Sunday, November 29, 2009

I'm posting again

and it hasn't even been a month since my last one.

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It's been sort of chilly around here; a couple of snow storms since I posted last.

Not attracting very many birds


Most of the snow has melted; picture taken out by my mailbox


I have managed to get some interesting shots, however.

This was taken about 15:00 on Thanksgiving Day



Top of an evergreen; some sort of fir, I think


Barberries; they'll stay like this all winter


Nature's tree ornaments




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Anyone following the talks at Copenhagen? It would seem that the UN wants the largest countries to each kick in $10 billion dollars as upfront money. Seems that now we are actually getting down to what it is all about; power and money. Why am I not surprised?

I've been looking over some of the files let loose from the CRU; these are quite interesting. We see efforts to shut out anyone who tries to publish anything against their conclusions; they refused to release data and methods, and fudged most of the data they do have, then destroyed the original data so it can not be checked against. What are they afraid of, since they say that "the matter is settled"?
I've also been reviewing some of the code used in their computer modeling. OMG! My programming teachers would have flunked these writers without a second thought. The code (written in Fortran) is a laboriously patched maze of spaghetti code that is a total fright. And there are places where they deliberately fudge the code to make it deliver the "proper" answers.
Anyone putting any trust in this bunch of Bullwinkles is either completely ignorant, or blindly loyal. Which I guess is why there are so many on the left-wing who accept it as Gospel.

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So a couple of golddiggers crash the White House, trying to get rich and famous. Good job, Secret Service.
Have you noticed that the POTUS seems to surround himself with incompetent people? I thought Bush was bad, but this guy seems to be hiring the whole graduating class from the College of Idiots. Seems like all you have to do to be a "czar" is to be either stupid or a tax dodger.

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In a lighter vein, here are some interesting pieces of miniature technological art. Check out the galleries and movies.
When I first saw these, my first though was of RobertaX, especially her tech blog.

One example; here:





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Mostly oldies.

"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Hollies
"The Girl from Ipanema" by Eliane Elias
"Stealing Rosemary" by The Bangles
"Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers
"Summertime" by Miles Davis
"Last Train Home" by Pat Metheny Group
"Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen" by Santana
"England Swings" by Roger Miller
"Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto
"I Got a Line on You" by Spirit

The next to last one is interesting; it is completely in Japanese (it has English subtitles) and was extremely popular in the US. The singer has a good voice, and, even though it is in a foreign language, conveys all of the emotions in his singing. If you are under 55 years old, it is probably new to you.



One of my favorite songs from the late sixties; they did a lot of good stuff.



This one is just for fun, for James who lives across the pond.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

How are things in your neck of the woods?

Once again I have been remiss in posting. If I felt better or had more energy I would probably do more, but that's the breaks.

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Looks like the current administration is trying to skirt the question of whether Hasan is just a nut or a terrorist. As far as I'm concerned, ALL terrorists are mentally ill, but that is no excuse for their actions. As far as whether he is a terrorist, my vote is for yes.

1. He was screaming "Allah is greatest" while shooting at people.
2. Has a documented history of correspondence with Muslim extremists.
3. Has been outspoken on agreeing with extremists and terrorist tactics.

Just because he was not working directly for a large group doesn't mean he wasn't a terrorist; how are his actions any different from McVeigh's?
Why this administration is trying so hard to avoid calling a spade a spade is frustrating; I'm surprised they haven't apologized to Hasan for arresting him.

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The more I see of the "Healthcare" plan, the scarier it looks. A huge, bloated, expensive bunch of bullshit, in my opinion. With over a hundred new agencies formed, the thing is going to be nothing more than another mass of bureaucracies to soak up time, money, and resources. This thing is not about better care for people, it is about the government inserting itself more into people's lives and exerting more control over them.
Just my opinion.

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The kerfluffle at the CRU is getting more interesting. It would seem that fame, money, and politics trumps the scientific method among some so-called scientists. One of the biggest problems with stuff like this is that it destroys credibility in the scientific community; it can be hard to earn people's trust after a fiasco like that.

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Oprah is ending her show in the near future; sorry if I can't get too excited. I seem to remember catching part of a couple of her shows when I was visiting people, and I have to say I was very underwhelmed.

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Any favorites in this bunch?

"The Green Leaves of Summer" by Dimitri Tiomkin
"More Than a Feeling" by Boston
"I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash
"Take Me Home Tonight/Be My Baby" by Eddie Money
"Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty
"Bourree From Violin Partita No. 1, BWV 1002" by Andrés Segovia
"El Paso" by Marty Robbins
"Witchy Woman" by Eagles
"Kiss Me Deadly" by Lita Ford
"Too Cool" by David Munyon

The first and the last in the list: