Eric James Stone's Blog, page 9

Tweets for the week of 12-01-2012

Blog post: http://t.co/ZZOwoDWv – Tweets for the week of 11-24-2012 23:59:35, 2012-12-01
@YahooCare What do I have to do to get an IP unblocked from email? I've emailed customer care & used an online form with no response. 15:45:53, 2012-12-03
@YahooCare Thanks for responding. It's a different issue: I work for a web host & our IP is being blocked by Yahoo. in reply to YahooCare 18:00:44, 2012-12-03
@YahooCare It was blocked b/c a client email account was hacked & sent spam. We fixed the problem, but Yahoo mail still blocks us. 18:02:20, 2012-12-03
@YahooCare That was the 1st thing I tried, probably Wed. last week. No reply. On Fri., I tried emailing cc-advoc@yahoo-inc.com. No reply. in reply to YahooCare 18:23:19, 2012-12-03
@saladinahmed Because that's not a glamorous issue. Pick any hot-button issue that stars can get good press about, and Hollywood's liberal. in reply to saladinahmed 22:26:32, 2012-12-04
@kyliu99 I love my Kindle Paperwhite. It's exactly what I want in an e-reader. in reply to kyliu99 22:31:39, 2012-12-05
@AaronWJohnston Thanks. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's essays. in reply to AaronWJohnston 18:20:42, 2012-12-07

Tweets for the week of 11-24-2012

Blog post: http://t.co/k1nnbDgU – Tweets for the week of 11-17-2012 00:01:12, 2012-11-25
@jay_lake Be careful with that eliminationist rhetoric, Jay, lest it transform you into a conservative. in reply to jay_lake 10:06:56, 2012-11-26
Study finds running faster than 8mph doesn't reduce mortality (unless an 8.1mph killer is chasing you, presumably.) http://t.co/SpFyjPZT 23:11:47, 2012-11-28
@andregeleynse Lock them all in a room together and soon you'll have a smaller number of characters who are mass-murdering psychopaths. in reply to andregeleynse 22:14:28, 2012-11-29

Tweets for the week of 11-17-2012

Blog post: http://t.co/dBU5wjeU – Tweets for the week of 11-10-2012 00:01:14, 2012-11-18
In case you haven't heard the news: Darci and I agreed to update our Facebook relationship statuses to show we're engaged to each other. 15:50:19, 2012-11-21
My post on the Assn. for Mormon Letters blog examines the SF entries in the 4 Centuries of Mormon Stories Contest http://t.co/3Ew8NbH6 16:20:01, 2012-11-22

