Thursday Miscellany!!

[maxomai]

• In Egypt, we learn that the United States helped bankroll the anti-Morsi movement. Which means, in effect, that all this hand-wringing about whether Morsi's ouster was a coup is just kabuki. Justin Raimondo lays it out for us here.


• Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are throwing money at the interim Egyptian government ... probably with the tacit understanding that elections, civil liberties, and the like, should not be a priority. If there's anyone who's threatened by the Arab Spring, it's the arthritic monarchies of the Peninsula.


• A Q-poll of 2014 American voters shows that a majority view NSA leaker Snowden as a whistleblower, not a traitor; which once again goes to show that the political leadership and pundits are painfully out of touch.


• Microsoft is undergoing a massive reorganization after more than a decade of stagnation and losing ground to Apple, Google, Amazon, and others. And yet, Steve Ballmer remains at the helm, when any reputable analyst would suggest that his first move should be to fire himself. Still, there is good news - you can't get fired for buying Microsoft. (Parenthetically, remember when IBM was, you know, relevant?)


• Are you on the J. D. Holmes mailing list? You should be. If you were, then you'd know that the re-release of Cults of the Shadow is now available for pre-order.


• College students are really enthusiastic about math and science, until they realize that they're actually really hard. Draw your own parallels.

Comments

Kabuki Theater

[arkham4269.livejournal.com]

Given how the U.S. is spying on pretty much everyone (Yes I'm talking about you, you NSA wankers!) should it surprise anyone that we'd have our hands involved in this?

Snowden is a criminal. He is also, a whistleblower not a traitor. Now the issue is was his crime something which he should be pardoned for due to the immense value of what he uncovered or is he still going to have to face charges for releasing information he knew would get him jail time?

That's always the problem with whistleblowing. If things go well, you're a freedom fight and if things go poorly, you're a traitor.

I cannot see how Microsoft expects to continue to function when it has been blatantly ignoring its beta testers for as long as I've known them. The fact that big companies with lots of money who should have the procedures and the talent continue to roll out crap which they immediately have to back-pedal on is mind-boggling.

I mean was anyone surprised that nobody likes 8? I mean all the beta testers I talked to and pre-reviews were all in the "GOUGE OUT MY EYES NOW!" variety. You think that would tip Microsoft off. However I suspect that Microsoft main Holy of Holies is you make your target release date no matter how crappy the product. PERIOD.

re-release of Cults of the Shadow

[paradoxosalpha.livejournal.com]

Any reason to think it will be better the second time?

Re: re-release of Cults of the Shadow

[maxomai.livejournal.com]

I suppose that depends on what one thinks of Mick Staley's editing.

(I didn't appreciate Grant either, until I re-visited Hecate's Fountain after doing a lot of Enochian watchtower work and a little Dragon Rouge work. The moment I realized I understood what he was talking about was one of the scariest of my magical life thus far.)

Re: re-release of Cults of the Shadow

[paradoxosalpha.livejournal.com]

The minute I "understand" that "ayin = zero," just shoot me.