Davison online
The life and times of the world’s
most self-deluded online superstar
News & Commentary
North Carolina ranking near Cuba on the democracy scale
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article122593759.htmlNot sure how much to care here. It's appalling, to be sure, but on some level states should have the leeway to govern themselves as they see fit. Not planning a visit to NC anytime soon, though.
The Manchurian Candidate
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-intelligence-community-232463 Trump, a career businessman with no national security experience, has long taken positions that have alarmed intelligence officials, such as supporting torture and suggesting that it's OK to kill the family members of terrorists. His choice of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a man...
You can’t believe a word he says
http://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/11/a-reflexive-liar-in-command-guidelines-for-the-media/508832/Most people would hesitate before telling easily disprovable lies like these, much as shoplifters would hesitate if the store owner is looking at them. Most people are fazed if caught in an outright lie. But in these cases and others, Trump never blinked....
Fantastic, so-called, Beasts and Where to Find Them
— WARNING: Spoilers ahead. — No Harry Potter movie has been as good as the book, and that has not changed with J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Whereas the motivating premise of the Harry Potter series was a boy discovering that he was a wizard with magical powers, and by extension the pleasing fantasy for readers and...
Fidel Castro, death of a tyrant
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/fidel-castro-en/article117186483.htmlHistory will not absolve.
It’s only democracy at stake
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/11/activists-urge-hillary-clinton-to-challenge-election-results.htmlNormally, I'd call this sour grapes lunacy, but we know that the Trump campaign was in cahoots with the Russians and we know that the Russians interfered in the election. To what extent is unclear, but you can bet I would call for a recount. I...
Trump’s Foundation
https://apple.news/AM4zNVUW6R32QbRhTzv-p6wIn September, a Trump campaign spokesman rejected the idea that Trump had done anything wrong, by using his charity’s money to buy art for his bar. Instead, spokesman Boris Epshteyn said, the sports bar was doing the charity a favor by “storing†its art free of charge.Tax experts said that this argument was...
Apple Watch tanks Swiss watch sales
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-22/swiss-watch-exports-suffer-biggest-monthly-drop-in-seven-yearsApple Watch impact right here. Why wear just a time piece?
102 million dead trees in California
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-dead-trees-20161118-story.htmlAt some point Climate Change deniers have to confront reality. Or at least one would hope.
Facebook’s declining value
http://arstechnica.com/staff/2016/11/its-time-to-get-rid-of-the-facebook-news-feed-because-its-not-news/Fundamentally, the Facebook News Feed has two problems: It's frequently made up of fake news, and the user doesn't control the feed.
Essays
Dear Mom & Dad: Get an iMac
What can I say? I think it worked. July 28, 1998 Dear Mom & Dad: Get an iMac. I can't communicate it any more plainly than that, but if you force me to, I am willing to try Esperanto, mime, or semaphore. You've had what I'll politely term a "marginally successful" relationship with your current and first computer, a Compaq 486 SX, and I can only hope that the trials you've endured with that machine haven't ruined your enthusiasm toward computers in general. If it's ruined...
The Death Penalty: Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong
I don't know if it's true what they say about Catherine the Great and her stallion, but I like to think that here I've brought the same combination of unbridled passion and imagery to the topic of capital punishment. Granted, my horseplay is a little more figurative and literary, but trust me, this is solid entertainment. Hey, have I let you down so far? Neigh! I don't mean to spoil the ending for anybody, but odds are pretty good that we're all doomed. Specifically, unless...
World Cup Soccer: Ratings ‘R’ Us
The truth as I see it so far as France '98 was concerned. Who was the best forward? How could the U.S. have done worse? Why do you care? These questions and more, answered. Well, except for that last one. Biggest surprise: Croatia 3, Germany 0. 2nd biggest: France 3, Brazil 0. 3rd biggest: U.S. announcers are just as bad as they were four years ago. Dumbest foul: Ariel Ortega headbutting Holland's keeper in 88th minute to earn a red card. 2nd dumbest: Nope, nothing came...
US World Cup ’98: 3-6-1 Hike
A cautionary tale of a nation, a team, and a coach who thinks he knows more than the next guy. Sheep to the slaughter courtesy of a bizarre soccer formation and goofy player personnel selection. It's time-honored, it's easy to do, and in this case, it's absolutely on the mark: I blame the coach. When it comes right down to it, the United States deserved a whole lot better in World Cup '98 than to finish dead last, team number 32 of 32. But coach Steve Sampson clearly didn't...