Category: Uncategorized

It’s a question meme. In this one, you comment, and I answer the following questions

So, I’ve long advocated the “friends first” method of dating. Under this philosophy, you need to get to know the person as they really are, and somehow sex gets in the way of this. And I’m wondering just how realistic this is. I mean, clearly, not paying attention to personality in one’s romances has some serious problems. But hoping that attraction will take care of itself seems to have gone poorly for me as well. And how many relationships that last have started off as casual friends without dating intent? I don’t really know. But I do know that most among my hetero friends have had alot more dates than I have with alot fewer people. So, I wonder, those among you who’ve had more longevity in your love lives than I, what input do you have to offer?

• Article. Solar is getting big. Good news there. Should lead to advances in the field and reduction in cost. Yay! I did find it amusing, given ‘s commentary on the climate there, that Germany is ranked so highly among PV consumers. =)
• Article. More braindead assurance that if you kill someone the bomb won’t go off. Deadman switches have been used in suicide bombings before according to the wikipedia article. It’s also shown up in movies. Why do people not consider this? Now, granted, killing someone before they reach their targeted destination (see also the plane that crashed south of pittsburgh on 9/11/01) has benefits, even if they do go boom. But terrorism is rare. Potentially disastrous, but rare. False identification with shoot to kill policies may well be more frequent than accurate identification. Is the tradeoff worth it?
• Opinion article by Friedman. The energy bill gives big handouts to big oil and not much to research on alternatives. Fucking up the free market, in precisely the wrong direction. How incredibly myopic.
• Market Segmentation for airfare. The high spenders, though, will probably find a way to save money.
• Tierney on the drug war. Hmm, excessive zeal in pursuing drug use, including cops fucking up the lives of the innocent. How … novel? Not really.

UK’s perspective on culture clashes with violent sects of Islam in the wake of the London bombings.

• Article. It raises the interesting question of an appropriate response in a civilized society to a miniscule subsubculture that is difficult to identify out of the larger subculture. Not too disimilar in nature to the problem in the Netherlands, several years back. I wonder what they’ve done about that.
• Another article. Similar theme.

So yesterday was the last day for the other interns. We didn’t interact that much, so why is it so saddening? I mean, I did like them. Sandra is going back to nyc, and I likely won’t be seeing her again, or maybe just the next time I happen in to nyc. And Katie I’ll be seeing in like 3.5 weeks. We’ll be taking “program evaluation” together. Maybe we’ll team up on yet another project. That would be amusing. =)

But, I think it was at least partially the reminder that this is temporary. And I’m going away next week. Goodbye GAO, for at least 9 months. Goodbye project that I was getting attached to. Goodbye cool people. Back to school. I never thought I’d be so sad to leave a cube. =)

If I get the SF offer, I’m taking it. If I get the Chicago offer or the Denver or Seattle offer (they both have natural resources & the environment as team options), well, I’m thinking of applying to a PhD program or two relating to energy economics, particular with a focus on alternative energies, and a niche specialization of biomass. First choice school: berkeley. I’m nothing if not persistent. I’m also thinking of checking out the Canadian GAO equivalent, the OAG. (heh, I only just noticed that it was the reversal of the acronym. How cute).

And an additional fun thing: They’re looking for an econ TA, still. I was too busy/lazy/depressed to apply in May. If I do this, I’ll have a 10 hour/week research appointment, and a 10 hour/week TA position, plus 12 credit hours of classes. On the upside, all bills will be paid with ease. On the downside, ouch, that’s alot of hours.

Hrm. Also thinking of getting to know the new Science & Tech policy prof, & soliciting her for an RA appointment for the spring. She got her PhD from CMU’s EPP program. Her interest is carbon sequestration. Enh, who knows?

The Trip is a homo movie from ’02. And it doesn’t suck. It’s definitely got alot of mainstream movie qualities which make it not so much my bag, but I did like it. There’s the stereotypical homo, who grows up (btw, I never knew starred in a major release, clever of him to use a psuedonym, though I’m not sure “Jim Handy” was the best choice 😉 and the alcoholic, party animal mom, and the flaky female friend. But all of them change in surprising ways through the movie. And it actually has a touching love story at the core. I recommend it.