Port 80

I just got done reading an editorial entitled “We went to war just to boost the whitemale ego.” The Onion? No. The Borowitz Report? No. The Lemon? No.

The Times Online? Oh, yes.

(more…)

This post was slightly delayed due to work on the new site layout and other ongoing projects. The events mentioned in this post took place on April 18. - ZH

Burt Rutan has just moved up several notches in my book - which is saying a lot, considering his prior status. Apparently he got bored with building airplanes that travel around the world without refueling, and wanted something a little more interesti ng. That’s why this past Friday, he unveiled his newest engineering project.

A spaceship.

Yes, you read that correctly. Burt Rutan has gotten into the race for the X-Prize. And he did it in style - he rolled out operating hardware. The project, SpaceShipOne, has two components - an aircraft (the White Knight) designed to carry the space capsule (SpaceShipOne) to a high altitude for launch, and SpaceShipOne itself. In true Rutan fashion, neither one looks like anything you have seen before. SpaceShipOne is straight out of Amazing Stories, and the White Knight looks like a hybrid of a P-38, a Learjet, and a sailplane. Also, in true Rutan fashion, the system is stunningly elegant. The White Knight, which has been operating since August of 2002, has all of the same avionics and the same cockpit design as SpaceShipOne. In fact, it even has the same landing profile. Rutan wasn’t just content with building a carrier aircraft, he built a flying simulator of a spaceship at the same time.

As icing on the cake, Rutan provided some Rumsfeldian quotes about the entire project. (Editor’s note: If no one has coined “Rumsfeldian” yet, I’m taking it. Definition: A statement that is direct to the point of being tactless, but also right on the money.) He has said that he is “tired” of waiting for others to provide affordable human space access. As if that wasn’t enough for NASA, he also provided this lovely gem: “We seem to be making acronyms for engineer welfare instead of having the courage to fly something.” Ouch. Now let’s see if Rutan has the techno logy to back that up. Rutan has done some impressive work before, but this will mark a new feat if he pulls it off.

I would like to do a manned spaceflight before the Wright Brother’s anniversary. – Burt Rutan in

Following a link from the Creative Commons website (I’m considering putting this entire site under their license), I discovered this little gem. It’s a collection of MP3s put out by the “Evolution Control Committee”, which feature “American newsreader Dan Rather rapping violent rhetoric over a plodding beat of collaged AC/DC riffs.” It’s quite possibly the oddest song I’ve listened to in a while, and it’s completely free for your enjoyment.

On a side note, the quote from the song that I’m closing this entry with should make me show up in some really odd places in Google.

Wild and woolly semi-automatic truck bomb. Emergency anti-fatal-shooting rampage. Notorious negative police brutality. Fear of the hidden Nazis next door. - Dan Rather, “Rocked by Rape”

Kids: Don’t try this at home.

The above sequence of JPEGs show what happens when the boom of a Link Belt crane accidentally comes too close to a 46 kV power feeder. – Bert Hickman, “High Voltage Sparks and Arcs”

Infiltration’s website is so interesting that I have to write about it. (Other entries here are in the works, but I’m working on a layout change before I post anything else. Visit CSS/Edge for a clue of what the new layout will involve.)

Infiltration is the electronic edition of a magazine dedicated to the art of “Urban Exploration” – the hobby of going places that aren’t intended for public use. This is only appealing if you have worked in a place that is “off limits” to most - for many of my readers, the wings of a stage. These “off limits” areas are often home to the most interesting nooks and crannies - the holes in the walls, the archived pieces of equipment from a decade ago, the “guts” of a facility that most people never see.

Perhaps my greatest fascination with “off limits” spaces came during my time volunteering at the Boonshoft Museum’s Astronomy Department. It is only after working in a museum that one can understand how much is not open to the public. In the Boonshoft Museum, a small locked door in the astronomy department conceals offices, workshops covered with star charts and littered with slides for planetarium shows, heavily air-conditioned and blacked-out computer rooms, and access to countless stor age areas. Few visitors know or realize that the planetarium dome they see is actually a secondary dome, dotted with pinholes for airflow, resting several feet inside the external dome visible from outside. In between those two lie all manner of treasur es “not for public consumption” - old exhibits, stacks of decades-old magazines, archaic equipment, racks of slides and slide projectors, and access to the planetarium control booth. For the adventurous, a ladder leads up to the top of the planetarium dome, where you can look down through the pinholes in the dome to the floor stories below.

