Pop Science, Left Politics and Reports on the Creeping Weirdness

I tried to find a really great Spiderman pic but it just wasn't there. So I went with an old comics Heavy Metal standard: Moebius. I really enjoyed the Spiderman movie. It was emotionally powerful in an odd kind of way. I thought the best scene was at the end when Kirsten Dunst tells him to chase after the sirens and she looks sad and solemn. Of course, the idea that an intelligent woman would leave a publisher's son and space hero and future villain seems a bit unrealistic. Sure, I can buy the fusion suns and the Octupus arms, but that's where the story left me with a fairy tale feel....

Meanwhile, in the cybercity, I've always been puzzled by Stephen Den Beste's hostility to alt fuels and I mentioned as much over at Future Pundit (Randall Parker) in the most sarcastic way possible:

Yeah, that whole slew of stories and startups was excellent. By the way, congrats for taking Den Beste on in terms of his completely anti-american view on alt energy. He has a can't do attitude. Is he French? What's his problem? Why oh why does he hate American innovation? And why isn't willing to spend at least 100 billion, or what we've spent on our splendid little war in Iraq, on research so that we can wean ourselves away from our oil fix...

What's also mentioned in those articles is the viewpoint of Smalley, who, unlike Frenchified Hate American innovation firsters like Steven Den Beste, thinks the United States should invest in alt energy. You can find his full take over there at Small Times...

I'm sure Den Beste has gone on record against 100 gig hard drives, private space flights and peer to peer networks as well because, you know, they just can't happen. It's a good debate over there as well. I thought about defending Randall, but he's really doing a great job all by himself...

Week of June 30

This is from Tom Moody's waycool site. He's been doing a lot of animated gifs lately. Can you tell? He also has an excellent review of Mike Moore's new movie. I saw it myself as an official member of the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy (hmmm, good name for a website) and it was emotionally compelling. And of course, it did something that all successful propaganda has to accomplish: It's a great piece of art.

July 4th

Here's an update on the corporate flag. Where's Halliburton?

My new column is also up at Better Humans. Here's an excerpt of my breathless prose:

"Today, I'm back at it in Pittsburgh, knocking on doors and asking people if they're registered to vote. You might ask yourself what this has to do with the transhumanist dream, where we live out our lives in fusion-driven Betterhumans space habitats, whiling away our several century lifespan seeking to understand every allusion and reference in the works of Joyce or Alan Moore, or actively partaking in the terraforming of Venus or Titan, or even studying up on that hot new personal genomic cosmetic item, the black rhino horn, grown wherever you like, with accessories.

The answer is that unless transhumanists think seriously about politics and self-promotion, this vision will always remain an interesting dream and not a reality. In fact, not only will you have to work for such a future�a future with real self-determination, no wage slavery and more than a vote every two or four years when all the real issues have already been settled�you will have to fight for it. And most likely, your opposition will be violently stupid people who refuse to give up what Carl Sagan described as the "demon-haunted world" and the obligatory yet soothing bliss stations�an eternity with Jesus and departed loved ones or Allah's 40 virgins�that go along with it."

Week of June 23rd

I'm totally psyched about this. Doesn't it look totally science-fictional? In a related note, Better Humans, the premier (and I think only) left pro science publication out there, has this pro-space exploration column here. I'm kind of proud that I was the first columnist there to publicly come out in favor of space exploration. More of this, please. And when there is more of this...what's that great line from Kung Fu? "Time for you to go."

By the way, there's been a wealth of interesting work at Better Humans, and I'm not saying that just because I'm an associate editor and columnist there, but James Hughes wrote a great blueprint for what transhumanism should be. One of his diabolical plans involves putting out the Better Humans position in the media, as a counter to the Kass and McKibben pro-death memes out there. And sure enough, there's this Christian Science Monitor article where James is quoted. There are also excellent pieces by George Dvorsky and Russell Blackford and Simon Smith, my boss, who always writes excellent columns, especially when I miss a deadline...

Jack Ryan, the Republican nominee for the Illinois Senate and apparently not the Tom Clancy movie character, is clearly insane. It would seem this woman wasn't enough for him:

Or as one commentator phrased it over at Calpundit:

Any heterosexual man who needs a major kink to properly get off having sex with JERI RYAN is beyond perverted.

