tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57247862011-04-21T20:25:01.153-07:00Watch Without a WatchmanA public expression of the tug of war between fear and greed that is known by higher circles of mystery-seekers as "Joel."Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comBlogger2671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1143815265416265302006-03-31T06:26:00.000-08:002006-03-31T06:27:45.706-08:00Religion is for the living.Joel M.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1109862784880910952005-03-03T07:10:00.000-08:002005-03-03T07:13:04.883-08:00Well, this is it. I'm in Medicine Hat, home of the weird, for work for the next year. I'm doing some business with my parents, restoring a nice little old apartment building and turning it into condominiums. It's interesting work, even if it's taking me away from my sweetie for a while, and I'm thinking of doing a blog about it. Watch this space.Joel M.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1108540983611995902005-02-15T23:56:00.000-08:002005-02-16T00:03:03.616-08:00Here's a little something that I wrote just now. I was lying in bed, thinking about how people are motivated and how they tend to see other people as having things better than they do, and I decided to zip out a little bit that illustrates this principle over the course of a normal interation.Waist*****Ding a ling a ling*****Rita glanced up at the door from where she sat behind the cash register.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1107795778057747222005-02-07T08:49:00.000-08:002005-02-07T09:02:58.056-08:00Wow. Two entries in one day! It must be all of that floor varnish at work.
Here's a quick rundown on some of the real problems in the world that a belligerent, freedom-loving U.S. should be thinking about: The Ten Most Underreported Humanitarian Crisis of 2004
For 18 years, people in northern Uganda have endured a brutal conflict... Congolese cannot meet even their most basic needs. Local Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1107794671564378402005-02-07T08:41:00.000-08:002005-02-07T08:45:27.203-08:00A really excellent piece of short fiction about spontaneous assemblages of intelligent household devices called blebs. Check it:
I gave her a hug and kiss and was about to tell her to be careful on the subway when I caught movement at floor level out the corner of my eye.
The first bleb in our new joint household had spontaneously formed. It consisted of our two toothbrushes and the bathroom Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1107354949971797092005-02-02T06:33:00.000-08:002005-02-02T06:35:49.973-08:00Buh?
I'm sort of uncomfortably aroused right now. Like oogling a faraway girl in the mall who turns out to be fourteen. Or staring at some chick's butt, only she turns around and has Downs' face. Brrr.
Joel M.
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1106195651457208402005-01-19T19:10:00.000-08:002005-01-19T20:34:11.456-08:00So, yeah. Something bad happened. Did you know? Here's a link. There's more here. Er. Talk among yourself.
Anyway, this is a little piece that I just pushed out now. It's a bunch of stuff that's been swimming around in my head for the last little while, but it's all exposition. I really need to work on getting dialogue and plot and stuff going on.
But, for the time being, here is a little pieceJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1104903093119450632005-01-04T21:26:00.000-08:002005-01-04T21:31:33.120-08:00Here's a story I wrote a little while ago. Just a little super-short one to get some juices flowing. It's super-compressed, but I kind of like it like that. Nothing superfluous.
Ants
There's a cool show on.
It's about ants in the jungle. Bad mothers, those army ants.
Anyway, these things can cross water.Not swimming, or on a bridge. Even I could cross water on a bridge.No, these guys cross itJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1104619128108866892005-01-01T14:32:00.000-08:002005-01-01T14:38:48.106-08:00I've been thinking about improving the generally crappy layout of this site, but I've been much too busy playing Half Life 2 (best game ever!) and being on holidays for X-Mas.
Anyway, this little story was written for the creative writing class I took between September and December. The class was a little too low-level for my taste, but I think I will take the next one since it forced me to Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1103834884544771292004-12-23T13:44:00.000-08:002004-12-23T12:48:04.543-08:00Some friends keep telling me that I need to update my blog more, but I've lost interest in just commenting on links. Another friend has told me that I should put my writing on my blog. I don't really want to spend all of my time writing for free, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to put some of the more polished stuff that I've been playing around with up here.
So, without further delay, I present:
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1101401186974157132004-11-25T08:33:00.000-08:002004-11-25T08:46:26.976-08:00American politics are totally insane.
And I seriously doubt that Canadians have it much better.
There's the insane speed with which things happen, preventing the actual comprehension by lawmakers of the issues that they are supposed to be deciding on:
The resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq, for example, was debated just two days. The defense authorization bill, a complicated Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1101256495121001042004-11-23T16:05:00.000-08:002004-11-23T16:34:55.120-08:00Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines?
Don't even talk to me about that pile of trash.
It started off so promisingly. Well, at least they promised all sorts of good stuff. Good system. Good setting. Lots of interesting dialogue. Even the first area was pretty good, despite the cheesy plot twists. Good fights against oponents worth remembering. Quality sneaking action. Lots of freedom.
