Black Arts Diary

Orson Scott Card, Bigot

2008-11-12T10:30:25Z

Brilliant author and all-round douche Orson Scott Card (see previous rants here and here) has added to his store of asshattery:

Only when the marriage of heterosexuals has the support of the whole society can we have our best hope of raising each new generation to aspire to continue our civilization…

So which box do I check to opt out of his civilisation?

Yes We Can. And We Did.

2008-11-05T12:04:38Z

Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart, BBC Version

2008-10-30T08:25:24Z

A Peculiar Association: Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings

2008-10-22T07:43:44Z

“In any society that we can call sane or decent, Martin Hemings would have been Thomas Jefferson’s brother-in-law; in 18th-century Virginia, he was his property.” The New York Sun on the strange relationship between the greatest of the Founding Fathers and the slaves who became his in-laws.

To All Obama Supporters

2008-10-16T08:27:07Z

Note to all Obama supporters: can the euphoria and back-slapping. Some polls are better than others, but on average all polls are skewed. When they predict an Obama win in ten days their conclusions are no better than pure chance can predict. Obama will win. Unless the old guy wins. And that’s a fact.

Your euphoria has the negative effect of taking the edge off the importance of these elections. A sad majority of Americans already live in a “reality will be televised” bubble of happy endings and high noon shoot-outs, and we don’t want them believing the final episode of season 8 of The Adventures of Dick and Clyde has already been filmed. Scare them, let them know what the real stakes are, and get them out on voting day.

Where You Don’t Live

2008-10-09T10:04:18Z

In our minds, this is what every geek’s house looks like:

In reality, probably slightly less so. This is Jay Walker’s library, featured in Wired.

The End of the World Has Been Postponed

2008-09-08T10:01:37Z

If anything you say contains the phrase “will destroy the world”, and you’re not joking, you’re a nut. Said nuts have been sending death threats to scientists involved with the Large Hydron Collider at CERN, supposedly because the LHC will cause earthquakes, tsunamis and black holes, all of which are sure to destroy the world. In fact, earthquakes and tsunamis are not even on the menu, and the teeny tiny black holes which might appear if we’re lucky will spew forth puppies and kittens and cinnamon buns. Fear public transport and venereal disease, not science.

US Behind Georgian Military Action?

2008-08-21T08:34:57Z

What was (and is) the role of the United States in Georgia’s military campaign in South Ossetia? The military relationship between Georgia and the United States is well known, and it’s difficult to believe the relatively weak Georgians would risk a military conflict with Russia without reason to expect support from the US. On top of this, information released on Wikileaks reveals that US military personnel took part in a “training exercise” in Georgia at a time when the Georgians were clearly preparing militarily.

Soldiers and Marines from the United States, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Ukraine conduct joint training exercise “Immediate Response 2008” at Vaziani Military Base in the Republic of Georgia and the surrounding area. The state of Georgia is represented by the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry, headquartered in Winder, as well as members of the 122nd Rear Operations Center from Glenville.” This ‘training exercise’ took place at the Vaziani Military Base, and was to run for 3 weeks from July 15th, Until roughly August 8th, which is precisely when the fighting broke out.

Echoes of Cambodia and Vietnam, Uncle Sam?

Doris Lessing Takes On Zimbabwe

2008-08-13T08:37:02Z

Doris Lessing (winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2007) on the political situation in Zimbabwe:

The political degradation just goes on and on. I can’t imagine why somebody hasn’t assassinated Mugabe—such a wicked man, and he’s still alive. The trouble is, you see, he’s got a gang [of] people like himself who are just as bad as he is. When people say, “When we get rid of Mugabe…” you have to ask, “OK, what are you going to do about the cronies?” They are just as bad, and one of them will be in. It’s very easy to destroy something, but it’s not so easy to put back something.

Better the devil you know?

Lies, Damn Lies, And Politics

2008-08-06T08:49:28Z

So let’s recap the story so far:

Saddam Hussein and Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction.
MI6 knew that Saddam and Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.
MI6 told Tony Blair that Saddam Hussein and Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.
Tony Blair told the White House that Saddam Hussein and Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.
The White House responded by instructing the CIA to forge a letter from the head of Iraqi Intelligence to Saddam, demonstrating a link between the Baathist regime and al-Qaeda.

These facts were reported by Times Online, and come from the book The Way of the World by Ron Suskind.

Meanwhile, nearly 4,500 military members of the Coalition of the Easily Led have been killed in this senseless practical joke, followed by more than a million Iraqis estimated dead as a direct result of the US-led invasion.

Am I alone in thinking this calls for criminal charges and punishment?

Spyglasses, Mr Bond?

2008-07-14T11:03:42Z

Trust the Japanese, indisputable masters of the perverse and sexually downright weird, to perfect a pair of sunglasses with a reasonably well hidden 3MP digital camera. A 1GB microSD card means never having to pass up those perfect shower/bathroom stall/paddock moments again.

The spyglasses can be purchased here, for those who read Japanese, at a fairly affordable €112/$178.

Images after the fold.

Warning: these glasses will get you arrested sooner or later. Probably sooner. And they’ll make you look like a dick.

Behind The Smoke

2008-07-07T10:39:27Z

With a stroke of the pen, the British government created a sub-class of citizens and stigmatised a previously commonly accepted passtime, all based on questionable science and the demands of a vocal minority. Rob Lyons goes inside the crazy world of England’s smoking ban.

Amazon Duh

2008-07-02T13:32:09Z

If Amazon are supposedly smart enough to know what I like, why are they too stupid to figure out they don’t sell that stuff in the country I’ve been ordering from for eight years?

RIP George Carlin

2008-06-23T07:50:26Z

The great and irreplaceable George Carlin died yesterday. His comedy was smart and often cut to the bone. Like all good comedians he realised that the purpose of comedy was not to make people laugh but to make them think. Carlin was a jester, a prophet holding up the mirror and forcing us all to take a good look at ourselves.

Obligatory YouTube clips follow after the fold.

George Carlin (who grew up as a Catholic) on religion:

George Carlin on your rights:

George Carlin on the American Dream:

Green Fairy Just A Guy In Tights

2008-06-18T10:40:51Z

According to German researchers, absinthe neither is nor ever was a hallucinogen. The hallucinations experienced by bohemian hipsters in 19th-century Paris? Alcohol poisoning and probably more often than not a touch of syphillis.