[ weird things ] | 2011 [ weird things ] | December
articles for December 2011
placing the web under the sword of damocles
# politics

placing the web under the sword of damocles

PROTECT IP and SOPA aren't just threatening to gut the internet under the guise of fighting piracy, they're giving cranks and quacks a powerful new weapon ripe for abuse against their critics.

the oddly familiar world of bitcoin economics
# tech

the oddly familiar world of bitcoin economics

Bitcoin is supposed to be a whole new way to manage money. But the humans handling it are still the same and falling into old habits with this new currency.

kepler finds another candidate for alien eden
# space

kepler finds another candidate for alien eden

Kepler-22b is now of the our best candidates for extraterrestrial life. But there are a lot of questions left to answer about this planet.

and now, a reminder about post-modernism
# oddities

and now, a reminder about post-modernism

Even a cursory glance at post-modernism shows that it's basically just trendy nonsense. Emphasis on nonsense.

is the intelligent design movement fading?
# politics

is the intelligent design movement fading?

Intelligent Design was a compromise no one wanted and the wrong answer to a question no one even asked.

why a phd may just not be worth it, redux
# education

why a phd may just not be worth it, redux

In computer science, a PhD offers fewer jobs for slightly more money and fewer opportunities for growth.

how to dismantle searle’s chinese room
# tech

how to dismantle searle’s chinese room

The problem with John Searle's Chinese Room thought experiment is that its premise is woefully outdated in computer science terms.

why computers can’t predict revolutions
# tech

why computers can’t predict revolutions

No, computers didn't predict the Arab Spring. Their vague outputs are just being sold as predictions after the fact.

why your sexy eyes are now a sin before allah
# oddities

why your sexy eyes are now a sin before allah

Muslim fundamentalists want all those harlots to cover up their sexy, sexy eyes, lest they're tempted to sin at the sight of an exposed iris.

we call it zero point for a reason…
# science

we call it zero point for a reason…

Zero point energy is a favorite term for sci-fi writers and physics cranks. But while they think it means free energy from nothing, it's actually just a quantum state.

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