Off the Grid from Newser

I Have an Afghanistan Solution

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:58:15 CDT

If you were wondering when I would apply my vast lack of knowledge to the Afghanistan situation, today is the day.

Let's agree that we have a war that can't be won as long as Pakistan is supporting the Taliban, and that situation shows no sign of changing . Let's also agree that if the US military pulls out of Afghanistan, the Taliban will slay everyone who doesn't have a beard or a burka, and create a safe haven for terrorists. So pulling out is risky.

What do you do...

The War in Afghanistan Is Over

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:39:18 CDT

In simpler times, our wars had clearly defined endings. WWII ended with a bang—two, really, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There were obvious winners and losers, too. The winners redrew world maps, while the losers tried to find creative uses for rubble. It doesn’t work that way anymore.

The war in Afghanistan is over. The Taliban know it, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai does, too. Pakistan knows. With their endorsement of talks with the Taliban, even President Obama and his generals...

How to Tax the Rich

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:26:41 CDT

If a well-dressed stranger walks up to you at the mall and asks for a dollar, with no reason given, you're unlikely to hand it over. But if the same person asks for a dollar and gives a specific reason, such as "...because my wallet was stolen and I need gas to get home," you're far more likely to hand over your money. (See the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Cialdini.)

After the US midterm election, the question of raising taxes on the rich, or allowing...

Founding Fathers Version 2.0

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:55:30 CDT

I've been thinking about the practicality of a new American revolution, and wondering if there's any way to do it without shooting people.

The American government has proven itself unable to govern, as evidenced by the fact that there's no plan for closing the budget deficit. If we had two rational and competing plans from the major parties, or even one imperfect plan, I would consider that some form of government. But no plan means we're effectively ungoverned.

You...

Here's Why Google Needs To Buy Twitter Immediately

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:48:56 CDT

Angel investor Dave McClure pointed out on Tuesday what is obvious to everyone but Google: Google needs to buy Twitter immediately.

We've been urging Google to buy Twitter for more than 18 months now, and it would have cost the company a lot less if it had taken our advice 18 months ago.

But whatever it costs Google to buy Twitter today is worth it.

Here's why:

* Facebook is emerging as a serious threat to Google's core business, and...

What Do We Do With Barack Obama?

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 08:16:54 CDT
Who likes the president?

Rich Democrats aren’t coughing up anymore , the Times reports. The Goldman Sachs crowd has dropped him cold.

His inside circle can’t seem to get out of the White House fast enough.

Approval ratings suck.

Other Democratic politicians don’t want him on the campaign trail.

Black people have, apparently, soured on him , too.

The people in the backyards he’s visiting don’t seem very happy...

Wireless Voice Calls are Obsolete

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:22:22 CDT
Is it just me, or have cellphones become useless for voice conversations? To be fair, cellphones do work in limited situations, such as: "I WILL BE THERE IN TEN MINUTES! TEN MINUTES! I SAID I WILL BE THERE IN TEN MINUTES! HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? FUCK THIS STUPID PHONE, I'LL TEXT YOU! AND I'M DRIVING, SO I MIGHT BE DEAD IN TEN MINUTES!"

Generally speaking, a cellphone conversation is a frustrating failure if any of these conditions is true.

1. You have a weak signal.

Politicians Are Babies

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 07:57:38 CDT
In the UK, there are the Miliband brothers, David and Ed.

Both brothers—who, by all reports, have been particularly close—held senior positions in the last Labour government. After the defeat of Gordon Brown, and his resignation as party leader, each Miliband brother decided he ought to be leader. David, at 45, the older of the two, and in government longer, was supposed to have the edge. Ed, at 41, was the upstart.

It does seem obvious: We shouldn’t vote for anybody...

Ultimate Food and Exercise App

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:35:44 CDT
Imagine you’re sitting down to eat, but before you take a bite, you whip out your smartphone, fire up a special app, and take a picture of your food. The app identifies the food types by appearance, then calculates the size of your portions, and estimates your intake of calories, carbs, protein, vitamin, mineral, sugar, salt, and so on. Later you can review your data in a variety of ways. You can see your calorie intake for the day, or compare yourself to other people who are your same age,...