Tweets for the week of 11-10-2012

@stonemq Well done. in reply to stonemq 09:45:26, 2012-11-10
@jakeboyslim Can I come watch the game tonight? I'll supply pizza. 11:13:38, 2012-11-10
@sarahk47 Set up the permalinks in the settings, and WordPress will create an .htaccess file. in reply to sarahk47 11:17:59, 2012-11-10
@sarahk47 Hmm. That is strange. Have you tried just creating a blank .htaccess file? in reply to sarahk47 11:47:33, 2012-11-10
I just got shot. 17:08:23, 2012-11-10
Correction: I just got a flu shot. 17:08:43, 2012-11-10
@jakeboyslim I'm getting a medium that's 1/2 pepperoni & mushrooms and 1/2 sausage & black olives. What do you want, up to 2 toppings/side? in reply to jakeboyslim 17:39:38, 2012-11-10
@jakeboyslim No, you're fine. And that's exactly what I would have ordered for you if I hadn't heard back in time. in reply to jakeboyslim 18:28:12, 2012-11-10
Blog post: http://t.co/UCqtVunu – Tweets for the week of 11-03-2012 00:00:42, 2012-11-11
With my fantasy football team, if I start Peyton Manning, Matt Ryan gets more points that week, and vice versa. 14:17:21, 2012-11-11
@sarahk47 Glad you figured it out. in reply to sarahk47 09:48:25, 2012-11-12
@EricDSnider Wrong! Statistics show that the average Internet commenter is not as bad as Hitler. in reply to EricDSnider 16:26:46, 2012-11-12
RT @clarkesworld: Clarkesworld subscriptions became more important today. (I just lost my day job.) Subscribe here: http://t.co/sEP42zXh 08:04:33, 2012-11-13
Jindal's my current favorite for 2016 // Jindal: End 'dumbed-down conservatism': http://t.co/55pMBCo7 08:39:48, 2012-11-13
From a news article: "The treatment is non-evasive…" Good, because I hate it when treatments try to evade me. http://t.co/HDDrMUEq 11:53:16, 2012-11-13
RT @davisac1: Fun fact: If you paste a Dickens novel into Microsoft Word and then click "Widow/Orphan Control" all the words disappear. 13:32:29, 2012-11-13
@MonkeySloth @howardtayler @monsterhunter45 @alanbahr Parole board finally came through for you, huh? in reply to MonkeySloth 14:15:47, 2012-11-13
@shinydistractns @njrabit @ferretthimself GOP Post-Election Sale! Everything 47% off! in reply to shinydistractns 14:21:34, 2012-11-13
@IMAO_ A Doubleclick ad on your home page is redirecting me to a 404 page after a few seconds. 15:26:48, 2012-11-13
RT @IMAO_: I'm really enjoying Google's "search other people's emails" feature. 17:03:49, 2012-11-13
RT @amylutz4: I'm siding with Antonin Scalia on this one –> http://t.co/rryGEklj #tcot 17:09:29, 2012-11-13
@jaredgarrett The film adaptation of the Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, R2-D2 & C-3PO toy figurines was pretty good. in reply to jaredgarrett 11:28:00, 2012-11-14
@AletheaKontis I thought mermaids didn't go to college because they would find the lectures dry. #OhYouSaidMermaidCollage in reply to AletheaKontis 13:21:38, 2012-11-14
@aliettedb Not always. For example, killing in self-defense, which usually (but not always) involves killing guilty people. in reply to aliettedb 15:52:43, 2012-11-14
Blog post: http://t.co/gQvksMap – It's time to end the federal war on drugs 08:35:48, 2012-11-15
Don't make your club's first rule a restriction on talking about the club. (Exception: Go ahead & not talk about the Tired Cliche Club.) 13:39:13, 2012-11-15
@amysundberg What does Skyfall usually wear? in reply to amysundberg 18:26:56, 2012-11-16
Anyone else mildly disturbed by the Aflac ad in which the happy worm cheerfully raps, then is devoured by baby birds? http://t.co/XMo8LVdc 19:13:59, 2012-11-16
@jamietr Have you tried # or ***? in reply to jamietr 19:19:23, 2012-11-16
@jamietr OK, how about: Seven years, three months, and eighteen days later… in reply to jamietr 19:47:42, 2012-11-16

It’s time to end the federal war on drugs

Over the past couple of years, I’ve gradually come to the conclusion that the costs of drug prohibition are too high. In this, I’m lagging far behind some conservatives, who started opposing the war on drugs more than a decade ago — National Review declared “The War on Drugs Is Lost” back in 1996. The invasions on people’s liberty and privacy, the use of overwhelming force (sometimes against innocent people), the perverse incentives of asset forfeiture laws, the imprisonment of millions of people (disproportionately minorities) and the consequent impact on their families, not to mention the billions of taxpayer dollars spent (OK, I guess I did mention it) — all of that seems to have done very little to actually reduce the number of people getting addicted to drugs and suffering the consequences.  All we seem to have accomplished is to grow the size and power of government, and at this point we can’t afford as much government as we have.

Two states have voted to legalize marijuana (in addition to the states that have legalized it for medical use.)  Let’s turn the issue of “recreational” drugs over to the states and let them decide what to legalize, under what regulations.  If Nevada wants to legalize heroin while Utah keeps it illegal, so what?

The federal government’s role should be limited to making sure that recreational drugs in foreign and interstate commerce are only going to states that have legalized them.  There will need to be regulations to cover things like flying from one state to another where the drugs you’re carrying are legal in both places but you change planes in a state where the drugs are illegal, and other situations that might arise.  But that will not require nearly as much manpower and funding as the current war on drugs.

