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Back to Normal
Feb. 3rd, 2011 10:08 amThings in Chicago are, if not completely back to normal, approaching there rapidly. City side streets have still not been plowed, so I have a couple of people working from home today. Some of the off-ramps, turning lanes and the like are closed, and, thanks to the sub-zero weather, the salt on the roads is not doing much good. Having said all of that, we have nearly a full house at the office and work is happening.
Moving from the "all snow, all the time" this blog is in danger of becoming, a couple of interesting pieces of content:
1) The always-interesting blog Information Dissemination reports that Somali pirates are starting to physically assault hostages. They are doing this largely for the same reasons pirates always beat up their victims - to instill fear. Fear that, in this case, prevents navies from assaulting pirated ships. Unfortunately, this will not end well. Some crews, fearful of assault, will resist, and some navies will respond even more aggressively. Mind you, an aggressive response is needed, but "needed" is not the same as "good."
2) On a more positive note, a long but amusing review of the new Chevy Volt. My favorite part (and a damned accurate assessment of the American car-buying public) is:
What makes the Volt the Darling of Detroit is that it has been reverse-engineered to match the perverse American psyche. Americans hate buying gas but love to drive. We definitely want to stick it to the sheikhs, and in the process maybe save the planet, so we want cars that run on sunshine, twigs and happy thoughts. But these cars also have to kick some ass. And be able to make an impulsive 90-mile run to Philly when we suddenly have a hankering for cheese steak. And we don't want to worry about hunting for twig refueling stations along the way.
Go read the whole thing.
Moving from the "all snow, all the time" this blog is in danger of becoming, a couple of interesting pieces of content:
1) The always-interesting blog Information Dissemination reports that Somali pirates are starting to physically assault hostages. They are doing this largely for the same reasons pirates always beat up their victims - to instill fear. Fear that, in this case, prevents navies from assaulting pirated ships. Unfortunately, this will not end well. Some crews, fearful of assault, will resist, and some navies will respond even more aggressively. Mind you, an aggressive response is needed, but "needed" is not the same as "good."
2) On a more positive note, a long but amusing review of the new Chevy Volt. My favorite part (and a damned accurate assessment of the American car-buying public) is:
What makes the Volt the Darling of Detroit is that it has been reverse-engineered to match the perverse American psyche. Americans hate buying gas but love to drive. We definitely want to stick it to the sheikhs, and in the process maybe save the planet, so we want cars that run on sunshine, twigs and happy thoughts. But these cars also have to kick some ass. And be able to make an impulsive 90-mile run to Philly when we suddenly have a hankering for cheese steak. And we don't want to worry about hunting for twig refueling stations along the way.
Go read the whole thing.
