Van Dyke Trial: When a jury “has to” convict
It’s wrong to hope for a conviction for any reason besides guilt. But I do it anyway.
Monthly Archive: October 2018
The Many Storylines Of The Upcoming Midterms
There’s More Than Just Control Of Congress To Keep An Eye On
Linky Friday: Devil May Care
Linky Friday is Ordinary Times’ Friday tradition of bringing you various links from across the web and around the world. This week, “Devil May Care” is the theme, with music interludes and plenty to read, share, and discuss.
Social Science and Fiction Part 6: It’s Time For Some Game Theory
Something interesting happens in most high fantasy and science fiction settings. Capital-F Faith in an absentee God who may or may not exist is absent. In Dungeons and Dragons, the gods exist. If you want proof, watch a paladin lay on hands. Science fiction settings can be a little looser with divine intervention tropes, but a sufficiently advanced AI is a reasonable substitute for a supernatural entity, and for ordinary NPC plebes, even modest mutant, cybernetic, or technological abilities are sufficiently advanced to provide a reasonable stand-in.
San Francisco’s Housing Crisis, Exactly as Planned
Plenty of discussion has centered around the California housing situation, especially the prices and lack of availability in the bay area since the tech explosion brought enormous wealth to one of America’s most unique cities, San Francisco. “Demolishing the California Dream: How San Francisco Planned Its Own Housing Crisis” by Hunter Oatman-Stanford is a detailed examination of the history of that great city, and how it came to be the go-to example of the modern housing debate.
Return of the Notorious Conor McGregor
As is the case with every Conor McGregor fight, regardless of whether you love or loathe him as a fighter and character, his fight Saturday is must-watch television for anyone even casually interested in combat sports.
Remembering a SCOTUS Legend
51 years ago today, the great-grandson of a slave was sworn in as the first black justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.
One Year Later, Country Music Remembers Las Vegas Shooting
Country music is somewhat stereotyped as being heavy on the heartbreak and hard times, but a year removed from a Las Vegas concert turning into the worst mass shooting in American history, there has been plenty of both, along with much soul-searching.
Tech Tuesday- 10/2 – Nuclear Pasta, and Other Changes
Oscar Gordon’s Tech Tuesday covering Ammonia as fuel, making the Star Trek Tricoder, turning CO2 solid with a battery, Japanese innovation in space and baby elevators, cheap metal decontaminating water, simulated avalanches, and more
