Guesswork Theory

I can't remember how I found this blogger, but his posts about religion and Christianity are always very insightful.  I like this one, in particular and Giving Up What God Didn't Promise.

Quite Different

The links today are pretty far about apart, but I liked them both enough to want to share.

First of all, the ridiculousness that is buying women's clothes. Then, the ridiculousness that is the nanny state.
(I knew they had something in common.)

Yep, me, too.

Tell your reps and senators to say NO to SOPA and PIPA!

Great Line Today

... The practical side of parenting is all about engineering your obsolescence, and I’m sure that works really well for robots. The rest of us don’t mind a modicum of indispensability.

from Lileks' Bleat

Cooking

I love the myth-busting Cracked posts, and this one even includes an Atlanta/Alton Brown reference, not to mention lots of good cooking info.

Harry Potter Geek Link

So perfect.

and a little from the left

Well, these posts are aren't really from the "left" in my view, but I would say that Slate and Salon do typically lean that way.  Both links came from Radley Balko at The Agitator, as usual.

This isn't political at all - just totally map-geek fantastic.  This is the story about an award-winning map of the US, and it's quite interesting.

And, this one is an interesting look at how bureaucrats, unquestioning reporters, and columnists use the terms "moderates" and "centrists" to frame discussion and con us into believing what is an acceptable opinion.  This piece is about the drug war, but it could really be about anything political.

Multi-Links

Touching obituary for Siobhan Reynolds, champion of pain patients and fighter of asinine drug policy, in a mainstream publication, no less.

Why, she asked, when opioids can help treat chronic pain, are they frequently only available to the dying—but not if your agony will last years?  Why, when addiction to opioids is actually rare, do we treat them as though everyone who takes these drugs is likely to get instantly hooked?  And why do we seem to see addiction—even in the dying— as a worse side effect than agony or even death?

There should be more coverage of the travesty of thedrug war and its affects on people who need drugs. Denying people something they want is more important to our government than taking care of those who need it.

Another great one from Rules for My Unborn Son: 

529. The best way to ruin an apology is with an explanation.

Love The Sartorialist, and love this look.

2011 Entertainment in Review

Here's my 2011 Books, Movies, Events, and Travel list:

Books
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
American on Purpose - Craig Ferguson
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
The Holy Bible (New American Standard)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

Events
Reckless Kelly with Mickey and the Motorcars - The Pour House, James Island, SC
Dwight Yoakam - Wild Bill's, Duluth, GA
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Christmas with the ASO - Symphony Hall, Atlanta

Travel
Hilton Head Island, SC
Daufuskie Island, SC
Charleston, SC
Orange Beach, AL

Movies (** in theater):
The Lives of Others (highly recommended)
How to Train Your Dragon
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
Julie & Julia
Extract
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The King's Speech
The Expendables
RED
Toy Story 2
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
**Rango
Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga'Hool
Wild Target
Ink
Sorcerer's Apprentice
Dispicable Me
Easy A
Toy Story 3
Get Low
Hop
Invictus
Green Hornet
Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
**X-Men: First Class
Amelie
It Might Get Loud
**Super 8
Broadcast News
The Social Network
Dinner with Schmucks
17 Again
Shaolin Soccer
Date Night
True Grit (2010)
The Young Victoria
**Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
The Eiger Sanction
The Tourist
Red Riding Hood
Cannibal: The Musical
The Switch
**Cowboys & Aliens
Knight & Day
Hot Tub Time Machine
The Mechanic
**The Help
The Lincoln Lawyer
John Adams (miniseries)
Unknown
Season of the Witch
Marley and Me
Battle of Los Angeles
Limitless
Road to Perdition
The Conspirator
Surrogates
Paul
**The Muppets
The Adjustment Bureau
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Fright Night (2010)
Horrible Bosses
**Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

Ugh

There is just so much of this, and what's sad, is that the things that are so obviously wasteful are really just the beginning.

Coolness of our Age

There are just some super cool things coming, and this is one of my favorites.  I've been reading about 3D printing for a while, but this article is the most fleshed out I've seen, and the first one I've seen talk about using this technology in the medical field.  How amazing!

Light Posting

Links will probably be light for the next couple of weeks, so here are two from Cracked.

#1 on this list is one I had never heard about and is pretty amazing.
These are just fun.

Schools

Amid the controversy over the recommended denial of renewed charter for the most successful school in Georgia (the only Georgia school to EVER get the National Blue Ribbon award), I present Finland's unorthodox school system (via www.ifeminists.com). I know that the US is not Finland, and I don't think that all of these things necessarily cause the success, but why does it have to be so difficult to try new things here?

Left Out

I wish we could have seen Gary Johnson in the debates.

What a great story to start the day

This one is just lovely.

Scary scary scary

Congress will decide whether the Bill of Rights matters anymore ... in secret.

Admittedly, it's been in its way out since practically the beginning but they just don't work seem to care to even hide it anymore.

The Rules

A book that I bought for Dave once we had J was, Rules for My Unborn Son.  There is a companion website, which is terribly addictive, and I particularly like one from earlier this week.

Eat like a local, tip like an American.

Drug War and Surprising Perspective

Well, this perspective isn't surprising to me, since I completely agree with it, however, the columnist from which it comes is quite surprising.

as usual, found via the agitator.

Two for One

To make up for the limited posting lately, I've got two here.

First of all, this poll regarding the Republican candidates is kind of encouraging (polls are generally crap, so take it however you'd like).

• encouraging: Ron Paul is tied with Obama in head-to-head race. All others trail Obama. And Paul hammers Obama, surprisingly, among voters under 45 years old.
• depressing: that the result above is listed after the results about which candidate has more football fans as supporters.  

Secondly, if you need a password vault program, so far I highly recommend S10.  I found it on CNET; it's free, and has been really easy to set up.  Just got it today, though, so it's an early, qualified recommendation.

This could be good

This is a step in the right direction for Fulton County Schools.  I hope it works.