Disqus - Latest Comments for Jon Robinson

Re: A Logical Approach To Gun Laws

Jon Robinson — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 19:27:31 -0000

To reinforce your point:

http://www.mises.org/story/2556

Lew Rockwell writes that to carry or not to carry a weapon should be left to the individual actors ub society since they alone can judge how much risk they have and how to deal with it. Central planning will always fail.

Another example of citizens stopping killers short is the mall shooting that happened in Utah last year (I think - to lazy to look it up). The killer marched into the mall and began shooting people. He was then shot by a civilian carrying a gun.

The killer boys of Columbine were in the school for 2 hours before the cops finally found them. If a teacher or two had a gun, the story might have ended with less people dead.

Re: Big Changes Afoot

Jon Robinson — Sat, 12 May 2007 16:16:28 -0000

Chris Pearson is a good designer.

Re: MMA: Jackson Knocks Out Liddell In First Round

Jon Robinson — Tue, 29 May 2007 04:12:42 -0000

I wanted Chuck to win, but I figured Rampage would. I'm sure we will see more Pride fighters since UFC bought Pride (you knew this right?). They bought the WEC and WFA as well.

Re: What Feeds/Sites Do You Read?

Jon Robinson — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 04:19:38 -0000

I hope you get lots of feedback because I have been looking at my feeds wishing they were better....I need some input too. Maybe you can send me your OPML? Anyway, I do have a suggestion for you but it isn't a feed. It's a volume of short books called the "Uncle Eric" books by Richard Maybury. They have had a HUGE impact on my world view and I think you would enjoy them for the enlighted reasoning and explanation of world history, economics, etc. You can check them out at http://www.chaostan.com/ericA.html

Re: Episteme

Jon Robinson — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 03:46:25 -0000

Great topic. I own an early edition of Brittanica's great books, you might want to check out that list too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Books_of_the...

Each one I read becomes an absolute favorite but the all time must read for me so far is "War and Peace". Other favorites: Discourse on Method by Descartes and The Law by Bastiat (not usually on great books lists, but represents a large body of liberal thought from the 19th century). I'm working on the Brothers Karamazov right now, which I think you would like.

Re: Random Goodness

Jon Robinson — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:35:37 -0000

Holy Crap. Nice Find. Where did you get that?

Re: Random Goodness

Jon Robinson — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:59:52 -0000

257-32836-10280-512-40960-43690 40bpm

Re: Was This Necessary?

Jon Robinson — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:42:37 -0000

Hell no.

Re: Productivity: Efficiency’s Forgotten Sibling

Jon Robinson — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:34:55 -0000

That's why I stopped reading lifehacker and 43 folders.

Re: Barry Bonds’s Home Run Record [Isn't]

Jon Robinson — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 17:33:17 -0000

I don't mind anyone taking steroids. It shouldn't be illegal. Hitting a homerun now is not much of a feat compared to long ago, but so what. The pitching is much faster now too, which makes it harder to hit. At one time having 300 hp in a car was an amazing accomplishment, but not anymore. It's not a big deal. Maybe they should just make the walls higher or the fields bigger.. I don't see any way of logically differentiating between enhancers and, for example, normal food. Food is an enhancer. Training is an enhancer. Any line that is drawn will be arbitrary and will cause controversy. The only thing that makes sense to me is to allow anyone to perform as well as they can with whatever technology they have available. (Where can I get some of that synthetic blood?)

Re: Saying No To “www”: A Fortune 50 Company Analysis

Jon Robinson — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:52:10 -0000

I wonder if it would be different amont technology vendors?

Here are some I tested:

Secure Computing, Symantec, IBM, Microsoft, Ubuntu, Juniper, F5 redirect to www

Blue Coat, Checkpoint, McAfee, RSA, accepted the request.

Couldn't find one that didn't accept the non-WWW request.

Re: The Re-Evolution of Mixed Martial Arts

Jon Robinson — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 21:08:47 -0000

I think two reasons grappling has become less effective are the fact that there are rounds and that they stand the fighters up for the sake of the spectators. Grapplers tend to be patient and wait for positions to open up rather than forcing things and wasting their energy. This doesn't work under the current UFC rules as much and makes it appear that the oppenent under attack is defending well.

I think it is worth considering the fact that the bottom grappler in the guard position can't strike the kidneys with his heels. This takes a tool away. There are other rules which change the game in a similar way.

Re: Dumping Firefox. Going to Safari.

