31 Dec 2008
Religion may have evolved because of its ability to help people exercise self-control

I'll bet that the notion of religions "evolving" has got some folks (like, oh, say the Christian creationists) quite in an uproar. Be that as it may be, a study that shows people behaving differently and with better motivation when they believe themselves to be in accordance with the divine is hardly news: that's kind of the whole point of religion, eh?

But what really struck me about this is the headline, with it's the underlying assumption that a priori there are no gods or eternal truths, and that the fabric of religion itself evolved out of a purely human consciousness. I don't see this in the article at all, but then again, I've just read the synopsis presented here, not the entire study. I'd be surprised if it was in there, however, as it wouldn't have hurt the authors conclusions to simply ignore the "existence of god" question. Methinks the headline was added to gin up some controversy ... and the consequent media attention.

The one assumption that is glaringly obvious from the synopsis is the emphasis on monotheistic religions: "God is watching", eternal punishment and reward, etc. Those are concepts that are almost completely alien to the worlds polytheistic (and pantheistic) faiths - but then, perhaps I expect too much, imagining that a researcher in the US would account for the Hindus, Taoists and Buddhists of the world, not to mention us Heathens.

It's an interesting read, nonetheless, and not quite a Study in Stupidity - but it does come close.

A study by a University of Miami psychologist reveals that religion facilitates the exercise of self-control and attainment of long-term goals.In his study, Michael McCullough, a psychology professor at the University of Miami, finds a strong correlation between religion and self-control, or self-regulation. He explains that religious people may have at their disposal a set of unique resources that makes them better suited to adhering to long term goals.

(link) [EurekAlert!]

08:00 /Asatru | 0 comments | permanent link

The Slippery Legal Slope of Cartoon Porn

This isn't a slippery slope - it's a mountainside covered in grease.

How old was Helen of Troy when she was married? Is the depection of that by Homer now to be considered "kiddie porn"? How about Shakespeare's two most famous lovers? They were both "underage"! How about all the paintings by the masters of Cupids trying to induce mythological lovers to make the bacon? Nude children! By this court's interpretation of the law, two stick figures in a sexual pose labelled "16 years old" would be child pornography.

I'm no fan of anime, but one of my daughters has quite the collection, and a lot of it is sexually charged (to say he least) and involves what appear to be very young people (with really big eyes). Is this offensive? To some folks, you bet! Is it "obscene"? Depends on the definition. Is it "pornography"? I beleive that any reasonable person would have to say almost certainly not, irrespective of the definition. They're freaking (or freakish) cartoons!

I can't believe that this will survive it's inevitable challenge to the Supreme Court - but on the other hand, the courts do lots of things I can't believe these days. Very disturbing.

Two out of the three Virginia judges involved with Dwight Whorley's case say cartoon images depicting sex acts with children are considered child pornography in the United States. Judge Paul V. Niemeyer noted the PROTECT Act of 2003, clearly states that "it is not a required element of any offense under this section that the minor depicted actually exists."

(link) [Slashdot]

07:31 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

30 Dec 2008
Virginity pledges don't mean much, study says

I can't say I'm surprised by this, but one little bit of the study did surprise me:

Five years after the initial survey the study subjects were aged 20 to 23. Eighty-two percent of pledge takers denied (or forgot) they had ever taken such a vow.

Heathenry holds oaths in the highest regard: if you make a vow, you're supposed to do your utmost to keep it, and if you fail, you can bet there'll be Hel to pay. Getting released from an oath is certainly possible, but only after satisfaction is offered to the oath holder. In the case of one of these silly "virginity pledges", that would be the pledge taker. What kind of satisfaction can you offer yourself? Another vow?

The net result of such things is to devalue the entire notion of an oath or a pledge: and that doesn't bode well for any society, Heathen, Christian or otherwise.

As many as one in eight teens in the United States may take a virginity pledge at some point, vowing to wait until they're married before having sex. But do such pledges work? Are pledge takers more likely than other teens to delay sexual activity?

(link) [CNN.com]

19:27 /Asatru | 2 comments | permanent link

Roundabouts: Efficient or Annoying?

Annoying. Carmel, Indiana is replacing nearly all stop signs and flashers with roundabouts, and since they've started my commute time has grown noticeably - intersections that used to proceed in an orderly fashion now jam up on the least traveled segments. Add this tendency to most peoples understanding of a "Yield" sign to mean "You yield to me, asshole!" and you have a recipe for even more congestion and frustration.

States are rushing to build roundabouts on the grounds that they ease congestion, save energy and are comparatively cheap.

(link) [New York Times]

19:21 /Politics | 2 comments | permanent link

Chilean anti-piracy law drafted on pirated software

ROTFLMAO!

Chilean lawyer Guillermo Frêne is having a bit of a bad hair day after it was revealed that draft legislation aimed at cutting the internet connections of illegal downloading ne'er-do-wells was presented in .doc format written on pirated software.

(link) [The Register]

19:17 /Copywrongs | 0 comments | permanent link

29 Dec 2008
Where I've Been Recently ...
Unix Pit

22:55 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

We're Baaaack!

as promised, with a new look entirely. The email's still kinda choking, but that should be corrected soon. The site is now much more "CSSy" no devilish frames or nested tables. There's a couple of minor tweaks I'll be making, but it seems pretty stable!

Oops - the wife just pointed out a "double post" look - I'll have to check that out. Gonna be a busy day, especially since I'm back at work!

07:44 /Home | 1 comment | permanent link

27 Dec 2008
Change is on the way

Things are going to be in transition here for the next few days - I'm moving my server to a new home (Dreamhost) and giving up my FreeBSD VPS. It's going to be a change for me, for sure, not having root access, but at 1/12th the cost, it's pretty much required.

