What Is .1 Innings?
Meat. It’s when you take the mound and give up four earned runs without recording an out. The stats guys give you a .1 inning to forever screw your ERA. It’s a shame multiplyer. …
It's the Fundamentalism, Stupid
There is no war on terrorism. It just doesn’t exist. It’s a code that means a war on Islamic Fundamentalism—that group of believers who feel that Islam is the only truth and that its truth …
Put Your Foot in this Metal Clamp
Wendy and I were talking last night about that weird metal clamp used in shoe stores to measure kids feet. It’s been probably 25 years since I saw one up close, but I remember them as vaguely …
The Private Information We Share
As soon as a parent meets me and learns that I’m married, there is always this question: Do you have any kids? On its surface, it’s an innocent question, and I don’t begrudge it when …
Such a Program Could, Eventually, Literally Read Your Mind
HAL 9000 is Watching You In a way, the future is now. We have great A.I. depending on what you consider great and what you consider intelligence. The article has a primer on the history of AI, with …
Where Will We Be After the Oil is Gone?
I just read an interesting story in the Guardian about the politically and scientifically difficult job of estimating world petrolium reserves. Companies and governments aren’t always completely …
Off Schedule
It’s been a tough week. I’ve been working mostly on our income taxes, which has been slow going. It’s weird to look at all of the receipts we’ve saved throughout the year. …
The Pope is Dead
The pope died a week ago and the news coverage is finally dying down. My friend David talked on Thursday about his views on the Pope and the Catholic church, some of which I agree with. But as the …
Your Chances of Going to Hell: Good
Consider your chances for going to Hell. There are ways to get there by doing things and ways to get there by not doing things in your lifetime. Each of the world’s religions that believe in …
Dream: My Repeat Burgler
Last night, while we were having dinner, we turned on the TV and watched a little of a really bad Clint Eastwood movie called Absolute Power. Clint plays a jewel theif who watches the Secret Service …