Crumbling infrastructure recalls novel 'Atlas Shrugged' - Aug. 14, 2007

Crumbling infrastructure recalls novel 'Atlas Shrugged' - Aug. 14, 2007

"Today's Randians, of course, have an answer to our woes: Privatize everything. No way a bridge falls if a profit-seeking company, properly incentivized, had been charged with maintaining it, goes the argument. That, however, is dangerous thinking. There are certain things the market just can't be trusted to handle. Imagine that bridge-maintenance company having to cut expenses this quarter by delaying work for just a few days. Imagine how the CEO might feel if the stock would drop if he couldn't make the quarter."

If the CEO has a bridge crash that his company is responsible for then there likely will not be a next quarter or at least not one with that lucrative contract in Accounts Receivable. At least the private company has some incentive beyond mere elections to not fail. This is not the case with what our government has become.


"The markets don't always work for the public good. Just ask CEOs of mortgage lenders that pushed no-documentation loans, which anyone with common sense knew was just asking for trouble. The solution isn't to abolish government. It's to make government work better."

Interesting. Before those loans could be made very questionable central banking practices, demanded by the government and having nothing to do with free markets, set up the real-estate balloon and made it possible for such shady lenders and foolish borrowers to believe that they would not be the ones holding the bag when the bubble burst. But instead of pointing this out the author acts as if it was all the fault of private markets to make his point.


"We'll get through this. We always do. As a country we'll become outraged at our crumbling infrastructure and demand that our leaders fix it. By punishing their stock prices - what they really care about - lenders and home builders who duped people into spending beyond their means will get their comeuppance. And then the stocks markets and the economy will be just fine. Plutocrats will realize that their limos travel over bridges and that their employees take the subway."

Countries and people don't always get through to better times as history shows. Demand that "our leaders" fix it? Our leaders are fallible human beings in a very corrupt governmental structure. "Our leaders" have got us into the current mess. More precisely our believe in and abrogation of responsibilities and rights to "leaders" got us int this mess. Lets be honest about where the problem really lies at least.

Iraq retreat could 'embolden Iran' - Financial Times - MSNBC.com

Iraq retreat could 'embolden Iran' - Financial Times - MSNBC.com: "President George W. Bush warned on Tuesday that a US retreat from Iraq could embolden Iran to develop atomic weapons and trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East."

Yeah, right. One of the main incentives for any sane country in the region to acquire nuclear weapons is the US invasion and continued occupation of Iraq. No country in the region, at least not one that has a lot of oil and gas, is safe from the threat of trumped up accusations, attempts at "regime change" and eventual attacks from the US. That is the lesson of history in this part of the world. I almost wish that Iran did have nukes. If it did we would not be threatening to attack it. It would no more likely to attack other countries out of hand that Pakistan is. Israel is more likely to lob a nuke if the US doesn't do it first.

Why would anyone even listen to this utterly evil bozo of a president?

Google News

Google News

If Iraq "falls" and chaos ensues is it likely to be any more chaotic than what has happened in Iraq since it "fell" to US forces? Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are dead as a result of the US invasion and occupation. The majority of Iraqis fear to leave their homes. Car bombs, kidnappings, executions and sectarian violence are everyday ocurrences. US troops are feared and hated and guilty of many crimes. There is no or little power and clean water in much of Iraq. Exactly how much worse than what has become the status quo under US occupation do we really expect it to get when we finally leave?

Squeak and Croquet Demo Etech03

Alan Kay and David Smith demo Squeak and Croquet As a working commercial programmer I really need to see things like this periodically to break out of the rut of most commerical programming. We have such blinders on that we not only don't see much of what could be done but we forget why we really wanted to be programmers and that spirit of our beginnings. So much is reinvented poorly over and over again. I got when I first saw objects that "applications" were a stilted way to look at what really could be an interacting ecosystem of objects and behaviors. And meta observation and objects and behaviours. Files are another thing most users should not have to know or thing about. Particular machines are another still. All of this I understood over two decades ago. And we are further from making it real, except for MUCH faster and more capable and ubiquitous hardware and communication, than we were back then when there was not so much inertia.

The Impact of Emerging Technologies: The Google Pack - Technology Review

The Impact of Emerging Technologies: The Google Pack - Technology Review

I must be missing something. How exactly is it "a jab against Microsoft" to offer suites of tools that only work on Microsoft Windows? It appears to me that Google is making the Windows platform more and more appealing by rolling out various spiffy goodies only on Windows.

Exactly how does making Microsoft more palatable and dominate on the desktop qualify as "do no evil"?

BBC NEWS | Technology | Movie body targets children's PCs

BBC NEWS | Technology | Movie body targets children's PCs

Cleary this is getting ridiculous. in this age of high bandwidth and perfect digital recording adjustments are needed to derive the maximum value for artst and all of the public. What we see happening instead is thot publishers, the labels through RIAA and movie prduction houses through MPAA are ulargely acting in o highly reactionary manner. Instead of changing business models to embrace the new realities and oppurtunities these forces are largely ottempting to fight te preserve increasingly outmoded business models. In the process they are criminalizing early embracers of what the technology makes possible.


In the case of the labels it is possible that their economic usefulness and neccesity is rapidly coming to an end. These things happen periodically as the mix of technological capability, cistomer needs, desires and abilities changes. The RIAA especially is resisting the natural tide of change and even claiming those who embrace the changes are criminals and immoral. While it is true that artists and others actually needed in the production of music need to be fairly compensated this does not require nor in any way justify the criminalization of technology or of the public.

In the case of the movie industry things are a bit less clear as far as prtectionism of outdated business models go. For now at least there appears to be a real need for large investments in order to prduce movies. But this too is changing rapidly. obviously the productive and creative elements deserve compensation. What is not obvious is that that justifies criminalization of technologies and their users.

Neither of these reactionary groups is embracing even the most obvious positive in the new technology. Distribition, packing, mass production and a very signifcant amount of advertising are now free. The artist and producers would me much better served by actively encouraging file sharing while inventing new ways for compensation to be derive propotional to popularity.

Making Citizens Spies (AGAIN)

This is exactly what the old TIPS program rejected by the people wanted to do. Our government once again shows that it considers itself above the people it exists to serve and willing to ignore their will whenever it pleases.