Unfortunately, most visitors only see the sanitized side of the planetarium, not aware that two feet behind their seat rests a pile of discarded computer monitors, or that the cheerful staffer running the planetarium booth and pointing out constellations is sitting beside a“Billy the Big-Mouthed Bass” plaque. The visitors almost certainly don’t know that the staffers use the planetarium speakers to blast out gangster rap in the well-soundproofed dome as they change slides between shows. Infiltration is dedicated to those who can appreciate the curious beauty of these quirks of life, and who will go to lengths to find them.

(Hat Tip: “…she’s a flight risk.”)

We don’t seek to smash the state, just to ignore its advice on a subject it doesn’t really know much about. When we see a sign that says “Danger: Do Not Enter,” we understand that this is simply a shorthand way of saying “ Leaving Protected Zone: Demonstrate Personal Accountability Beyond This Point.” - “Ninjalicious”, “No Disclaimer” at Infiltration.org

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that Iraqi citizens are mounting a defense against those trying to loot a local community center. Specifically, a Jewish community center. Yes, you read that correctly. The Muslims are defending their Jewish neighbors - a fact which these Jews are no doubt going to remember. Forget Camp David and Oslo - if the Israel/Palestine problem is going to be solved, the solution may start in downtown Baghdad. These Iraqis are viewing the Jews as members of their community — people that they live with, work with, and, if needed, fight with. That sentiment is vanishingly rare in the Arab world, and its presence in Iraq is a hear tening sign about the chances for a post-war peace in Iraq.

Between this and the news that Iraqi policemen are going back to work in Baghdad, things are finally starting to look up for Iraq. It’s not over yet, but it’s getting a lot better.

(Hat tip on community center: The Command Post)

At 3am, I saw two men, one with a beard, on the roof of the Jewish community house and I cried out to my friend, “Hossam, bring the Kalashnikovs!” - Hassam Kassam, (unarmed) guard of the community center

Previously, I commented on the controversial speech given by Columbia professor Nicholas DeGenova. Now, the Chronicle of Higher Education is running an interview with the professor. (Hat tip: InstaPundit) This interview has resolved much of the uncertainty surrounding his previous speech: Not only does Mr. DeGenova hold political views that are so far left that they are not on the recognized political spectrum, he also appears to have lost touch with reality. Consider this segment:

Q. Your comment about wishing for “a million Mogadishus” has attracted the most attention. I read your letter in the “Columbia Daily Spectator,” which gave some more context, but I have to confess I don’t see how the context changes the meaning of that statement.

A. I was referring to what Mogadishu symbolizes politically. The U.S. invasion of Somalia was humiliated in an excruciating way by the Somali people. And Mogadishu was the premier symbol of that. What I was really emphasizing in the larger context of my comments was the question of Vietnam and that historical lesson. … What I was intent to emphasize was that the importance of Vietnam is that it was a defeat for the U.S. war machine and a victory for the cause of human self-determination.

Mr. DeGenova has an interesting definition of “a defeat for the U.S.” Yes, America lost 18 soldiers in Mogadishu. However, during the course of that battle, the Americans managed to inflict upwards of 500 casualties on the Somalis. Mr. DeGenova’s definition of an American defeat appears to be a battle in which the United States inflicts massively disproportionate casualties, decides that it’s had enough of this humanitarian-nation-building business, and eventually goes home. The end result of all of this, of course, is that Somalia is still ruled by local warlords and few Americans are chomping at the bit to change that. If that’s a victory against the United States, I would hate to see a defeat.

(Likewise, Mr. DeGenova’s example of Vietnam. Certainly, it was a defeat for the United States. However, I am interested to know how this was a victory for “human self-determination,” especially if the humans in question are the South Vietnamese.)