Tweets for the week of 11-03-2012

Blog post: http://t.co/SYZ42Ouh – Tweets for the week of 10-27-2012 23:00:59, 2012-11-03
This is pretty awesome: Ethiopian kids with no education learn on their own from tablets, hack them in 5 months: http://t.co/ABYoqI8e 10:50:52, 2012-11-05
RT @nathanshumate: My Amazon reviews are still there. Should I be happy or insulted? 10:51:36, 2012-11-05
Folks, the past tense of "read" is "read," but the past tense of "lead" is "led," not "lead." If "lead" rhymes with "red" it's the metal. 14:20:04, 2012-11-05
Your Candidate is going to lose – http://t.co/7IeeeOX3 via @TimesandSeasons 14:58:14, 2012-11-05
RT @DylanByers: One of these columns is longer than the other RT @nytimes: The newspaper endorsements that switched party from 2008: htt … 17:02:10, 2012-11-05
Longest line I've ever seen to vote in Eagle Mountain, Utah. 08:50:59, 2012-11-06
Fortunately, the L-Z line is considerably shorter than A-K. #AmVoting 08:54:02, 2012-11-06
Was proud to cast my vote for @MiaBLove and @MittRomney. #IVoted 09:08:28, 2012-11-06
RT @JeffHouck: Don't think of it as an election. Think of it as the anniversary of when guys named Chad started to hate their name. 10:01:37, 2012-11-06
Short story collection "Eyes Like Sky And Coal And Moonlight" by @CatRambo is free on Kindle today: http://t.co/QFzm2Q0H 10:07:46, 2012-11-06
RT @KenJennings: Romney could still win this if too many Dems accidentally write-in "Nate Silver" with little hearts around it. 10:08:15, 2012-11-06
RT @deppisch: OUTRAGEOUS! A photo I took of a black panther at my polling station in TN: http://t.co/A22o8Eh5 11:11:29, 2012-11-06
My expert opinion as a computer programmer: Letting the voters SEE you've switched their votes is poorly designed vote-stealing software. 12:10:11, 2012-11-06
@Dustyg013 @ferretthimself My point is that it's most likely a malfunction, not treachery. in reply to Dustyg013 12:56:10, 2012-11-06
@Dustyg013 Definitely. The voter did the right thing in calling attention to it so the machine could be taken out of service. in reply to Dustyg013 13:07:06, 2012-11-06
RT @DanHopp: NO ELECTION SPOILERS TONIGHT PLEASE I'm still on Debate 2 14:57:42, 2012-11-06
@tchernabyelo See my earlier tweet for my take on this being voting machine fraud: https://t.co/IlSbgBik in reply to tchernabyelo 15:01:42, 2012-11-06
@tchernabyelo :) in reply to tchernabyelo 15:07:26, 2012-11-06
RT @IMAO_: Exit polls consistently over-represent people who are exiting. 15:56:58, 2012-11-06
RT @JonahNRO: Proof exit polls are unreliable: 70% of voters say Star Wars prequels "much better than originals." 16:20:08, 2012-11-06
@MosesSiregar In 2000, I planned to stay up until the election was decided. I gave up on that plan at around 6am. in reply to MosesSiregar 16:24:54, 2012-11-06
@JonahNRO But the polls haven't closed here yet! in reply to JonahNRO 16:58:19, 2012-11-06
At this crucial juncture in our nation's history, I just have to say: This is my 2200th tweet. 17:01:10, 2012-11-06
Sorry, it was actually my 2201th tweet. Twitter was displaying an incorrect total. 17:02:15, 2012-11-06
Actually, I should have said 2201st, not 2201th, in my previous tweet. I apologize for the error. 17:03:20, 2012-11-06
Overheard at the office (people I don't know, talking about the election): "It takes 170 votes to win." 17:23:10, 2012-11-06
More overheard: "Why isn't Texas a battleground state? I swear it's like the biggest state ever." 17:26:10, 2012-11-06
Overheard: "What does incumbent mean? It says that under Barack's name." 17:31:18, 2012-11-06
Overheard: "I bet people are listening to us and saying, 'Those girls are so stupid.'" 17:32:14, 2012-11-06
CNN currently shows 33-3 EC vote in Romney's favor. If this trend continues, it will end up 489-49 for Romney. #ItWillNotContinue 17:46:16, 2012-11-06
Rather than obsess about election results, I'm going to @BrandSanderson's signing in SLC. #IHaveASmartphoneSoIWillStillObsess 17:53:58, 2012-11-06
Eating a pint of Denali Extreme Moose Tracks ice cream as comfort food. (It's OK — it's within my calorie budget for the day.) 22:18:32, 2012-11-06
Anyone who spread rumors about Romney controlling voting machines in OH is obviously not part of a "reality-based community." 13:38:40, 2012-11-07
@pattyjansen "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." — Groucho Marx in reply to pattyjansen 23:33:30, 2012-11-07
RT @IMAO_: I love libertarian advice for the GOP, because if there is one thing libertarians know, it's winning elections. 07:20:00, 2012-11-08
RT @IMAO_: The country is pretty divided. How do we end that? Some sort of war with space aliens? 11:52:58, 2012-11-08
@MosesSiregar Warbling: expensive or flashy jewelry obtained through military action? in reply to MosesSiregar 17:14:54, 2012-11-09

