Unintended Consequences

I love stories and articles like this.

The rest is history. It is estimated that there are more 25 billion microprocessors in use around the world right now, with the number of transistors they contain equal to the amount of raindrops that fall on North America in a year.

One of the better books ever written on this topic is Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences (Vintage) by Edward Tenner.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britian

I love unique stuff and boring things from a unique perspective. I just discovered the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britian which is composed of two women and six men playing - wait for it - ukuleles. Although one appears to be an acoustic guitar but I didn't count the strings and it could actually be a baritone or bass uke for all I know.

Here they play Ennio Morricone's theme from the 1966 Clint Eastwood classic, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly."

Genius. Stinkin' genius. There is an innocence to the piece that almost makes me weep with delight. No. Not almost. I can unashamedly say that I wept with delight.

Going to a completely different genre, here is the same group playing Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Genius. Stinkin' genius, only without the weeping part. I simply grinned like an idiot.

UPDATE: I counted the strings on the guitar in the groups performance of the theme from the 1971 flick "Shaft" and found only four. That makes it a big, honking UKULELE.

My Solution for the Global Warming Hoax (and MORE)

Came to me in the wee hours of the morning. I actually remembered it this time. And I got the idea from the Zed administration:

As part of the Cap and Trade movement, the feds should not allow anyone involved in this business proposition to make more than $250,000 a year. That's $250,000 a year total, even if they have other businesses or income. If they're involved in the government mandated, and therefore government supported / subsidized, Cap and Trade system, their pay is capped at a more-than-fair quarter mil a year.

If it's good enough for TARPed bank executives it should be good enough for anyone who seeks to profit unduly from Global Warming. We might even consider a lower number because this trading is doing Zed's work. Also, if we lower the number, more savvy businessmen and women will be able to get in on the action, thus spreading the wealth and not allowing anyone to get stinking rich off Cap and Trade. (Side idea: A new cartoon character who can help sell - or should I say brainwash - the children of our brave new world on the idea of Manmade Global Warming: Cap'n Traid.)

It goes without saying that the first man out under my scheme will be Albert Gore. The idea of doing good without the opportunity to corner the carbon market and get absolutely, stinking, stupid rich is repugnant to most jet-setting Warmers and this may be enough to derail the whole GW scam.

To build on this brilliant idea and to further the cause of fairness, anyone - ANYONE - pulling a paycheck of any kind from the federal government, including (especially)our elected officials, should have their total income capped at $250,000, which would extend a minimum of five years after they leave "public service."

We might consider an escape clause to this cap. They can make as much as they want after leaving elective office (this would include being voted out) if they serve only one term as a senator or two terms as a representative. Call it de facto term limits.

Insight Into "Half the World Has No Health Insurance" Claim

An unbelieveable piece in Doug Ross' blog that spells out who is driving the whole "47 million Americans without health insurance" claim we see every time we see the news.

Turns out about half that number (which is highly suspect anyway) is made up of illegals, who shouldn't be here anyway, and citizens who earn upwards of $50,000 a year and just plain choose not to be covered. In the case of this latter group, totaling 17 million folks, many choose not to insure themselves because they feel they're healthy and just don't need insurance.

What has always bugged me about this whole controversy is that it isn't about healing sickness, but about some right to health insurance. Why can't people get medical care and just pay for it? If they choose not to have insurance that covers catastrophic illness or injury, that is the individual's call to make. If they pass on buying this insurance and then can't afford to pay for care, adios amigo, as [many of] the illegals say.

The other part of Doug's post reveals who's behind this whole scam, a group that is a front group for unions. Miraculously, it is impossible for this group to put out a news release that isn't picked up by every news outlet in the known universe and published without question as fact.

Yet another example that the MSM is totally in the pocket of leftists.

I Missed Earth Hour???

As I was reading about what a flop it was, I realized that I had also forgotten to celebrate Mankind Achievement Hour. Oh well, I continued to live my life without paying homage to anyone during that hour Saturday night.

One of the best reports I read had to do with Al Gore shutting off some of his lights but leaving the computers on along with the flood lights illuminating his landscaping. He was probably flying somewhere on a private jet anyway.

The idea of making this kind of a statement fits right in with the greenie's desire to take mankind back to a "simpler" era. Trouble is, none of them would, themselves, really like to live in such simplicity, much less be able to survive.

My favorite reflection on this exercise came, as is often the case, from Don Surber. And the best comment came from Tregonsee:

Reminds me of the joke, except it isn’t a joke, about North Korea.

How did the North Koreans light their homes before that had candles?

Electricity.

Celebrate achievement. Push for progress.

Zed Redefines the Entourage

I grew up in a small town. So small that all the adults would have comfortably fit on the two or three planes that are flying Zed and his 500 freakin' staffers to London for the G20 meetings.

This is what kings and emperors used to do. I just saw pieces of Ben Hur over the weekend. Obama's entourage reminds me of when Ben Hur arrives back in Rome after doing a stint as slave rower and saves Caesar's counsel in the Mediterranean sea battle. Even better, it reminds me of Cleopatra's (I just saw pieces of Cleopatra a week ago) arrival in Rome, with all the conveyances and dancing Africans and stairways to heaven, and it has kind of "Zed arriving in London" feel to it.

It is absolutely infuriating to think of the president of our United States of America loading up a fleet of aerial barges and floating on over to a foreign land to shower his munificence on the assembled adorers. And as he tells every other business that he is "saving" that they must forgo bonuses and travel commercial, is absolutely mind blowing.

Ah hell, in the end I guess I'm just jealous. I wish I had one percent of his guts.

Obama's Tin Ear - Williamsburg Edition

I've been reading the usual blogs and websites this morning and while I've read a lot about O's speech to his fans last night at the House Congressional Caucus retreat at an expensive resort in Williamsburg, I haven't read any comments on two things he said that I thought would be jumped on:

First, he thanked the assembled retreaters for giving him the opportunity to use Air Force One. So let me get this straight - the administration and party that has been fanning the flames of wealth envy and damning the fat cat corporate executives for even owning executive aircraft is not only already sick of the White House, it is looking for any excuse to rev up the engines of what is probably the most expensive corporate jet in the world to take a 10 minute flight a two hour drive south of D.C. Was Marine One in the shop? Did O not realize his speech was being broadcast to an audience that might be composed of a significant percentage of non-Democrats? Wow!

Second, the little throwaway line about how Rahm is dedicating some of his free time to underprivileged kids by coaching them on the finer points of profanity. Maybe this would have worked at the Alfalfa dinner, but at a semi-public pep rally for his mindless supporters??? Wow! Again!

Should be an Interesting Year

The election was so deflating I took a few months off. Didn't even watch much of the cable news professional wrestler shoutathons - especially after my wife, in a cost-cutting move scaled back our Dish Network viewing package and the only cable newser we were left with was CNN and its offspring. It was actually a delight going back to watch "Frasier" and "Seinfeld" reruns.

I put forth the opinion in October (actually it may have even been September) that McCain couldn't and perhaps shouldn't win the election. My reasoning was that the coming few years were going to be so brutal that the odds of success, no matter who was in office, were slim. Therefore, it would be better for Obama to get in and fail than a Republican. Also, McCain was a lame candidate who would have been a lame president. Looking back, he wasn't much better than Bob Dole, and Bob Dole turned into a decent guy after his defeat. McCain is slowly migrating back to his aisle-straddling self and will be pissing off conservatives again before you know it.

So as I watch Obama fumbling through his first two weeks in office, I can imagine equal (if not worse) golden age fumbling and dissembling going on. Good luck President Obama. You're going to need it.