Monthly Archives: December 2009

Keith Casey on “Joining a Startup”

Posted on Wed, 30 Dec, 2009 by pmjones

Keith Casey has a great series of points about joining a startup here, especially the part about founders who “believe in themselves”. To this, I must also add a recommendation to read Gerber’s The E-Myth for entrepreneurial-minded programmers thinking about … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, PHP, Programming | 1 Comment

Jihadi Hates Holiday Travel

Posted on Wed, 30 Dec, 2009 by pmjones

When the flight to Detroit started boarding, the concierge told me to keep quiet and he would take care of the check-in. The US State Department agent asked to see my passport, and the concierge explained that I was a … Continue reading →

Posted in World War IV | Leave a comment

The truth about airplane security measures. – By Christopher Hitchens – Slate Magazine

Posted on Mon, 28 Dec, 2009 by pmjones

What nobody in authority thinks us grown-up enough to be told is this: We had better get used to being the civilians who are under a relentless and planned assault from the pledged supporters of a wicked theocratic ideology. These … Continue reading →

Posted in Defense, Government, Resilience, Security, World War IV | 1 Comment

Logical Fallacy vs Bayesian Reasoning

Posted on Mon, 28 Dec, 2009 by pmjones

Most fallacies aren’t really fallacies when you reinterpret them as Bayesian reasons to give an idea more credence rather than iron-clad syllogisms. Without the “argument from authority” and the “ad hominem fallacy”, you would either never get lunch or you’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Smart | 1 Comment

Married (Happily) With Issues

Posted on Mon, 28 Dec, 2009 by pmjones

In psychiatry, the term “good-enough mother” describes the parent who loves her child well enough for him to grow into an emotionally healthy adult. The goal is mental health, defined as the fortitude and flexibility to live one’s own life … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Leave a comment

On Breaking Up Big Banks

Posted on Thu, 17 Dec, 2009 by pmjones

As to libertarians, certainly in a world with no deposit insurance or government guarantees I could argue against government interference in the structure of private banks. But banks are not private in this country. They are quasi-public institutions (and if … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Government | 2 Comments

Single-Solver Problems

Posted on Thu, 10 Dec, 2009 by pmjones

My theory—call it the “Oakley effect”—is that really smart people often don’t know how to accept and react constructively to criticism. (A neuroscientist might say they “have underdeveloped neurocircuitry for integrating negatively valenced stimuli.”) This is because smart people are … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 1 Comment

The First Sign Of Corruption

Posted on Tue, 08 Dec, 2009 by pmjones

At the heart of the Left’s indulgence of political corruption lies the mistaken conviction that “public service” transforms politicians into exemplars of civic virtue, or that political office attracts a large percentage of such civic-minded individuals. In reality, the political … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, Liberty, Politics | Leave a comment

Call Girls Out-Class Mistresses

Posted on Tue, 08 Dec, 2009 by pmjones

A mistress is fundamentally riskier than a call girl because her idea of one-upmanship is getting the man in trouble with his wife or primary partner, to break up his main relationship. This wasn't as likely in the good old … Continue reading →

Posted in Women | 1 Comment

Fast Facts About Climategate

Posted on Mon, 07 Dec, 2009 by pmjones

* The consensus is not scientific as much as it is political. What we find out from the emails is that Jones and a number of others were using underhanded manipulations to suppress scientific publications that disagreed with the CO2-caused … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Science | 1 Comment