Dork Side PunditTwisted thoughts from the Dork Side.2012-08-06T19:30:08ZCivilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu/atom.xmlCulture and Violence2012-08-06T19:30:08ZAs a critical consumer of culture, I have always been skeptical of claims that movies and TV are directly responsible for violence in the real world, especially at an aggregate level, and for the most part, I still believe this to be true. However, recent events have caused me to change my opinion slightly. Oddly, I've seen the media directly connect the movie source with the violent result, but I have not seen anyone make the claim that this specific movie is responsible for the violence that has ensued. While I know the original history of Guy Fawkes, I seriously...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//culture_and_violenceGovernment Economics Made Stupid I2012-07-11T21:23:52ZIn capitalism, I spend time and effort to produce something, which I trade for money. I use that money to buy something, which is more valuable to me than the time and effort I spent to make the money. The more things that I produce, the more money I normally get to consume things. Things in this case includes physical products, consumables, services, quality of service (I'm willing to pay more for better service), charity (goodwill) and even savings (in the sense I'm paying into savings now for 'insurance against future fiscal problems' later). When I choose to spend money...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//government_economics_made_stupid_iYay!2012-07-05T20:29:02ZI have one new comment! Thanks...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//yayNo-knock Raids and the Quality Process2012-06-20T21:42:12ZTo get it out of the way, what happened to the Avina family was horrible. But to me, the truly horrible thing isn't the details of the raid itself, but what came before and after the raid. The horror story presented about the raid, the 11-year old girl traumatized and handcuffed, is indeed horrible, but it's horrible because the raid was unjustified. I would be happy if no innocent 11 year-olds ever ended up with a gun held to their heads ever again. But it's not that simple; the law enforcement agents didn't know who was in the house. I...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//no-knock_raids_and_the_qualiy_processArrggghhh!!!!2012-06-18T19:59:00ZThe web gremlins just ate a 2000 word post about this article here. I'll have something to say about it, hopefully tomorrow. It probably won't be what you...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//arrggghhhThe Great Crusade Redux2012-06-06T20:27:26ZToday is the 68th anniversary of D-Day. On this day in 1944, nine divisions of allied troops landed on the beaches and in the fields of Normandy, France. I can think of no more fitting tribute than to include Gen. Eisenhower's address to the troops on June 6th: Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//the_great_crusade_reduxPedantic Rant Post2012-06-04T19:15:20ZJohn Scalzi is generally a great SF author. A few weeks back he wrote a provocative article that got cross-posted to Kotaku. The article can be found here, go read it. I'll wait. Finished? One of the reasons I've always admired Scalzi's SF writing in that he generally doesn't hit you over the head with his politics; while it's there, it's generally not getting in the way of the story. While I disagree with many of his political opinions, I respect his opinions as sound and well thought out. ...with the exception of that article I just asked you to...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//pedantic_rant_postMissing in Action2012-05-22T19:02:15ZWhere have I been for the past three-ish years? First, I got a new job, rather unexpectedly. It's a much better job... shorter commute, higher pay. It also is, normally, a lot less stressful of a job (part of that may be in the commute). There are, however, a few quirks. At my old job, I traveled fairly often. A busy day might take me to three different counties. With the new job, I don't travel nearly as often, but when I do... I think, depending on how you count it, I have a reasonable claim to three continents in...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//missing_in_actionWhoops!2012-05-21T19:53:14ZAaaahhhhh!! My blog!!! *hurredly deletes spam accumulation* I've been really busy for approximately (*checks watch*) several years now, to the point I forgot I had a blog. And then I got to thinking... 'you know, I really should get my own blog' only for some long forgotten neurons to fire back with 'you idiot, you have a blog!'. Anyways, new post...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//whoopsBusy Busy Busy2009-07-14T20:33:53ZSorry for the sparse posting, but as the title suggests I have been busy. Most of that has been painting. In the past six weeks, I have painted seven Panzer IV H tanks, 2 Panthers, 1 Tiger, 2 Sturmtigers, 6 StuGs, 2 mobile AA guns, 3 AA emplacements, a battery of 15cm howitzers, 10 other German vehicles, 3 platoons of Germans with anti-tank weaponry, 3 houses, a battery of American 155mm howitzers, and an American spotter airplane. I also found time to attend my brother's wedding, a momentous and wonderful occasion that was fun but certainly not restful. This upcoming...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//busy_busy_busySchool System Failure2009-06-02T21:03:34ZOne of my co-workers is smart, but not particularly educated. Her son is a freshman in high school. When I asked recently about her day, she told an story about problems with her son's recent world history project. They were assigned to do a diorama of a scene that they studied in class this year. Her son had chosen to do a diorama of trench warfare, with an open box lid filled with dirt, with trenches at each end. They had purchased cheap plastic army men to put in the trenches. The family cat had attempted to use the diorama...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//school_system_failureGeek Pride and Same Sex Marriage2009-05-05T19:58:51ZCaution: What lies ahead is a rant on a touchy subject that may be controversial and not completely thought out, and what makes it worse is that it's a rant that doesn't end up saying much of anything. Enter at your own risk! I'll start with one simple thing: My name is Chris, and I am a Geek. Moreover, I'm proud of being a geek. I spend a good portion of my free time watching Japanese Cartoons. For a while, I even blogged extensively about them (something I'd like to get back to). I also spend a good portion of...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//geek_pride_and_same_sex_marriageHazards of the Capital Wateland2009-04-13T17:27:39ZLast Sunday, I traveled into the heart of the Capital Wasteland that is Washington D.C. The city isn't quite Fallout 3 hazardous, in part because it hasn't suffered a nuclear attack. Still, there are things that the casual tourist should be aware of when making their way through the District. It all started about two weeks ago, when a friend suggested going in to visit some of the museums that we hadn't been to in a while. Since I had been anting to do this at some point, I said "Sure!". Big mistake. My friend has been a DC resident...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//hazards_of_the_capital_watelandLet's Try This Again2009-03-31T21:51:39ZThere are some key concepts to keep in mind when playing a game, or looking at the world as a game: 1. Theory always takes a backseat to reality. In theory, one can sit down with the rules of the game and devise an ideal strategy. In reality, this doesn't work, at least for most games. Any game involving luck, interaction with other players, or information only available to one of the players, can't be won by sticking to the theory of how the game should be played. Luck doesn't follow rules, and player interactions are player-specific knowledge are matters...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//lets_try_this_againThe Rules of Discourse2009-03-23T20:35:49ZI have the annoying tendency to try to break down things into hard-and-fast rules. Once I know the rules, I can theoretically find the loopholes, gaps, and tricks that allow me to gain an advantage. Alas, this doesn't always work in the real world. Two exceptional blogs, which shall remain nameless, have reduced themselves into a mindless feud over a series of ultimately minor debates which all come down to the question of which rules actually apply. On the one hand, allowing observers to define what you say to suit themselves is a recipe to have the perpetually offended shut...Civilishttp://dorkside.mee.nu//the_rules_of_discourse