So where Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1099492777535037322004-11-03T06:14:00.000-08:002004-11-03T06:39:37.536-08:00Fuck. Fuck. Eh. Fuck.
Actually, I'm not that surprised. I've been calling a Bush victory for months, on the basis that human beings, taken en masse, are inherently masochistic retards. I was just sort of hoping for a little nudge in the other direction.
At least they had a solid turnout. Not like us.
Seriously, though, I'm happy and sad. Firstly, Kerry sucked ass and his policies sounded like Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1099240153614068182004-10-31T08:28:00.000-08:002004-11-01T07:08:10.930-08:00The new Battlestar Galactica series rules! Snag it off Bittorrent and check it out, but make sure to start with the two-part premier.
Joel M.
Update: Also, while you're getting Battlestar, download Drawn Together, too. It's hilarious.
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1098395477870587572004-10-21T14:39:00.000-07:002004-10-21T14:51:17.870-07:00A movie about the state of W.'s brain here.
It compares W. from ten years ago to W. now, and speculates that he is going into senile dementia. Ten years ago he wasn't the world's greatest speaker, but he was forceful and articulate. Now, though? Wow. I actually hadn't seen any debate footage, but the stuff in this movie had him looking, frankly, like a scared, bewildered old man.
Of course, a Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1097765375467778452004-10-14T07:47:00.000-07:002004-10-14T07:49:35.466-07:00So get this: I rule!
This Sunday I ran, and finished, the Royal Victoria Marathon! That's 26 miles in 4 hours, 15 minutes and 12 seconds!
Boo yeah, baby!
Joel M. (via how much I rule)
Oh, yeah. I'm playing with a thing that is supposed to upload photos onto Blogger, but it seems pretty awkward, so maybe a photo of me crossing the finish line will show up here. Or not.
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1096904473683189992004-10-04T08:09:00.000-07:002004-10-04T08:41:13.683-07:00Good article on Reason about the debates.
In particular, I liked the argument made for the impact of subtle, or not so subtle, emotions on voters rather than hard numbers.
"(I)n an age when the Argus-eyed media strips candidates bare, emoting drives voting... Certain lines of argument in defense of social programs, for instance, betray a sense that whether or not they're effective is secondary:Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1096465838023032762004-09-29T06:49:00.000-07:002004-09-29T06:50:38.023-07:00Don't you just hate dreaming about work? I know I do.
Joel M. (via a crappy night's sleep)
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1096441043450088722004-09-28T23:46:00.000-07:002004-09-30T08:36:07.306-07:00I'm an editor now.
Lately, I've been freelancing for a magazine called Calgary Living. Not the greatest mag in the world, but they pay me and, provided that I pitch ideas that could theoretically appeal to a sort-of rich guy between the ages of 25 and 50, I have a lot of freedom about what I want to write about.
Recently, one of the editors started doing a bunch of work for the Toronto branch Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1096385416424427962004-09-28T08:10:00.000-07:002004-09-28T11:04:03.243-07:00Stolen entirely off of This Modern World:
"A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOE REPUBLICAN"
Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards.
With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1095978761534903602004-09-23T15:24:00.000-07:002004-09-23T15:32:41.533-07:00I've had a few sodden arguments with friends over the recent Chechen attack on that Russian school. In this article, Gwynne Dyer makes the points that I wish I had been sober and informed enough to make.
Here's a little gem:
When German troops neared the Caucasus in 1943, Stalin deported the entire Chechen population to camps in Central Asia, fearing they would collaborate with the invaders -- Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1095962532145701382004-09-23T10:58:00.000-07:002004-09-23T11:02:12.146-07:00Well, looking at my last post, Susan has been sick for almost a month. She started off with some sort of fever which seemed to start getting better before graduating into asthmatic bronchitis. Yuck.
And now I'm sick with a chest cold and, what's worse, it's different than what she was sick with, so it doesn't look like I'll be getting much in the way of smooches in the immediate future.
Just Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1093966303360519442004-08-31T08:28:00.000-07:002004-08-31T08:31:43.360-07:00My apartment is now a sick ward.
Susan, my live-in lover, had a bad case of the 'flu that managed to transform itself into a bad case of bronchitis. I'm not sick, but I keep worrying that my constant exposure is turning me into some sort of plague-dog. I'll be keeping a sharp eye on my associates to see if I'm unintentionally conducting any sort of low-intensity biological warfare.
Now, though,Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1092764229459066442004-08-17T10:35:00.000-07:002004-08-17T10:37:09.460-07:00I command you to read The Law of the Monkeysphere.
Seriously.
When you ask why things are so fucked up, this guy has An Answer. Maybe not The Only Answer, but it's pretty amazing.
Joel M. (via Ross)
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1092760012559148432004-08-17T09:09:00.000-07:002004-08-17T09:26:52.560-07:00That wacky Pete Bagge is at it again! This time, his comic dissects the notion that public funding for the arts is automatically a good thing.
I tend to agree with him because it is entirely possible for an artist to be commercially successful. And, in most other professions, a practitioner who is not commercially successful is called a 'hobbyist' and does not receive public monies.
However, I Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1092600719205900792004-08-15T13:07:00.000-07:002004-08-15T13:18:53.910-07:00My pal Allie has had a letter published in the Edmonton Journal. She wrote it as a reaction to the tragic death of her brother in Vancouver just a few days ago. She is my hero right now.
Joel M.
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1092556802347823042004-08-15T00:53:00.000-07:002004-08-15T01:00:02.346-07:00Dr. Dyer does it again. An article that lacerates the stupidity of American politics with the efficiency of a porcupine in your colon.
Take this:
"Let me be clear: while we have raised the threat level for the financial services sector in the affected communities, the rest of the nation remains at an elevated, or Code Yellow, risk of vampire attack....The vampires should know (that) in this Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1091954821106669332004-08-08T01:35:00.000-07:002004-08-08T01:47:01.106-07:00OK. I officially don't believe anything anymore. Check this out:
The upshot of these various observations is that atmospheric CO2 enrichment sets in motion a self-enhancing cycle of positive biological phenomena, whereby increases in the air's CO2 content (1) stimulate plant productivity and (2) reduce plant evaporative water loss, which results in (1) more organic matter entering the soil and (Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1091904365337478772004-08-07T11:43:00.000-07:002004-08-07T11:46:05.336-07:00This article says it all about laziness and the benefits thereof:
In his youth, the great poet of loafing, Walt Whitman, would arrive at the offices of the newspaper where he worked at around 11.30am, and leave at 12.30 for a two-hour lunch break. Another hour's work after lunch and then it was time to hit the town.
Gotta get me some (more) of that!
Joel M. (via www.boingboing.net)
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1091136693467439552004-07-29T14:30:00.000-07:002004-07-29T14:31:33.466-07:00Got sent this link by a friend. Very funny (and balanced even) flash cartoon about the upcoming election.
Man, Bush and Kerry both suck.
Joel M. (via Scott)
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1090336621786333862004-07-20T08:11:00.000-07:002004-07-20T08:17:01.786-07:00Dr. Gwynne Dyer on 9/11 in response to the notion that the terrorists hate freedom:
So once more, with feeling: the 9/11 attacks were not aimed at American values, which are of no interest to the Islamists one way or another. They were an operation that was broadly intended to raise the profile of the Islamists in the Muslim world, but they had the further quite specific goal of luring the Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1090334883675154142004-07-20T07:46:00.000-07:002004-07-20T07:48:03.676-07:00Finally, a sensible opinion on the furor over Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne. Is he going to collect the X Prize? Yes. Is this going to lead to a sustained human presence in space? No.
Joel M.
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1089733521827759442004-07-13T08:43:00.000-07:002004-07-13T08:45:21.826-07:00Just a personal note: I've signed up for G-Mail. My address is joelpm@gmail.com. I will keep my hotmail address for the time being and send out a mass mail if I decide to stop using it as my main account.
Joel M.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1089269866948769472004-07-07T23:46:00.000-07:002004-07-07T23:57:46.946-07:00A little thought experiment:
Distributing media, such as music, books, images and movies, is a problem. Whenever you have a lingering problem like this, an industry forms and people start making a living by addressing the problem.
One day, some bright nerds come up with the idea of hooking loads of computers together. This has the totally accidental byproduct of, eventually, solving the Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1088040034082576312004-06-23T18:16:00.000-07:002004-06-23T18:20:34.083-07:00Here's one for everyone who thinks that Kerry is going to win in a walk: a map of how the polls are doing, state by state.
Remember 2000? Remember how 'Majority Vote' Gore lost it? Yeah, they never got around to fixing that system any more than ours is getting fixed. Note how even though Kerry has the most populous states, Bush has more actual states and, therefore, more electoral collage votes.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1087275319045186812004-06-14T21:48:00.000-07:002004-06-14T21:59:06.650-07:00I know that I haven't posted to my blog much in the last while, and not at all for close to a a month. The reason is that my recent move disrupted my ability to monitor and comment on the state of the world in real time and, frankly, I found that I liked it. I need the time to get a few things straight for myself, so don't expect a lot here, though I will post things that are important.
That Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1084459299658835562004-05-13T07:10:00.000-07:002004-05-15T02:01:41.740-07:00An article on SpaceDaily vis a vis the impending Great Google Dutch Auction. This guy makes a good point about the way that Google operates and the fact that it is fundamentally no different from any other dodgy internet age startups. Sure, they may talk a mean game and they may have the greatest search engine going, but the truth of the matter is that these guys don't make money. Every time theyJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1084284495156732912004-05-11T07:07:00.000-07:002004-05-11T07:08:15.156-07:00Cool Reason article on the Paper Age government. I like the punch-line:
Paper Age government is not inherently dysfunctional and it does not suffer from hackable vulnerabilities. It could serve us for many more decades. But if it does, government will slowly diverge from an increasingly Computer Age populace. Government will be that quaint, slightly bizarre place where people still shuffle Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1084225150652707412004-05-10T14:18:00.000-07:002004-05-10T14:39:10.653-07:00This is just to keep track of something that my brain has spat out a couple of times lately so that I can stop thinking about it. The original idea is Neal Stephenson's, but I suspect that we're at the point where the idea is actually practical for a few things.
First, check out WebEarth, a server-side VRML application that creates a 3D rotating picture of Earth that is relatively current and Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1084211924363269982004-05-10T10:21:00.000-07:002004-05-10T10:58:44.363-07:00What the fuck is up with Svend Robinson?
He steals a piece of jewelry worth $50 grand, tearfully admits to it, takes a vacation, and doesn't even get a slap on the wrist? Buh?
I mean, yeah, he 'fessed up and gave it back. That's certainly grounds for leniency. Same deal as when you catch your kid with a chocolate bar after you leave the store. You take it back, the kid is humiliated and Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1084205086775205652004-05-10T09:03:00.000-07:002004-05-10T09:04:46.776-07:00You've just gotta see this. A hilarious British short film with naked men. It's a whole heap of pure joy.
Joel M. (via www.diepunyhumans.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1084203530922992892004-05-10T08:31:00.000-07:002004-05-10T08:38:50.923-07:00Eulogy
This is a notice that I wrote for my mother to give to a who was drawing complaints because of the smell emanating from his apartment.
Dear Sir,
This notice is to inform you that we have had a complaint about the smell of the front common area that your apartment shares with your downstairs neighbour. We would appreciate it if you would take whatever steps are necessary in order to dealJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1083914259897587882004-05-07T00:17:00.000-07:002004-05-07T00:47:11.326-07:00Here you go, Aaron. Chimps are stronger than humans.
A New York Times article reports that a tape recording made on 9/11/01 containing statements from "at least six air traffic controllers who dealt with two of the hijacked airliners .. was destroyed by a supervisor without anyone making a transcript or even listening to it."
The quality-assurance manager was said to have "crushed the cassetteJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1083744853394957502004-05-05T01:14:00.000-07:002004-05-05T01:17:25.233-07:00Boo-yeah! Call of Duty finished on the hardest level in eleven hours less a trip to Opa for dinner, baybee! I think my Quick Load finger is going to fall off, though. It was brutal and I died enough for the whole war.
Joel M.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1083684863103860122004-05-04T08:34:00.000-07:002004-05-04T08:37:06.420-07:00Adam Smith, in The Wealth of Nations: "Rarely do people of the same occupation gather together, even if only for merriment, that it does not end in some plot to defraud the public."
Joel M.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1083556347622343622004-05-02T20:52:00.000-07:002004-05-02T20:55:36.746-07:00Sturgeon's Law: 90% of everything is crap.
Joel M.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1083339890633989112004-04-30T08:44:00.000-07:002004-04-30T08:47:57.543-07:00Lately I've been thinking quite a bit about electoral reform. The reason why is that it kind of pisses me off that I can cast my vote and, as a result of the way that our electoral system works, there is every chance that I wind up represented by a guy who I didn't even vote for. What's worse, though, is that the guy I did vote for is just the guy I happened to find the least odious.
It's enoughJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1083158124912808512004-04-28T06:15:00.000-07:002004-04-28T06:18:30.013-07:00Now that we've got two reporters who have been lying about their stories, Jayson Blair at the Times a year ago and Jack Kelly at USA Today four months ago, it's time for a little compare and contrast action.
When a white man screws up, it ignites a debate about the screw-up. When a black man screws up, it ignites a debate about race.
Joel M. (via www.thismodernworld.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1082735232231940032004-04-23T08:47:00.000-07:002004-04-23T08:57:20.716-07:00Speaking of Reason, they've got what I think is a really telling piece on Kerry in the US presidential race.
