Archive for the ‘Me’ Category

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Death in the Woodpile

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

So, I picked up a bundle of wood — and there he was:

Young copperhead, with keys for scale. I poked at him with a stick to move him away from the keys, and he struck at it, several times.

I probably should have beat him to death on the spot, but he’s not where he’s likely to be disturbed, normally, so I’ll see if we can just let him be.

[update]
Further reading reveals that humans rarely die from copperhead bites, and that younger, smaller snakes have smaller fangs and smaller poison glands. The poison is hemolytic (affects the local blood supply) rather than neurotoxic (affects the nerves, and is far more dangerous).

This is probably an osage copperhead, judging by the thin white line highlighting the diamond pattern.

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Posted in Critters, Me | 1 Comment »

QotD: Humility and Hubris

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Just something I needed to make a note of:

Two things, however, are clear about any religion that might derive from cybernetics and systems theory, ecology and natural history. First, that in the asking of questions, there will be no limit to our hubris; and second, that there shall always be humility in our acceptance of answers. In these two characteristics we shall be in sharp contrast with most of the religions of the world. They show little humility in their espousal of answers but great fear about the questions they will ask.

Gregory Bateson, Angels Fear

Posted in Cool Stuff, Little Yellow Sticky, My Principles, Quote of the Day, Religion and Superstition, Science, Throwing Out the Trash | 1 Comment »

Blind

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

So, my sister wants new blinds hung in her bedroom. Going by the Big Orange Box instructions, I measure top and bottom width (to check parallelism), diagonals (to check squareness), and height in the middle.

The openings are neither parallel nor square, although they’re not out by much; I’ve seen much worse.

I set about trying to find the widest blind that will fit in each opening. I can’t find an on-line calculator, and when I try to figure out an algorithm myself (while trying to chip the rust off my Python skills), it turns out to be surprisingly difficult. Any given case is straightforward, using Pythagoras, but there seems to be no general solution. And that’s assuming that the top and bottom are parallel and level.

I mention this at the dinner table.

“Why not just measure the old blinds?”

Good question, Mom. Good question.

I’m still piddling about with writing a calculator, just as an exercise. And I’d like to find an online calculator.

Note: the math might be a bit easier if you measure width of the opening top and bottom, length of both sides, true plumb height at both sides, and both diagonals. But I think you can do it with the usual top and bottom width, overall height (assume level), and the diags, and given that those are the measurements most window blinds sites ask for, that would be best.

Inputs and results to the nearest eighth of an inch, please. If you round, round down — a blind that is too large by the height of the drywall texturing, a sixteenth of an inch or less, will not work. Piss off with your sissy millimeters.

A command line calculator is fine by me, but it must work under Windows as well as Unix.

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Posted in Dammit!, Home Improvement, Home and Garden, Math, Me, Mom | 1 Comment »

Delegated Powers

Friday, June 18th, 2010

The Geek with a .45 adds another piece to my political principles puzzle. I’m going to have to think about it for awhile, but it looks right:

Since the right of preventing peaceable drinking does not exist, it cannot be delegated to government.

The 18th amendment is a perfect example of how a supermajority of humans can and will form to throw the minority, and ultimately themselves, under the bus.

It is, so far, the ultimate case study in how our Constitution, a tool forged for the good of liberty, can be perverted to serve the evil of stealing from another his rightful prerogative.

In fact, that leads me to a good rule of thumb for considering any public policy or act of legislation. Any and every act of legislation is a delegation of *my* personal right to do or support a thing. Forget asking where government’s Power to do the thing comes from (though too damned few even ask that….) Ask where does *my* power/right to do such a thing come from? Would it be a rightful act as an individual? What are the just limitations on my personal right or power to do such a thing? And if such can’t be found, what in the name of $DEITY, makes people think that government magically gets the ability to manufacture such a right out of thin air?

In simpler words, if it would be wrong or unethical for you to do, it would be wrong for government to do on your behalf. Being government isn’t magical, there’s no property of government that renders ethical or moral any act that would be unethical for an individual.

As Marko Kloos once said about “collective rights”, there are no rights you can gain as a consequence of joining a collective group.

I’ve essentially quoted the punchline; go read the whole thing for the context.

The thing I like about this is the framework it provides for answering collectivists who claim that their opponents are anarchists who don’t want any government at all.

