Here in the US we have a very little known right called Jury Nullification. The right is this: a jury has the right to declare someone accused of a crime not guilty, even if they believe he did commit the crime. Not only can they do so, they don’t have to justify why. The Judge […]
Tag Archives: culture
“Quick, Hide In The Corners of the Ocean! No One Ever Thinks To Look There!”
July 29, 2011
Hey, remember playing Battleship when you were a kid? Remember the subtlety; the intricate, complex layers; the sense of narrative? The feeling that you weren’t just playing a game, your were telling a story – creating a world? No? Huh. Weird. You remember it going a little more like this? “A8.” “Miss. C1.” “Miss. J6.” […]
Space: The Bestest, Most Awesome Frontier.
July 19, 2011
With NASA ending the shuttle program and Virgin Galactic announcing its progress toward civilian space flights yesterday, it truly seems we’re at a turning point in the development of space travel. It seems like a good time to offer just a few reflections on space travel and its implications. I think the end of the […]
Reflections On Independence Day
July 5, 2011
Here’s the thing about Independence Day that I love: I love the actual day it commemorates, and its relationship to the very idea of independence and autonomy. Here’s what I mean by that: Our independence day doesn’t celebrate the end of a war, or the day we were “granted” liberty. It reflects instead the moment […]
Brought To You By Times New Roman Font: “When It’s Got To Be Legible, It’s Got To Be Times New Roman”
July 2, 2011
The other day I got a phone call from a guy here who’s sort of a film/modeling/TV liaison, asking if I’d be interested in auditioning for a series of commercials. Now, obviously, commercials are hardly the most riveting things, challenging things, certainly not the most dignified things. They can be fun to do sometimes, though. […]
“Slightly Less Appalling!” The Critics Rave
June 29, 2011
I went to the movies last night and when I exited – this is about 11:00 pm – the lobby of the theater was filled with people. People lining up, people getting snacks, people milling. The parking lot was a flurry of activity. And why? I finally backtracked and looked at the head of the […]
And Yes, I Do Carry Tranq Darts Around, Just In Case of Socially Awkward Situations.
June 27, 2011
So, put yourself in this position and ask yourself what the appropriate response would be: A friend of mine was telling me about a few years back when she and her (then) husband were at Disneyland. They’re in line for whatever. The husband sees an man of Asian ethnicity a few places ahead of them […]
I Wrote The Most Interesting Blog Post… And You Were In It!
June 25, 2011
So, I had this dream last night– no, wait! Come back! I’m not going to go into detail about my dream, I promise. If you read my last post (and if not, why not? ) you recall it had to do with the guy here who posted a Craigslist ad for a time-travelling companion to […]
I Think You’ll Find We Go Together Like… Well, Like Time-Travel and Fishing
June 20, 2011
This is a real posting on Craigslist from this weekend, here where I live. I’ve kept it exactly as is, except for removing information which might reveal identity or contact information: In need of a time travel companion (please take this seriously) Date: 2011-06-17, 5:38PM PDT I have a functioning time machine I know it […]
Come on, Canada. You can talk to us. Just Tell Us What You’re Feeling.
June 18, 2011
Hi, Canada, come on in. Yes, I know, I’m not dressed for the water park… we’re… we’re not going to the water park. Have a seat. No, no, don’t leave, no one’s judging anyone here. You can’t really believe that we’re in a position to judge anyone’s behavior. I just… I’m, that is we’re worried […]
You Work With Atoms, You Put Your Life On The Line. Every Day.
June 11, 2011
News Item – The BBC reported that nuclear physicists in the search for antimatter have had a major breakthrough. Scientists at the Switzerland/France CERN particle collider announced the successful capture of an anti-hydrogen atom for almost 16 minutes. Dr. Skeinman: Well, we’ve come close a few times before. Once we thought we’d captured one, but it […]
August 10, 2011
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