If you want a list of the most controversial political issues in the Twin Cities these days, two that are near the top are the Vikings stadium and the proposal to replace the Stillwater Lift Bridge. The controversy cuts across partisan lines, with Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken, and Michele Bachmann on the side supporting a… Continue reading The Stillwater Bridge
The Solarised Self
Serious intra-generational meditations are always in vogue during times of upheaval and chaos, and today is no exception. And frankly, why wouldn’t it be a great time to contemplate the forging of millions of people in the furnaces of the now? Europe is threatening to fly apart like a delaminating high-speed flywheel, protesters are occupying… Continue reading The Solarised Self
The Magazine of Parody
I’ve been taking Harris Online Polls since college. In that time, I’ve racked up a lot of rewards for taking all those polls, from gift cards to binoculars to universal remotes to an room air filter, of all things. Recently, though, they changed their rewards structure, and pretty much the only things available are magazine… Continue reading The Magazine of Parody
Division I Stupidity
There’s little to add to my friend Murali’s thoughts on the Penn State shame, but it’s still fun to try. I’ve also had a pretty dim view of Division I college sports ever since I was in school when Clem Haskins managed to pull a Minitrue and get the Gopher’s appearance in the 1997 NCAA… Continue reading Division I Stupidity
Willful ignorance
I don’t watch or listen to talking heads very often, especially those that are supposed to be “newscasters”. It’s a depressing display of hackery, made all the more frustrating since these people are presumably paid many, many times what the median family in the U.S. makes, so that they can do a poor job of… Continue reading Willful ignorance
New photos: North Shore Vacation
Last weekend Julia and I went up to the North Shore of Lake Superior to celebrate our first anniversary. We stayed at the very lovely Bluefin Bay Resort. Below the jump are some pictures of the trip.
Combination Of The Two
I saw this touching story on the MPR website a few days ago, and paid special attention to the comments. Usually, when there are stories like this, somebody will come along to say that doing something like this is wrong, because it dilutes the message to kids that life is hard and nobody out there… Continue reading Combination Of The Two
Hidden versus visible fees
Congress has capped the interchange fees that banks can collect from retailers for debit card transactions. As a result, some banks are now charging customers directly for the use of a debit card, up to several dollars a month. This has prompted some people to blame Congress for the increase in fees. And while it’s… Continue reading Hidden versus visible fees
New photos up: Apple Picking
I’ve put up new photos from our apple-picking trip to Afton Apple Orchard this past weekend here. Samples below the jump.
Thoughts on “Fooled by Randomness”
I recently finished reading Fooled by Randomness, the second book I’ve read by Nassim Taleb. It was quite similar to (it actually predates) his other book The Black Swan, and it was written in a similarly amusing, “I know better than you” style that would be annoying if he were, in fact, correct much of… Continue reading Thoughts on “Fooled by Randomness”