Boomers

Boom Times:

For this NYT story to have the meaning they ascribe to it, the following things would have to be true:

1) Saddam had plans for nuclear weapons that were highly advanced;
2) So highly that -- as I read the timeline -- they were better than fifteen years' further along than Iran's plans;
3) ...even with the help Iran received from AQ Khan (which may explain why Saddam's government turned down Khan's offer to sell them technology).

Now that kind of puts the war in a different light, doesn't it?

Inkblot

"Like, it's an Inkblot? And it tells about your mind?"

Tickle, a webservice that hosts what they are proud to call "Ph.D. certified tests," has their "inkblot" test free right now. If you like online tests (or if, like me, you enjoy mocking psychology), you might want to stop by and spend a quick few minutes at it.

I have a theory about the subconscious too -- to whit, that it's pretty obvious to everyone around you where your subconscious mind is these days. Everybody can tell, for example, when the two kids in accounting have the hots for each other but don't know it yet. It's something humanity is well hardwired to do.

That being the case, longtime readers doubtless have a pretty good idea what drives me. You won't be surprised, therefore, by my results:

Your unconscious mind is driven mostly by Peace!

I'm sure that's just what we'd all have guessed.

There's a long writeup, of which I'll give you the intro. I expect that pretty much all the results prove that you're a natural leader, etc., since Tickle is selling the product and no one wants to hear that they're a psychopath. Still, it's amusing.

By having your unconscious mind driven most by Peace, it appears that you feel a level of comfort with yourself and with your surroundings that many people lack. By having respect for others and caring about the world around you, you may have gained a reputation for kindness and personal integrity. This can make you a role model for others who'd like to be as driven by the same high ideals as you seem to be. While you may want to be comfortable and have nice things, ambition and financial gain probably aren't the things that drive you most. You're more likely lead by a desire to live by your own high personal standards and moral code.

People who have peace as their unconscious drive tend to be independent thinkers who appreciate taking the time to get to know themselves well. If this is true for you, you're probably not one to shy away from life's big questions. You may even seek out chances to learn new things about yourself. By being willing to examine who you are and staying open to your environment, you foster a kind of fearlessness that can continually enrich your life.

See how you fare. I'll buy lunch for the first person who gets a result that doesn't prove that they're secretly admired by all humanity for their high ideals and excellent character.

UPDATE: The wife looked it over, and said, "That's really accurate. You create peace and order around you. Whether people like it or not."

Yeah, OK. I'm a peacemaker. Just like Colonel Colt.

Foxtrot

Cartoonists on Electric Voting:

Armed Liberal at Winds of Change recently linked to this Foxtrot cartoon on electronic voting machines. Now, I see that DilbertBlog has a few things to say too:

there’s a 100% chance that the voting machines will get hacked and all future elections will be rigged. But that doesn’t mean we’ll get a worse government. It probably means that the choice of the next American president will be taken out of the hands of deep-pocket, autofellating, corporate shitbags and put it into the hands of some teenager in Finland. How is that not an improvement?

Statistically speaking, any hacker who is skilled enough to rig the elections will also be smart enough to select politicians that believe in . . . oh, let’s say for example, science.... The important thing with democracy – and this has always been the case – is that the citizens a) Believe the election result is based on the common sense and voting rights of the citizens, and b) Have enough handguns to wax any politicians who gets too seriously out of line (also known as a “check and balance”).

And here the definition of “seriously out of line” would not include humping interns and stealing from taxpayers. Those things should be allowed, even encouraged, so we can attract the most capable candidates from private industry.

Call me an optimist, but electronic voting machines make me feel good about my country.

Is it too late to start selling bumper stickers that say “I think I voted”?

Well, that makes me feel a lot better. I think InstaPundit is right -- paper ballots are the wave of the future! Except, of course, that the hackers will oppose it.

Key Races

Key Race Concept:

As we come down to the end, it is clear enough that we're not fighting over a nationwide referrendum -- in spite of stories about "right track/wrong track" polls, the truth is it's several key races that are going to determine control of the government this year. Nowhere is that clearer than here in Georgia, where George Bush flew past Atlanta (passing over my head on the way -- Air Force One and escort soared above us about midmorning), and campaigned in nowheresville the little rural college town of Statesboro.

The appearance drew this bit of press:

Bush made Monday’s stop to boost the campaigns of Congressional hopeful Max Burns and the Georgia governor.

“It makes me feel comfortable to be here in a state where your governor wears cowboy boots,” the president said.

The boots, complete with a state seal, even drew the envy of a Secret Service agent who admired them when Perdue arrived for the morning rally.

Hey, that is cool.

Valor IT Challenge

VALOUR-IT Challenge:

The Project VALOUR-IT military challenge has begun for this year. Cassandra is griping that BlackFive mislinked in his post, sending Marines to the wrong "leader" page. The real leader of the Marine team is Cassidy herself.

Well, I've got a gripe too -- she forgot to invite me to join the team. Or Doc, either, it appears.

In spite of the fact that we were not invited, I signed us up for the Marine team. If you're able, please help out.

I assume all readers here know what Project VALOUR-IT is about, as it's something we've talked about often since its inception. If you are new to MilBlogs, see here, through which you can also find links to make donations. Sadly, IEDs as a chief means of war have led to many servicemen who deserve, and need, their aid.