Live Bill Maher #crazystupidpolitics tonight on Yahoo! screen

Love him or hate him Bill Maher has opinions and is not afraid to use them. Tonight he's also doing something very interesting -- live streaming his stand-up special "Crazy Stupid Politics: Bill Maher Live from Silicon Valley" tonight at 7:30pm PST/10:30pm CST at Yahoo! screen.

This special marks the launch of Yahoo! screen's comedy channel, which will feature short videos ala "Funny or Die." I'm going to try to tune in. If you are also watching hit me up on twitter @edomaniac.

A New Way to Increase Organ Donation?

I have a confession to make. Despite my love of science and my atheism I wasn't an organ donor until a couple of years ago when my girlfriend figuratively slapped me in the face with my hypocrisy.

TED Tuesday: The Case for Same Sex Marriage

If you will permit me, I will stand on my soapbox a bit. On this day, it is hard to be happy and excited about my own personal relationship when I know that for a large portion of the population a day like today is bittersweet. As a heterosexual American I can marry the person I love legally and be afforded certain rights that are denied to millions of Americans who no doubt love their partners just as much as I do. That is wrong. Today's talk, although not a typical TED talk, is no less important (though, if it matters, I did find it through the TED website). It is an impassioned speech on the importance of this issue from New York state senator Diane J. Savino just prior to a vote that ultimately defeated a same sex equality bill in December of 2009. The words are as true now as they were then.




For further viewing, I also recommend watching this reaction from the mayor of Newark NJ, Cory Booker,  on a public referendum on same sex marriage and why civil rights issues should not ever be put to a popular vote.

This amendment SHALL NOT PASS!

Ran across this curious story from overlawyered. It seems that in 1995 the New Mexico state senate unanimously passed and then quickly removed an amendment requiring psychiatrists and psychologists to get their Gandalf on in court:

When a psychologist or psychiatrist testifies during a defendant’s competency hearing, the psychologist or psychiatrist shall wear a cone-shaped hat that is not less than two feet tall. The surface of the hat shall be imprinted with stars and lightning bolts. Additionally, a psychologist or psychiatrist shall be required to don a white beard that is not less than 18 inches in length, and shall punctuate crucial elements of his testimony by stabbing the air with a wand. Whenever a psychologist or psychiatrist provides expert testimony regarding a defendant’s competency, the bailiff shall contemporaneously dim the courtroom lights and administer two strikes to a Chinese gong…

Let the Harry Potter/LOTR/Fantasia comments commence!

An Answer to the Research Works Act

On the most recent podcast, we talked at length about "open science" and the Research Works Act. Now, a representative in congress has proposed its antithesis The Federal Research Public Access Act. Here are the details from Wired:

The Federal Research Public Access Act would:

• Require federal departments and agencies with an annual extramural research budget of $100 million or more, whether funded totally or partially by a government department or agency, to submit an electronic copy of the final manuscript that has been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

• Ensure that the manuscript is preserved in a stable digital repository maintained by that agency or in another suitable repository that permits free public access, interoperability, and long-term preservation.

• Require that each taxpayer-funded manuscript be made available to the public online and without cost, no later than six months after the article has been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

I'm not saying that our podcast had anything to do with the introduction of this bill, but you can't help but notice how closely the two events coincided...

Podcast Episode 5: Paywalling Science

The guys offer smart suggestions, discuss the Research Work's Act and the dubious role of the research publisher Elsevier in influencing it's presence in congress, and demonstrate their knowledge of the cities of Boston and New York in a game.




Links from this podcast:

• Star Wars Uncut: Director's Cut
• Roller Derby Leagues
• If this then that (ifttt)
• Ukulele Underground

Further Reading:

• Boycott Elsevier
• Congress Considers Paywalling Science You Already Paid For (Wired)

Featuring the songs "Rednecks with White Faces" (Caühaüs) / (CC BY-SA 3.0) and "Late as Usual" (The Freak Fandango Orchestra) / (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Newt dumbs it down in presidential bid

Mother Jones has a quick article delving into New Gingrich's dark past... of supporting climate change science and global warming research!

Now, Gingrich is much less enthusiastic about science and the environment. And the explanation seems is fairly simple: Gingrich-the-professor likes grandiose ideas like earth-orbiting climate monitors, space honeymoons, a $40 billion investment in laptops for poor people, or bringing back the dinosaurs. But Gingrich-the-presidential hopeful is campaigning in an age where not just denying climate change but actively disdaining scientific research is the standard in the Republican Party.

Its disappointing to see someone who apparently knows and acknowledges the value of science and research choosing to put those opinions on the shelf. Going so far as to downplay those past episodes and putting a new spin on old quotes in an effort to appeal to the base of the party with the same anti-intellectual pronouncements as all the other relatively interchangeable candidates (no offense, Dr. Ron Paul).

