Katie and Sarah

Quaint

Looks like they hacked

into Obama's emails too

No comment

Sarah Palin's emails

Apparently someone cracked into her yahoo account, but then tipped her off.

More info on the hacking here.

The only kind of reading I can stomach

due to election stress.

The Ugly New McCain

and

MY GAL

The Palin-Gibson Interview

SNL reality

Register to vote

Make sure you do

Google backs project to connect 3bn to net

Google has thrown its weight behind ambitious plans to bring internet access to 3bn people in Africa and other emerging markets by launching at least 16 satellites to bring its services to the unconnected half of the globe.

Ready on day 1

Change

This seems to be shaping up as a change election. The republicans have bought into that meme. The funny thing is that it would seem to be a losing proposition for Republicans, but they are good at verbal jujitsu. It is time to take on McCain at his supposed strength. This is a good start:

I fear

that I am not going to sleep well for 2 months.

In the new poll, taken Friday through Sunday, McCain leads Obama by 54%-44% among those seen as most likely to vote. The survey of 1,022 adults, including 959 registered voters, has a margin of error of +/— 3 points for both samples.

Long lines expected

Democrats post big gains in voter registration

Since the last federal election in 2006, volunteers like Graham combined with the enthusiasm generated by the Obama-Clinton struggle to add more than 2 million Democrats to voter rolls in the 28 states that register voters according to party affiliation. The Republicans have lost nearly 344,000 thousand voters in the same states.

Here's hoping they turn out and their votes get counted...

Robot bartenders

in Burmingham

i dunno - call me old school, but me thinks people like to interact with people. 

The reason why Repubs rely on culture wars

Economics just ain't their bag

The stark contrast between the whiz-bang Clinton years and the dreary Bush years is familiar because it is so recent. But while it is extreme, it is not atypical. Data for the whole period from 1948 to 2007, during which Republicans occupied the White House for 34 years and Democrats for 26, show average annual growth of real gross national product of 1.64 percent per capita under Republican presidents versus 2.78 percent under Democrats.

That 1.14-point difference, if maintained for eight years, would yield 9.33 percent more income per person, which is a lot more than almost anyone can expect from a tax cut.

Dept. of Counterprogramming

Obama to appear on O'Reilly Thursday. Interesting move - it counters McCain's RNC speech on Thursday. Looking forward to watching that

I also like these ads directly talking about McCain and a woman's right to choose.

Obama’s new radio ad, airing widely in at least seven swing states, tells voters McCain “will make abortion illegal.” It’s airing as McCain courts female voters with the addition of the staunchly anti-abortion governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, to his ticket.

Democrats had, until now, sought to appeal to women primarily on economic issues such as health care and workplace discrimination; abortion rights were hardly mentioned at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last week. But women’s rights groups have been urging Obama to attack McCain on the issue, pointing to polling showing that some women who support McCain think he supports abortion rights. In fact, the Arizona senator has long supported a ban on abortions, with exceptions for victims of rape and incest, and for pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother. Palin has an even firmer anti-abortion stance: She would require rape and incest victims to carry their pregnancies to term.

GoogleVet

One Republican strategist with close ties to the campaign described the candidate's closest supporters as "keeping their fingers crossed" in hopes that additional information does not force McCain to revisit the decision. According to this Republican, who would discuss internal campaign strategizing only on condition of anonymity, the McCain team used little more than a Google Internet search as part of a rushed effort to review Palin's potential pitfalls. Just over a week ago, Palin was not on McCain's short list of potential running mates, the Republican said.

Wow, just wow.

The "Eagleton Scenario"

Could Sarah Palin become the first running mate since Thomas Eagleton in 1972 to be dropped from a major-party ticket? Joshua Green offers a look at how such a scenario would unfold.

It won't happen, but it is interesting nonetheless...

Getting ugly

Oh man. I'll just steal the whole post:

Seems that those who read US Weekly aren't big fans of Sarah Palin (R):

Also, Mark Halperin says this is the magazine's upcoming cover. Not exactly a flattering one:

UPDATE: It gets worse for Palin, OK Magazine has its own cover.

