Irish Class, May 16, 2011
Rang Gaeilge, 16ú lá Mí na Bealtaine 2011
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Monday Night Irish Class, May 16, 2011
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Monthly Archives: May 2011
“What’s the difference between an orthodox Marxist and a French Socialist?”
“The French guy thinks the state should seize the means of reproduction.”
— From Best of the Web
A cold day at the Scottish Fair
mia_mcdavid and I spent Saturday with Colgaffneyis at the Minnesota Scottish Fair & Highland Games. It was my 60th birthday. Continue reading
Greece Offers to Repay Loans with Giant Horse
Steed Wheeled Into Brussels at Night
In what many are hailing as a breakthrough solution to Greece’s crippling debt crisis, Greece today offered to repay loans from the European Union nations by giving them a gigantic horse.
Monday Night Irish Class, May 9, 2011
Irish Class, May 9, 2011
Rang Gaeilge, 9ú lá Mí na Bealtaine 2011
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Obair bhaile “Homework”
Write a paragraph that describes an object, a very familiar object, so that other people can guess what it is.
You’ll read your description in class on May 9, and people can kind of play 20 questions to figure out what you are talking about.
Foundation and Romney
Mitt is reputed to say whatever an audience wants to hear, but that’s not quite right. In reality he says nothing, but does it in such way audiences believe they’ve heard what they want to hear. He is the chameleon candidate. To call Mitt Romney an empty suit is an insult to suits.
which reminded me of one of my favorite quotes, from Isaac Asimov’s Foundation:
“That,” replied Hardin, “is the interesting thing. The analysis was the most difficult of the three by all odds. When Houk, after two days of steady work, succeeded in eliminating meaningless statements, vague gibberish, useless qualifications—in short all the goo and dribble—he found he had nothing left. Everything canceled out. Lord Dorwin, gentlemen, in five days of discussion didn’t say one damn thing, and said it so that you never noticed. There are the assurances you had from your precious Empire.”
The same SF quote can be applied to many other (most?) American politicians who make the national stage.
Florida Senate fails basic biology…
So if youre living in Florida on October 1, 2011 and would like to have sexual intercourse with a consenting adult, please check with your veterinarian or local livestock breeder first to make sure you abide by accepted animal husbandry practices, conformation judging practices, or accepted veterinary medical practices.
Via Skepchick.
The Tinkerers’ Handbook
The magazine for people who cannot leave well enough alone.
In particular see the Rules.
Via Make, which is being parodied there.
Bronze Age Resources
Life in Late Bronze Age Greece
Notes on Mycenaeans, by Rodney Castleden
I have been interested in the Greek Bronze Age ever since I read Joseph Alsop’s From the Silent Earth back in High School (1964-1968). Mycenaeans is a very readable and recent survey (2005) and I was quite interested in seeing what is new. Quick summary: Some more sites have been excavated, there have been more digs at known sites, and more Linear B tablets have been
found and translated. So there are Lots of new details, but no revolutionary changes in what archeologists think and the big questions remain unanswered.
From Hilbert Space to Dilbert Space, and beyond 