Disgust research is all the rage

Here's an interesting read from the New York Times on the recent surge in research on the emotion of disgust:

Disgust is the Cinderella of emotions. While fear, sadness and anger, its nasty, flashy sisters, have drawn the rapt attention of psychologists, poor disgust has been hidden away in a corner, left to muck around in the ashes.

No longer. Disgust is having its moment in the light as researchers find that it does more than cause that sick feeling in the stomach. It protects human beings from disease and parasites, and affects almost every aspect of human relations, from romance to politics.

 Personally, I think this research isn't exactly "new" but I find recent work on disgust and political attitudes fascinating. After all, much of what divides people politically regards morality and what we see as immoral is often very closely tied to our disgust reactions. If this sounds interesting, I encourage you to check out the work of Jonathan Haidt.

Taxes, taxes, taxes

In the republican debate last night,  between questions about Newt Gingrich's marriage and Peter King forgetting that Ron Paul was a participant, the candidates were asked whether they would or would not release their tax returns prior to the South Carolina primary.

Why do people care about these returns? The issue seems to be that people want to know whether any of the candidates pay a lower tax rate than they do. The problem? As David Leonhardt points out, many Americans don't know what their tax rate is and therefore wrongfully assume that if Romney pays 15% they must pay more.

Recall Signatures Turned In

Well, today was the day that recall organizers had to turn in their signatures in the recall of Scott Walker. They originally planned to turn in around 720,000 to make sure they got the required 540,000ish to force the recall election. They turned in approximately 1 million today.

You don't have to be from Wisconsin to appreciate the magnitude of this event considering that only twice in American history have elected governors been defeated in recall elections. From this point the GAB will review the validity of all of the signatures, a process that will likely take several months. That means that we probably won't see the election take place until around June.

Oh, and where is Walker this fine day? Oh, over on the East Coast at a $2500 a plate fundraiser.

Mitt Romney's hair shares its perspective on the GOP race

It's no secret that Mitt Romney's hair is a regular topic of discussion. In fact, we spent a decent amount of time discussing it during the last podcast. Its ears must have been ringing, because it has something to say.

I’d like to say something magnanimous about my competition, but come the hell on. Newt Gingrich looks like he’s wearing a bowl of boxed mashed potatoes on top of his fat watermelon face. Rick Perry parts his greasy mop in the middle, like a mental patient. Rick Santorum probably walks into his barber shop and says, “Give me the Bob Saget.” I could go on and on.

I was hoping that Romney's hair might have some insight into what is wrong with Michelle Bachmann's eyes, but it spent the whole piece discussing it's own perfection. Typical.

What? You Believe in Gravity? You Pinko-Liberal!

A recent article in the Telegraph asks the question and examines the answer of "Have Republicans turned their back on science?" This interesting article discusses the tide of anti-intellectualism that swept through the GOP in the 1960's and picked up steam, turning into the science-denying Goliath that it is today. He even brings up an interesting thought that certain candidates, such as the erudite Newt Gingrich, have to actually dumb themselves and their positions down to fit in with the party. Interesting read given where we're at in the primary/caucus battle.

Dropping the SOPA

If you were one of the awesome people who checked out the most recent podcast, we had a brief discussion of SOPA. Since this is something of a pressing issue to internet denizens such as myself, I wanted to point you to the single best site for SOPA information: SopaOpera.org.

Now, its not just SOPA- which is currently working its way through the house. There is also the PROTECT-IP bill in the Senate. My quick breakdown on the podcast doesn't really do justice to how significant these bills are to the direction of the "open internet" as we know it.  And it is far from a fair fight. The most depressing figure so far is that the corporate backers of the bill far outnumber their opponents. The companies and other organizations in favor of the bill are contributing four times what the opposition has been able to generate.

While those aren't very good odds, I remain optimistic. Regardless of the success or failure of these bills, we (people on the internet) tend to do what we want and, fortunately, there are far more of us than there are of them. As computer scientist and all around smart guy John Gilmore once said, "The internet interprets censorship as damage, and routes around it."

Podcast Episode 3: Electile Dysfunction

The guys welcome Ben A. to the podcast as a guest host to discuss the the transition into 2012, the Republican primaries/caucuses, and a trivia quiz about big events from 2011.





Links from this podcast.

• Americans Elect
• The SOPA Bill
• Caucus/Primary Schedule
• Nominate a charity in the blog post

Featuring the songs "Just Had To Let You Know" (Lorenzo's Music) / CC BY-SA 3.0 and
"Roulette" (Lorenzo's Music) / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Lure of the Outsider

The Iowa Caucuses are set to take place tomorrow. That means that in a few short months we will have a much better idea of who the republican candidate will be in the 2012 election. I don't know about you, but I think it is about time for this dog and pony show to get on the road.