I can only imagine how many million of women these two magazines reach -- not to mention overall eyes at the checkout stands...

UPDATE #2 (5:38 pm ET): ABC News' Rick Klein offers this on the US Weekly cover:

[T]his, to me, is the clearest evidence yet that the McCain-Palin campaign is losing the battle over Palin’s image. US Weekly readers are the voters her selection was designed to attract. There’s not much to like in this early take -- and not much to indicate that the next round will be much better.

UPDATE #3 (5:43 pm ET): An excerpt from the US Weekly story:

“Within hours of McCain’s surprise introduction of the little-known, charismatic mother of five as his running mate, the scandals began to emerge as quickly as flies at a Labor Day picnic,” Mara Reinstein writes for the magazine.

“While putting to rest one scandal, Palin appeared to have opened another of even greater significance. Staunchly antiabortion (even in cases of rape) and opposed to sex-education classes (she believes in abstinence instruction for teens), ques tions began to arise about not just her judg ment, but that of McCain’s as well,” Reinstein writes.

This is really, really bad news for Palin.

Is it possible to withdraw her from the ticket? It seems that people are beginning to speculate on that. Is that possible? I suppose so... has this ever happened before? This is McCain's Miers moment.

New word

a-Palin: adj. not thought through. Example: That idea is a-Palin!

Google to launch new browser (today)

Its called Chrome

Luntz focus groups

Undicided independent voters in Minneapolis

Another week, another Frank Luntz/AARP focus group of undecided voters--this one in Minneapolis and with some bad news for John McCain: they don't like the choice of Sarah Palin for vice president. Only one person said Palin made him more likely to vote for McCain; about half the 25-member group raised their hands when asked if Palin made them less likely to vote for McCain. They had a negative impression of Palin by a 2-1 margin...a fact that was reinforced when they were given hand-dials and asked to react to Palin's speech at her first appearance with McCain on Friday---the dials remained totally neutral as Palin went through her heart-warming(?) biography, and only blipped upwards when she said she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere--which wasn't quite the truth, as we now know.

Then there was this, from a woman named Teresa, who went to the Democratic Convention as a Hillary delegate and is leaning toward voting for McCain--obviously the target audience for the Palin pick: "His age didn't really bother me until he picked Palin. What if he dies in office and leaves us with her as President? Also she leans toward the rigid right, and I always thought he was a moderate...You know, I change my mind almost every day, but right now I"m wondering where the John McCain I really liked in 2000 went, what happened to the moderate? This John McCain has the look of someone who is being manipulated--probably by Karl Rove."

Teresa still wasn't willing to vote for Obama, whom she considers too inexperienced, but she was clearly wavering. Afterwards Luntz, good Republican that he is, made the case that Palin could win all these people back with a good convention speech, but that seemed far-fetched to me. They really saw this pick as a gimmick--and one that reflected badly on John McCain's judgment.

It really seems as if she wasn't fully vetted.

But that's ok, because Biden is a Big Blowhard Doofus.

Palin for GOP VP

Looks like McCain choose Sarah Palin Gov of Alaska for VP. Who is she?

Going off the deep end

A Speech to the Delegates, by David Brooks. I think he has really lost it - it sounds like someone stole his star wars action figures and is having a tissy fit. He makes Dowd look like a responsible adult who sticks to the important issues. Damn.

On Joe Biden

On polling

An interesting insiders look at the Obama campaign and how they use polling data.

Hillary

I want to pump

up your tires. Go Arnie, go Arnie, it's your birthday...

Hacking airport wi-fi

Get Free Airport Wi-Fi with a Simple URL Hack

I found that I could easily visit sites like slashdot, Google, or even this weblog, when adding a ?.jpg at the end of the url. The next logical step was to automate that. I downloaded Greasemonkey and wrote a 4 line script that would add ?.jpg to every link in a document. That way I was able to browse most sites without a hassle.

