David Frum's Blog, page 138

How Did We Become Our Parents' IT?

Someone once joked that the Tea Party Movement was my generation's punishment for teaching our parents how to use the Internet. As many of us know, that teaching continues on a daily basis; a big part of the Thanksgiving ritual for many will involve going through a punch list of parental computer issues before being allowed to sit down and eat turkey. In my family, I am the IT guy. A friend -- who is his aged mother's IT guy -- forwarded me this transcription of a phone exchange he...

Before There Was Pussy Riot

Nothing is as dangerous to a regime as its youth -- particularly when it is exposed to Western culture. Here are a few quotes from Anne Applebaum's new book, Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1945-1956, that will demonstrate the lengths young people are willing to go to piss off their elders.

Tomasky & Frum

What's in a Prediction?

I'll be spending part of my Thanksgiving break reading Nate Silver's The Signal and The Noise. When finished, I'll write up something for the bookclub. Until then, enjoy this quote that is slightly relevant to an epistemic bubble this blog discusses on occasion.

Weird: Redditors Aren't Really That Interested in Politics!

Molly Redden has the scoop on this utterly unsurprising story:

Let Kids be Kids

So this essay from A.A. Gill might be the greatest thing I've ever seen:

Frum-Shrum

The latest Frum-Shrum podcast is now available. If you've got some extra free time this weekend, here's a great way to spend 20 minutes.

Popping the Epistemic Bubble

Mark Adomanis chronicles an all too frequent issue for movement conservatives: that nasty failure to fully understand arguments before writing nasty screeds* in response:

Paying People to Lie to You Has Consequences

Dan Senor talks of a "systemic" crisis in right-wing polling that misled the Romney campaign.

Take Responsibility for Your Actions, Iran!

The Times of London reports that Iran is running short of anesthetics.