background preloader

1stRead 1

Facebook Twitter

Cuccinelli is using the law to pursue a vendetta : Pharyngula. I was shocked to see that the Virginia attorney general has filed papers against the climate researcher, Michael Mann. Mann had worked at the University of Virginia for 5 or 6 years, doing climate studies that cost the state about a half million dollars over that time. (To put that in perspective, that’s a middling sized grant; big biomedical researchers can get much more than that.) Cuccinelli is claiming that Mann committed fraud, and wants to demand all that money back.

There are no grounds to consider Mann to have committed any breach of ethics. The sole foundation for his legal attack is the hacked email messages from the CRU, which contained no nefarious revelations…other than that some scientists are really pissed off at clueless denialists like Cuccinelli. Most annoyingly, Mann was already subjected to an ethics review, again driven by people complaining about the CRU emails, and was completely absolved of any wrongdoing. This is a witch hunt, nothing more. THE EXILED - MANKIND’S ONLY ALTERNATIVE. Official Google Webmaster Central Blog. FLA Politics. Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO. Fitbit has discontinued their Fitbit One step trackers, which seems like a good opportunity to step back and reflect on wearing one for the last decade or so.

I’ve enjoyed using Fitbit trackers, but the One devices seemed like they broke down too often. I’m pretty proud that I ended up earning all the activity-related Fitbit badges though: In 2013, I ran a 50 mile race and I took 110,472 steps that day. I think I did some extra steps late that night just in case Fitbit ever increased their top step badge from 100K to 105K or 110K steps. The lifetime miles badge took care of itself as long as I wore my Fitbit. The same applied for the lifetime floor badge: I’ve climbed 73,383 floors in the last few years, and that badge tops out at 35,000 floors. But the Rainbow badge was a little harder: 700 floors in one day. DC isn’t known for its high buildings. That’s how I found myself on a Sunday morning in July 2018. Wait a second–the badge is only for 700 floors, so why did I climb 800+ floors? Inside AdWords. Culture Monster: All the Arts, All the Time. Jan Chipchase - Future Perfect.

Unclutterer. Top 10 little-known Gmail features (Part 2) The Daily Howler. Glenn Greenwald - Political Blogs and Opinions - Salon. Official Google Reader Blog. James Fallows | Author and Journalist. This morning I had the privilege of giving the commencement address at the University of Vermont—UVM, home of the Catamounts, in Burlington. My wife Deb and I, and our colleague John Tierney, visited UVM several years ago and wrote about it in our American Futures series, notably with John’s piece about the school’s emergence as a “public Ivy.”

Seven Days, the financially-and-journalistically successful weekly based in Burlington (which I’ve also written about), has a story about today’s commencement, here. The University’s story is here. Since the talk drew on various themes that recur in this “American Futures” thread, I’m attaching the text, below. Go Catamounts! Commencement remarks University of Vermont May 21, 2017 James Fallows President Sullivan, Governor Scott, honorary degree recipients, faculty and staff, friends and family, people of Vermont and beyond, and above all members of the class of 2017 — greetings, and congratulations!

Let’s go into that case. Let me explain. Official Gmail Blog. Around the World with Daily Photoblogs Old and New. St. Petersblog | Blogshares. Blog. The Consumerist: Shoppers Bite Back. Digg / Technology. Design Observer: writings about design & culture. Design Observer: writings about design & culture. European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress. The Big Picture. Lifehacker, the Productivity and Software Guide.

Photoblogs.org - The Photoblog Resource. Firedoglake - Firedoglake weblog. The Voice of the City. The Work of Micah J. Bauer. Informed Comment. Hullabaloo. Slashdot News for nerds, stuff that matters.

Blog of a Bookslut. Blog. ArtsJournal.com. Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things. The Huffington Post. Cool Hunting. Firedoglake. Crooks and Liars.

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall. Eschaton. Think Progress. AMERICAblog: Because a great nation deserves the truth.