Does this work?

Mrs. Obama

Tarnishing

Assuming that the Obama campaign isn’t scared off by the P.O.W. thing, can it really win in an exchange of character attacks? Probably not — but it doesn’t have to.

The central fact of this year’s election is that voters are fed up with Republican rule. The only way Mr. McCain can win the presidential race is if it becomes a contest of personalities rather than parties — and if his campaign can instill in voters the perception that Mr. Obama is a suspicious character while Mr. McCain is a fine, upstanding gentleman.

The Obama campaign, on the other hand, doesn’t need to convince voters either that he’s the awesomest candidate ever or that Mr. McCain is a villain. All it has to do is tarnish Mr. McCain’s image enough so that voters see this as a race between a Democrat and a Republican. And that’s a race the Democrat will easily win.

Especially since 8 in 10 say the country is going in the wrong direction.

houses

you know, i *wish* politics could be civil and fairly rational and issues based... but its not.

anyway, while I find all these sorts of attacks silly (e.g., obama is a celebrity, ooh! McCain doesn't know how many houses he has, aah!) I am glad to see that finally Obama is starting to play the game.

And it is amazing how the media loves this trivial shit. It is easy to understand, petty, and right up their alley.

Anyway looks like McCain's houses gaffe is going to get some play for a while.

Here's Krugman's take on the issue.

Yes we can parties

Despite the powerful arguments made by one commenter against Fraudbama the communist... I'm going to continue to promote Barack, and if I could, I'd attend this, a Move-on sponsored DNC convention night party:

It's the biggest political night in a decade--and we're throwing our biggest party ever!

On Thursday, August 28th, MoveOn members will gather around the country to witness history: Barack Obama officially accepting the Democratic nomination in front of 75,000 supporters in Denver.

We'll share ice cream and desserts, unveil MoveOn's gigantic new campaign to help elect Barack, and watch what promises to be a "barn-burner" of a speech.

Already, an incredible 1,500 MoveOn members are hosting "Yes We Can" Parties around the country. Can you host your own or come to one that's already planned? Just

click here

to get started.

Here's what will happen at the parties: We'll get together--hopefully you'll meet some new people--and share ice cream and desserts with other Obama supporters. Every party in the country will be on a nationwide conference call where we'll kick-off a massive new effort to put Obama in the White House. Then, we'll watch Obama's speech together--and share a historic moment that we'll be talking about for years to come.

Nights like these don't come along very often, and you won't want to experience it alone. Please sign up for a "Yes We Can" Party near you and bring along some dessert to share and a few friends--or even sign up to host your own party.

Hope to see you next Thursday, and thanks for all you do.

--Eli, Lenore, Anna, Patrick S. and the rest of the team

A tale of two candidates: on how to deal with evil

Theremin

Stephen Spoonamore

He's a sweetie. There are 7 other parts to that interview.

Move on

Special Election Briefing: 5 Things You Should Know

Happiness

When being rat-brained is incredible

Rise of the rat-brained robots

A picture of a thousand words

From here.
I tell you - the hope candidate wins.

Lonely Night in Georgia

The Bush administration's feckless response to the Russian invasion

He'll make Cheney look like Gandhi

more soetoro '08

could be why hillary has never officially dropped-out of the race

although i can't say i know anything about this larry johnson guy, other than he has a bad haircut.

Baghdad, 5 years on

Part 1 of 3: City of walls

Part 2 of 3: Killing fields

Part 3 of 3: Iraq's lost generation

Parez

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

55 minutes, 5 days a week

For optimal weight loss, for women. Seems like a lot.

Soetoro '08

COLB?

Randy Pausch

has died. I can only hope to accomplish 1/100th as much as he has accomplished. See Last Lecture.

Send Karl Rove to Jail

Last TED for the day

Yochai Benkler & Billy Graham

Bob Thurman: Becoming Buddha -- on the Web

Outsourcing life and living biblically

My outsourced Life - a really entertaining read).

