Author Archives: vortmax
The revolution will be tweeted
I have been following the events in Iran fairly closely. It is truly astonishing the role that technology has played in getting information both out to the world and back to those demonstrating against the election results. Here’s what I’ve … Continue reading
Time: Cookies got Abu Jandal to talk
Link: Abu Jandal’s guards were so intimidated by him, they wore masks to hide their identities and begged visitors not to refer to them by name in his presence. He had no intention of cooperating with the Americans; at their … Continue reading
Cheney’s self-serving speech
After reading the speech in it’s entirety several times, I have to say it is the quintessential “Yes we did it, and thought it was right” speech. It is also a perfect example of the black and white thinking that … Continue reading
Anatomy of a biased poll
I see that Fox News has released a poll, from which they are claiming 71% of respondents want “less government in their lives.” Considering my distrust of Fox News’ intentions, i felt I should take a look at the actual … Continue reading
Star Trek
I had been looking for any reason not to like this film. I read the reviews on RottenTomatoes, especially seeking out the negative ones (Roger Ebert gives it a “meh” with 2.5 stars). I hate remakes, and this had the … Continue reading
Comparing apples to… Apples
One of the forums I frequent is the PackPride Brickyard. It is occupied by general chatter of politics and life by and for NC State Wolfpack fans. Yesterday, someone posted the following: Reasons to buy Mac vs other laptop are … Continue reading
Éirinn go brách!
And a Happy St. Patrick’s day to you! On this day the local pub, O’Connel’s, serves green beer en masse to the college throngs. I, being somewhat of a connoisseur, refuse to partake of the dyed cheap beer. Instead I … Continue reading
Remember “Those who cannot learn from history…?”
“What we learn from history is that we do not learn from history.” – Benjamin Disraeli This was quoted in a Barron’s article outlining how some of the blame for the current economic situation falls at the feet of our … Continue reading
Damn Telemarketers!
I’m getting calls and letters saying my vehicle’s warranty “is about to expire.” My response: “NO S__T SHERLOCK! My truck is 10 years old!” This is obviously a scam to pressure me into buying some expensive and worthless “warranty.” Here’s … Continue reading
Geek Fact for Today
2/18/09 = 0.0123456789 Only geeks will appreciate the significance of this. For you non-geeks who don’t get it, here’s the word-problem version: Divide 2 by 18, then divide that by 9. p.s. – If I could figure out how to … Continue reading