John Scalzi writes that, after seeing the latest Star Trek movie, there are a few techie things he never wants to see in his lifetime.

I concur.

Oh, not about the stuff he decries, or not all of it -- I think flying cars are going to be cool, not to mention Transporter Beams'll completely revolutionize the package/food/fuel delivery industry. But I never want to be "plugged in" 24/7 so I can see ads developed just for me, just out of the corner of my eye 'cause of face recog software and my very own personal cookies and purchasing choices.

I'm also not interested in an implanted jack which make cell calls go directly into my ear drum; I don't even have a regular cell phone -- if I'm not home, folks can leave me voice mail, or send me email, which I'm more likely to answer. Oh, and two techs that won't mix: phones like that and flying cars.

I agree with Scalzi about phasers set to disintegrate. That kind of tech would make it too easy for the disreputable to dispose of disruptions to their dishonesty. Too, I have no interest in Minority Report-style pre-crime incarceration, or the technology of far-seeing that can lead us in that direction. (Oh, wait, we already do that.)

Using robots to teach is icky, imo, and puts us that much closer to robot armageddon. Without developing time travel (and the help of John Connor) we'll be sunk.

Speaking of which, while I think time travel might be a bit of a hoot . . . briefly, I'd rather not open that huge can of paradox, thank you very much.

Anything you'd rather not see on our horizon?

Nailed it:

I find it very curious that almost all of the reviewers on Fandango who cheered this inane movie about the evils of Darwinism, by Bushie Ben Stein, joined Fandango today. Amazingly, for each of these "fans," this is the only movie they have ever reviewed, and they all insist that You Must Go!

On the other hand, those who (quite rightly) panned the movie as merely another piece of right wing propaganda crap have been members for months or years, and have written reviews for many other films.

Fascinating. . . . and not at all suspicious.

H/T to Gavin for the following news bulletin:

President Bush to Sign $50B Bill to Fight War on Zombies. See news clip here.

The first zombie to get the axe? Carl Rove.

No Zombie is safe! Run for your lives!

Please consider giving a donation of some kind to John Scalzi, even if he's already reached the amount needed to send him to, in his words, the "travesty of science" that is the Creation Museum. All donations will go to a good cause: Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

So, a charity gets money, Scalzi gets to flex his snark muscles, and we all get a good laugh on the backs of insane people.

Win, win.

. . . Of the everyday happenings of regular people in Iraq, and what their lives are like now, more than 4 years after the "mission accomplished" debacle can be found with reports here and interviews here, now with 26 episodes.

Worth every moment spent reading, watching, grieving, hoping . . .

And I'm not ashamed to say it.

Here, he apologizes for making his own controversial racially charged remarks.


"Mitten-handed Magyar guitar playing" indeed.

From Good News Blog comes the story of a revolutionary new fabric that hardens on impact, and then, when the "impact" is over, becomes soft and pliable again. They're talking good stuff for motorcyclists, skateboarders and extreme sports. I'm thinking the New Kevlar, and bullet stoppage, though there isn't any mention in the article about whether this fabric can deal with such high impact, low surface area incidents.

But if it can, maybe our soldiers could wear it, and get some freaking protection!

Though you'd think disappearing climate zones would be a bit of a wake up call. Of course, the people who are decrying the whole buisiness of us causing global warming are the same ones who are hoping for the End Times so they can kick back in the Arms of Jayzus and poke fun of those Left Behind.

Me, I think we're in for a world of hurt, climate-wise, 'less our government pulls its collective head out of its collective ass, and we all start taking responsibility for our deeds. But then, I think taking responsibility is generally considered anathema in D.C. these days.

While the Veep flees to Dubai, the Prezznit beefs up security at the White House.*


*Note: only one of these stories is fiction . . .