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Posted in Constitution, Cool Stuff, Me, My Principles | 1 Comment »

In Summary

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

I just hit upon the short version of my political principles. This underpins everything I say (or at least, will say from now on) about what governments should, and should not, be doing. I assume that:

Everyone is capable of managing their own lives.

No one is capable of managing other people’s lives.

Oh, sure, there are exceptions and caveats and details, like fer instance, Children are obviously not included. And this limits governments, not individuals, except inviduals who want to act for or be the government.

Your turn, in comments, please. But note I’m trying for the basic principle, one or two sentences, not a new Constitution, much less a new Atlas Shrugged.

Posted in Me, My Principles, Philosophy, Politics & Politicians | 2 Comments »

Transparency

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

[update]
Project Motto:
“Now that I’ve made all my mistakes, I need to tear it down and do it over again right.”
[/update]

Palram’s Suntuf polycarbonate corrugated panels in “Solar Gray”, with 30% light transmission, gives her a much nicer work area.

Picture gallery here.

The shed went from this:Dark, rotted cave

To this:
Shed_0002-z600

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Posted in Architecture, Me | Comments Off

Section 311 of US Code Title 10, “Militia: composition and classes”

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

Randy Barnett explores the role of the unorganized militia in fighting terrorism.

According to press reports, a passenger helped subdue the terrorist who was attempting to bring down Northwest #253. This again highlights the importance of the unorganized militia in asymetric warfare. In Saved by the Militia, I offered this analysis in the wake of the success of the general militia on United Airlines #93 in defending Washington from terrorist attack on 9/11:

The characterization of these heroes as members of the militia is not just the opinion of one law professor. It is clearly stated in Federal statutes. Perhaps you will not believe me unless I quote Section 311 of US Code Title 10, entitled, “Militia: composition and classes” in its entirety (with emphases added):

“(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.

(b) The classes of the militia are —

(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and

(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.”

I’m occasionally guilty of saying that the National Guard is not part of the militia, because it’s part of the Army. Now I know better.

Read the rest of Barnett’s article for a partial explanation of why the unorganized militia is also crucial to the security of a free state.

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Posted in Bill of Rights, Constitution, Little Yellow Sticky, Military, Militia, Right to Keep and Bear Arms | Comments Off

When I Said “Boughs”….

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

…I meant “bunches of green leafy twigs”, not “heavy dead branches”; and when I said “holly”, I didn’t mean “pine”; and when I said “halls”, I didn’t mean “my car”; and most of all, when I said “deck”? I meant “hang decoratively, with care, even”, not, most definitely not “BASH A BLOODY GREAT HOLE IN THE REAR WINDOW!”

Ah, yes, traditional Houston holiday weather: rain, wind, and flying debris.
BoughsOfPine-w450

This has been floating around for a few years, but I still love it:
All My Liberal Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To All My Conservative Friends:
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Posted in Dammit!, Laugh Dammit!, Me | 1 Comment »

McDonald v. Chicago Briefs

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

I doubt this case will collect anything like the number of briefs that Heller did, but it’s going to be an interesting fight nevertheless, and the issue involved — whether or not the Fourteenth amendment means anything — actually has much broader application than the 2nd amendment fight in Heller.

Anyway, the ABA is collecting briefs here.

Via Arms and the Law.

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Posted in Bill of Rights, Constitution, Law, Little Yellow Sticky, McDonald | Comments Off

Mousies

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

I finally broke down and bought a mouse for my new laptop. I had planned to force myself to become proficient with the touchpad, and I got a lot better at it, but in the end it became a nuisance while doing any kind of extended typing. My thumbs tended to rest there, and triggered all kinds of unwanted events.

I ended up with a Logitech V450 Nano Cordless Laser Mouse with the “plug and forget Nanoreceiver”, a USB unit so tiny that I can leave it plugged in all the time. (Or at least, that’s the advertising claim. I’m still concerned that it might provide enough leverage to eventually damage the laptop jack.)

There’s a storage jack for it inside the mouse, but you have to remove the battery cover. Better than nothing, but.

My Toshiba laptop has a tiny button just above the touchpad that turns it off, which makes using the mouse very convenient.

Mousing action is fine, and I think this might be the good combination.

Hey, FTC? As always, none of your damn business what may or may not have gone on between Logitech and me. Please feel free to stab yourselves with used mucking-out forks.

Not, of course, that they or any one else cares about my pissant little blog, but it’s the principle of the thing, something some folks seem to have a problem with. Means, ends, and all that.

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Posted in Computers, Cool Stuff, Me | 2 Comments »

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