SEN. KERRY: Number... Tim, what I said is true. I mean, you can go to New York City and you can be in a restaurant and you can meet a foreign leader. There are plenty of places to meet people without traveling abroad. Number two, I'm under no obligation... I would be stupid if I were to Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1082734454927105192004-04-23T08:34:00.000-07:002004-04-23T08:56:58.950-07:00Reason has posted an essay in commemoration of Earth Day that is pretty thought provoking, procided that their guy has his numbers right. I think that the following quote nails down the gist of it:
There's much to celebrate on the 30th anniversary of Earth Day. Indeed, one of the chief things to get happy about is that the doomsters were so wrong. Civilization didn't collapse, hundreds of Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1082571733465028862004-04-21T11:22:00.000-07:002004-04-21T11:25:11.810-07:00The other day I found out that my computer was infested with viruses. B'oh!
Anyway, today I decided to take care of the problem. I loaded up my handy dandy copy of Norton Antivirus (which I was a schmuck for not installing as soon as I put Windows on the new machine) and tried to let 'er rip.
Nothing.
Norton crashed, Liveupdate crashed, and when I tried to get into the registry to see if thereJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1082501961618195632004-04-20T15:59:00.000-07:002004-04-20T16:02:19.263-07:00Had an interesting line of thought today:
I was talking to my friend Allie on MSN Messenger and she was trying to tidy up after her kids at the same time and she said "Kids... They leave such a mess yet have such an aversion to cleaning it up"
At first, I smugly thought "yeah, just like oil companies," to myself, but then I kind of thought a little more while I was slaving away over the dishesJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1082191132124030582004-04-17T01:38:00.000-07:002004-04-17T01:41:45.606-07:00What's it worth to steal an election?
Lots.
And this guy is only talking what Congressional candidates might pay, figured as a portion of their overall campaign budget. What about if you figured it based on the kind of money a government contractor, organized criminal, or corporation trying to swing a shift in regulations or taxation? How much money has, say, Haliburton made as a direct result Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1082189214234226852004-04-17T01:06:00.000-07:002004-04-17T01:09:48.140-07:00Pulled whole off of Die Puny Humans:
FUTURE UNDERGROUND
Tracking the future.
Susannah Breslin, mildly dislocated by jetlag, perversion and the London chill, grimaces at the elderly Vauxhall Bridge Road locals staggering around the smoky little pub in beer-smeared football-fan facepaint. Susannah's a writer, over here in her occasional role as a presenter for the Playboy Channel's SEXCETERA toJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1082143024806329472004-04-16T12:17:00.000-07:002004-04-16T12:19:58.030-07:00Check out this entry on mocoloco. A modular, transportable house that can be flown around by a helicopter. Put it on a rooftop or a mountaintop!
Joel M. (via www.mocoloco.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1081012338240066432004-04-03T09:12:00.000-08:002004-04-03T09:14:58.373-08:00Friend Scott sent me a pretty interesting link to the Chipmunkz Gangsta Rap. Funny! Low in carbohydrates! High in gunplay and grave pissing!
Joel M. (via Scott)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1080747064697108532004-03-31T07:31:00.000-08:002004-03-31T07:33:41.483-08:00Found a site that lists plurals for a variety of animals. A tower of giraffe! An intrigue of kittens! A business of ferrets!
Joel M. (via www.boingboing.net)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1080321075432931672004-03-26T09:11:00.000-08:002004-03-26T09:13:47.560-08:00Warning: funny to nerds.
The future of guns is coming fast, and it was created by an illiterate eight ear old.
No, not really. It was a self-taught Aussie physicist, but he's probably just a teensy bit illiterate.
Anyway, the thing sounds like some sort of Judge Dread beast. It fires different types of bullets, speaks, and knows when it's been drawn and fired. It's all electronic and there areJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1080109789369178572004-03-23T22:29:00.000-08:002004-03-23T23:08:21.733-08:00Better get your rich on, hoss. Pretty soon the rich are just going to keep getting richer forever, while the poor die, cold and alone.
In principle, I am in favour of death. I think that you should be able to die whenever you like, for whatever reason you like. Just so long as you aren't me, or I don't care about you, or you aren't around me when you're doing it. I also think that death is an Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1080108452810080522004-03-23T22:07:00.000-08:002004-03-23T22:10:02.543-08:00An interesting website belonging to a British stencil artist called Banksy. He's got some extremely good ideas.
I hate when people do fun, cool things. So speaketh the bitter, wizened old fetus that beats where my heart should be.
Joel M. (via www.boingboing.net)
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1079713582569194912004-03-19T08:26:00.000-08:002004-03-19T08:28:47.496-08:00Whoa. Take that, you braised rib eating muthafuckas.
Like I may or may not have said here, but what I have certainly already said before in some forum or other: one of these days people are going to remember what Purple Pussy and Zombie Atkins always knew: "Eat what you want - just don't stuff your fat face."
Joel M. (via www.boingboing.net)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1079713196703854852004-03-19T08:19:00.000-08:002004-03-19T08:22:21.700-08:00Busy playing Knights of the Old Republic. Not much is sinking in at the moment. Check this out, though. Rummy gets rumbled.