TPMtv: Iraq Back-to-Back

hydrogen cars

are out
- with a funky techno beat.

The Nissan FCV (fuel cell vehicle) is on display at the Science Museum in London. The hydrogen-powered vehicle can drive up to 500km (300 miles) before refilling and has a maximum speed of 150 km/h (95 mph).

and apparently you can make hydrogen at home.

The American Okey-Dokey

Squirm-y

Boy I'm going to miss him

Depressing

Senate Passes Unconstitutional Spying Bill And Grants Sweeping Immunity To Phone Companies.

Obama fully caved on this one. He wants to avoid the political attacks, but I think it could have been a point to attack from. Oh well. At lest the ACLU will challenge.

The Ugly American

23%

The survey found public approval of the president's job performance at a new low for a Times/Bloomberg poll: 23%, compared with 73% disapproval.

Wow. 23%.

There is other news there too, like that Obama has a 12 point lead, at this moment.

Filibuster

They couldn't get the hold so it looks like Finegold and Dodd are filibustering the FISA law. At the moment you can see a live streaming video of Dodd filibustering.

My political compass

Economic Left/Right: -5.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.49

I like the fact that these results from this test puts me closest to the Dalai Lama.

Just cookie

and something else

The GOP Ralph Nader

Here's hoping he's named Bob Barr.

Ted: bottom billion

And some more interesting stuff:

Bad guys really do get the most girls

taking the shotgun approach to procreation

Swing!

Great white north issues

Oh the lovely internets

Beware, contains bad word.

A genetic modification I like

A bug that eats waste and sh*ts petrol

Seriously.

To be more precise: the genetic alteration of bugs – very, very small ones – so that when they feed on agricultural waste such as woodchips or wheat straw, they do something extraordinary. They excrete crude oil.

Unbelievably, this is not science fiction. Mr Pal holds up a small beaker of bug excretion that could, theoretically, be poured into the tank of the giant Lexus SUV next to us. Not that Mr Pal is willing to risk it just yet. He gives it a month before the first vehicle is filled up on what he calls “renewable petroleum”. After that, he grins, “it’s a brave new world”.

...

Using genetically modified bugs for fermentation is essentially the same as using natural bacteria to produce ethanol, although the energy-intensive final process of distillation is virtually eliminated because the bugs excrete a substance that is almost pump-ready.

The closest that LS9 has come to mass production is a 1,000-litre fermenting machine, which looks like a large stainless-steel jar, next to a wardrobe-sized computer connected by a tangle of cables and tubes. It has not yet been plugged in. The machine produces the equivalent of one barrel a week and takes up 40 sq ft of floor space.

However, to substitute America’s weekly oil consumption of 143 million barrels, you would need a facility that covered about 205 square miles, an area roughly the size of Chicago.

That is the main problem: although LS9 can produce its bug fuel in laboratory beakers, it has no idea whether it will be able produce the same results on a nationwide or even global scale.

“Our plan is to have a demonstration-scale plant operational by 2010 and, in parallel, we’ll be working on the design and construction of a commercial-scale facility to open in 2011,” says Mr Pal, adding that if LS9 used Brazilian sugar cane as its feedstock, its fuel would probably cost about $50 a barrel.

Last lecture

Kucinich presents Bush impeachment articles

"Resolved," Kucinich then began, "that President George W. Bush be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate. ...

The Varying Impact of Gas Prices

Gas prices are high throughout the country, but how hard they hit individual families depends on income levels, which vary widely. Some people pay up to 16% of their income on gas... 16%!

Hillary Clinton's Concession Speech

Schadenfraude

No more Hummers?

Never thought I'd be happy to say that.

Technology will save us all

CO2 Catcher prototype has been developed

It has long been the holy grail for those who believe that technology can save us from catastrophic climate change: a device that can "suck" carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, reducing the warming effect of the billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas produced each year.

