An Unfavorable Disparity

http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2012/07/05/cut-the-price-of-solar-in-half-by-cutting-red-tape/

Even if we got our solar panels for free, we'd still be paying 50% over the German rate. If we reformed this system, solar would be highly attractive without subsidies in the SW states, and might reach competitive levels in the SE as well. I didn't realize how padded our solar costs were--though this problem is much attenuated for commercial solar installations.

A Fantasist's Fantasy

A fantasy novelist (physics major too) on how to do proper fantasy:

http://www.sfwa.org/2005/01/on-thud-and-blunder/

The only error here, mentioning karate instead of a useful art, must be forgiven for preceding MMA's lessons. Reading this makes it seem like Comic fantasy would be easier to write than any other variant--the comedy of impotence, incapacity, failure, delusion.

Shepherding

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=D9vQt6IXXaM&hd

It's not surprising that the great gay mafia is developing a talent for visual propaganda--though their patrimony seems mainly verbal propaganda, a compelling visual element was always present for the dross of the earth. The irony is that the policies of the fetus-murdering Democratic party are, at core, probably as "Christian" as those of Mammon-worshipping Republicans. And both sides consider themselves morally superior. It's a beauty contest between a rat and a snake.

Whispers of Fathomable Potencies

http://westhunt.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/get-smart/

The author, Greg Cochran, a physicist by training who transitioned into genetics and anthropology, is one of our most innovative scientific thinkers. The main insight here is that much is already possible in this direction, and other elements are probably close. China has major research efforts into human intelligence currently underway. Another blogger I read, Steve Hsu, a physics professor at Oregon, http://infoproc.blogspot.com/, is involved in consulting on one of their projects. After seeking samples worldwide, they are now sequencing the genomes of people with 145+ IQs (top tenth of a percent). That's a 1480 on the old SAT (Harvard's average was 1350). If we continue to play our petty social status games, for example political correctness, we will not only be outcompeted--"we will sleep with the Neanderthals."