» Fringe Blog – Writing on Film, Culture, and Things on the Fringe

Singularity News, By The Way

jelewis8 — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 17:22:49 +0000

I failed to mention that my most recent novel, The Cold Goodbye, deals in part with the so-called Singularity, a somewhat loose amalgam of socio-scientific future casting that deals with the rapid increase of technology to the point at which the whole of human progress and achievement is maximized in a development of monumental proportions, changing what Ray Kurzweil calls the “fabric of human history.”
I only mention it because the Singularity has been floating about as a popular meme these days on blogs (notably Instapundit, and I figured I could take part in the revolution (rather than being shot or left by the wayside).
Doubleplus good bonus: Part of the plot involves nanotechnology for devious and illegal activities, polymer research that opens up new questions about our humanity, and secret government installations, but without all the conspiracy theory nonsense that have tripped up so many other authors. It’s got murder, suicide, and sex, not to mention an undeniably realistic, if frightening climax. Especially if you live in California.
So, if you’re a technophile into futures markets, religion, socio-ethical questions, and enjoy a good hardboiled mystery to boot, feel free to purchase The Cold Goodbye. It would really make me happy. And it would help support me as I write the thrilling second part.

Sheehan Book Signing

jelewis8 — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 02:33:30 +0000

Mother Sheehan’s book signing didn’t go as well as planned.

It’s amazing how fast 15 minutes really does feel. Check out the other photos and then look for the one Reuters decided to go with.
Via Instapundit

Blog Relief Day

jelewis8 — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 22:08:51 +0000

It’s Blog Relief Day, a concerted effort to raise support for the victims of Katrina. I don’t have a ton of time to devote to linking or writing, but I will point out that if you have ever wanted to donate money but couldn’t or didn’t, now would be an excellent time to start. I’m donating to the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief fund. If that doesn’t float your boat, perhaps consider one of the many other disaster services that are accepting donations. Instapundit has a ton of links for you to choose from.
I am offering an executive producer credit on my upcoming film Red State to every person who donates money to a foundation or charity on behalf of the Katrina victims. Email me and tell me which charity you’ve donated to (keep the amount private, but it better be more than a buck!) and I will put your name in the end credits. That’s a pretty good deal.
Come on, people, make it happen!
UPDATE: If you donate money, make sure you log your donation at the TTLB Katrina Relief page.

Mad Snail Disease

jelewis8 — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 05:40:38 +0000

The things you miss when you’re sick. Jacques Chirac continues to astound the world with his tactless (though admittedly ballsy) anti-British comments, leading some to wonder if there isn’t some “mad snail disease” going around in gay Paree.
Via Instapundit

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

jelewis8 — Thu, 28 Apr 2005 08:05:26 +0000

Can the New York Times be trusted? Oh, if only it were a simple query with a simple response.
As murky as the waters of the question posed above are, there is no doubt of the clarity of deceit posed by the NY Times’ editorial decisions, giving voice to, as Instapundit calls it, “out-and-out dishonesty” concerning the reasons we went to and continue to be at war in Iraq.
If the Bush administration is culpable in the active misleading of the American public concerning the reasons for going to war in Iraq (I believe it is not), then certainly these detractors on the left are equally damnable for a continuing campaign of revisionist history.
There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. And then there is the New York Times editorial page. I wonder, when it comes down to it, which is furthest from the truth.

Revisiting Old Vile Claims Once More

jelewis8 — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 03:15:16 +0000

I’ve stopped reading Instapundit on a daily basis, instead hitting his site about once a week to get the latest on whatever blogging fad he’s linking at the moment. So I missed a post from last Thursday in which he addresses the leftist fallacy that freeing Iraq and making way for democracy in that country is/was a bogus claim/reason made by the Bush administration and war supporters after the fact of the war and the WMD that failed to surface in Iraq.
He brings up a few links that I missed when I addressed this issue back in…oh, January. The money quote, from Ian Hamlet, and which I wholeheartedly believe is true: “The reason a large block of the country doesn’t recall Bush’s speeches calling for Iraqi liberation is that they simply were not listening. After all, they had already decided that they knew what Bush “really” meant, so they ignored what he said.”
I can think of at least one person who thinks that our inaction in Darfur, Sudan is indicative of this administration’s true foreign policy, our arrogance as a nation, and the depths of lies to which the government has sunk AND to which the “loyal guard” of Republican supporters have fallen in stubbornly refusing to see the truth.
What I find interesting about that mindset is how it mirrors the selective memory Hamlet talks about in the preceding paragraph. It does not matter to the anti-war left that the Bush administration spent over a year and a half working with the international twinkletoes operation known as the United Nations to resolve the Iraq situation in a peaceful manner. More than just the two major, news-making UN resolutions were passed authorizing force to be used in ousting Hussein from leadership. And the world did seem at the brink of some collective agreement that action needed to be taken.
The wheels of power move slowly, they do. It isn’t surprising that an already hamfisted organization like the UN would take as long as it has to collect its scattered head and decide to take action in Sudan. But look at the timetable. It mirrors what began in the early months of 2002, after the world began to breathe again after 9/11.
Yet once again, we are hearing the familiar refrain. Is Iraq a simple matter? Is there reason to suspect that the recent optimism coming out of Iraq is the result of “bogus” reasoning on the part of the Bush administration?
The fevered imaginations of some people who seem to think that their wild claims make any sense when paired against a comprehensive Google search–does that matter?
I thought not too.

