Scientific results are always provisional, susceptible to being overturned by some future experiment or observation. Scientists rarely proclaim an absolute truth or absolute certainty
Due to a snowstorm in Istanbul my flight was diverted to Antalya [wikipedia.org] yesterday. After several hours crammed in the too small airport (some people were there 16 hours! I only spent 6ish hours,) we were transferred to hotels. I ended up in Rixos Sungate. An everything included vacation site that seems to cater mostly for Russians. The place has a spa, water park, theater, plenty of beach. More bars than you can shake a vodka at… much of it closed this time of year mind you. But all the food and booze was included, must have cost the airline a fortune. This morning on the way to breakfast I snapped the above photo with my iPhone. The scenery is beautiful. The ocean was amazing shades of blue. Too bad I didn’t bring my big camera on this trip. Too bad I only had one afternoon. There are some Roman ruins and beautiful landscapes around. Maybe one day.
Right now I’m in the lounge at Istanbul waiting on the final leg of my flight. And for that I had to buy a extra business class ticket because there are something like 30 thousand people here trying to reissue their tickets for the flights that got canceled or because they got diverted. It’s complete chaos. I saw two near fights, exhausted and confused people trying to get home or to their destination. Typically, no one knows what’s going on, everybody has a different story…
This is the third year in a row going for a annual event held in January I have had flight issues due to weather. Can we do this some other time next year?
This morning a colleague handed me two DVDs: The Shining and Blade Runner. He borrowed them from me nine — NINE — years ago. When we worked together at a different company! Thanks R—-! I have digital copies of both that I bought in the interim… but at least the Kubrick boxed set is complete again.
Now, has anyone seen my Criterion Collection copy of Seven Samurai?
I am genuinely ashamed at the triumph of bigotry in the US tonight. I am terrified by the effect this will have for the world. In global warming, free trade and liberalism in general and to the US in the long term shift from open to close this most likely signals. To the makeup of the Supreme Court and its impact on the lives of people for a generation to come.
In a not so far off future, an increasingly elderly society is decimated when massive numbers of people over 65 suddenly overdose. After much investigation the culprit turns out to be a group of young political activists who seek to save their future by eliminating retired people who are costing more and more in public health expenditure while also dominating the political process through their numbers. The effect of their age and voting block is that they keep raising the taxes of younger working people to fund their ever increasing healthcare needs. How did the hackers bring about an instant change in the political landscape? By hacking into internet connected automatic pill dispensers all the retirees use…