Jon Robinson — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 19:38:35 -0000

I switched to Safari a few months after I bought a mac (10 months ago). I tried it out and it isuch more pleasant to use (I'm using the new beta now, which is also nice) and has better integration with the rest of the system. I found it much faster, but that seems to be different for everyone. I still use Firefox for the Web Developer, Search-status and DownThemAll, when I need them.

I met the guy in charge of the Firefox UI at the Web 2.0 conference. I mentioned that they need to fix the UI on Mac and he said they don't have any clear guidelines from Apple. It was then I noticed that Safari, Mail.app, iTunes, etc, all have different looks. I guess the Firefox folks haven't decided which direction to go.

Daniel, I remember you posted about only using Microsoft kit when using Windows to make sure the experience was what they wanted...you should at least try that out with Apple too.

Re: Dumping Firefox. Going to Safari.

Jon Robinson — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:48:38 -0000

@Daniel I don't use any firefox shortcuts, and that is probably why I found it so easy to switch to Safari....

@Steven I'm not absolutely sure what type-ahead find is, but in the Safari 3 beta, the find function is brought up to speed to Firefox's.

Re: Swedish Woman Vomits on Live TV, Continues Taping

Jon Robinson — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:18:22 -0000

That's hilarious, but that's not Swiss.

Re: The TextMate Test Post

Jon Robinson — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:32:27 -0000

I've been using that for a while and thought of suggesting it to you when the WP editor didn't work with Safari for you. It kills, especially since they added the feature to define the slug as well.

Re: Economics as the Solution to Cognitive Dissonance

Jon Robinson — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:37:55 -0000

I would have to agree with that, particularly if you are talking about Austrian economics. Some of the brands of economics use "science" to endorse or justify certain government policies and regulations. The Austrians start from this axiom that humans act by using means to obtain ends. Their ends are individualistic and self-centered. The Austrians do not claim to know unrevealed individual preferences nor do they deduce the need for government interventionism in the market. Acting man is able to create working arrangements with other acting men that benefit all involved.

Re: The Best Argument I’ve Ever Heard For Why Someone Believes in God

Jon Robinson — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:25:11 -0000

I have been an active Mormon all my life. The problem I have with them (and this probably goes for most religion) is that they are superstitious and live with a great amount of cognitive dissonance. I'm familiar with many Mormons like your friend. He places weight on his personal experience to prove that his faith and beliefs are correct, but Mormons don't stop there, they go on missions and believe their faith is correct for the whole world - the whole universe even. This despite the fact that other religious people experience the same "spirit", "burning bosom", "enlightened mind", etc. Daniel, you even showed a youtube video on here that demonstrated this. Unlike your Mormon friend, I have since discounted all of my spiritual experiences and now require more tangible, duplicable and universal evidence. I accept there are things I don't/can't know and have stopped trying to predict the future.

Re: Iran is Bad, Pakistan is Good

Jon Robinson — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 01:59:11 -0000

Pakistan is the most dangerous place on earth. We are supporting Musharraf, who in turn suppresses most of the various ethnic groups in Pakistan. These groups now the US government supports Musharraf in hunting the "terrorists" and naturally develop a hatred for the US government. When Musharraf is overthrown, there will be more chaos than we now see in Iraq.

Here is how I look at Iran: How many ships and soldiers do they have in Chesapeake Bay? How many ships and soldiers do we have in the Persian Gulf? That explains everything in the Middle East if you ask me.

Re: 5 Things My Second Generation iPhone Better Do

Jon Robinson — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:14:56 -0000

you hit the nail on the head, but some of your bonuses for me are musts and vice versa

Re: 5 Things My Second Generation iPhone Better Do

Jon Robinson — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:15:41 -0000

airtunes would be sweet too

Re: More Sickening Than Goatse, Tubgirl, and 2G1C Combined

Jon Robinson — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:37:11 -0000

ya, we should have a strong miliary..but one designed to stay home and defend rather than go abroad and invade. South Korea was better defended on 9/11 than NY.

Re: This is my Ümlaut Page

Jon Robinson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:07:14 -0000

or you can just type alt-u then u. alt u makes the umlaut then you type the letter you want to finish it off. ë ä ü ¨¨¨¨You can just make umlauts too.

Re: This is my Ümlaut Page

Jon Robinson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:10:49 -0000

oh, and by the way...there is no umlaut on the word umlaut. I know you like to be pedantic. ;-)

Re: Three Powerful Safari Features That Few People Use

Jon Robinson — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:55:21 -0000

nice list. I would add the activity window to that list too.

