Monthly Archives: July 2011

What Do Disruptive Protestors Really Accomplish? Hint: The Opposite of What They Intend

Posted on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Yesterday, it took me nearly two hours to get home from San Francisco. It normally takes me about an hour using Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). Yesterday, someone thought it would be a fantastic idea to disrupt the BART system, forcing … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, California, Media, Politics | Tagged BART, Charles Blair Hill, Protestors, Rants, San Francisco | 9 Comments

Ann Coulter is the Andy Kaufman of Politics

Posted on Monday, July 11, 2011 by Chris Ladd

Andy Kaufman is remembered as a comedian, but that’s only a default label. We haven’t coined a term for what he did for a living. His most popular role was the one he hated most, playing the lovable Latka Gravas on the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Humor, Media, Policy, Politics | Tagged Andy Kaufman, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Tea Party | 8 Comments

California Loan-Sharking: Another Underhanded Tax Hike

Posted on Monday, July 11, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

On Saturday, July 9th, I received my annual California vehicle registration notice for $111. I am not sure what other states charge for an annual license and registration fee, but $111 seems a bit high. It is certainly a healthy … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, California, Crime, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics, Taxes | Tagged California, California DMV, Regulation, Stealth taxes, Usury | 4 Comments

“Civilization” Turns Pinko Commie

Posted on Monday, July 11, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“Hell is other people.” — Jean-Paul Sartre When I first saw this article on CNN, my heart almost skipped a beat. Sid Meier was bringing his classic 1991 PC game, “Civilization” to Facebook! In my opinion, “Civilization” was one of the most addictive games … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, California, Humor, International Security, Media, Policy, Politics, Technology | Tagged CNN, Communism, Facebook, Jean-Paul Sartre, Pinko, Sid Meier's "Civilization" | 6 Comments

Plague Year: Riveting Novel About Nanotechnology Gone Awry

Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Plague Year is Jeff Carlson’s riveting novel about a nanotech machine plague that breaks out in Northern California, and ultimately kills nearly five billion people. The hook: the machine plague has a hypobaric trigger that renders the plague inert at elevations over 10,000 feet. While I normally do … Continue reading →

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Posted in Book Reviews, California, Central Asia, China, Climate Change, Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, Food Security, International Security, Mathematics, Media, Middle East, Policy, Politics, Science, Technology, War | Tagged Book review, China, Jeff Carlson, Nanotechnology, Plague Year, Post-apocalyptic thriller, Russia, Technology, United States | 8 Comments

The Connected States of America: Data Visualization for Emerging American Communities

Posted on Saturday, July 9, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Today, I discovered an interesting data visualization tool that shows patterns of social connectedness across the country. Researchers at MIT’s Senseable City Lab, AT&T Research, and IBM Research constructed this data using “anonymous and aggregated cell phone data.” The chart above shows … Continue reading →

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Posted in California, Media, Policy, Politics, Technology | Tagged AT&T, Cell phones, MIT, The Connected States of America | 2 Comments

Bush vs. Obama: Unemployment (June 2011 Jobs Data)

Posted on Friday, July 8, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Update: Click here for the most recent jobs statistics. I have started posting an article each month comparing the unemployment rate under President George W. Bush with the unemployment rate under President Obama at that time. I felt compelled to publish this article because some left-leaning … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Policy, Politics | Tagged President Bush, President Obama, Unemployment | 100 Comments

Thirty Chernobyls: Why Space Weather Matters

Posted on Friday, July 8, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Last month, Popular Science published an article suggesting more ways civilization could end in a vicious maelstrom of chaos and mass starvation. The scenario goes something like this:

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Posted in Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Energy Security, Food Security, International Security, Media, Nuclear Power, Policy, Science, Smart grid, Solar, Technology | Tagged CME, Coronal Mass Injection, EMP, Mass starvation, Nuclear meltdown, Nuclear power, Power grid | Leave a comment

TESLA: Breaking America’s Oil Addiction with Technology Today

Posted on Thursday, July 7, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

One way to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil is to change anachronistic behavioral patterns that no longer make sense in today’s dynamic world. Many on the left advocate reducing personal energy consumption as one way to achieve this goal. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Business, Clean Energy, Clean Tech, Climate Change, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Peak Oil, Policy, Politics, Technology | Tagged Energy security, Gasoline, Oil, Peak oil, Technology, Telecommuters, Telecommuters Energy Security Limitation Act, Tesla | 11 Comments

San Francisco Wants to Ban Pet Ownership

Posted on Wednesday, July 6, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Fresh from its triumphant victory against the perfidious, imperialist forces of McDonald’s Happy Meal toys, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has set its sights on nobler pursuits like banning circumcision, and ending the ignominious institution of pet slavery. That’s right you anthropomorphic … Continue reading →