Joel M. (via www.boingboing.net, the writers of which are being surprisingly political today)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1079109093939248752004-03-12T08:31:00.000-08:002004-03-12T08:33:51.810-08:00Brace yourselves. It's the Book of All Knowledge: A Compendium of Useful & Astonishing Information Magickly Updated at Timely Intervals by Invisible Homunculi.
Purportedly, it contains a sizeable, though unknown, fraction of all knowledge in the universe. It's pretty neat.
Joel M. (via www.fatmessiahgames.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1078935861670942852004-03-10T08:24:00.000-08:002004-03-10T08:47:37.436-08:00Some guy is busy working on a robot that basically prints out a house. Didn't I mention something about this once? Something about the death of the trades? Well here it is, ladies and germs: step one.
It's just like all of those call-centre jobs heading to India or what I've been saying about the recording industry. Things are changing really, really fast and lots of people are going to be Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1078855731822724642004-03-09T10:08:00.000-08:002004-03-09T10:11:07.076-08:00Here's a little piece about fainting goats. Feel free to ignore the family photos below and, instead, let your mind wander to a world where everyone has one friend who 'faints' when frightened in case of monster attack. Or maybe to a love story between a person with myotonia congenita and someone with Tourette's Syndrome.
Joel M. (via www.forteantimes.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1078855331803966942004-03-09T10:02:00.000-08:002004-03-09T10:04:41.013-08:00Spacedaily does their homework on the sudden climate change phenomenon, with a tip of the hat to the Pentagon report that has sparked so much wild-eyed gnashing of the teeth.
Joel M. (via www.spacedaily.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1078565719218539542004-03-06T01:35:00.000-08:002004-03-06T01:37:30.763-08:00The real cost of war, a Mother Jones heartbreaker. Pictures of really young guys who were maimed in Iraq who, weirdly, almost all are cool with it. They would do it again, they love the military, they think it was the right thing to do.
Makes you wonder what sort of brainwashing the army uses nowadays.
Again, I've only got so much sympathy for soldiers who get hurt or reservists who (gasp) Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1078474650111863682004-03-05T00:17:00.000-08:002004-03-05T00:19:40.840-08:00Sorry it's been so long. To make up for it, here are Rumsfeld's 1,000 Fighting Styles.
I especially liked Mirror Swan Fist.
In other news, I bought all of my new computer stuff today, so I should have a machine of my own up and running.
Y'know, even though I can use Susan's machine pretty much with impunity, what with my evening work schedule, I am somehow less comfortable using it than I am Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077728992639848182004-02-25T09:09:00.000-08:002004-02-25T09:56:08.076-08:00Interesting stuff. Former head honcho in Iraq, Jay Garner has a lot to say about the future of American involvement in Iraq. And it ain't pretty.
No, scratch that. Maybe I've been too short-sighted in condemning this little experiment in American Imperialism. I mean, sure it's freaking expensive. Sure it's going to be hard on the poor boys and girls who are either dumb enough to join or who are Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077664321474281372004-02-24T15:12:00.000-08:002004-02-24T15:14:02.890-08:00Looks like the Pentagon paper I talked about a few posts back is less exciting than it was represented as being on the sites I first saw it on. Check out boingboing's coverage of it here.
Good thing I didn't run off and enroll in that watercourse engineering program right that day, hmmm?
Despite that the story is apparently not all it was cracked up to be right off the start, I don't think thatJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077661051349377392004-02-24T14:17:00.000-08:002004-02-24T14:19:32.716-08:00This guy makes a pretty compelling case for the use of ethanol over the use of hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels. From what I hear, though, the whole system of ethanol subsidies and production needs a lot more work before it is workable.
Joel M. (via www.disinfo.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077641776269107892004-02-24T08:56:00.000-08:002004-02-24T08:58:17.623-08:00I don't know if any of you have checked out any of my comix links. Heck, I can't even remember what comix I am linked to anymore. However, anyone interested in extremely incorrect non-furry furry non-explicit dyke action should give Purple Pussy a look. In particular is the just ending Atkins storyline that starts here.
Joel M.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077601880915634802004-02-23T21:51:00.000-08:002004-02-23T21:53:21.076-08:00Ugh.
As many of the people who read this page know, I am currently holding down a position as a register monkey at a local liquor store. The position pays approximately seven bucks an hour after deduction and I work about four or five days a week for either five or eight hours. Oh yeah, I also get a few bucks a night in tips and delivery fees. Usually ten or so, but on weekends it can be as muchJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077571067528312652004-02-23T13:17:00.000-08:002004-02-23T13:19:47.793-08:00This is, uh, pretty significant. Just to say the least.