Re: 8 Powerful Features of Safari That Few People Know About

Jon Robinson — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 02:43:08 -0000

now that's a nice list. what's this inline dictionary everyone is talking about?

Re: OS X: The Keyboard Shortcut for “Don’t Save”

Jon Robinson — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:29:37 -0000

you can just hit the space bar too.

Re: OS X: The Keyboard Shortcut for “Don’t Save”

Jon Robinson — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:35:50 -0000

i should clarify....since you have it turned on in the prefs that you have keyboard access to this menu (I can tell because of the highlighted blue shadow behind the Don't save button), you can tab that highlighted blue outline and to select the highlighted button you press the spacebar.

This drove me nuts when I switched to OSX a year ago so I hunted the trick down. That and not being able to alt+tab between windows of the same program. You can alt+~ instead. I'm still not used to that.

Re: Socialism, Anarchy and Ideal Government

Jon Robinson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:08:25 -0000

What evidence do you have that socialism keeps negative aspects of human behavior in check? Why do human flaws necessitate a "control system"? Are there beneficiaries of socialism? I think not. Anyone that benefits from state handouts only does so at the expense of whomever the state stole from. The state doesn't produce anything, it can only steal. Any such system set up to regulate humans can only be run by other imperfect humans at the expense of personal liberty. I would argue that socialism exacerbates human flaws and keeps all the wonderful human attributes from flourishing. Most of the world doesn't have a legacy or tradition of individuality like the West, but that doesn't mean they need a socialist state to rule over them to lift them out of the darkness, so to speak.

The idea doesn't lead to peaceful interaction between humans, mainly because it involves one set of "smarter" humans telling another set how to live. If the "dumb" humans don't cooperate they get killed or thrown in prison. History shows this. Socialism is no path to liberty. If you leave humans to themselves, good things happen. There will still be bad people doing bad things, but a free market will offer better means of protection and minimize the effects of forceful intervention (crime) over time. A socialist state (any state) is a vehicle for bad people to do bad things. In fact it gives them a monopoly to do so.

The argument against socialism and central planning is made much better by Frederic Bastiat in "The Law" or in "Economic Harmonies". Ludwig von Mises wrote a book called "Socialism", but I haven't read it yet. "Human Action" is highly recommended.

oh, and for passersby...anarchy means no state, not no law. Private law enforcement and judges would do a better job at protecting you than the state monopoly does now. Checkout "Chaos Theory" by Robert Murphy or "Democracy: the God that Failed" by Hoppe. Also, "For a New Liberty" by Rothbard is good.

Re: I Am, As of Today, Thoroughly Enthralled With American History

Jon Robinson — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:14:06 -0000

nice. don't forget the anti-federalists. the guys that thought the constitution created a leviathan. http://mises.org/story/2335</p>

Re: This Video Rejuvenates the Soul

Jon Robinson — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:15:15 -0000

yes. exactly. I love this video.

Re: Thoughts on Freedom, Equality and Socialism

Jon Robinson — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:34:28 -0000

Freedom and liberty, to the extent that we have seen it work, has helped the weak and feeble that undoubtedly would have died in centuries past due to disease and starvation. It has also given the average person, even a poor person, more comforts and riches than any medieval king could imagine. Freedom lets people create things that help eachother.

Isn't it self-evident that humans aren't equal in ability or circumstance? This is a fact of reality. Socialism is essentially a fight against nature and reality, since it tries to change human nature by changing laws and forcing citizens to do or not do certain things. Sure they may be trying to prevent evil, but they make it impossible to do good.

Re: Thoughts on Freedom, Equality and Socialism

Jon Robinson — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:59:32 -0000

@Daniel, I did read most of it. Don't even know where to start on that one. Didn't really like it. I agree that nature doesn't mean good. What I mean by socialism being bad because it is a revolt against nature is that it assumes it can change human nature by reorganizing society and ownership of existing capital. Or maybe it assumes there is no human nature and that all our behavior is determined strictly by how society is organized. Either way, it doesn't really map to reality, because to force everyone into a template of how a few people think society should be like, you have to remove their freedom to act. Without being able to act, trying to improve our lot in an uncertain future, then we aren't so human are we?

