February 2005 – Richard Bennett

Biting the big dog

One of the most common methods for increasing blog traffic was inherited from print: pick somebody bigger than yourself and launch a withering attack. With any luck, they’ll defend themselves, driving traffic to your site and making you look more consequential than you are. Jeff Jarvis, the current Voice of the Blogosphere, is the object of such an attack by young Mr. Willis, the employee of David Brock who’s become an increasingly shrill member of the lunatic fringe of the Democratic Party since the invasion of Iraq shook his grasp on reality.

Willis’ remarks aren’t especially newsworthy to most, but I’m known to never ignore a blog-snit and therefore have to comment. Willis is typical of an element of the national Democratic Party, the Deaniacs, that resembles the pre-Arnie California Republicans more than anything else: a group that’s given up on winning elections and is therefore dedicated to losing with principles intact.

The last thing I want to do is give the Deaniac wing advice that they might actually take, but some things have to be said about the argument between men-of-principle and practical politicians: the only Democrats to win the White House in the last 50 years are people that count as moderates in today’s political calculus: JFK was a tax-cutter and vigorous warrior against totalitarianism; LBJ, Carter, and Clinton were moderate, pro-business, strong-national-defense Southerners who weren’t squeamish about committing America’s armed forces to democratic causes abroad (OK, Carter’s arguable, but he ran on such a platform the one time he was elected.)

True-blue liberal partisans may get the Democratic Party base all fired-up, but they don’t win elections. So here we have Jarvis advocating a course of action for Democrats that’s both morally sound and politically practical, and Mr. Willis viciously attacking him for it.

When I see this sort of thing I wonder if Wills’ employer David Brock really left the conservative fold, because it’s the best thing that could ever happen to the Tom DeLays of this world.

So I just shake my head and yearn for the productive dialectics of yesteryear.

UPDATE: Daily Kos doesn’t want to be left out of this scuffle, naturally.

Darling of the business schools

Malcolm Gladwell is as surprised as anybody that he’s become a darling of the business schools: Q: Were you surprised at the reaction to the book by the marketing community? People can recite in amazing detail things they’ve taken away as prescriptions as to what they should be doing to reach consumers. Did that come … Continue reading “Darling of the business schools”

Malcolm Gladwell is as surprised as anybody that he’s become a darling of the business schools:

Q: Were you surprised at the reaction to the book by the marketing community? People can recite in amazing detail things they’ve taken away as prescriptions as to what they should be doing to reach consumers. Did that come at all as a surprise?
A: Total surprise! I remember when we had discussions about where we wanted the book to be in the bookstore, we weren’t even thinking [about] the business section. We were thinking psychology or science. I didn’t see that coming at all, and I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by it.

So’s the Dilbert guy.

The key to promoting your books

A recent episode of The West Wing featured a character named Larry Lessig as a law professor who’d written a book called The Future of Ideas. This Lessig was advising Belarus on constitutional principles and the White House Spin Doctor was upset about the role of presidential power in the US constitution. The character was … Continue reading “The key to promoting your books”

A recent episode of The West Wing featured a character named Larry Lessig as a law professor who’d written a book called The Future of Ideas. This Lessig was advising Belarus on constitutional principles and the White House Spin Doctor was upset about the role of presidential power in the US constitution. The character was loosely based on reality, according to Lawrence Lessig of Blogistan:

The story is based (loosely) upon a true story. I was involved in the drafting of one early version of the Georgian constitution. But the story ended up in the West Wing because I told the story to my students in Constitutional Law at Harvard, and a current writer for the West Wing was in that class.

Well, I dunno about all this. The Future of Ideas is one of the corniest books ever written, and The West Wing is one of the corniest teevee shows, so it stands to reason they’d get together at some point. I figured the connection would be through the corniest man in Hollywood, Mr. Sterling creator Larry O’Donnell, so I’m actually surprised it was some guy named Josh Singer.

Technically, the Larry Lessig on TWW was fictional because the real Lessig didn’t actually have diddly to do with the Belarus constitution, but who’s quibbling?

I used to think Future of Ideas was the worst book ever written about the Internet, but Hugh Hewitt’s Blog tops it by a considerable distance. How fleeting is fame indeed.

One of these days I’m going to review Blog like I did FOI, only more so.

HIV is biological spam

This deal is pretty interesting: Just as a computer’s spam filter “learns” to recognize new variations from the same spammer, it is hoped a computer can learn to decipher some fundamental repeat patterns about HIV’s genetic variability and narrow the search for vaccine targets. “HIV mutates by making errors in its (genetic) copying,” Jojic said. … Continue reading “HIV is biological spam”

This deal is pretty interesting:

Just as a computer’s spam filter “learns” to recognize new variations from the same spammer, it is hoped a computer can learn to decipher some fundamental repeat patterns about HIV’s genetic variability and narrow the search for vaccine targets.