Tweets for the week of 10-27-2012

Blog post: http://t.co/VgI3ldwH – Tweets for the week of 10-20-2012 23:59:54, 2012-10-27
RT @monsterhunter45: BOOK BOMB today! Space Eldritch! http://t.co/tGGCjxWT 09:09:58, 2012-10-29
RT @IMAO_: My biggest fear about hurricanes is with all those strong winds coming off the ocean you could get airborne pirates. 14:59:08, 2012-10-29
@JAPittsWriter You should nickname the car "Vlad." in reply to JAPittsWriter 16:47:24, 2012-10-29
RT @IMAO_: Good tweet for Nate Silver on Nov. 7th: "What happened was a possible outcome according to my model." 16:55:20, 2012-10-29
My scuba certification card arrived in the mail. From now on, please refer to me as "Eric James Stone, Certified Open Water Diver." 23:05:50, 2012-10-29
RT @BrianTMcClellan: @EricJamesStone So you are now certified to ride the subway in New York. Excellent! 23:19:46, 2012-10-29
@jason_m_heller Or maybe they did, but decided helping people was more important than avoiding snarky comments. in reply to jason_m_heller 12:04:33, 2012-10-30
@jason_m_heller Romney campaign found that South Jersey Red Cross was accepting canned good donations. http://t.co/TqkekBq9 in reply to jason_m_heller 12:24:00, 2012-10-30
RT @IMAO_: LUCAS: "$4 billion if you want me to do another Star Wars movie."

DISNEY: "How much for you not to do one?"