In a framework of liberty and private property rights, humans naturally trade to their mutual benefit, resources are used for new and better reasons, in ever more efficient ways, capital is created that saves us labor and benefits future generations (i.e. we are all free-riders on the past) and a sustainable way of reducing poverty is attained.

re your second comment: I agree with you that freedom and liberty doesn't make evil people stop being evil. It would however make it more difficult to be evil, since many of the incentives the State provides would be gone. The State apparatus rewards nasty humans and gives them a means to perform evil acts beyond reproach. What we essentially have when we accept the role of government as savior and protector is a monopoly on security. One that we are forced to pay and can't fire. The end result is this monopoly acts in the interests of the few that control it while we the people are less safe as a result. This is a fact of reality. Monopolies can't do things efficiently. In a framework of liberty, we would have a market for security. I could buy insurance to keep my family safe from x, y and z and the insurance company would be held liable if my wife got mugged or whatever. Competing insurance and security companies would do a damn better job at keeping individuals safe than the government regulation groups.

Re: Why I Carry A Gun: A Personal Anecdote

Jon Robinson — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:25:19 -0000

you and your friend rock.

Re: The Three MMA Fights That Absolutely MUST Happen

Jon Robinson — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:32:38 -0000

When has GSP ever fought at 155?

Re: This Woman is Everything Wrong With America

Jon Robinson — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:52:31 -0000

hard to imagine how people can operate under such delusion. "the lord will take care of us". No, your husband works his ass off to take care of you.

Re: It’s No Hubble, But…

Jon Robinson — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:54:16 -0000

I did the same thing.

http://img.skitch.com/20081203-8umwpa747nyf833qi7cw7budgg.jpg

Re: Why America Will Be Attacked Again Under Obama

Jon Robinson — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:44:11 -0000

i think you are right. also, dragging an empire into a guerrilla war in iraq, afghanistan and other remote locations is a great way to bring it down and eventually get them out of your hair forever. The "terrorists" can take out million dollar equipment with thousand dollar weapons. This leverage will drive the empire bankrupt and force it to leave, which I think is their ultimate goal. They just want us the hell out of their streets and homes, destroying their lives.

Re: A Great Video for Your Creationst Friends

Jon Robinson — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:39:39 -0000

and believe in magic

Re: The Best Piece of Writing About Freezing to Death That You’ll Ever Read

Jon Robinson — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:50:45 -0000

god would have just let the guy die…

Re: The Problem With Selling Information Security as a “Business Enabler”

Jon Robinson — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:12:16 -0000

I look at it like this. If you are a member of one of the companies line functions: design, production, sales, transportation, wholesale and retail, then you are a business enabler. If you are a staff function: legal, secretarial, custodial, PR, training, etc. then you are an expense. I consider security to be a staff function, but I may be wrong.

Re: Quicksilver –> Google Quick Search Box

Jon Robinson — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:11:22 -0000

can you run scripts from it? I'm assuming yes, but it didn't explicitly mention it on the google code page.

Re: Why I’m No Longer Warning People Before I Link to My Own Content Within Social Networking

Jon Robinson — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:42:15 -0000

it could also mean, "I wrote this so it is more valuable than the links I usually post."

Re: How NOT to Teach Gun Safety to a Classroom Full of Kids

Jon Robinson — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:43:07 -0000

stupid dumbass. I can't believe he was waving a loaded weapon around, saying it wasn't loaded. He should have been able to see since the slide was pulled back. If i was one of those kids I would have left the room. Where the hell did they find that guy?

Re: Force Ministries: A Real Website

Jon Robinson — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:13:32 -0000

I agree with Daniel on this interpretation. The web copy may be more tame, but that banner and that bible verse clearly indicate that they believe they are doing god's will by blindly following their government and harassing and killing people in remote parts of the world. It is a continuation of Manifest Destiny. They still believe that the USG is the house on a hill giving light to the entire world. This isn't new or unusual but I find it repulsive and shocking nonetheless. And to think I felt the same way a few short years ago.

Re: Google Skymap

Jon Robinson — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:15:39 -0000

I have 3 astronomy apps like that on my iphone.

Re: A Logical Approach To Gun Laws

Jon Robinson — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 19:27:31 -0000

Re: Big Changes Afoot

Jon Robinson — Sat, 12 May 2007 16:16:28 -0000

Chris Pearson is a good designer.

Re: MMA: Jackson Knocks Out Liddell In First Round

Jon Robinson — Tue, 29 May 2007 04:12:42 -0000

I wanted Chuck to win, but I figured Rampage would. I'm sure we will see more Pride fighters since UFC bought Pride (you knew this right?). They bought the WEC and WFA as well.

Re: What Feeds/Sites Do You Read?

Jon Robinson — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 04:19:38 -0000

Re: Episteme

Jon Robinson — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 03:46:25 -0000

Re: Random Goodness

Jon Robinson — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:35:37 -0000

Holy Crap. Nice Find. Where did you get that?

