I’m at my computer and debating whether to move away from my windows. Sirens were going off a little while ago and the skies were looking a little queasy. I think the immediate danger has passed, but summer has apparently arrived in Minnesota. Last summer was notable for the frequency of violent weather around these parts and we seem to be wasting no time in following the same pattern this year.
Stephan Hawking gives a rare interview in today’s Times. He makes no mention of our long-standing feud or our on-again, off-again deathmatch in space, but I’m chalking that up to shoddy research on the reporter’s part. No matter, I’ll have ample opportunity to discuss our rivalry when the Times sends someone to interview me. Admittedly, I haven’t written any bestselling books or appeared on any Discovery Channel specials, but I’m interesting enough. I mean, I have my very own blog, don’t I? Surely that has to count for something.
The interview itself is actually quite revealing. Hawking seems to have a rather pragmatic view of his disability; he doesn’t gloss over its challenges but he also makes it clear that it doesn’t keep him from going to the office every day. He also rightly points out that people with severe disabilities can live comfortable, meaningful lives when provided the proper level of care. He even delivers a subtle dig to conservatives who mock socialized health care.
I’m almost reluctant to fight this guy. Almost.
Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature seem distracted as of late. They should be finalizing budget bills and opening negotiations with the governor. Instead, they’ve allowed themselves to be distracted with efforts to ban gay marriage, impose voter identification requirements, and getting into disputes with local authors. Republican legislator Matt Dean recently singled out novelist Neil Gaiman for accepting a $45,000 speaking fee from a local library that was paid out the state’s conservation and arts legacy fund. Dean put it more succinctly when he said that Gaiman is a “pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the state.”
Gaiman responded to the charges on his blog, pointing out that he charged his customary speaking fee and donated all of the money to charity. I’m a big fan of Gaiman’s writing and I’ll admit that he comes across quite better in the blog post than the Strib article in which he sounds just a tad pompous. That may just be selective editing, though. The library might have exercised a little more thoughtfulness about the politics of paying a substantial speaking fee with public dollars, but it’s hardly an offense that should provoke name-calling. Even though our citizen legislators work on a part-time basis, a modicum of decorum that exceeds schoolyard standards should be expected.
Congressional Republicans appear to be backing off their proposal to abolish Medicare, but as Ezra Klein points out, Medicaid is still a ripe target for cuts. Senior citizens are reliable voters and noisy constituents, but the same can’t be said for low-income kids, adults, and people with disabilities. Medicaid beneficiaries are woefully lacking in political influence and their advocates will likely have to make appeals to lawmakers’ sense of compassion and, yes, even pity to have any hope of avoiding the most draconian cuts. That’s not a great position from which to be bargaining.
Of course, this assumes that Medicaid beneficiaries even have advocates. If they are making any noise at the federal level, the mainstream media can’t be bothered to cover the story (which is another problem entirely). And while advocates are busy crafting their message, Republicans and some Democrats are already crafting legislation that, while not completely gutting Medicaid, would give states much more power to trim their Medicaid rolls.
I don’t suppose any K Street lobbyists have a little time to do some pro bono work for us little guys? Anyone?
Didn’t think so.
Duncan Jones wrote and directed a smart indie science fiction movie titled Moon that attracted some critical praise a couple years ago. Source Code is Jones’ big-budget debut and it’s notable for how skillfully it melds action-movie brawn with the brains and heart of geekier fare. The movie begins Army captain Colter Stevens waking up on a commuter train and sitting across from a young woman he doesn’t recognize, but who seems to know him. He has no memory of how he got there and he soon discovers that he’s occupying a stranger’s body. Before he can figure out what’s going on, the train ride comes to an abrupt and grim end.
Colter wakes again to find himself in something resembling a space capsule and speaking to another military officer via a video screen. She informs him that he is part of a military project whose urgent mission is to identify the individual who bombed that same train earlier in the day. The man whose body he inhabits in the simulation died in the bombing and Colter is interfacing with that man’s recovered memories to recreate those last few minutes on the train. The movie is essentially a locked-room puzzle and Jones gives the viewer several false clues before revealing both the identity of the bomber and the true scope of Colter’s predicament.
It’s a clever story, but the characters are what gives the movie its weight. Gyllenhaal is certainly a dashing presence and he has the acting chops to convey the fear and confusion he feels throughout his mission. Jones also wraps up the story with a resolution that any science fiction afficionado will see coming long before most of the audience, but it’s still effective and even a little moving.
Here’s video of a guy playing Angry Birds with only his mind. He’s not playing particularly well, but that’s beside the point. Once people recognize the potential of this technology (specifically, being able to play iPad games without having to put down that breakfast burrito), it will become as ubiquitous as keyboards and mice. And then I can finally give up this policy gig and join the professional gaming circuit. I’d better start thinking up some cool professional monikers like “MindFr4kker” or “NeuroFreak”. Only the guys with the cool names get the endorsement deals.
Like most Americans, I shed no tears over bin Laden’s death. I’m not going to start waving a giant flag while chanting “U.S.A!”, but I’m glad he’s not sharing the planet with me any longer. The world is still full of dangers and, a year from now, most people will be hard-pressed to name the date of his assassination. But at least we have Twitter to record events in their posterity.
I’ll probably spend part of the weekend perusing the content on Dark Horse’s new digital comics store. I’ve been meaning to check out the Hellboy universe for a while and the Dark Horse store is only too happy to get me started. The Umbrella Academy looks interesting as well. I still wish I could get all my comics from one site instead of having to visit different sites for different titles, but the Internet gods haven’t see fit to grant my request yet. Ah well, the big red guy is waiting for me.
A local TV station in Tuscaloosa captured some terrifying footage of the huge tornado that struck that city yesterday. I can’t even imagine the fear that residents must have felt when they saw this thing tearing a path towards their homes.
The SETI Institute is shutting down a radio telescope array designed to search for extraterrestrial signals because of a budget shortfall. My Altairian overlords are actually quite relieved. They were were worried that humans might start receiving messages from the Stellar Alliance warning us of the Altairians’ invasion plans. Of course, those warnings were sent a thousand years ago and the Altairians have since, er, assimilated the Alliance. Still, those messages might have set off a panic. My masters can certainly deal with a planetary freak-out, but their methods can be messy. Now that humanity has gone off-line, we can enjoy a few more years of blissful ignorance before you all get hauled off to the asteroid mines and I get my genetically engineered harem.