The other interesting point raised by this interview is the fact that Mr. DeGenova does not have tenure. Given that Columbia hasn’t dismissed this man outright, this does raise the question: What do we need tenure for anymore? It doesn’t appear to be required for the protection of academic freedom, as even untenured professors can voice views that are not only politically controversial but woefully out of touch with reality with relative impunity. If Mr. DeGenova keeps his job after this, I’d be interested to see what a tenured professor could get away with.

Had I known that there was a devious yellow journalist from a tabloid newspaper among the audience, I certainly would have selected my words somewhat more carefully. - Nicholas DeGenova

I strongly suspect that the Center for Social Concern has underestimated what they have walked into with the “Week of Student Action Against the War.” The College Republicans held a “Support the Troops” rally on campus today from 3 to 5. Additionally, some individual members of that organization, as well as other individuals on campus are planning on making a show of support for Coalition troops at the “Rally for Peace” on Friday, which is stated to be “open to students of all political opinions.” I may also be stopping by the protest that some faculty and students are planning for this upcoming Monday. Frankly, I would like to know exactly what major some of these individuals have - maintaining sleep and my GPA and attending all of these protests is a fairly difficult task to pull off. (Of course, that’s when I remember that the sponsor of these protests, the CSC, has staff paid
with my tuition .)

In a related development not directly tied to protests, a number of individuals on campus are forming a group with no political affiliation named Students Supporting America. My personal view is that this is almost an anti-CSC: An at least nominally nonpartisan group supporting military action in Iraq. For those who are interested, the first meeting is on April 8th at 8:00 pm in Kennedy Union room 311. Stop by and check it out.

In yet another related development, I ran into the lead singer of the band Breakaway, Gabe Moorman, at the “Support the Troops” rally today. You may recall that Breakaway was scheduled to play at the “Play for Peace” event on Thursday night. However, the band has made the decision to drop the gig (and I am replacing my earlier plans of a boycott of the band with plans to see their next show). As the posters that the band has been distributing across campus put it:

Breakaway is no longer playing for the “Play for Peace” concert.

They were falsely informed about the event.

They support our troops in Iraq.

Whoops. The CSC should probably make sure to clear the purpose of a concert with the bands that are going to be playing at the concert. I hope that “The Melting Room” enjoys their new solo appearance at the KU Pub on Thursday night. (I am still planning on boycotting the concert and the sole remaining band.)

I don’t know if this is simply a local swing of opinion on the UD campus or a national trend, but the Center for Social Concern appears to have swung at the bee’s nest one too many times. Preaching about unjust working conditions is one thing, using student tuition to support protests on a hotly contested moral issue is another, and putting those protests on-campus and right in the faces of those who disagree is another still. The CSC may be realizing exactly how much they’ve riled up the beehive. If so, they’re only about half a week of protests too late to stop what’s coming.

My dissatisfaction with the “Week of Student Action Against the War” continues. I just sent off an e-mail to Paula Smith informing her of exactly why I won’t be eating at Kennedy Union on Thursday during the “Play for Peace” concert. I’ve also created a poster, suitable for hanging on most college dorm doors, outlining my position if you want to join in the boycott. I may back this up on my door with some help from the signs over at ProtestWarrior. I’ll say it once again: I am fed up with having my tuition support positions I vehemently disagree with. I am not going to stand by while my money pays for protests aimed at stopping Operation Iraqi Freedom, which appears to be the only way to free thousands of Iraqis from brutal oppression.

Am I carrying this too far? Maybe. But then I remember that the lives of people like Salam Pax are on the line, a fellow who will almost certainly die if any of Saddam’s supporters find out who he is. This isn’t about the military-industrial complex, this isn’t about oil, this is about saving the lives of Iraqi civilians and making the world a safer place. Pure and simple. I will not stand by while my tuition is used to buy a temporary measure of “peace” with Salam Pax’s blood.

UPDATE: Upon reflection, I am dropping the idea of using ProtestWarrior posters. They are a little too glib for my tastes, and seem to be an unnecessary escalation of the debate on campus. I might use them if the debate goes sharply south, but I’m not going to be the one to take it there.