Author: John

Build knowledge // Improve the state of the universe for everyone // Repeat

High Tech From the Past

On By JohnIn photographyLeave a comment

Over at Pissed’s, a technological blast from the past: an old Popular Science newsreel describing the process needed to create a single Popeye the Sailor cartoon episode.

What I find most fascinating is the incredible level of effort that went in to creation of one eight minute cartoon. The number of people, specialized equipment, space — amazing.

And now, single, dedicated person with a suitable skillset and a Mac can do the same thing from the comfort of an easy chair in their own living room.

Overreaction, Again and Again

On By JohnIn psychologyLeave a comment

In Olympia, man walking with an umbrella triggers brainless, knee-jerk response in the locals: panic, stupidity, lock down of area schools, and a “manhunt”. READ

Couple of thoughts:

  • it’s Olympia. In Washington. State. It rains there. Sometimes lots. People use umbrellas to keep rain off.
  • the locals freak out about an ordinary, everyday object and think it’s an “assault rifle”… so they call in people with real assault rifles.
  • the usual show of force and herding of the populace ensues.

The mind boggles.

It just occurred to me that the ice-scraper/snow-brush thing I keep in my vehicle will likely, eventually, be mistaken by one of these mental midgets as an evil assault rifle. Guess maybe I should stop storing it in the rifle case in my car.

To Help You Identify Evil

On By JohnIn sociologyLeave a comment

As I’ve said before, it’s in places that, sadly, most people can’t even comprehend. From the blog feed, something I’d marked a few weeks ago then forgotten about (hey, I got busy and all FOUR of my readers are getting this content for free, so learn to cope) was a gem from Kevin’s The Smallest Minority.

Go read it.

Evil is wearing the mask of the compassionate authoritarian-type who only wants what’s best for you, it wants you to be safe and secure, and it will work to kill you so nobody else can.