Philosopher Stone

On What Obama Should Say To Iran

2009-07-04T17:47:00.001-04:00

I'm a few days behind in sharing this link, but it is still very worth reading: What Obama Should Say To Iran, by Debi Ghate.

On Climate Change Climate Change

2009-06-26T23:52:00.002-04:00

Kimberley Strassel wrote a very interesting piece in the WSJ titled: The Climate Change Climate Change about the increasing skepticism, around the world, regarding the climate change science that Al Gore and others have been claiming is completely "settled".

A Bear On a Rope

2009-06-19T16:53:00.001-04:00

A link to this series of photos made its way to me today... pretty funny.

This Thing Called the Internet

2009-06-17T22:29:00.002-04:00

Classic news clip from the early days of the Internet. Pretty funny.

On Obama's Big Re-Regulation Speech Today

2009-06-17T22:05:00.004-04:00

At the risk of redundancy -- since I sent bursts of opinion on this to my Facebook friends and Twitter followers today as well -- here are a few thoughts I had while listening to Obama's big speech today announcing his intentions to re-regulate the financial industry:

We'll see how many of his proposals make it through Congress. But one question I have now: how will more regulation lead to less fine-print in mortgages and credit card paperwork? When has more reg ever had that result? Take prescription drugs for instance -- see the magazine ads!
Mark calendars for 5 and 10 yrs from today (Obama re-regulating financial industry): did this make things better or worse? and for who? and what "unintended", negative side effects will this produce? There always are some from such sweeeping gov. moves.
Really, Mr President? Really no mention of the biggest cause of the bubble and problems that followed: Fed easy money policy. Nope, no one in DC wants to criticize the Fed. Instead, more power begin given to the Fed! (Sigh...)

Hitchens on the Situation in Iran

2009-06-15T22:06:00.003-04:00

As I'd expect, Christopher Hitchens wrote an excellent column on the situation in Iran after the recent events (he refuses to refer to them as an "election"). This is must reading, as he describes aspects of this I'm sure you aren't aware of.

On Twitter and the Iran Riots

2009-06-14T23:57:00.003-04:00

See this interesting short article about the role Twitter is playing in getting the word out about the unrest in Iran following the recent "election."

Blame Beyond GM's Management

2009-06-14T23:49:00.003-04:00

Alex Epstein has written two good blog posts critical of the notion that the primary blame for GM's problems should be attributed to GM's poor management over the years. See his posts:

In this second posting he recommends the writings (on this subject) of Holman Jenkins of the WSJ. He excerpts the following gems from a recent Jenkins article:

Why don’t the auto makers limit themselves to paying competitive wages and benefits in line with what workers could earn elsewhere? Because, in the 1930s, Congress passed the Wagner Act with the nearly explicit purpose of imposing a labor monopoly on Detroit to keep wages at higher-than-competitive levels.
Why doesn’t Detroit rationalize its musty brand lineups and dealer networks? Because, in the 1950s, legislatures across the country imposed franchising laws, including the federal “dealer day-in-court clause,” to make such rationalization prohibitively expensive.
Why don’t the auto giants do as Whirlpool and other manufacturers have done, and move their production to cheaper offshore locales? Because, in the 1970s, Congress enacted fuel economy rules to penalize homegrown auto makers if they don’t build the lion’s share of their cars in high-wage, UAW-staffed domestic factories.

Could Ichiro Suzuki Break the All-Time Hit Record?

2009-06-13T16:07:00.000-04:00

For baseball fans who read this blog, know that I just wrote another post over at Seamheads.com:

Could Ichiro Suzuki Break the All-Time Hit Record?

On Randy Johnson: Will he be the last to win 300 in the Majors?

2009-06-07T18:00:00.003-04:00

For baseball fans who read this blog, know that I just wrote another post over at Seamheads.com:

On Randy Johnson: Will he be the last to win 300 in the Majors?

Tetris, Happy 25th Birthday!

2009-06-06T09:46:00.003-04:00

As many are reporting, today is the 25th birthday of the classic video game, Tetris. Even Google is getting into the celebration, dedicating their logo to Tetris today.

Most readers will remember Tetris, the simple block-shape puzzle game. It is quite addictive for many people, and overall it is probably my all-time #1 favorite video game. I wouldn't want to guess how many times I've played it over the years, first my old Atari computer, then on various game console machines, then on various handhelds, most notably the Gameboy.