Joel M. (via www.diepunyhumans.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077559901261783082004-02-23T10:11:00.000-08:002004-02-24T15:09:49.670-08:00Tom Tomorrow has posted about a couple of articles relating to a secret Pentagon report prepared to address the possibility that climate change could post an immediate and sudden threat to people who are alive at this very moment on This Modern World. One is from the Guardian and the other is from Fortune.
The thrust of both of these articles is this:
"Global warming, rather than causing Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077258698926995842004-02-19T22:31:00.000-08:002004-02-19T22:33:35.513-08:00This one ain't work safe.
Bukkake is a Japanese term that refers to showering a receiver with sperm from one, several or many men. It is always a sperm shower and, therefore, those on the giving end are always male.
Legend has it that in ancient Japan, women who were found to be unfaithful were publicly humiliated in the town center by being tied up while every man in town ejaculated all over Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077220991339644452004-02-19T12:03:00.000-08:002004-02-19T12:05:07.750-08:00You know what? I really haven't been liking computer games that much lately. Some days I think that this is a function of growing ever older and more decrepit. As though something deep in my subconscious perceives the yawning portal of my grave in the future and, seeing the useless, formless pulp of time wasted to date on video games as somehow greasing my passage into that inevitable hole, is Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077219972985869872004-02-19T11:46:00.000-08:002004-02-19T11:49:40.420-08:00Pink Steel. Gay heavy metal at its hardest. I shit you not. I like the Pit of Gayness. I always sort of thought that that was what Unskinny Bop was really about. And then there's "What famous metal god, jealous of the Pamela and Tommy Lee sex tape, might have released his own sex tape...of himself masturbating to the Pamela and Tommy Lee video?"
And, of course, there's always We Fight for Cock
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077218774803122112004-02-19T11:26:00.000-08:002004-02-19T11:28:10.873-08:00I love the Halfbakery. It's a place where you can deposit your (sometimes not so) silly ideas and have others comment on and rate them. I've got a few that I've been meaning to post, but I've been far, far too lazy to bother.
Check out this idea: Murderous Rampage! The idea here is to have a place where you can, for a price, work off your frustrations by pretending to shoot actors with blanks Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077121806309043702004-02-18T08:30:00.000-08:002004-02-18T08:32:01.200-08:00The pagan heirarchy. Now you can know exactly who is looking down their nose at you and who you should be looking down your nose at! Plus, it makes a deep, satisfying sort of sense.
Joel M. (via www.boingboing.net)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077056479330247652004-02-17T14:21:00.000-08:002004-02-17T14:23:13.590-08:00Ah, Warren Ellis. You soothe my pain.
Check out some Bitshifter tracks. Music composed and performed on a Gameboy, apparently. And it's kind of good, if you're into the sort of technobeep that I like.
Joel M. (via www.diepunyhumans.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077056050842263412004-02-17T14:14:00.000-08:002004-02-17T14:17:37.606-08:00Hot news for all of you Joel-watchers out there:
I was pretty happy last week because my application to BioWare, an excellent video game developer in Edmonton, resulted in my being selected to write an editing test for them. It was pretty easy and, while I was sometimes worried about it afterward, I spent most of last week walking on air. I was going to get it! Easy! At least I would get an Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077054996896700892004-02-17T13:56:00.000-08:002004-02-17T13:58:30.670-08:00Gumblondes: a guy builds portraits of blonde hotties out of chewing gum. They look really good and there are no added colours.
It's things like this that make me love and hate people. On the one hand, it's pretty fucking impressive that this guy can manage something like this. On the other hand, why isn't this sort of energy being harnessed for something better? Can it be?
Joel M. (via Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077054604307980722004-02-17T13:50:00.000-08:002004-02-17T13:51:58.153-08:00Haw haw haw! This is quite an excellent list of Bush's various crimes over the last term. Tragically, I'm pretty sure that he'll be returning for an encore performance.
Joel M. (via www.thismodernworld.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1077053253041086322004-02-17T13:27:00.000-08:002004-02-17T13:29:27.216-08:00A plush ebola virus? Who could say no? Not me!
Joel M. (via www.thismodernworld.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1076844400552688052004-02-15T03:26:00.000-08:002004-02-15T03:28:32.403-08:00Here is a partial list of The Video Games That Should Have Been:
System Shock 3
Star Control 2.5 (Just like StarCon2, but better)
Master of Orion 2.5 (Just like MoO2, but better)
Fallout 3D (Morrowind meets Fallout)
X-Com 3.5 (Just like X-Com3, but better)
and, of course:
Joel's Penis Simulator 8 (Just like Joel's penis, but also useful for training flight attendants and installing drywall.)
Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1076537357512540492004-02-11T14:09:00.000-08:002004-02-11T14:11:05.903-08:00Well, my PC is broken forever, or until I get around to buying a few new pieces. On the up-side, though, Susan has a much faster PC thanks to my hard work and Quidge's old parts.
Also, in late breaking news, I'm still much, much too lazy to post an image. However, you should go here to see the image that I would post if I wasn't much, much too lazy to do so. It's Bob the Angry Flower! And it's Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1076107677270060362004-02-06T14:47:00.000-08:002004-02-06T14:49:40.060-08:00Just to let anyone who cares know, my computer is currently hatched. I have isolated the problem to either my motherboard or my CPU, though, and I should have it taken care of in a few days. I would be done sooner, but I am also swapping out a hard-drive for Quidge and refurbishing some of his old stuff for Susan.
Not that you care.
Joel M. (via my ass)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075999793076015062004-02-05T08:49:00.000-08:002004-02-05T08:51:34.593-08:00Women don't cause as much pain. Sure, ass-munch.
Joel M. (via www.diepunyhumans.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075485654332484682004-01-30T10:00:00.000-08:002004-01-30T10:02:30.576-08:00Sorry for all of the loaded posts, lately. I've been in quite a state which, combined with my new job at a liquor store on the night shift, has lead to some pretty bizarre trains of thought.
Anyway, check this out! (maybe not safe for work.)
Joel M. (via www.boingboing.net)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075369402319888882004-01-29T01:43:00.000-08:002004-01-29T01:44:56.653-08:00"I spent all night at the 'Drink Drink Revolution' game."
How can a person be expected to change when everyone knows everything about that person? Doesn't that mean that that person is just a big, fat liar?
You know, I wouldn't say 'no' to the prospect of a human tongue touching down on my 'undiscovered country.'
Joel M. (via www.yourmom.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075367293175427162004-01-29T01:08:00.000-08:002004-01-29T01:09:47.966-08:00"Now destroy them, crush them Torg! Do as I say!"
Joel M.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075365682663182492004-01-29T00:41:00.000-08:002004-01-29T00:42:56.966-08:00Hey, you!
Yeah, you.
Seeds from a thousand others drift down from within.
Also, fuck you.
Joel M. (via booze)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075365637426180412004-01-29T00:40:00.000-08:002004-01-29T00:43:59.403-08:00Still here?
Grrrn!
OK. The truth of the matter is that I was worried about zombies infiltrating the electronic medium. That and girls who like boys who do girls like they're boys. Those things are just, you know, horrible.
Anyway, your family deserves some decent zombie protection or, failing that, your death.
That's right. Somebody other than you might benefit from your transformation into aJoel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075363907695259292004-01-29T00:11:00.000-08:002004-01-29T00:13:22.390-08:00"Everybody was kung fu fighting."
Here's something that the Sterlings and Stephensons of the world will be happy that you know in case of a sudden case of oppression or something that can be somehow mystically dispelled with a little media attention: a pinhole camera of exceptional quality.
But just in case you thought you knew what I was doing:
Fuck You.
Seriously, what makes you think that Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075269854297378532004-01-27T22:04:00.000-08:002004-01-27T22:05:48.013-08:00Holy Shit! That's one smart parrot!
Joel M.Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075243808082197752004-01-27T14:50:00.000-08:002004-01-27T14:51:40.890-08:00A touching little vignette about Sadam Hussein.
Joel M. (via www.michaelmoore.com)Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075242715096950072004-01-27T14:31:00.000-08:002004-01-27T14:42:57.826-08:00Warning! Rant!
Warning! Poorly Thought Out!
Warning! Rambles!
Warning! Read at Your Own Risk!
Have you ever thought that things are just too complicated?
I know, I know. Things are complicated. The world is a big, complicated system with all of the bits related in ways that are often hard to determine. A butterfly flapping it's wings on one side of the world affects the course of hurricanes on Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075237501445859302004-01-27T13:05:00.000-08:002004-01-27T13:06:55.653-08:00Baseworld. A Mother Jones article on the subject of the USA's quite-well-thank-you global empire of military bases.
The numbers are actually pretty freakin' frightening to tell you the truth. The DoD's annual report on the subject indicates that the US had over 700 bases abroad and 6,000 bases at home and abroad. What is funnier, though, is that some creative mechanism or other (probably the Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5724786.post-1075221021513533062004-01-27T08:30:00.000-08:002004-01-27T08:32:18.640-08:00Fun little flash movie describing the fucked-up mess that is the American federal budget in terms of... Oreo Cookies?
Ben, of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, makes a compelling point about the relative sizes of national defense budgets around the world. However, much as I agree with him, I strongly suspect that there are a few fallacies buried in this piece:
First, when he talks about the defense Joel McNallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02804237223972181971noreply@blogger.com