Yet more Tech-Cartel news.

Angel investors are super rich people who invest their own money in tech startups at a very early stage. This is opposed to venture capitalists who generally invest other people's money at all stages of a firm's growth. Angelgate is the allegation that these angels regularly meet to fix prices and ensure they all make as much profit as possible, that is to say they are the very definition of a trust.

This accusation has brought us the non-news that Nerds are terrible, covertly racist and greedy selfish assholes in the form of an incoherent incensed word vomit of denial from David McClure, one of those who profited from Paypal. His APS (ad hominems per second) and anger level suggest there is some truth to Michael Arrington's claims. Even if there aren't by God McClure is just awful. I thought YOSPOS was the exception, alas it seems to be the rule.

UN states the obvious.

A UN investigative panel has found that attacking a convoy in international waters flying a foreign flag is illegal for good measure the panel also called the blockade of Gaza unlawful.

In response Israel has likely mentioned the holocaust and anti-Semitism being the only reason international law exists.

Ok free climbings is bad but what about free running?

look forward to a link from jonny explaining how I inadvertently endorsed neo-nazism with this video.

Instant opinion UK Public sector pay info.

I'm in a bit of a rush atm but I just looked at the BBC investigation's public sector pay figures. While I'm not condemning or anything and I am aware there are issues of context and we're never going to see how private sector salaries leaked in a similar way but still. Also it is in the interest of the current government to paint public sector workers as overpaid.

Anyway here is the list (you might need to click around different headings) but the maddest thing I've seen initially is that a number of GPs are earning more than Sir Jock Stirrup head of UK Defence staff.

Weird things are occuring. anyway gotta go, hopefully will offer my analysis later.

There already was a Mosque at ground zero.

Jonny linked me this a while back and it fell into the elephant graveyard of tabs. Anyway as the title suggests the proposed Muslim Community centre, if it were a mosque, wouldn't be the first Mosque at the site of the two towers. Man this would've had more impact if I posted it when I was linked it. :sigh:

sorry jonny

Cuba isn't giving up on communism.

There has been a lot of bluster over the past week about the reforms in Cuba being a sign of the end of communism. However it would seem instead that Cuba is realigning its' economic system to be more in line with Hugo Chavez's system of co-operative based local economic systems. Since Chavez receives plenty of slander and hatred from the US this isn't quite the victory of capitalism most journalists have been portraying it as. But the truth of this, as with the truth of how Cuba survived peak oil likely isn't of interest to the corporate media.

Myths about Spiders.

I have been pondering recently on why we find small rodents cute when as a species they're a threat to our food supply, spread disease and so on, apparently its a consequence of the evolutionary need to find babies cute. Regardless that lead me on to wondering about why human beings generally don't like and are often afraid of spiders who are supremely beneficial to humans in their consumption of numerous pests. I don't know that but I did google to see if I was mistaken in thinking spiders so useful, I wasn't but I did find this great website that dispels various myths about spiders.

While I'm not very good at science I like to read any kind of academic subject and find out things I'd just assumed to be fact aren't correct at all and this list has several myths I'd completely bought into so it was fun to have my perception of the world shifted a bit. Also even if you're an arachnophobe its worth a look because the list explains how spiders are often less dangerous than they're thought to be.