The Gift that Keeps on Giving...

... you know who I am talking about. Karl Rove doesn't need to have a super-secret election strategy. All he needs to do is let the Democrats open their mouths.


As for my lack of blogging lately, I have been trying to stay away from my computer as much as possible. Like TigerHawk, blogging hasn't me keep in shape.

Tremors

Apparently the North Korean's don't like to do things in halves. I would be surprised if the actually tested 3 more weapons. From what I understand, they don't have enough fissile material for more than 8 or so bombs. So testing half their possible inventory seems a bit much. This could indicate several things:

1) The North Korean's have access to a lot more fissile material than we knew about. This would be bad.

2) Some, or all, of the bombs being tested are not North Korean, but Iranian. This would be bad.

3) The North Korean's know they won't be attacked unless they attack first, so they set off bombs in order to get attention, and thus increase the blackmail they intend to extort. Not quite so bad. I actually think at this point that ignoring the NorKors might be the best option.

Thoughts for the Day...

I have been busy lately, blogging has suffered naturally. Some thoughts for today:

Reports that North Korea may be getting ready to test another nuclear weapon indicate two things to me: either their first test was considered a failure and the loss of another bomb in a successful test is considered worthwhile, or perhaps they are testing a bomb of a different type. The first weapon was apparently plutonium based, while the next one might be uranium based.

It appears that Wesley Snipe's movie career is over. At least in this country. I guess with his career never reaching meteoric heights, he decided to make the most of what little he had... oops.

Karl Rove seems pretty confident (Hat Tip: Drudge). I wonder if he is merely counting on the Democratic Party's impulse to snatch defeat from the Jaws of Victory, or whether the GOP has its own October surprise ready to smash aside the Foley scandal. At this point, my money is on the former.

Digital content is going to be a major source of legal contests in the future, with Battlestar Galactica the latest case. Expect the fight between TV and Internet content to pick up. Smart companies should see a major market waiting to be exploited, if they handle their cards right.

Unlike this scientist, I think that trying to guess what humanity will look like in 1000 years is probably a waste of time. However, if humanity does survive until then, and assuming we haven't experienced another Dark Ages, I do rather expect that cheap bio-sculpting will make it much easier for people to match genetically determined "ideal sexual specifications." One would hope that when everyone can become beautiful, personality will finally become the primary determinant in relationships.

Earthquake

Literally, it refers to a shift in the status of the Earth's continental plates. Figuratively, it refers to another shift, one not related to geology, but a shift non-the-less. There are now reports that North Korea tested a nuclear weapon this weekend. The link can be found here. Expect that, if the rumors prove true, the Foley issue will be considered markedly less significant in the week ahead.

Update: A lot of different sources are reporting this now. I think its a >90% at this point.

Update 2: The NorKs are claiming that they did, in fact, test a nuclear weapon, and that it was a test. This with South Korea picking up a seismic event.

Second Dawn

Well, rumors are circulating that North Korea will test a nuclear weapon this weekend. I don't know how accurate these rumors are, but if true, I think its indicative of one of two things:

1) North Korea's threats thus far have been unsuccessful, and because no one takes them seriously enough, they have decided to be even more provacative.

2) Iran and North Korea are working together, and this test is actually a test of an Iranian weapon, and not a North Korean one. I believe that someone at Winds of Change, perhaps Trent, suggested that before.

I am inclinded towards the first course of action, with a twist. North Korea might be trying to distract attention away from Iran right now. The two might be working together in a more subtle way than a bomb test for Iran.

As the saying goes...

...absence makes the heart grow fonder. Of course, I meant to post that I would be take a roughly month long sabbatical, but a flight time change left me unable to do so. Sorry for those of you who occassionally checked in. And thanks to anyone who might have actually worried.