David Frum's Blog, page 79

Steve Jobs, Philosopher-King CEO

Tim Wu describes how Apple managed to overcome the "open-beats-closed" rule of technology companies. When we examine the major players of the past 20 years, companies like Microsoft rose to power because their software and operating systems were open to a wide variety of hardware and devices. AOL, on the other hand, failed because its model was not open the same way the Web is. Apple's products, though, are severely closed, yet it managed to rise to the top in the aughts.

Frankenstein vs. Hitler

Behold,one example of the impact of colonialism:

What Scientific Method?

A bill being considered in the Oklahoma House of Representitives would prevent teachers from giving a student’s paper a failing grade if it tries to disprove biological evolution or anthropogenic (human-driven) climate change.

Here's One Version of a Pro-Family Tax Policy

Tim Carney's got an idea:

The $20,000 Obamacare Myth

Jed Graham takes apart the myth that a family of four will have to pay at least $20,000 a year for healthcare under Obamacare:

Iwo Jima's Anniversary

The battle of Iwo Jima opened 68 years ago today. In honor of the day, and for your viewing pleasure, here's a link to a contemporary (color!) documentary about the battle, To the Shores of Iwo Jima, now on YouTube.

Two Rules for Talking Guns on the Internet

Two horrifying gun incidents yesterday and today involving young children.

This Nathaniel Bedford Forrest Deserves a Memorial

A friend writes in:

Do Guns Make Us Safer?

Robert VerBruggen at National Review Online offers a reply to my CNN column on guns. I'll respond to Robert more fully later today, but in the interim, here's an appetizer portion of an answer to Robert's claim that thousands of gun accidents per year (more than 600 of them fatal!) are hardly worth bothering about:

How Fast Can You Name All The Presidents?

Play against the clock and see if you can name all 44 presidents of the United States in under 10 minutes.