Potpourri VII

The Airborne Laser (ABL) is finally ready for its first test, and is likely to get cut. Go figure. http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/03/budget-latest.html

Need a REALLY big HDTV? Check this out: http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/03/ny-yankees-new.html

An F-22 Raptor has crashed at Edwards AFB. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hmfwSyhmPuqX414lfoKORbnZN9sAD9757L8O0

Here's a letter of resignation from an AIG vice president that got turned into a New York Times op-ed. I admit to being surprised that they published this: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/opinion/25desantis.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

A British member of the European parliament took it to the UK's Labour Prime Minister. The direct talk of this man's speech makes me realize why the UK Parliament is much more entertaining and enlightening than C-SPAN's coverage of the U.S. Congress: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94lW6Y4tBXs

The Teaching Company was giving away a freebie today. Thought I'd share: http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/figs.aspx?FigsID=FIG0166&ai=34743&WT.mc_id=FIG20090325

Should White House employees keep their bonuses? Here's my simple answer, for the sake of clarity and consistency: no. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/should-white-house-employees-keep-bonuses/

Is technology a threat to liberal society? An answer from Irving Kristol: http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.12624/pub_detail.asp

I've been meaning to post this grid for awhile. It's Jerry Pournelle's take on political positions--"beyond left and right," as it were. Its components are a person's or nation's attitudes toward the state and the person's or nation's attitudes towards rationalism. I can be found in the "Various Libertarians" oval, for what it's worth.