Syrian Quagmire

I keep loose tabs on what’s going on regarding the US’ “no boots on the ground” deployment in Syria. And, frankly, it’s really hard to tell: the US media is suspiciously quiet about it (I assume they have been told to shut up)  – when I go to outside sources, it gets confusing, fast. The overall impression I come away with is that Turkey is shooting at everyone, the US Air Force has a terrorist organization (the PKK – Kurdistan Worker’s Party, a leftist revolutionary group listed as a terrorist organization by NATO and the US) directing air strikes, and ISIS is cropping up in places that the media hasn’t been talking about.

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Transgender Day of Visibility —

I came late to this particular party, since I had my head up in the clouds of my own cyber-despair. I don’t know how you are collectively feeling, but I feel like there’s plenty of despair to go around. And, living up here in the deep dark south, like I do, Transgender Visibility [wikipedia] is definitely a problem. So let me tell you about something that happened in 2004, which made me feel so good about a few of my fellow human beings. I can only hope it was a positive moment for them, too, but I didn’t spoil it by asking.

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Using a Password Vault

LastPass is, right now, “scrambling to fix another vulnerability” [ars] but I’m going to talk about it anyway. The unfortunate reality of how software is written nowadays is that it’s practically impossible to write reliable code – there are too many layers of abstraction and somewhere down in the bowels of something you embedded from someplace else, there are bugs.

I’m going to explain things a bit then I’ll drop into a nice easy workflow you can use to get this problem taken care of and have passwords off your plate, forever.

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Szechuan Style Scrambled Eggs With Tomatoes

This is a recipe I learned from a guy I used to work with. It’s a simple, fast, and super delicious dish that can be re-interpreted in a variety of ways. I was once served a version of this made with leftover salsa and nachos – and it was pretty good. You can make this in much less time than it takes to discuss it, and it’s barely harder than basic scrambled eggs. So give it a shot!

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Monday Meslier – From the Preface

Jean Meslier Portrait

Jean Meslier

“You know,” said he, “my brethren, my disinterestedness; I do not sacrifice my belief to any vile interest. If I embraced a profession so directly opposed to my sentiments, it was not through cupidity. I obeyed my parents. I would have preferred to enlighten you sooner if I could have done it safely. You are witnesses to what I assert. I have not disgraced my ministry by exacting the requitals, which are a part of it.

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