Monthly Archives: November 2009

More even-handed deniers

Posted by on November 23, 2009 Comments Off

 

This just in from The Scientist email blast:

Emails from a top climate research institute were made public, and some climate change deniers are crying foul. Would your private emails about research look fishy?

Can we scientists please be more even-handed? “Climate change deniers” is likening them to holocaust deniers. Why not call them “climate change skeptics“. Are scientists oblivious to civilized discourse, or are they purposely choosing inflammatory language for effect?

From now on, I declare that climate change proponents be called “Global Warming Fanboys“. Or maybe it should be “Climate Change Zombies” since they all wander around in an aimless search for the secret formulas to climate models and eat people’s brains in the process. To continue being consistent, hard-core atheists should be “Theism Deniers” instead of their self-proclaimed altruistic “free-thinking skeptics“. And remember, you need to say “theism denier” with the most patronizing and derisive vocal tone possible.

I am probably making some sort of logical fallacy in these examples, but who cares!?! This isn’t about truth. It is about convincing people of my position regardless of the evidence, right?

I am more famous

Posted by on November 18, 2009 Comments Off

At long last I am on another publication for the years of slave grad work I completed. TAG published A Universal Core Genetic Map for Rice last month in their online edition. Hopefully it will make it into a print copy at some point. I identified the 18k+ SSR loci and built a system for making automated primers for them. The lab who published this used a defined subset of those 18k+ primers for verification and publication. Hopefully this will help the world produce better rice.

Podcast Pick for 2009-11

Posted by on November 16, 2009 Comments Off

CCEF has many good resources for Christians of all walks of life, even though their focus is on counseling.

CCEF is a Christian counseling and educational ministry located in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

I want to highlight here their podcast called Help & Hope. [iTunes] They post about every other week with things that touch upon our daily lives.

The best use for AI: StarCraft

Posted by on November 12, 2009 Comments Off

I am sure that my church youth group will get a kick out of this. An AI competition using StarCraft. I am still amazed that the game’s appeal has lasted so long. Especially considering that I was saving the galaxy while they were still in diapers. Despite what people say, Protoss FTW!

Phishing for W2

Posted by on November 9, 2009 Comments Off

Always read emails carefully, especially the stuff you cannot see. Emails are going around trying to get you to update your IRS W2 form. We received one here, but if you look closely it is from irs.com as opposed to irs.gov.

From: Internal Revenue Service < update@irs.com >
Date: November 9, 2009 6:16:29 AM EST
To: removed...
Subject: W-2 Form update

 Important changes within the IRS Employers W-2 forms.
 Attached is a updated version of the W-2 form that needs to be completed by all US based employers.
 Please update your records and make sure the W-2 form will updated before December 1 2009.
 Whether you rely on a tax professional or handle your own taxes,
 the IRS offers you convenient programs to make filing and payment easier.
 Spend less time and worry on taxes and more time running your business.
 Use e-file and the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) to your benefit.
 . For e-file, visit www.irs.gov for additional information.
 . For EFTPS, visit www.eftps.gov or call EFTPS Customer Service at 1-800-555-4477.

Here is another post on this subject.

Is 50.6% a Majority?

Posted by on November 9, 2009 Comments Off

We all know how the blogosphere is abuzz with the House of Reps health care bill vote passing 220-215. I just have to question the wisdom of celebrating such a narrow “victory”. Sure the fanboys will applaud it as the best thing since sliced bread (or at least since Social Security and Medicare), but the rest of the country will hail it as a prelude to the downfall of civilization (or at least a much more government dominated socialist state). Now I know that Republicans have narrowly pushed things through the government before. So have the Democrats. Those may not have been wise either. But in such a politically divided country, wouldn’t it have been wiser to keep working on the bill until you had at least a 60% majority?

As quoted in many books and movies: “Just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should.”