On Friday, I went to downtown San Francisco and attended the courtroom trial of  Perry v. Schwarzenegger. This case has been brought into Federal Court to challenge California's proposition 8 which revoked gay marriage within the state.

( Background of the Case )

I've recently been pondering how we respond to social situations where we don't have a guiding social framework. This idea was triggered by the Guerilla Handbell Strikeforce and quickly springboards into other complex situations. Read more at my professional blog: aha-moments.com

Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight.com reports that there are signals that conservative values-voters may have lost some of their passion in opposition to gay marriage.

This year's Value Voter's summit (sponsored by the Family Research Council), attendees listed gay marriage as the third most important issue--with support at 7%. In October 2007, 20% of ( Read more... )

I'm still struck by the recent practice of "standing up and shouting" when politicians and notables speak--as seen in the recent health-care town-hall meetings. However, here's an example of how one individual, Bill Clinton, handled a recent question on his position on DADT. Starting about 50 seconds into the clip, he gives a clear history of the ( Read more... )

The APA has reviewed 83 studies on sexual orientation and determined that no amount of counseling will turn someone from "gay" to "straight".

"No solid evidence exists that such change is likely, says the resolution, adopted by a 125-4 vote. The APA said some research suggests that efforts to produce change could be harmful, inducing depression and ( Read more... )

So, say let's say you're a criminal looking for a plan to make some quick money:

• Install a fake ATM, collect card #s and pins, record them, and go off and do nefarious things.

Simple plan, right?

Well, here's the twist. Don't install your fake ATM at a hotel where 8,000 security experts (and hackers) will be attending a convention.

Read how the ( Read more... )

Well, damn! Here's the article.

Amazing story. The homeless, Richard Leroy Walters had a $4M estate. He'd chosen to leave the world of material possessions behind.

Ok, gamers. You know who you are. This article is for you. 

 As many of you know, I'm a constitutional law junkie.

Today, the California State Supreme Court handed down a 6-1 ruling on Proposition 8 in a set of three cases collectively known as Strauss. If you listen to the news, the supporters of Proposition 8 scored a win. Here's what the soundbytes say:
 

• Proposition 8 was upheld. The State of California ( Read more... )

Barack Obama's campaign understood the internet--Facebook and Twitter. I've now seen a candidate who understands XKCD, and this politician--Sean Tevis--is very cool and very smart.


( Read more... )