Posted by: frankly0 on June 22, 2004 at 2:34 PM | PERMALINK

And gooooooooo Obama!

I'm adding Doug Rushkoff and Fight Aging to the permalinks.

Here's something that I need to read and study: Thirty Essential Nanotechnology Studies, which is brought to us by our good pals at the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. I got that link from Evil Incarnate Glenn Reynolds, who still thinks the war in Iraq is going well. Unfortunately, I feel that I must also indirectly link to Glenn's interview with Aubrey De Grey.

June 17

Harlan Ellison, my personal hero and whose style I have arguably ripped off from time to time, has settled his silly lawsuit against AOL and, of course, claimed victory...Delusion for a Dragonslayer, indeed. I think Techdirt gets it right, and of course I got it the most right a long long time ago.

A while back, because I was kind of confused about his politics (he seemed to be wishing Naomi Klein an ironic death when she visited Iraq), I asked Bruce Sterling just what the Hell his politics were. He answers, indirectly, with this Wired column rant against the clearly anti-science policies of the Bush administration.

May 20

I'm adding the Angry Arab, Nano-Tsunami, the ACT and SEIU sites/ blogs to my permalinks.

May 19

Here's an interesting article about the top ten conspiracy theories of the year. I like the one about how the Iraq war might be about oil. Shocking. On the other hand, the conspiracy theory that we're about to enter a worldwide global oil crisis would make the war for oil argument, which I've always believed by the way for readers who are just visiting, more sustainable. Here are two sites that are related. One is called the Coming Global Oil Crisis and the other features the first chapter of a book in the same vein.

May 7

Ted owns that of course. By the way, this is his newest outrage, along with his most recent column. I don't think either are that outrageous to be blunt about it. How intelligent is it to not only to sign up to die, but to kill people who may not pose a threat to you?

Links n' Things:

Tremble Before The Superior Resume of Natural FormsArchitect Eugene Tsui...Kneel Before Zod ! How can one guy be a great gymnast and a Kung Fu master and a competitive swimmer...? This guy is scary.
My interview with RU Sirius is up. He's just an incredibly literate guy. That last question, by the way, wasn't meant to be smartass. It's a question I ask myself all of the time.

May 1st

And more comics geek stuff. A Watchmen movie poster.

Mel Gibson as the Comedian sounds good. I still think that Julian Sands or Christian Bale are more Ozymandius like. Of course, now that Moore seems to care about what happens to his film properties: Ask Terry Gilliam to exec produce a 12 parter for HBO. Let it be so. I'm always thought a Sopranos casting might be cool. Gandolfini as either the Nite Owl or the Comedian...still like Hopper as Rorshack. Ed Harris as Dr. Manhatten seems like an inspired choice though, but the beautiful Mind guy would be good too, if he would do it...

Here's some nice Steranko art that I copped from that acursed Gravity Lens guy again. Boy, does Paul Gullacy owe this guy royalties for his style or what?

In a related note, here's the legendary Alex Ross doing his version of Uncle Sam.

Oct. 22

Week of August 24th

(The great Micah Wright blah blah blah...)

My 15 Minutes of Fame Are Up Over At Changesurfer Radio. I dunno. I don't think I sucked that bad. But like my last radio interview, uh, 17 years ago I think, I say "uh" way to much. It's almost like nervous punctuation. Thanks to my fellow Better Humans columnist James Hughes for letting me rant in public. Short version: I say nice things about Doc Menlo and Eric Blair and the Russian ~~Spy~~ Bloggers. I openly dis Glenn Reynolds, Pejman and Postrel. Good times, good times.
From American Samizdat: More on America as Global Empire Theme
Kuroshin Has Caught on that the Russian Warbloggin' Spies Know Their Stuff (They've cracked our radio codes. Ouch.)

Also From American Samizdat: Free Mike Hawash, one of what will no doubt be a flood of the American Disappeared...

Two Completely Nightmarish Accounts of Why the War Won't Be Easy ("It's the Occupation, Stupid") here and here.
Words of Wisdom From Max Sawicky

Here's My Debut Column at Better Humans
Don Hazen's Depressing Year in Review

The Electrolite Affair

(Note: Sporadic Meme is where I archive these links.)