Posts by Mike Hoagland

Brain-plug weapons could provide war crime immunity

Counterproductive

I think White's suppression plans wouldn't work and, since legal efforts in suppression are likely to undermine efforts to regulate the systems we _do_ get, White's paper itself has made future war-crimes more likely.

Thanks a lot, White!

Craigslist and eBay: Terrorist arms bazaars of DEATH

Too much coffee?

I think you're scaremongering the GAO scaremongering.

The report was done as a HoR request. It doesn't seem as if the GAO chose to waste it's time this way. (And they still got in a dig about 3+ billion of government waste they think is going on with regard to selling re-usable gear.)

Yes, the report _does_ give something like a "worst case" scenario for the use of each part. (IR tabs causing confusion on the battlefield, for example.)

However, I think the report's language - speaking of "risks", and "sensitive" defined as on a DoD list - puts it well below scaremongering. Or, at least, if _that_ is scaremongering we need a better term for the "Mushroom cloud over Washington" shit that's too commonly peddled to the public.

That the GAO expects the subcommittee to appreciate that this is essentially a non-issue without an explicit statement to that effect is, I'll grant, a lapse on it's part. I still wouldn't call it scaremongering. I suggest that the GAO is weary of trying to give the HoR a sense of perspective - especially at the risk of pissing off it's boss.

Finally, and most importantly, why did I have to read the report to discover the Alabama woman who claims to have sold $54,000 in MREs from dumpster diving?

Shouldn't that have been the lede? ;)

Still a "thumbs up" icon. Who watches the watchers? The Reg, apparently.

Wikipedia ruled by 'Lord of the Universe'

Good article! A few requests...

1) Please work in an uncomplimentary comment about a leading libertarian, Macs, or Global Warming/Climate Change (either pro or con) into any lengthy article. Surly there's room for a little something, and that'd add an extra helping of wackos.

2) By the link to the author's name could the Reg add a little icon displaying the author's "Reader Cynicism" level? I think it'd be a big time saver. Commentors could save criticisms displaying only mild amounts of stupidity for hacks with low RC levels, where they'll actually have some effect. Criticisms of remarkable stupidity could be saved for the most cynical hacks.

3) A pop-up box that appears before going to the second page of a 3+ page article. It could say "Warning: Long article!" and offer the choices "I want to continue reading." and "Take me directly to the comments, I'd rather offer an uninformed opinion."

Thank you.

ICANN to throttle domain tasters

Ka-ching!

"That sounds like, well, it would work."

Yes, and since I've just patented the internet business-method of charging for something when it's received and NOT later, I'll make a mint!

Sociologists: Studying engineering turns you into a terrorist

"Engineer" as title.

From "The Main Enemy" page 273, 274 (via Amazon's "look inside"): This is about Afghanistan's anti-Soviet muhadjeen.

"Gulbuddin wasn't an engineer, and I knew it. But resistance party leaders came in only two categories - clerics and engineers. If a commander or party head wasn't addressed by the clerical titles of "mullah" or "maulvi", then it had better be "engineer." So "Engineer Gulbuddin" it would be."

The book doesn't explain why, but perhaps a technical school of some sort that provided the only educated non-clerics in the country? I doubt that all the engineers identified by the study in question are "by title only", but maybe some are. But, as others have mentioned, I believe engineering remains a common field of study in the Islamic world. And good for them. More useful than most sociologists. Apart from the bombs, I mean.

The Penguin, 'cuz sociologists hate Linux but Engineers love it. (Sorry, that's the broadest stereotyping I could fit in. I'll try harder in future.)

Note re: Sociologist bashing: I've had a lot of exposure to them. (I have a little SocRad card around here somewhere...) Some do useful, valuable, interesting work. Too many, though, are complete wastes of space.