The unadulterated joy of meeting new people who think very much like yourself is the principal export of the blogosphere.

Someone reminded me recently to read Anil Dash's blog, I can't remember who. Anil Dash reminded me about rc3.org.

rc3.org won all the points for these articles on the front page:
1) Going to the Movies: about the inevitable failure of theatres vs. Netflix
2) Minute Fingerprints: about Bruce Schneier 's article on datamining
3) Gamers are Clever Freaks: about how WoW gamers game the Blizzard rewards systems.

I saw "Charlie Wilson's War" tonight, and recommend you Netflix it. (This was Mike Nichols, Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks at their best.)

Merry Sol Invictus to all.

Whaaaaaaat?

Vladimir Putin is Time Magazine's Man of the Year. I just read a snippet, so I have no idea what the reasoning from Time is, but let's run through a quick laundry list of negatives: emboldens Iran, oppresses free speech and a free press, creates monopolies within his country, arouses suspicions about political killings of opponents.

He did oppose Bush on sanctions of Iran based on his belief that Iran was running a non-weapons based nuclear program, which they were.

What am I missing here? Will someone read the article and report back please?

Why I fear the Democrats

As the token Republican apologist (registered Libertarian though), and noticing a report that Medicare wastes billions with a 'b', I thought it was time to issue a warning against the Democrats taking power in 2009. First off, I will likely vote for Barack Obama if he gains the Democratic Party nomination for President. That caveat aside, one of the main legs of his platform is universal health care, and that scares the crap out of me.

Government, due to its bureaucratic nature, is an extremely inefficient vehicle for providing services to the majority of the population. Below are some statistics as to how the Medicare system has wasted U.S. tax dollars (from the November 30 KC Star):

1. Cost of oxygen tank delivery services, 36 months, from a pharmacy - $3500
Cost of same system, same time allotment, through Medicare - $8200

2. Cost of erection pump online - varies, as low as $108
Cost of same pump through Medicare - $450

3. Cost of walking cane, various outlets - $11
Cost of same cane, through Medicare - $20

4. The cost of Medicare since 1999 is increasing above the inflation rate by 34 percent ($5,522 to $8,568 per beneficiary).

If this is the type of waste that is produced for a benefits system which only helps seniors, imagine the exponential amount of waste that will be produced from a universal benefits system. While the past eight years of President Bush have not been a beacon of fiscal conservatism (quite the opposite), I fear the anti-Bush sentiment which may lead the Democrats to wins in Congress and the White House might be misconstrued by the Dems as a mandate for a blank check to further bloat the federal government. It should be our job to reign in spending if not cut it.

Horror! The Movies

I went to dinner and a movie on a Friday night with my wife, sister, and brother-in-law. Realizing it was Friday night, we thought we would be crafty and go to the 7:20PM showing of Dan in Real Life. If you don't know, its a romantic comedy about a widower advice columnist with three kids who takes his kids up to New England for an extended family get-together. This seemed like the feel good movie with emotional depth that teenagers might pass up.

Not... the... case. My wife turned to me and said "The previews should start any minute now". I was surprised at how quickly time had passed and questioned her for the exact time. I remember 7:17 because that was when the first wave hit. Hordes of mindless driveling pre-adolescents swarmed the theater. It all happened so fast, what was once a serene scene of adults quietly discussing their droll lives was quickly turned into pre-teens yammering on about the latest gossip, and flipping open their mobiles to pass the information on down the line via text message. If I weren't trying to enjoy a movie, the incessant incandescent glow of mobile phone screens lighting up the theater like oversized fireflies might have been construed as beautiful.

Their were so many things that shocked me about the experience, not the least of which was that we were hit by three waves of 15-20 13 year olds between the times of 7:17 and 7:25. I suddenly realized the despair the Germans must have felt in France, for it was much like watching Omaha beach get stormed. I am also beginning to understand why boarding school is so much a part of upper class culture.

About Face?

Apparently, Facebook feels the need to press you the user, into advertising, whether you like it or not.

As I understand it, if you buy a Cormac McCarthy novel off Amazon.com or some new outerwear from L.L. Bean, an ad will pop up on your friend's page with whatever picture of you has been downloaded to Facebook to demonstrate your love of the product to your social network.

This could be okay, as I like to know what things are happening in my friends' lives, but I don't see where the restrictions can be limited. If one of my contributors happens to buy something inappropriate online, I don't need to know about it (or have my imagination run amok with how these "things" might be used).

Thoughts?

Post-MSNBC Dem Debate aftermath

Two thoughts about the Democrats, both from The Kansas City Star. First on the frontrunner, HRC -

Trying to deflect the barbs and focus elsewhere, by debate's end, HRC said "Bush" 25 times, more than her six rivals combined.

Next from my personal favorite (for style and Iraq policy), Biden -

Joe Biden says Giuliani's sentences consist of "a noun, a verb, and 9/11. I mean it sincerely. He is genuinely not qualified to be president".

Poor Hillary is getting whomped on because she did too good of a job early on. People apparently cannot see a difference between her and Obama/Edwards. So the two of them are relegated to attack dog status in an attempt to cut her lead. As for Biden, I always enjoy when intelligent people fall way behind in polls. They ease out of political mode and move directly to saying what they think. Its much more entertaining.

F'ing Ethanol Again!!!

Food prices are soaring. Cats and dogs sleeping together. The world is probably coming to an end.

I blame Ethanol, as do Becker and Posner this week.