Handgun ownership is an issue in American culture and politics that seems to have a lot of vocal adherents on both sides and very little real data. As someone who can see, very clearly, both sides of the issue, I'd really like to figure this issue out for myself, at least. In general, I oppose restricting ownership of objects by adults, as it works ( Read more... )

As most of you know, I am not a religious person. In fact, I do not believe that there is a supreme being of any kind. I am open to the idea that I am wrong, but the idea that there is no supreme being seems much more plausible than the idea that there is one, so until I have some proof, I'm going to remain an atheist. That's all I can or want to ( Read more... )

Like many people, I spend a good deal of time thinking about what levels of taxation and public spending are optimal. Unlike many people, I believe that the most important consideration here is that tax revenues and public spending more or less match each other over the long term, with governments running deficits in lean times to stimulate the ( Read more... )

There are three things I'm good at: Windows system administration and general computer-related things, loving my wife and cat, and crossword puzzles. There are a number of other things I'm not that good at (if "good at" is even applicable) but enjoy, such as reading, TV, movies, games, etc. Construction, home repair, plumbing electrical work, and ( Read more... )

Wednesday was not a typical day in my life. As I was riding BART to SFO, I noticed a woman standing near me reading a book. As I'm curious and rarely see people reading in America, I attempted to see what the book was. I didn't get very far with this, as it turned out to be written in Icelandic! There probably aren't a million people on this earth ( Read more... )

I was at lunch today in Foster City and saw a van with the name Johnson Controls on the side. Is it just me, or does this sound like a company that makes devices to tame the overactive male libido? I would expect to see an entire fleet of these trucks at the Vatican.

I had a chat with a colleague who falls squarely into the "America is awesome, I started out poor and became upper middle class, so anyone can do it" camp. He also proudly watches Fox News though he's not apparently unintelligent.

Anyway, he says he supports reforming health care so that it's not tied to your job, but he opposes mandatory coverage ( Read more... )

The IRS allows $0.585 per mile for business use of a vehicle, plus actual parking fees (but not parking fines) and tolls. Since they are not generally known for their generosity, I suspect that this figure is a fair representation of the actual cost of operating the average vehicle. My vehicle, a 2004 Toyota Avalon XLS which gets around 20mpg in ( Read more... )

A colleague and I were discussing the old canard about how Black History Month is in February because the white man insisted on giving black people the shortest month. We both agreed that that's not really true, but it did get me thinking about which month is the longest month.

Before 2007, if you lived in an area of the USA or Canada which ( Read more... )

I've often been accused of being an elitist. These accusations used to sting, and sometimes they still do. But I've decided to embrace my elitism. After all, it's not based on anything arbitrary like race, money, or even years of formal education. I'm an elitist in that I prefer the company of, and appreciate the opinions and viewpoints of, people ( Read more... )