State of the Union speech assessed as being at eighth-grade level.

His Majesty: “Lord Vader, which audience do you mean? The American public, or Congress?”

Yes.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2074994/Plans-floating-city-California-coast-house-entrepreneurs-visas.html

In a previous life, I spent part of a year in college on an ocean-going tanker.  It does take a couple weeks to get your sea-legs, and not everyone can adapt.

But this is a very creative solution to the problem of high-tech entrepreneurs not being able to get the necessary types of visas.

It also illustrates that the United States culture/families/education system is not creating sufficient home-grown talent.

Or, “My Crazy Has a Name.”   (A cross-post.)

Isaac Asimov wrote a short story called “Light Verse” about a defective robot that could create works of art, generating fame for its owner.  A robot engineer happened to be visiting the owner, recognized that it had a defect, and, not knowing that the defect was tied into the creation of the art, “fixed” the robot on the spot, thinking he was doing the owner a favor.  However, by fixing the defect he removed the robot’s ability to create art. (more…)

A decade back First Things ran a symposium on whether America’s extreme abortion license had stripped the US government of its legitimacy. As a conservative, I disapprove of loose talk of that kind, but I’m sure a good time is had by all, and the fun is mostly harmless. (more…)

Whether its the tight plotting, the crisp murders, or the lavish clues I do not say, but the siren call of Steyn’s latest mystery thriller had young Bertie W. battling the many-headed throng around purveyors of fine detective novels everywhere to secure my own copy with a grip of steel and carry it out triumphantly over my head like whatsit after the battle of thingummy. The book is gripping stuff. The advance publicity was good, but the half was not told unto me.

The Derb fingers an unlikely culprit. (more…)

This genuinely puzzles me.

Yeah, I pretty much agree. We should cut out college for everyone except the teetotalers, and them only if their parents don’t pay for it.

Most liberals seem to think we have too little. Most conservatives seem to think we have too much. Who’s right?  (more…)

Tom Blumer almost likes the idea. (more…)

Would that be a metafail?

Screwtape proposes a toast