Now a group of US scientists say they have made a breakthrough towards creating such a machine. Led by Klaus Lackner, a physicist at Columbia University in New York, they plan to build and demonstrate a prototype within two years that could economically capture a tonne of CO2 a day from the air, about the same per passenger as a flight from London to New York.

The prototype so-called scrubber will be small enough to fit inside a shipping container. Lackner estimates it will initially cost around £100,000 to build, but the carbon cost of making each device would be "small potatoes" compared with the amount each would capture, he said.

The scientists stress their invention is not a magic bullet to solve climate change. It would take millions of the devices to soak up the world's carbon emissions, and the CO2 trapped would still need to be disposed of. But the team says the technology may be the best way to avert dangerous temperature rises, as fossil fuel use is predicted to increase sharply in coming decades despite international efforts. Climate experts at a monitoring station in Hawaii this month reported CO2 levels in the atmosphere have reached a record 387 parts per million (ppm) - 40% higher than before the industrial revolution.

The quest for a machine that could reverse the trend by "scrubbing" carbon from the air is seen as one of the greatest challenges in climate science. Richard Branson has promised $25m (£12.6m) to anyone who succeeds.

Lackner told the Guardian: "I wouldn't write across the front page that the problem is solved, but this will help. We are in a hurry to deal with climate change and will be very hard pressed to stop the train before we get to 450ppm [CO2 in the atmosphere]. This can help stop the train."

Haters!

just keep saying it...

Ohh, whoops! Did I say that? Tee hee.

oh, she is sorry!

Howard Zinn on war

Perils and fortunes of home ownership

Last night, we get a call from the local energy agency thanking us for their service. I decide to call them back - since they seemed to be working on a Sat, to tell them that our rented water heater was rusty. They said they'd send someone over Sunday morning.

Sunday morning, while the fixer guy was here, the hot water heater, now 14 years old, finally failed and began to leak. Needless to say, such a thing is a potential disaster - but fortunately, because he was here, we caught it quickly and got it cleaned up before our basement was flooded.

But, what are the chances?

Olbermann goes postal on Clinton

DOT: Vehicle Miles Fell 4.3% in March

Looks like gas prices might finally be making a difference, that is until people adjust to the new prices, that is.

McCain ... said God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land.

you won't see that scrolling across fox news.

Bill O no!

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

google street view

Top 10 Questions for 2008…

Fifteen hundred people in 39 countries participated in suggesting and selecting the following ten questions as the most important ones in the world today. These are our concerns expressed not as demands but as the questions we must all consider at every level of life to meet the challenges of our times.

1. How can we best prepare our children for the future? (Our Children, Our Future)
What knowledge, skills and values and will our children need to flourish in their lifetimes? Do you know an especially gifted parent, caregiver or educator? What can we learn from them? Who are the children in your life and how are you preparing them?

2. What does sustainability look like to you? How do we get there? (Making Sustainability Real)
How can humanity both continue to provide lives of dignity for its billions while concurrently living within the resource-means of the planet? What does sustainability look like in different cultural contexts? What are your most hopeful images of sustainability? What changes can we make, and what must our leaders make?

3. How do humans need to adapt to survive the changes predicted for this century? (Survival in the 21st Century)
Humans survive because we are so good at adapting to changing circumstances. What changes are you predicting? What changes do you hope for? Will the adaptations be technological, social, spiritual, economic – or all of the above? What are the best adaptations you’ve heard of? Where do you see good adaptations happening in your community?

4. How do we shift from “Me” to “We” on both the local and global levels? (From “me” to “we”)
Where do you see a need to shift from “me” to “we”? What can a “we” approach give us that a “me” approach doesn’t, and vice versa? What needs to change to have people used to “me” engaged in “we” solutions? In your family and community, where have you seen collaboration work wonders when competition and confrontation failed? How can 6.6 billion people work together?

5. How can you, as Gandhi said, be the change that you want to see in the world? (Being the change)
Does fighting for peace or making war on terror make sense - or do our goals and means have to match? How have you tried to “be the change” in your work and life? Who inspires you by “walking their talk”? What gaps do you notice between your “walk” and “talk” and what steps can you take towards “being the change”?

