I’m fascinated by behind-the-scenes information about political campaigns, which is part of what made The War Room so interesting to me. Now Newsweek is starting to release information from their Special Elections Project. “How He Did It, 2008″ is an “inside, behind-the-scenes account of the presidential election produced by a special team of reporters working [...]
Author Archives: Stephen
What Would George W. “Lame Duck” Bush Nickname You?
November 4, 2008 – 10:39 am
We were gone last week to Arkansas to hear my brother Andrew perform at Ouachita Baptist University, our alma mater, where he played John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano and taught a class about Cage. Cage’s prepared piano pieces: where artsy music meets Home Depot’s hardware aisle.
Andrew was nice enough to let me [...]
The Expected Public Service Announcement
November 4, 2008 – 8:28 am
To my fellow US citizens: go vote.
Unless you’re going to vote for candidates I don’t approve of, in which case, stay home.
And for those who live in Alabama, go vote for all of the constitutional amendments. True, our constitution is already the longest in-use constitution in the world. Yes, it’s been amended to let officials [...]
Future So Bright, I Gotta Be Gay
October 29, 2008 – 10:23 pm
Focus on the Family, James Dobson’s conservative evangelical Christian group, is dabbling in near-future science fiction. They’ve sent out a letter from 2012, four years after Obama becomes President. They have looked into the future, and it’s gays as far as their eyes can see. Same-sex marriage, first graders forced to learn about homosexuality, churches [...]
How to Create a Portal Gun in Many Easy Steps
October 28, 2008 – 1:46 pm
It’s almost Halloween time, so let’s build a Portal gun!
Two quick notes. One, if you’re wondering, “huh?”, and don’t think you’ll actually play the game Portal that the gun is from, you can read my dissection of said game or listen to me rave about it on a podcast. Two, if you don’t care about [...]
Mixed Messages
October 26, 2008 – 4:55 pm
The vet near us updates his sign every month or so to suggest treatments, give general pet advice, or threaten you with free puppies. As of today, he has different statements on either side of that sign.
Side one: Winter is coming. Prepare your pets for the cold.
Side two: Antifreeze will kill your pets!
Oh So Busy
October 23, 2008 – 11:52 am
I can’t tell you how busy I’ve been here lately. Between work and home and my own projects–
Fine! I admit it! I’ve been spending all of my free time playing Jade Empire and kicking people in the face! But no worries. I can quit any time I want.
As soon as I finish that last fight [...]
Death to Zima
October 20, 2008 – 4:45 pm
I had a friend in grad school who eventually left physics behind to become a brewmaster. He was a fan of beer, which put him in the same league as, oh, say, Wrigley Field spectators, but he backed that up with a lot of knowledge about beer. He also hated Zima, with a passion and [...]
Three Anecdotes About Eli Makes a Post
October 17, 2008 – 9:54 am
One: Eli continues his habit of becoming distraught over all kinds of random things. He’s like a Victorian maiden who just so happens to have brought her fainting couch with her. Earlier this week, Misty wouldn’t let him get in bed with her early in the morning. This is not cruelty, it’s self-protection. When Eli [...]