Hi Chris
Chris Blattman has an interesting blog.
Posted in metablogging
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Monthly Archives: December 2008
Torture – it’s bad.
Again, I swipe from Bruce Schneier, the experience of a US interrogator who avoided the use of torture in Iraq. To summarize, he believes the use of torture is responsible for more American deaths than lives saved; it elicits a … Continue reading
The Unhappy Moron – When Being Stupid is Stupid.
Yes, leaving your address at the scene of a bank robbery is stupid. But to risk 20 years in jail for a payoff of $400? That’s really something special.
Post Christmas Poetry
The poet stinks. He rhymes with cheeses Old and far too ripe To bear the gentle fragrance That wafts, so tantalizing Beneath his eager nose. The taste is there, His soul devours Yet puts to rank words The scent, which … Continue reading
Beautiful Stories On Christmas
(Warning – this post is about programming culture. [I have annotated it with suitable clarifications for the non-technical reader]) I love the internet. I love it because I’m able to eavesdrop on the best programmers and software engineers in the … Continue reading
Mandatory computer education – Botnets
I consider little knowledge in computing to be mandatory. Usually the price of ignorance is bourne by the one who is uniformed. Botnets are a different kettle of fish. In this case, the price of ignorance is bourne by the … Continue reading
Don’t do this
public Configuration loadConfiguration(String fileName){ if(configuration == null){ configuration = parseFile(fileName); } return configuration; } It’s really not a very good thing to do. When I read this code, I had an Aha! moment. There were portions of “Aha! So this … Continue reading
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Piracy, Revisited
How do you know if you’ve repelled boarders successfully (and with style)? They beg you for shoes and petrol so that they can retreat. If the pirate you’ve been fighting against says, “I can’t fight anymore, please give me some … Continue reading
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How is it okay?
I’m not sure that many Canadians appreciate this story. Particularly, The law has been challenged four times, but the country’s top judges have always ruled that adultery is damaging to social order, and the offence should therefore remain a crime. … Continue reading
No kidding
The State Dept recommends not renewing Blackwater’s contract. When was the last time someone hired mercenaries and things went well? I think I’ll have to generalize this into a rule of life. If whatever you’re doing requires mercenaries, stop and … Continue reading