So … I’ve written a novel.
Here’s the too-long-didn’t read version of the post: You can check out an excerpt here. You can buy the book here. I’ve published it with Kindle Direct Publishing, the world’s easiest vanity press. This means it can be read on any platform — Kindle, iOS, Android, Mac or PC. And at the time I post this, the book will be on sale for the next four days for the low low price of … absolutely free.
I think it’s good. And I hope you will too. If you like it, please tell everyone!
Now for the long version:
Continue reading The Water Lily Pond →
Linkoramas are getting rarer these days mostly because I tweet most articles. But I will still be occasionally posting something more long-form.
To wit:
A fascinating article about how Vermeer used a camera obscura to enable his paintings. Yet another example about how people were pretty damn clever in the supposedly unenlightened past.
This is a couple of months late, but someone posted up Truman Capote’s christmas story. The recent death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman reminded me of this little gem.
This is the second and by far the largest study yet to show that routine mammography is basically a gigantic waste of money, being just as likely to precipitate unnecessary treatment as to discover a tumor that a breast exam wouldn’t. Do you think our “evidence-based” government will embrace this? No way. They already mandated mammogram coverage when the first study showed it to be a waste.
I don’t know even know if this counts as mathematical malpractice. There’s no math at all. It’s just “Marijuana! RUN!”. Simply appalling reporting by the MSM.
This on the other hand, does count as mathematical malpractice. The gun control advocates are hyping a Missouri study that shows a rise in murder rate after a change in the gun control laws. However, in doing so they are ignoring data from 17 other states, data on all other forms of violent crime and data from Missouri that showed a steep rise in the murder rate before the laws were changed. They are picking a tiny slice of data to make a huge claim. Disgraceful. And completely expected from the gun-grabbers.
I love color photos from history. Just love them.
This is old but worth reposting: one of the biggest feminists texts out there is loaded with garbage data, easily checked facts that are completely wrong. This was a big reason I distanced myself from third-wave feminism in college: it had been taken over by crackpots who would believe any statistic as long as it was bad. In college, we were told that one in three women are raped (they aren’t) that abuse is the leading cause of admission to ER’s (it isn’t), that violence erupts very Superbowl (it doesn’t). I even had one radical tell me — with no apparent self-awareness, that murder was the second leading cause of death among women (it’s not even close). As I seem to say about everything: reality is bad enough; we don’t need to invent stuff.
Distracted parenting is a problem, obviously. But, despite the horrible tragedies described, it’s not clear how big a problem it is. Mobile devices free parents up to do more things with kids and to supervise them more. I will let on, however, that they can occupy your attention. I was at a park when a kid broke his arm and didn’t notice immediately because of my phone. Don’t know if it would have been different with my kid.
I’m really looking forward to reading Nate Silver’s book.
Statues at the bottom of the sea. Amazing. And heart-breaking, when you think of what they represent.
I think this author has a good point that the Star Wars universe is likely illiterate. However, I think it’s less a conscious “where is modernism driving us” thing than a reflection of Star Wars being built on medieval narratives and cliches.
An interesting take on one of the more panned documentaries of the year. It does seem that people have a problem accepting that being anti-Big Education is not the same as being anti-education. Or even anti-teacher.
This story made my day. This is religion at its finest.
Whatever the political fallout of Benghazi, the story of the attack is an amazing one.
This is NOT the way to fight global warming. And they say all the greed and abuse is on the skeptic side.
Charles Krauthammer has an unusually thoughtful and interesting article about extrasolar planets.
Mathematical Malpractice watch: the entertainment industry.
This is an incredibly sad story.
One cool art project.
Two cool art projects. Abby would love this one.
Utterly compelling pictures of Japan’s tsunami damage.
A fascinating art project with drowned statues.
Fascinating pictures of the Battle of the Bulge.
Hayek and Orwell: one of my favorite writers discussed another of my favorites.
Can men and women be friends? Yes, but. I do remember, when I was college age, how much women liked being friends with men who wanted them.
Astronomy, Sports, Mathematical Malpractice, Whatever Else Pops Into My Head