That’s A Fine How Do You Do

jelewis8 — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 03:34:42 +0000

Via Beautiful Atrocities, I found HundredPercenter who has dumped the links for the following sites because they haven’t commented on, or have commented “negatively” on the Terri Schiavo (now) post mortem case:
A Small Victory
Beautiful Atrocities
Cox & Forkum
Digger’s Realm
INDC Journal
Instapundit
Little Green Footballs
Protein Wisdom
There’s a lesson in all this sore loser business: when you’re looking for a quick fix, the man in the alley with the dime bag of Blog Attention Deficity Syndrome (BADS) will get you nice and hepped up.
For a day.
Unfortunately, HundredPercenter didn’t calculate the untold damage he’s done by spawning dozens, perhaps hundreds of blogs that will link to those sites out of spite or the delicious feeling you get when you feel like you’re screwing someone over without actually seeing any benefit from it. Meanwhile, who gets all the traffic?
The kingpins, that’s right. Like they need any more linkage. It’s the kingpins who always make out big. Meanwhile, who thinks of the children?
There’s another lesson in this: Don’t piss in the swimming pool and then take a high dive. Because, you know, no one likes a kid who pees in swimming pools. If I were HundredPercenter, I’d leave town. Seriously. Get out of the ‘sphere for a while. Just ’til the heat dies down. Then, upon returning, I’d write an extended apology note, relink all the folks listed above, and then forget the whole mess ever happened.
I doubt that’ll happen.

Bouncing the Bodyguard

jelewis8 — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 21:31:35 +0000

Michael Moore pretty much put himself on the map with his controversial “documentary” Bowling for Columbine, in which he criticizes a gun-happy Amerikkka for instilling a culture of fear in North America and spreading it throughout the globe. It now seems he has become a victim of his own success.
Instapundit notes Moore’s bodyguard was recently arrested in New York for carrying an unlicensed weapon in JFK airport. Had I written a review of Bowling for Columbine, I might have mentioned how fascinating it was to see a man whose star was on the rise decry the excessive number of guns present and available to the average citizen in the US. At that point, I don’t believe Moore had started touring the country with an entourage of videographers, limo drivers, and of course, bodyguards. With the media and critical frenzy that accompanied the release of BfC, Moore’s social capital shot through the roof. Soon thereafter, he acquired the trappings only a multi-millionaire can boast.
And what’s a bodyguard going to do to defend such a famous personality without a gun? Whilst throwing daisies or harsh words at someone who gets too close to Moore’s celebrity bubble might be more peaceful and less antagonizing than brandishing a gun, the latter’s got the kind of convincing power that a man of Moore’s stature needs.
Nevertheless, I think this is about the ineptitude or laxity of his personal bodyguard. Moore would not be responsible for his bodyguard receiving the proper authorization. It would be up to the bodyguard himself to become licensed for the state in which he wanted to carry a concealed firearm, and his ignorance or forgetfulness in the face of such rules is exactly what Moore portrayed a gun-toting American public as: ignorant, stupid, dangerous, and irresponsible.
But I suppose with someone you’ve paid to protect your life, it’s more a matter of inconvenience. Surely this man will be fired, and a new, more responsible monkey man will take his place, protecting Moore from all the gun-crazy nut jobs who just happen to have proper permits and licenses.
UPDATE: Via Instapundit, MooreWatch says the story linked story above contains several errors, including the headline and important details.

Saddam and the Death Penalty

jelewis8 — Mon, 22 Dec 2003 15:24:55 +0000

Stephen Pollard argues that the case for sentencing Saddam Hussein to death is also the case for capital punishment for any convicted murderer.

Much as I have tried to escape this conclusion, I cannot: there are no sensible grounds on which one can argue that it is morally right to execute Saddam but not Ian Huntley. Anyone who accepts that Saddam should be killed must also accept the case for capital punishment more generally. We can argue about details – to which forms of murder it should apply, and in what circumstances – but the principle is clear. Accept the moral validity of executing Saddam and you must accept it for executing Huntley – and, indeed, anyone convicted of cold-blooded and deliberate murder.

Read the whole thing.
Via Instapundit

Gun Safety and Education

jelewis8 — Thu, 18 Dec 2003 20:30:43 +0000

This from an article linked on Instapundit. The paragraphs I find especially interesting:

I would like to say that the answer to our problem is education: teaching kids about the reality of guns as tools for sport and protection, rather than as a means of attracting attention to themselves. I feel such a program would take much of the mystique away from firearms, and allow educators to teach children to handle guns properly, thus cutting down on both youth-related gun crime and accidents.
Such programs have been demonstrated to work, and work well; in a recent report by one of the major television networks, two sets of children were put in a room in which a deactivated handgun was placed. One set of kids was raised by gun owners, who had instructed their children on what (and what not) to do if they ever encountered a gun. The other set of parents were anti-gunners who had taken the “just say no” approach to firearms training. Both parents predicted that their children would leave the gun alone, and seek out an adult for help.
As it turns out, only one of the groups did so. The children who had been properly educated by gun-owning parents refused to touch the gun. They immediately got up and tried to find an adult. They were, in fact, found wandering in the halls, pointing to the room they had left, and warning passing adults about the gun in the room. The other children, who had been brought up on the “just say no” approach, were intoxicated with their exciting, unfamiliar discovery. They immediately began playing with the gun, pointing it at other kids and themselves, pulling the trigger.

Of course, these days, it’s hard enough to find responsible parents.