I'm proud to say, I'm pretty good at Tetris. The scoring systems on different platforms vary, but I'll report that on the classic Gameboy version, as of a year ago, my high scores at each starting level on that platform are:

Level 0: 384,327
Level 1: 648,029
Level 2: 581,570
Level 3: 336,696
Level 4: 622,523
Level 5: 472,289
Level 6: 461,939
Level 7: 384,704
Level 8: 577,083
Level 9: 625,747

And yes, I introduced my wife Susan to Tetris in the 1990s, and she quickly became hooked as well. We don't play it as often as we used to, mostly taking it on trips or getting it out in the winter when there is less to do outdoors. I find it can be helpful to play once in a while if for no other reason than mental exercise: I find it relaxing and stimulating at the same time.

Yes, years ago I played it so much that a few times I "dreamed in Tetris", meaning my brain would somehow generate the pieces during my sleep and I'll play the game automatically. Strange!

Although we hadn't played Tetris in many months, Susan and I played the game a few times last night, in honor of the Tetris birthday.

And finally, much thanks to both Alexey Pajitnov who invented the game at the Moscow Academy of Science, and gaming entrepreneur Henk Rogers who was key in bringing the game to Nintendo and a broader American market.

Thoughts on the Early All-Star Game Fan Voting

2009-05-29T22:17:00.001-04:00

I just wrote a new posting over at Seamheads.com, the site where I do my baseball blog writing:

Thoughts on the Early All-Star Game Fan Voting

23-Month Old Pro Pool Player?

2009-05-26T22:37:00.002-04:00

Check out these two videos, of 23-month old Keith, who clearly has talent for the game of pool:

Wow. Even if the clips are edited to only show good shots, still, this seems impressive to me.

Chimp on a Segway

2009-05-26T22:28:00.003-04:00

This is a funny and interesting video: Chimp on a Segway. Seems to be having a good time. Obviously loves to go fast, and seems to get the hang of it towards the end. I like how the chimp even seems concerned about his helmet at one point too.

Great Interview with Gary Taubes

2009-05-25T19:26:00.002-04:00

This is a great interview with Gary Taubes, author of "Good Calories, Bad Calories", one of my favorite books and a truly eye-opening and mind-blowing in its level of detailed consideration of the sad history of nutritional science in the past 50 years. The end results are clear: a low-carb approach to nutrition is advised based on sound biochemistry considerations. Read his book for all the details and history you likely want to know!

Golisano Shrugs

2009-05-25T09:34:00.004-04:00

Sound like Atlas Shrugged, anyone? Tom Golisano, one of the richest men in New York, is fed up with the state government and its continuing policy of raising taxes to spend, spend, spend. After many failed attempts to get elected so he could try to reform the state government, he is now fed up... and is leaving. He will take up residence for most of the year in Florida instead of New York, and therefore avoid paying millions to the wasteful NY bureaucracy.

This article at Cato includes Tom's own words on this matter: The Laffer Curve in Action.

I say, good for you Tom! Too bad more of us aren't in a position to make such a move. Maybe if enough businesses and individuals do so, leaders in Albany would start to make some real changes.

On Labelizers and an Amazing PCRM Rebuttal

2009-05-24T21:44:00.003-04:00

Here is a good posting by Tom Noughton, creator of the great documentary film "Fathead": The Labelizers: Bonus Clip. A funny posting, and a great video at the end of it too.

He links to a post by Dr. Michael Eades, Rebuttal to the PCRM, which is quite long but VERY worth reading. In it he provides his response to a "study" done by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine many years ago, starting with 10 highlight points, and then going into detail about many key points regarding low-carbohydrate diets. Along the way he debunks many myths, and covers topics such as weight loss, cardiovascular disease, Osteoporosis, kideny function, and colorectal cancer. Bravo Dr. Eades... this is a great summary of many of the benefits of modern low-carb diets and the lack of real evidence against them.