6. What kind of economic structures can best support a shift to sustainable living? (A healthy economy)
What’s the economy for, anyway? How does “the economy” make it hard to make choices for sustainability – a healthy balance between material, social and ecological needs? Where have you seen economic structures that actually contribute to greater sustainability? In a sustainable economy, how would you and your community meet your needs for the basics and also for those things that make life worth living?

7. How should we re-invent the political process so that people feel that they have a voice? (Having a political voice)
When have you felt that your voice mattered in a political process? What contributed to that? Where do you want your voice to matter that it doesn’t, and how has that impacted your political participation? What re-inventions in the political process would inspire you to participate more than you do now? What one change would matter most?

8. What kind of leadership does the world need now? (Who leads now?)
What does leadership mean to you? When has a leader moved, inspired or motivated you and what did you do in response? Is there a new kind of leadership emerging in response to new challenges? What gives this new leadership the power to lead? Are there different kinds of leadership for different times?

9. How can we balance our personal needs with the most pressing needs of our community and the larger world? (Personal Balance in Demanding Times)
How are you doing this balancing act? What would help you balance better? Who do you know who seems to balance well – and what do they know? How does your life touch the life of the larger world and what would allow you to feed your soul and relationships while making a difference “out there”? How can you feel satisfied you’ve given enough – to yourself, your family and your community? If our world is really looking down the barrel of an environmental catastrophe, how do I live my life right now?

10. What can we do to reduce or eliminate violence in the world? (Ending violence everywhere)
What incites people to violence and how can those conditions change? When have you experienced a potentially violent situation transform into a more peaceful resolution and what can we learn from that? Where is violence happening in your community and what would you like to see in its stead? What will it take to not just end violence and war, but wage peace?

I especially like #4.

Running on Empty

Cars That Never Need Gas

Nothing new, just stories of people who bought electric cars and charge them with solar panels. Still, that set-up would be pretty sweet.

SuperMedia

Saving journalism so it can save the world

SuperMedia is a passionate and controversial defence of the social value of journalism. But it argues that the news media must be transformed in to 'Networked Journalism' that allows the public much more power and participation. It outlines how forces such as new technology are destroying old media forms around the world. And it gives international examples of how new media will change the way that we report on the big issues such as politics, terror, Development and climate change.

Sounds like an interesting book.

Poppa Bear droppin the f-bomb in past life

Colbert commiserates

The Neural Buddhists

By David Brooks

Obama in 30 secs

Looks like MoveOn had another ad competition. I wonder how many Bush=hitler comparisons there were in the rejected and quickly removed ads.

The winner:


Others:

Proof of a left wing media bias

Fox fires intern for admitting McCain bias

Winning in the tough districts

She's rough

McCain-Bush Challenge

Whose policy is whose?

A natural experiment

The first legalised home computers have gone on sale in Cuba, but a ban remains on internet access.

This is the latest in a series of restrictions on daily life which President Raul Castro has lifted in recent weeks.

Crowds formed at the Carlos III shopping centre in Havana, though most had come just to look.

The desktop computers cost almost $800 (£400), in a country where the average wage is under $20 (£10) a month.

But some Cubans do have access to extra income, much of it from money sent by relatives living abroad.

Since taking over the presidency in February, Raul Castro has ended a range of restrictions and allowed Cubans access to previously banned consumer goods.

In recent weeks thousands of Cubans have snapped up mobile phones and DVD players.

But only now have the first computer stocks arrived.

Internet access remains restricted to certain workplaces, schools and universities on the island.

The government says it is unable to connect to the giant undersea fibre-optic cables because of the US trade embargo. All online connections today are via satellite which has limited bandwidth and is expensive to use.

How about a nice natural experiment to see the impact of computers on peoples lives...

AI

Pursuing the Next Level of Artificial Intelligence