“HIV mutates by making errors in its (genetic) copying,” Jojic said. But it can make only so many errors, he said, if it hopes to retain the genetic equivalent of the spammer’s intended e-mail.

If these techniques can identify genetic sequences retained by HIV despite its many disguises, the researchers believe this could identify critical parts of the viral DNA to target in developing a vaccine.

Continue reading “HIV is biological spam”

Transportation insight

In his short tenure as governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has gleaned a powerful insight about transportation that somehow eluded his predecessor and Democratic legislators: Californians can’t get from place to place on little fairy wings. This is a car-centered state. And we need roads. Carpool lanes that obstruct the flow of traffic, light rail … Continue reading “Transportation insight”

In his short tenure as governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has gleaned a powerful insight about transportation that somehow eluded his predecessor and Democratic legislators:

Californians can’t get from place to place on little fairy wings. This is a car-centered state. And we need roads.

Carpool lanes that obstruct the flow of traffic, light rail systems that carry no passengers, unbuilt bridges, bicycle lanes, and empty buses don’t move people, but freeways do. Right on.

News

Early next week there may be a fairly major home networking industry announcement. Some will cry, some will rejoice, and some will go “Huh?” More to follow.

Early next week there may be a fairly major home networking industry announcement. Some will cry, some will rejoice, and some will go “Huh?”

More to follow.

Terribly confusing

Thank god this remark was made by one of the Bad People, because it makes my head hurt: In response to the public disgrace and ruin of New York Times editor Howell Raines, CBS anchor Dan Rather and CNN news director Eason Jordan, liberals are directing their fury at the blogs. Once derided as people … Continue reading “Terribly confusing”

Thank god this remark was made by one of the Bad People, because it makes my head hurt:

In response to the public disgrace and ruin of New York Times editor Howell Raines, CBS anchor Dan Rather and CNN news director Eason Jordan, liberals are directing their fury at the blogs. Once derided as people sitting around their living rooms in pajamas, now obscure writers for unknown Web sites are coming under more intensive background checks than CIA agents.

The heretofore-unknown Jeff Gannon of the heretofore-unknown “Talon News” service was caught red-handed asking friendly questions at a White House press briefing. Now the media is hot on the trail of a gay escort service that Gannon may have run some years ago. Are we supposed to like gay people now, or hate them? Is there a Web site where I can go to and find out how the Democrats want me to feel about gay people on a moment-to-moment basis?

Liberals keep rolling out a scrolling series of attacks on Gannon for their Two Minutes Hate, but all their other charges against him fall apart after three seconds of scrutiny. Gannon’s only offense is that he may be gay.

That Ann Coulter is such a panic.

Marc Cooper speaks up on Gannon

Cooper is a leftist of some standing, a former employee of Salvador Allende and a big deal at The Nation. His statement on Gannon should be of great interest to our more intelligent colleagues on the left, so we present it here in its entirety: YAWN. I hope that clears things up.

YAWN.

I hope that clears things up.

Prayers answered

The creationists who believe the world and everything in it was created by a giant pink bunny must have been praying extra hard these past few days: It appeared to be one of archaeology’s most sensational finds. The skull fragment discovered in a peat bog near Hamburg was more than 36,000 years old – and … Continue reading “Prayers answered”

The creationists who believe the world and everything in it was created by a giant pink bunny must have been praying extra hard these past few days:

It appeared to be one of archaeology’s most sensational finds. The skull fragment discovered in a peat bog near Hamburg was more than 36,000 years old – and was the vital missing link between modern humans and Neanderthals.

This, at least, is what Professor Reiner Protsch von Zieten – a distinguished, cigar-smoking German anthropologist – told his scientific colleagues, to global acclaim, after being invited to date the extremely rare skull.

However, the professor’s 30-year-old academic career has now ended in disgrace after the revelation that he systematically falsified the dates on this and numerous other “stone age” relics.

Yesterday his university in Frankfurt announced the professor had been forced to retire because of numerous “falsehoods and manipulations”. According to experts, his deceptions may mean an entire tranche of the history of man’s development will have to be rewritten.

This sort of thing (Scieno-Teutonic dissembling) really irritates me because it gives ammo to the forces of darkness.

Inviting skanks in pairs

Mickey Kaus makes the million dollar quote about pseudonymous-fake-news-gay-escort-gate: “Gannon attended White House Christmas parties — but who invited him?” It’s come to this on the left. … P.S.: Don’t hundreds of people get invited to White House Christmas parties? … I mean, Wonkette was there! Who invited her? … This thing seems awfully personal … Continue reading “Inviting skanks in pairs”

Mickey Kaus makes the million dollar quote about pseudonymous-fake-news-gay-escort-gate:

“Gannon attended White House Christmas parties — but who invited him?” It’s come to this on the left. … P.S.: Don’t hundreds of people get invited to White House Christmas parties? … I mean, Wonkette was there! Who invited her? …

This thing seems awfully personal on David Brock’s part; I wonder if there isn’t a billing dispute somewhere.