There are MANY great passages from this posting, but one that I thought I'd copy here is this nice paragraph:

A typical American lunch, one eaten by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people in this country every day is a hamburger, fries, and a soft drink. To modify this basic lunch to fit the low-carbohydrate regimen dieters would remove the bun from the burger, avoid the fries and have a salad instead, and drink water or some other non-caloric beverage. In the eyes of the PCRM these simple modifications have converted this typical American lunch into a "dangerous" high-protein diet destined to ruin the kidneys, destroy the bones, and permanently damage the hearts of anyone who follows it. In making these modifications, however, lowcarbohydrate dieters get rid of the trans fats and refined carbohydrates in the bun, miss out on the large amount of fat (including trans fat) and high-glycemic carbohydrates in the fries, pass up the quarter of a cup of high-fructose corn syrup in the soft drink, and get a fair amount of carotenoids, flavinoids, lycopenes, fiber, and other anti-oxidants and phytonutrients in the salad. And, significantly reduce the caloric content of the lunch. You will note that the protein content remained unchanged. One would think that the PCRM would applaud these modifications, but instead they decry them. Surreal indeed!

An Impressive Vegetarianism Rebuttal

2009-05-16T22:10:00.005-04:00

The following posting is a point-by-point response to arguments in favor of vegetarianism: 49 Reasons to be a Vegetarian - A Rebuttal. This is very impressive. Many of the points/arguments from the pro-vegetarianism/vegan side I've heard before, but a few are just plain wacky. Jenny has done a wonderful job in providing facts in response. Well done!

On Ethanol

2009-05-16T21:54:00.002-04:00

I've seen an increase in articles lately critical of Ethanol. Here is a recent one (split into three pages) from BusinessWeek: "The Great Ethanol Scam". This particular article mostly concentrates on the apparent damage that the blend does on some car parts, though there are of course far more fundamental reasons to criticize the ethanol mandates. What the combination of government, environmentalists, and some select corporations have done to push ethanol on us all is is an outrage to say the least.

Mothering Across Species

2009-05-11T22:29:00.002-04:00

In light of the recent "Mothers' Day", here is an impressive video from YouTube. It includes a dog mothering kittens, and a leopard mothering a baby monkee (mind you, it had just killed its mother). And other examples too... pretty interesting stuff. (Thanks to Richard from Free the Animal for the link.)

Motivational Posters for Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, and Homer Simpson

2009-05-09T23:29:00.003-04:00

I've seen various spoofs of the classic "motivational posters" theme over the years, most notably the de-motivational poster series. But tonight I discovered three entertaining sets posted at sloshspot:

On Privatizing Roads

2009-05-09T16:14:00.001-04:00

John Stossel had a segment on this topic on one of his 20/20 shows several weeks back. Now part of that is available in this column: Sell the Roads. A good article, that includes many success stories.

On Fathead

2009-05-09T16:00:00.002-04:00

We recently watched the documentary film "Fathead" (available on DVD at Amazon), created by Tom Naughton. Overall, I recommend it as a good antidote to the mainstream errors and nonsense in nutritional advice today. It also is quite entertaining, and if you get the DVD the additional interviews are good as well (e.g., Dr. Michael Eades, Dr. Mary Dan Eades, Dr. Al Sears, and others).

Here is a short video on YouTube, Big Fat Lies, which is also a part of the overall Fathead film.

And over at Pay Now Live Later, Methusaleh has written a good review and description of the Fathead film. I agree with some of his criticisms, but also with his view that Tom Naughton should be considered a brave hero for having done this film.

Again, Fathead can be purchased on DVD at Amazon, or you might be able to find it at Blockbuster (it is available through Blockbuster Online, though I'm not sure about Netflix).

And while I'm on the subject, I also want to reiterate my liking for the great video that Methusaleh put together, which I blogged about here -- that is the best short video on the topic of low-carb/paleo nutritional lifestyle that I've seen yet.

Sumsing Turbo 3000 Multitask

2009-05-08T14:37:00.001-04:00

This is a funny video, making fun of the increasing functions that devices like the iPhone can do: Sumsing Turbo 3000 Multitask.

On Transitioning to a Paleo Diet

2009-05-04T23:49:00.002-04:00

If you are contemplating making a move in this direction, or starting to educate yourself about low-carb/paleo/primal nutrition plans, then this posting by "Methuselah" (author of the Pay Now, Live Later blog), is well worth reading: Transitioning to a Paleo Diet.

In fact, he wrote this in a way that most of it feels like he read my mind, or rather, documented my own experiences since last August. So many of the points he makes in this post are similar to what I have experienced first hand since going low-carb and relatively paleo-ish. And like him, I've had great success from a nutrition and health perspective. I'll blog much about this in the future.