply free contraception. I don't know what ... by bowser 2012-03-22 13:17:29
- You would think so Bowser....one would think so. I can't tell you how many immaculate conceptions occur. So we are back to ... by Jody 2012-03-22 19:39:12
  - There's a guard rail around the top of the Empire State Building. No one tells people to either stay ... by bowser 2012-03-22 23:46:50
    - Sorry Bowser... I know myself and my capabilities and I keep myself in check. I don't need a railing. by Jody 2012-03-23 09:58:23
      - Where the hell did I say "Jody needs a railing." by bowser 2012-03-23 10:20:30
        
        I am the *whoever*. by Jody 2012-03-23 11:00:53
    - Who paid for the railing? by TB 2012-03-23 07:12:19
      - Whoever benefits. That's the entire point. Whoever benefits. You're so afraid someone is going to get something for nothing ... by bowser 2012-03-23 10:25:08
- The poor do get free contraception. Have for years. by TB 2012-03-22 13:41:01
  - Yeah but women don't *plan* to have sex Tom...that would make them loose women. Society frowns on that.....so why would ... by Jody 2012-03-22 19:42:11
  - You guys fight supplying contraceptive items, and absolutely nothing for free. Sometimes a person wonders. That some people ... by bowser 2012-03-22 19:28:53
    - The punitive moralistic folks "who deny the realities of life" You are absolutely right on Bowser. That is me!! I expect more ... by Jody 2012-03-22 20:21:03
    - Okay, now we're just sailing around in the doldrums of the Idiot Zone again. by TB 2012-03-22 20:00:52
      - Keep doing what you've been doing and you keep getting what you've been getting. by bowser 2012-03-22 21:41:40
Trojans, 98% effective- 39¢ each (n/t) by RobVG 2012-03-22 10:01:35
- So are aspirin tablets. If used as directed. Personally, I prefer the morning- after birth control pill for men. by ER 2012-03-22 10:06:35
  - Interesting how men are kept entirely out of this discussion. by TB 2012-03-22 10:11:02
    - Is Viagra covered? (n/t) by podrock 2012-03-22 13:44:51
      - I believe it's swallowed, with a glass of water. by bowser 2012-03-23 12:53:29
    - That's because men can't get pregnant. If they could, there would be no discussion. The reason this is an 'issue' is ... by ER 2012-03-22 12:35:35
      - You described Santorum to a 'T' (n/t) by RobVG 2012-03-22 20:05:31
      - No, that's the line the Democrats are selling. by TB 2012-03-22 13:31:15
        
        TB, you can convince yourself of anything you want if it makes you feel better. As long as you ... by ER 2012-03-22 13:52:20
        
        Greed is a national asset, the driver of capitalism. (It's one of the Seven Deadly Sins.) Sex is an abomination, ... by bowser 2012-03-22 13:39:16
      - Blonde joke. Good-looking, curvy blonde arrives in the little examining room for visit with doctor. Seems a bit nervous. "Doctor, can ... by bowser 2012-03-22 13:21:23

I can't help but think Obama is sleeping well. Santorum endorses him. by bowser March 22, 2012 10:48 pm

All politicians lie, bend the truth, or flex with the political wind whichever way it is blowing. People understand ... by ER 2012-03-23 05:56:50
- That's what "moderate" actually means in politics. by TB 2012-03-23 07:34:23
  - So you feel Santorum, Gingrich and Paul are ideologically and morally superior to the likes of the Elder Romney, the ... by ER 2012-03-23 08:06:27
    - Ideologically, yes, particularly Gingrich. by TB 2012-03-23 09:20:08
      - Well, I feel no compunction about proudly agreeing with your assessment of your audience here, and being a part of ... by ER 2012-03-23 09:59:26
        
        WorldCom, Enron, et al. have demonstrated a "free market" doesn't work. They worked around the regulations that were in ... by bowser 2012-03-23 10:18:46

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