Monday, January 28, 2008

Just read! The Clouds, by Aristophanes


I read Aristophanes great work, the comedic The Clouds, as a defense of epistemological conservatism against the sophistry of the then-modern, irritating inquiries of Socrates. Whether Aristophanes contributed to the climate that eventually lead to the great philosopher's demise is debatable; I do not fall in that camp as Socrates proved to be his own worst enemy. But the sharp, biting critique found in The Clouds is a delightful but tragic reminder that the populace has always had little time for philosophy! The agony of unexamined lives!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Post-Iraq America, bankrupt?

The Democrats have a big wish list. The Republicans have lost their credibility on spending; the Democrats never had any they accepted voluntarily. Remember divided government put Clinton in the box. And the hot technology unleashed under his watch played a big part.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Luck should have it...

This man had a very bad day.

A very exciting idea for a laptop

Would you go without a hard drive on your laptop

Somebody, in this case Taiwanese Asus, is certainly thinking outside the box. Is this a WinTel killer?
As it refines the software and instructions, Asus - better known as the world's largest maker of computer motherboards - could garner a following among mainstream computer users who right now might be puzzled by some of the eccentricities of Linux.

The $400, seven-inch Eee PC is a new entrant in a fast-growing market for ultra-portable PCs. All such computers, including the Eee, require sacrifices. Its keys may seem painfully small. For people used to a desktop or a standard notebook, its screen makes you feel like you've just moved from a McMansion into a studio apartment. (Tricks for maximizing screen real estate when Web surfing can be found on the helpful user forum, Eeeuser.com.)

Unencumbered by Windows, the Eee boots up so quickly I didn't bother counting the seconds. Its Wi-Fi chip links with the Web in a flash, and its webcam - a feature missing from many laptops triple the price - turns it into a video messaging device with the help of eBay Inc. (EBAY)'s Skype, which comes pre-loaded. There are USB ports for peripherals, a port to connect to a monitor, and - most essential - a flash memory slot to expand its meager storage. Battery life is advertised at 3.5 hours.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Prediction: I say Hillary "wins" New Hampshire!

I am going out on a limb. Hillary will survive to fight another day. The press is so far ahead of itself I couldn't believe that they believed that Hillary was losing support in her own state of New York. Hillary's up by 5 percent at ABC News at 8:25 p.m. EST.

Clinton 17,008 40% 0
Obama 14,959 35% 0
Edwards 7,077 17% 0
Richardson 1,832 5% 0
Kucinich 803 2% 0
Biden 75 0% 0
Gravel 58 0% 0
Dodd 35 0% 0