LUCAS: "You could … 16:39:02, 2012-10-30
RT @alliedelec: 9-Billion-Pixel Photo of Milky Way’s Center – http://t.co/uvd2yUWq #universe 12:54:51, 2012-10-31
RT @politicalmath: "I wonder if there is another side to this political story. I should research it further" – no one on Facebook 15:50:48, 2012-10-31
RT @IzykStewart: Does anybody else store their thumb drives with the USB port facing up? You know, to keep data from leaking out? Just w … 16:22:25, 2012-10-31
George Lucas is selfishly putting money from the sale of Lucasfilm into an educational charity instead of paying taxes on it. #Greed 22:37:38, 2012-10-31
@scalzi @IMAO_ If I'm not convinced that human-caused global warming is a threat requiring immediate economy-wrecking action, am I stupid? in reply to scalzi 12:01:56, 2012-11-01
@scalzi @IMAO_ Change to "economically painful action." Better? Or do you think we can painlessly reduce net human carbon emissions to 0? in reply to scalzi 12:19:58, 2012-11-01
@scalzi @IMAO_ Meanwhile, "It's global warming, stupid!" doesn't get any criticism for rhetorical slanting. Instead, it's "brilliant." in reply to scalzi 12:31:47, 2012-11-01
@scalzi @IMAO_ Seriously, I'm curious as to what was slanted. "Human-caused?" If we're just talking natural warming, the cover's pointless. in reply to scalzi 12:35:23, 2012-11-01
@scalzi @IMAO_ "Threat?" If global warming's not a threat, then why be concerned about it? in reply to scalzi 12:36:06, 2012-11-01
@cathshaffer @scalzi @IMAO_ You're right, I missed that. in reply to cathshaffer 12:38:55, 2012-11-01
@scalzi @IMAO_ I don't see it as a separate topic. "Global warming" is generally shorthand for human-caused global warming. in reply to scalzi 12:42:03, 2012-11-01
@scalzi @IMAO_ Oh, OK. Then I'm not stupid. Because I believe the globe has warmed since the Little Ice Age in the 1800s. in reply to scalzi 12:46:35, 2012-11-01
@scalzi @IMAO_ But if you think that cover was aimed at people who deny the world has warmed since the Little Ice Age, try thinking harder. in reply to scalzi 12:51:07, 2012-11-01
@scalzi @IMAO_ I apologize for poorly constructing my question within the 140 character limit. in reply to scalzi 12:53:22, 2012-11-01
@scalzi @IMAO_ I think this conversation just jumped the shark there. in reply to scalzi 13:15:25, 2012-11-01
@morriswm I wondered the same. There's a From link in the address field. (Click on the address field if the From link isn't there.) in reply to morriswm 15:07:34, 2012-11-01
RT @mental_floss: Is It Legal to Kill a Zombie? — http://t.co/iXrUZufN 11:18:16, 2012-11-02
RT @GreatDismal: Never make the mistake of assuming people you disagree with politically can't be extremely intelligent. 12:25:48, 2012-11-02
I've made a prediction for the election here: http://t.co/JT58tugD (I reserve the right to change my prediction before the polls close.) 16:38:44, 2012-11-02
@robisonwells @jaredgarrett @marionjensen Fancy resumes don't want to rid the world of greed. #Degreed in reply to robisonwells 17:50:32, 2012-11-02
@josiskilpack @robisonwells According to a (now defunct) conspiracy website, LDS stands for Lizard-Dinosaur-Snake. in reply to josiskilpack 19:00:39, 2012-11-02

Tweets for the week of 10-20-2012

Ran (and walked) 6 non-treadmill miles today in 59 minutes 30 seconds, and boy are my legs tired. #Rimshot #NotAJokeCancelRimshot 11:15:44, 2012-10-20
Blog post: http://t.co/gHMtc867 – Tweets for the week of 10-13-2012 23:59:10, 2012-10-20
@PeterAhlstrom @TheDanWells How about FULL OF WHOLES? ;-) in reply to PeterAhlstrom 14:36:20, 2012-10-22
RT @IMAO_: What did people do in the weeks leading into a presidential election before polls existed? Churn butter? 15:40:10, 2012-10-22
@CandaceSalima 1781, maybe? in reply to CandaceSalima 15:55:47, 2012-10-22
I think the makers of the Mini Cooper should make a car called the Mini iPad and dare Apple to sue them. 17:13:59, 2012-10-23
@EricDSnider Only the fourth since 1976. in reply to EricDSnider 18:07:14, 2012-10-23
If I were Obama, I'd release the records to make Trump pay up & show he's a buffoon. (Unless I was hiding something really bad.) 16:50:07, 2012-10-24
To be clear, I think Trump is a buffoon, but $5 million for charity is nothing to sneeze at. 17:45:43, 2012-10-24
If we're putting Italian scientists in prison, how about we imprison the ones who failed to give us faster than light neutrinos? #IwantFTL 21:55:07, 2012-10-24
Blog post: http://t.co/LtjwaG4h – Four Centuries of Mormon Stories Contest Discussion: Release 10:24:57, 2012-10-25
@TravisHeermann @Salon http://t.co/bkSshyYM in reply to TravisHeermann 10:51:16, 2012-10-25
@TravisHeermann So, I take it that the mere HINT of in-person voter fraud is enough to get you to support voter ID laws? in reply to TravisHeermann 11:17:06, 2012-10-25
@HelBell @rachelswirsky Yes, if you use a charity's trademarks to sell your work w/o permission, you may run into trouble. in reply to HelBell 16:42:17, 2012-10-25
@TravisHeermann Except the capability of controlling the whole ballot box exists only in the fevered imagination of a lefty journalist. in reply to TravisHeermann 22:46:26, 2012-10-25
@RandyTayler @cspokey Didn't you hear? Round corners are the intellectual property of Apple, Inc. in reply to RandyTayler 13:36:55, 2012-10-26
RT @EricDSnider: Get it right, people. Frankenstorm was the name of the meteorologist, not the storm. 13:37:35, 2012-10-26
@scalzi After Penguin/Random House merger there will be query letters like: "Dear Pen-house, I never thought I would write a book, but…" in reply to scalzi 17:09:15, 2012-10-26
The story-behind-the-story for my #IGMS story "Write What You Want" is now up on the Sideshow Freaks blog: http://t.co/Hsrtj78T 17:26:24, 2012-10-26

