Category: Paleoblogs

  • The Commodious Ambiguity of “Optimism”

    [I seem to be working my way back into rambling Philosophy mode here.] General Abizaid said: “So the question is, am I optimistic whether or not Iraqi forces, with our support, with the backing of the Iraqi government, can prevent the slide to civil war? My answer is yes, Iā€™m optimistic that that slide can…

  • “The Next Six Months”

    We have been told over and over again the last few years that “The Next Six Months” will be decisive for our Iraq invasion to succeed. Doesn’t that mean at some point that the last six months already were decisive?

  • Health Coverage That’s Better than Being Uninsured!

    The Medicare people were proud when the AARP reported last January that “for many Americans, Medicare drug plans…can cost less than buying the same drugs across the border [DKo: which is forbidden under the Medicare coverage].” Those results have held up since then. Was this something to be proud of? Suppose you asked whether an…

  • Democratizing the art market

    David Hinojosa has got a project called Stock Artist that offers a simulation (for now) of a rationalize the art market. I’m not sure I fully understand the concept, but this appears to be the nut of it: The central nucleus of Stockartist is the “transformed art piece’s concept.” This concept consists in dividing the…

  • The other (Plame) shoe drops

    That is to say, the civil suit: Former CIA Officer Sues Cheney Over Leak

  • Is identity attention over time?

    Adrian Chan asks Is attention over time not identity? while suggestiing, semifacetiously, that Creative Commons and AttentionTrust should merge. Is what I make, and what I pay attention to, over time, not, basically, my identity? That’s how an Amazon would look at it. The consistency of my choices over time is, well, it’s what I…