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Microsoft faces outrage for blog post touting ICE contract . Coincidence?

Yes, in 2005, Seattle implemented a 10 year plan to end homelessness. We can all see how well that went.

> slush funds

That's already happening. Even the homeless, who are getting money and paying nothing, are demanding answers to where all of the money is going:

http://kuow.org/post/homeless-people-also-want-know-where-seattles-money-going

By the time the pipeline is built, Washington will be dry as well: http://kuow.org/post/drought-d...

I had a related discussion with some friends recently about what they would/wouldn't work on in their job.

Einstein and others famously regretted developing the atomic bomb.

At the time, it was thought that nuclear chain reactions were impossible because the neutrons emitted by a fissile nucleus were too fast to interact with neighboring atoms. Leó Szilárd discovered that graphite would act as a neutron moderator, slowing them down so that they could interact. Each decaying nucleus releases two(*) neutrons, each neutron causes two other nuclei to decay, and so on. Two becomes four, becomes eight, in an exponential manner.

Here's the thing. At the time, conventional wisdom felt that chain reactions were impossible; and entrenched ideas in science are hard to pry loose. If Szilárd had chosen not to publish, it would have delayed nuclear fission research for decades - possibly indefinitely.

Consider the ramifications of having a few decades of technological development before attempting to build nuclear reactors, of social development before ICBMs and Mutually Assured Destruction, and so on. We've come a long way since then - we're much closer to planetary cooperation. The conflicts of the early 20th century seem almost tribal in retrospect.

Here's the essential question: Should Szilárd have published? Knowing that his research was the keystone for nuclear weapons, should he have just kept quiet about it?

The tools make no political judgments, but unenlightened bureaucrats do. And right now there's a lot of abuse by the people in power, the people we should be able to trust with our welfare. One only has to look at elections to see how psychological research is being used - en mass - on the population for political ideology.

Would it not be better to put this research off a couple of decades so that other, more directly beneficial technologies can come first? An environment of secure communications, anonymous surfing, safe and untraceable whistle-blowing seems to be on the horizon.

We have the hindsight to see the results of Szilárd's choice. Should we choose differently?

(*) Average 2.5 neutrons per nucleus

John Gottman. He does actual research on what works: http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=17294

As you can see at KUOW, they are also participating, as I believe RainyDawg and KNHC in Seattle are as well.

Yes, a fact that he "heard on the radio" with no citation or supporting evidence given whatsoever. A fact that also disingenuously refers to "the PS3 lines" even though the statistic given is based on pre-orders.

I heard it on KUOW, the local NPR station. I can't remember what "show" it was, I was waking up at 9 after having been up until 3 playing the Wii. It was a national NPR news feed. The reference to lines was also from coverage on CNN. I also watched G4 on cable for game-day and release coverage, from The Show, from that review thing with Adam whoever and whatshername, and some other thing they do. I also checked Comcast's On Demand G4 game reviews and cheats they posted Saturday.

So I don't like wasting my time posting links. Sue me. If the truth hurts, deal with it. But don't blame me. I'm not the media.

KUOW (Seattle's NPR station) already has it. It has three channels: (1) the regular broadcast service, (2) shows that couldn't fit into the regular schedule or are time-shifted, (3) 24-hour BBC World Service. I don't have a receiver so I haven't listened to it.

Listen to this:
http://kuow.org/m3u/weekday-b20060323.m3u

from here:
http://kuow.org/weekday.asp?Archive=03-23#10

The important parts are from minute 39 to minute 52.

I thought this was a good interview and wanted to pass it along.
The interview answers the basic question of how climate change is predicted to happen (happening). In other words, the science of climate change and not the politics.

-J Tom Moon

Listen to this:
http://kuow.org/m3u/weekday-b20060323.m3u

from here:
http://kuow.org/weekday.asp?Archive=03-23#10

The important parts are from minute 39 to minute 52.

I thought this was a good interview and wanted to pass it along.
The interview answers the basic question of how climate change is predicted to happen (happening). In other words, the science of climate change and not the politics.

-J Tom Moon

I'd say it IS the cost - Audible is expensive. It's hard to justify paying so much in advance for a show that you could hear for free. At least Car Talk is available for free for the first week via their website, then by Audible from there.

Which brings up an interesting point - there is no standard model for NPR shows. Some of the local stations just publish directly in mp3 (kuow.org), other NPR shows are just on their website, and others (like previously mentioned) show up on Audible.

I would like to see them offer all shows for free in mp3 off their website for a limited time period, then as a paid download after a week or two. And go a head and throw in a small "this podcast is supported by X company and from donations from people like you..." in the beginning of each downloadable show.

Seattle Wireless actually talked about this earlier this week on the NPR affil in Seattle, KUOW-FM, during the Weekday program. It's pretty interesting stuff ... if it all works out. The KUOW.org site has an audio stream of the hour-long show. One challenge is convincing the masses, who already are just starting to understand what Wi-Fi is, that Wi-Fi ISN'T just wireless Internet ... that's it creates a wireless network that can move damn near anything digital without ever touching the Internet(voice, video ... bits is bits). But perception lags reality.

All this whining that biodiesel isn't available -- burn used grease of which there is a HUGE supply: Greasecar.

This is now the third time I've posted about Greasecar (not affiliated in any way, but plan to implement a kit in the the next year or so).

Heard a radio story or two recently about diesel and soot. As clean as they can be (nowadays) from a carbon standpoint they have another bad thing about them: soot. Even if the carbon is reduced the soot is sunlight blocking / reflecting and thus weather affecting (kind of like those contrails) -- so much so that even the diesel-guzzling Europeans are beginning to take notice of the problem. I am not sure if the soot issue is resolved at all with biodiesels or grease cars. Still reseraching that one...

the callers as a whole seemed pretty well current on the issues, knowledgeable about the technology, and anti-SSSCA.

the callers as a whole seemed pretty well current on the issues, knowledgeable about the technology, and anti-SSSCA.

--Zone Dancer