Last updated on: August 19, 2012 at 4:57 am By Paul Fidalgo

There are no rights in nature, only in a society with a legal system and a police force. Does Copyright Matter? by Tim Parks | NYRblog | The New York Review of Books Read more

Last updated on: August 19, 2012 at 3:20 am By Paul Fidalgo

My dear young friend,” said Mustapha Mond, “civilization has absolutely no need of nobility or heroism. These things are symptoms of political inefficiency. In a properly organized society like ours, nobody has any opportunities for being noble or heroic. Conditions have got to be thoroughly unstable before the occasion can arise. Where there are wars, where there are divided allegiances, where there are temptations to be resisted, objects of love to be fought for or defended—there, obviously, nobility and heroism... Read more

Last updated on: August 19, 2012 at 2:50 am By Paul Fidalgo

I don’t want good causes like secularism and skepticism to die because they’re infested with people who see issues of equality as mission drift. I want Deep Rifts. I want to be able to truthfully say that I feel safe in this movement. I want the misogynists, racists, homophobes, transphobes, and downright trolls out of the movement for the same reason I wouldn’t invite them over for dinner or to play Mario Kart: because they’re not good people. We throw... Read more

You are Stuck with Joe Biden

Last updated on: August 17, 2012 at 8:27 pm By Paul Fidalgo

So there is this small flurry of rumors fluttering about the murkier reaches of the Beltway media saying that President Obama has been courting Hillary Clinton to join him on the 2012 ticket in place of Joe Biden, and these rumors of course have nothing to do with the fact that Romney is not only touching politics’ third rail with his choice of Paul Ryan, but that he has gotten down on all fours and licked the third rail until... Read more

Last updated on: August 17, 2012 at 4:49 pm By Paul Fidalgo

In the event, we have not only missed a chance to do some good for Alexander Aan (however remote that possibility was); we have made it look as if the secularist movement is a toothless tiger. If we can’t rally 25,000 people to sign a carefully drafted petition that contains no scary detail that ought to put anyone off … well, what can we do? How can we expect to have any political clout at all in these circumstances? Alexander... Read more

It’s More or Less in the Bag

Last updated on: August 5, 2012 at 5:12 pm By Paul Fidalgo

I worry a lot. Bad things really do happen. Unexpected things. It’s smart, I think, to never be too comfortable that you fail to prepare for contingencies. But it looks like some folks are finally beginning to admit one thing: Obama is almost certainly going to get reelected. Ignore the tight race of the national polls, because it’s all about the Electoral College. Michael Tomasky at Daily Beast lays it out, first adding up the probable outcomes for the East... Read more

Alexander Aan and Me

Last updated on: July 20, 2012 at 2:44 pm By Paul Fidalgo

Considering the maniacal focus I’ve had on the case of Alexander Aan at work, it’d be remiss of me not to deal with it on my own blog. So a quick recap. Alexander Aan, a civil servant in West Sumatra, Indonesia, posted on Facebook his lack of belief in God and some satirical cartoons about Islam. As a result, he was beat by an angry mob, arrested for atheism, and charged with disseminating information that might incite religious hatred. He... Read more

In Which I Explain What You Can Do with Your “Phone Stack”

Last updated on: July 10, 2012 at 11:49 am By Paul Fidalgo

This is crap: . . as you arrive [at the restaurant], each person places their phone facedown in the center of the table… . As the meal goes on, you’ll hear various texts and emails arriving… and you’ll do absolutely nothing. You’ll face temptation—maybe even a few involuntary reaches toward the middle of the table—but you’ll be bound by the single, all-important rule of the phone stack. Whoever picks up their phone is footing the bill. I hope I never... Read more

Love’s Humble and Astounding Magic

Last updated on: July 8, 2012 at 9:23 pm By Paul Fidalgo

A good friend of mine, and a fellow I’ve been honored to share the stage with for several productions, recently gained a daughter-in-law. James Keegan’s son Thomas married Alyssa Wilmoth, both of whom are good friends, former Shakespearean colleagues, and one-time Toby-sitters. James was tasked, as dads are, with delivering a toast at the wedding reception, and everyone knew to expect something very good and moving, considering James’s wit, intelligence, breadth of literary and theatrical bona fides, and power of... Read more

Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft Keynote Gimmicks

Last updated on: July 4, 2012 at 2:46 pm By Paul Fidalgo

Inspired by the conversation on the recent edition of John Gruber’s The Talk Show, here’s a totally unscientific comparison of some approaches to product introductions at huge tech keynotes. Google Glass (2012): “Hey look, this shit’s great for video conferencing while jumping out of airplanes and rappelling down a building!” Microsoft Surface (2012): “Hey look, this shit is so hardcore it’s like destroying a chunk of rock with a big metal spike!” Apple MacBook Air (2008): “Hey look, this shit fits... Read more