Re: Random Goodness

Jon Robinson — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:59:52 -0000

257-32836-10280-512-40960-43690 40bpm

Re: Was This Necessary?

Jon Robinson — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:42:37 -0000

Hell no.

Re: Productivity: Efficiency’s Forgotten Sibling

Jon Robinson — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:34:55 -0000

That's why I stopped reading lifehacker and 43 folders.

Re: Barry Bonds’s Home Run Record [Isn't]

Jon Robinson — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 17:33:17 -0000

Re: Saying No To “www”: A Fortune 50 Company Analysis

Jon Robinson — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:52:10 -0000

Re: The Re-Evolution of Mixed Martial Arts

Jon Robinson — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 21:08:47 -0000

Re: Dumping Firefox. Going to Safari.

Jon Robinson — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 19:38:35 -0000

Re: Dumping Firefox. Going to Safari.

Jon Robinson — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:48:38 -0000

Re: Swedish Woman Vomits on Live TV, Continues Taping

Jon Robinson — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:18:22 -0000

That's hilarious, but that's not Swiss.

Re: The TextMate Test Post

Jon Robinson — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:32:27 -0000

I've been using that for a while and thought of suggesting it to you when the WP editor didn't work with Safari for you. It kills, especially since they added the feature to define the slug as well.

Re: Economics as the Solution to Cognitive Dissonance

Jon Robinson — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:37:55 -0000

Re: The Best Argument I’ve Ever Heard For Why Someone Believes in God

Jon Robinson — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:25:11 -0000

Re: Iran is Bad, Pakistan is Good

Jon Robinson — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 01:59:11 -0000

Re: 5 Things My Second Generation iPhone Better Do

Jon Robinson — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:14:56 -0000

you hit the nail on the head, but some of your bonuses for me are musts and vice versa

Re: 5 Things My Second Generation iPhone Better Do

Jon Robinson — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:15:41 -0000

airtunes would be sweet too

Re: More Sickening Than Goatse, Tubgirl, and 2G1C Combined

Jon Robinson — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:37:11 -0000

ya, we should have a strong miliary..but one designed to stay home and defend rather than go abroad and invade. South Korea was better defended on 9/11 than NY.

Re: This is my Ümlaut Page

Jon Robinson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:07:14 -0000

or you can just type alt-u then u. alt u makes the umlaut then you type the letter you want to finish it off. ë ä ü ¨¨¨¨You can just make umlauts too.

Re: This is my Ümlaut Page

Jon Robinson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:10:49 -0000

oh, and by the way...there is no umlaut on the word umlaut. I know you like to be pedantic. ;-)

Re: Three Powerful Safari Features That Few People Use

Jon Robinson — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:55:21 -0000

nice list. I would add the activity window to that list too.

Re: 8 Powerful Features of Safari That Few People Know About

Jon Robinson — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 02:43:08 -0000

now that's a nice list. what's this inline dictionary everyone is talking about?

Re: OS X: The Keyboard Shortcut for “Don’t Save”

Jon Robinson — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:29:37 -0000

you can just hit the space bar too.

Re: OS X: The Keyboard Shortcut for “Don’t Save”

Jon Robinson — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:35:50 -0000

Re: Socialism, Anarchy and Ideal Government

Jon Robinson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:08:25 -0000

Re: I Am, As of Today, Thoroughly Enthralled With American History

Jon Robinson — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:14:06 -0000

nice. don't forget the anti-federalists. the guys that thought the constitution created a leviathan. http://mises.org/story/2335</p>

Re: This Video Rejuvenates the Soul

Jon Robinson — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:15:15 -0000

yes. exactly. I love this video.

Re: Thoughts on Freedom, Equality and Socialism

Jon Robinson — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:34:28 -0000

Re: Thoughts on Freedom, Equality and Socialism

Jon Robinson — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:59:32 -0000

Re: Why I Carry A Gun: A Personal Anecdote

Jon Robinson — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:25:19 -0000

you and your friend rock.

Re: The Three MMA Fights That Absolutely MUST Happen

Jon Robinson — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:32:38 -0000

When has GSP ever fought at 155?

Re: This Woman is Everything Wrong With America

Jon Robinson — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:52:31 -0000

hard to imagine how people can operate under such delusion. "the lord will take care of us". No, your husband works his ass off to take care of you.

Re: It’s No Hubble, But…

Jon Robinson — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:54:16 -0000

I did the same thing.

http://img.skitch.com/20081203-8umwpa747nyf833qi7cw7budgg.jpg