I'm planning on changing the look and feel of the weblog as well as the home page, and there's an even bigger change afoot. We've renamed the farm, and will be transitioning to a new farm site. Hammer the horse is no longer here, having been traded this summer for a miniature stallion we named Neo. He's a jet black little guy who's convinced he's the farms "stud muffin" - he's the only intact male on the place, and as such thinks he rules the roost. Unfortunately for him, the goats are bigger than he is, and so are some of the older sheep! I think the rest of the flock lets him indulge his little fantasy, though, and they give him a pass when he prances about like the new owner of the place.

So Hammerstead, Hammer's Home, doesn't make much sense as a farm name anymore, although it would be a fine name for a Heathen organization of some sort or another. I'll hold onto the name and the domain.

Lorraine has really gotten into spinning in a big way, and our cross breeding experiments of the last couple of years are paying off. It seems as though using Scottish Blackface rams as terminal sires against Horned Dorset ewes produces a fleece with the softness and crimp of the Dorsets, and the staple length and strength of the Blackies. Lorraine loves the stuff - she's just finished washing Brittany's fleece (Little Mac's biological mom) and it's gorgeous! I've been promised a new pair of woolen socks from it - which will be desperately appreciated!

We're down to two head of cattle - Mad cow and her calf - and they're sold, just waiting for delivery. So we'll be officially out of the cattle biz by the end of the year.

We didn't breed this year, but we're still up to a flock of 15 - it looks like we'll be a real fiber farm henceforward, with a side business of eggs and a petting zoo. So new name, new website, new logos. Lorraine will have her own spinning/fiber arts blog on the new server as well. Watch this space for the formal announcement when the new site goes live in a couple of weeks. And in the meantime, bear with me - my setup, especially for blogging, is kinda complex, and there may be some interruptions of feeds, etc., during the transition.

11:55 /Home | 1 comment | permanent link

Insane Weather

Last weekend the temperature was in the single digits, and the wind chill was seriously negative. Today it's 61°F and they're predicting thunderstorms.

The forecast calls for falling temps the rest of this coming week - to below freezing again by the Yule. This roller coaster is tough on animals, tough on the pasture and tough on humans. It's a minor miracle we're not all down with some hideous snot drenched cold of some sort or another.

Winter has always been my favorite time of year, but not this year. This is insane!

09:53 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

Google, Apple, Microsoft Sued Over File Preview

You can't see what's in your files - we have a patent on that!

Ridiculous.

A small Indiana company has sued tech heavyweights Microsoft, Apple, and Google, claiming that it holds the patent on a common file preview feature used by browsers and operating systems to show users small snapshots of the files before they are opened. ... Cygnus's owner and president Gregory Swartz developed the technology laid out in the patent while working on IT consulting projects, McAndrews said. The company is looking for 'a reasonable royalty' as well as a court injunction preventing further infringement, he said. ... Cygnus applied for its patent (# 7346850) in 2001. It covers a 'System and method for iconic software environment management' and was granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office in March of this year.

(link) [Slashdot]

09:45 /Copywrongs | 0 comments | permanent link

26 Dec 2008
RIM Accuses Motorola of Blocking Job Offers

Hubris? Chutzpah? "Robber barons" riding again? If anyone wonders about the rationale for unions, here you have it, plain and simple, and in the first decade of the 21st Century, not the last decade of the 19th...

Taking a page from the insanely-jealous-husband-playbook, Motorola management has adopted an if-I-can't-have-you-nobody-can stance on its fired employees, reportedly blocking RIM from offering jobs to laid-off workers. In a complaint filed in state court, Motorola is charged with improperly trying to expand a previous agreement 'to prevent the RIM entities from hiring any Motorola employees, including the thousands of employees Motorola has already fired or will fire.' Through its Compete America membership, Motorola has repeatedly warned Congress that failing to accommodate the lobbying group members' 'principled' demand for timely access to talent would not be in the United States' economic interest and would make the U.S. second-rate in education and basic research.

(link) [Slashdot]

19:53 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

'Magic Negro' song defended as satire

I suppose that it's the season for an outbreak of tin ears, but isn't it curious that it sems to effect mostly the well to do and Republican?

A candidate for the Republican National Committee chairmanship said Friday the CD he sent committee members for Christmas -- which included a song titled "Barack the Magic Negro" -- was clearly intended as a joke.

(link) [CNN.com]

19:45 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

25 Dec 2008
Amateurs are trying genetic engineering at home

This is nothing if not horrifying - but, as with nukes, there's really no way top put this genie back in the bottle. As one of the DIY hackers notes, a terrorist need go through none of this, he could just enroll in some biology classes at the local community college.

It fills me with foreboding - if a computer hacker screws up we might get a Morris worm, but one fuck up on the part of these biohackers and humanity itself may well end up dead.

Merry Christmas.

AP - The Apple computer was invented in a garage. Same with the Google search engine. Now, tinkerers are working at home with the basic building blocks of life itself.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

13:31 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link

Religious Shelters Feel Squeezed by Rules

We're from the government, and we're here to help...

Requiring homeless shelters to provide hot dinners and transportation may force some of them to shut.

(link) [New York Times]

12:55 /Politics | 1 comment | permanent link

24 Dec 2008
Ho, ho, no: Toymakers say lead law harms workshops

Here's an instructive tale of how government regulation really works...

AP - Worries over lead paint in mass-market toys made the holidays a little brighter for handcrafted toy makers last year, but now the federal government's response to the scare has some workshops fearful that this Christmas might be their last.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

08:41 /Politics | 1 comment | permanent link