Four Centuries of Mormon Stories Contest Discussion: Release

I’ve mentioned the Four Centuries of Mormon Stories Contest a few times.  Everyday Mormon Writer has just posted the first of the 22nd-Century finalists, “Release” by Wm Morris. I’ve been asked to host a discussion of the story. It’s short, so you can go read it there.

For the most part, I tend to be an optimist about the future of humanity and the gospel.  My story “That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made” posits a future in which Mormonism has literally spread to the stars in a high-tech society where people are basically free to worship as they please.  So it was an interesting contrast to read “Release,” set in an extreme totalitarian future society under which everything is well-organized and everyone is monitored via implants. Religion has apparently been banned, but the Church has found an imaginative way to continue its service below the threshold of detection.

Feel free to discuss the story below.

 

Tweets for the week of 10-13-2012

@jakeboyslim I was going to offer to bring pizza for the game, but then realized you're in NYC. 10:35:21, 2012-10-13
@jakeboyslim No problem. I can watch the game online. in reply to jakeboyslim 12:51:47, 2012-10-13
RT @Doorman2theSky: How come every time #BYU plays against a backup QB starting his first game, he has a career game? 16:49:02, 2012-10-13
Blog post: http://t.co/osVxWKwp – Tweets for the week of 10-06-2012 23:59:13, 2012-10-13
Read about how many people it takes to change a light bulb (and have a self-sustaining colony on another world): http://t.co/zsYOJIa6 00:10:37, 2012-10-14
About to do my second open water scuba session. Good outcome: I'll become a certified diver. There's a range of bad outcomes. 17:25:13, 2012-10-16
#ProTip: Anyone who says, "I'm conservative, but I'm voting for Obama because Romney is too conservative" is lying about being conservative. 08:53:04, 2012-10-17
Bizarre Coincidence: Democrats Get More Time in All Three Debates http://t.co/VMgF8F3X #NoLiberalBiasToSeeHere #MoveAlong 10:09:17, 2012-10-17
RT @IMAO_: Obama is helping income inequality since a woman without a job earns a 100% the same as a man without a job. 14:58:35, 2012-10-17
My post at the Association for Mormon Letters blog is an interview with bestselling YA fantasy author @becfitzpatrick http://t.co/ZtGXIAzY 18:28:30, 2012-10-17
RT @NMamatas: *BLAM!* Take that, baby Hitler! #fivewordstories 21:41:14, 2012-10-18
Hemingway story sale: 16.7% off! #fivewordstories 21:48:31, 2012-10-18
Asteroid approaches. Dinosaur spaceship fails. #fivewordstories 21:51:40, 2012-10-18
…loop. Stuck in a time… #fivewordstories 21:54:56, 2012-10-18