There has been an undercurrent to this race and to many political races in recent history that is about as subtle as a brick to the forehead -- voters' desire for an "outsider" candidate. As this somewhat dated, but nevertheless excellent piece from the New York Times points out:

In recent campaigns, the outsider ethos has become so powerful that, for a certain kind of candidate, lack of experience in Washington — or in politics altogether — translates into a defining virtue. 

The unfortunate nature of the outsider candidate is that they often falter when it comes to discussing  issues of political import, you know, because they we too busy running  pizza chains, starring in movies, or wrasslin' to learn the how to be a politician. That's not to say that these outsiders can't do great things once on the inside, but it does mean we shouldn't act surprised when we find that they have past indiscretions, mis-label continents as countries, or can't remember their talking points. Or as the article so eloquently puts it:

There’s a tension, often irreconcilable, between our romantic vision of the outsider candidate, on one hand, and our basic threshold for credibility in those who govern, on the other. Sure, we want colorful, outspoken characters who aren’t part of a corrupt political system. We just want them to be tested, scandal-free and ready to govern at the same time. Is that so much to ask?

 I think that the proverbial "Mr. Smith" is nothing more than a nice story and we should stop deluding ourselves into believing that just because a candidate has been successful in one industry (e.g., entertainment, business) he or she can replicate that success in the political arena. And we certainly need to stop assuming that these other industries and their participants, on account of not being politics or politicians, are corruption-free.

Tired of Two Party Politics? Select Americans Elect!

Seeking to capitalize on Americans disappointment with current party politics, political officials from both sides have recently been pushing 'Americans Elect' as an alternative to politics as usual.  Americans Elect is planning on using an internet-based nomination process to get a candidate added to the 2012 Presidential Election ballot. Sounds interesting, but how will it work?

Conservatives Enjoy an Empty Victory...On Lightbulbs

The 2012 spending bill that outlines the budgets of 10 Cabinet agencies was just signed by Obama. The legislation includes cuts and concessions made to cut spending, among other things. Among those other things, Republicans are heartily patting themselves on the back for introducing language that overturns an earlier passage of a bill that would have phased out old, inefficient, incandescent bulbs. Some have even gone as far as to offer this up as a holiday "present" to their constituents. Texas, don't you have enough to be embarrassed about?

Did I mention that this original bill was signed in 2007 by GW Bush, and with partisan support?  Or how about the fact that countries in the European Union and Australia have been doing this since 2009? Well, if you haven't already seen through this cheap political ploy in an election year, you only have to see that Michelle Bachmann is one of the key figures on this bill. That's right 'Merica, the big bad federal government wants to force you to save money and use less energy in a time when we have an economic crisis and rely heavily on foreign sources of energy. But, never fear, the Republicans are here to pass empty legislation to let you spend more on your energy bill and increase that dependence on foreign energy if you damn well please!

Ah, the gullible, blissfully ignorant American public. This passage won't actually do anything besides slow the process of switching to more efficient bulbs down, and maybe garner a few votes from people who are too stupid to read behind these obvious lines. The lighting industry has already spent millions of dollars retooling their factories and pouring R&D into more energy efficient bulbs, and they aren't likely to reverse that.

Happy Holidays folks.

Tax Holiday

A great holiday themed political cartoon from the Atlantic:

There what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But a fired up commander with aspect severe.

"This isn't like poker - it's not just a game"
He asserted with force and addressed them by name:

"Now Boehner! now, Cantor! now, Womack and Reed!
On, Lanford! on Kinzinger! Pass this with speed! 

RIP Vaclav Havel

One of the great intellectuals of the last half century passed away today. Vaclav Havel died at the age of 75. Havel is is known as the political dissident, playwright, essayist, politician, you name it. Havel was part of political movement in Eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia in particular, to replace Soviet Communism with a democratic government. After his imprisonment and leadership in The Velvet Revolution, he was the 1st democratically elected president of Czechoslovakia after the revolution, and later the 1st President of the Czech Republic after the split with Slovakia. If anyone is interested, here's a link to the essay Power to the Powerless.

Time Magazine's Self-fulfilling Prophecy

I peered around the corner as the voices grew closer. What began as a miffed and nonthreatening few had grown to a sea of pumping fists and rhythmic shouts. They were nearly at the door and I knew I would only get one shot. I hadn't yet been seen, but I knew once I was they would descend upon me like seagulls to bread crumbs, each fighting the other for the chance to take a piece - or in this case to say their peace. To express the disappointment they felt. To say we were wrong. I slipped my hands into my pocket and grasped the can of mace I'd purchased just that morning. I knew there was a possibility that some crazed individual would be waiting, but I had no idea that he would be accompanied by a mass of unbridled dissidents amplifying each others emotions. All it would take was one thoughtless motion and the horde would pounce.