Happy Birthday, Sputnik
You crazy, shiny, beeping ball, you. Fifty years young today.
It was supposed to herald the dawn of the new Space Age. But, it didn’t. That one is still a few generations down the road, if it’s ever coming at all. What it heralded was the Communications Age, when information became instantaneously available around the globe. […]
Muay Thai
Last night, my son and I went to see a Muay Thai boxing match. This is not the sort of thing I usually do, but my nephew was fighting for the Canadian welterweight championship and I felt that he should have some family support there.
I hadn’t been to a match before, so I found some […]
All Things Must Change
Nevertheless, there is something terribly sad about building a road to the foot of Mount Everest. I understand what China is trying to do, and it’s nothing that we in the west have not done ourselves.
But one of the things that has always made Everest special was its very remoteness. Now, tens of millions of […]
Manifest Destiny
Confession #1: I supported the invasion of Iraq.
Confession #2: I still don’t think it was a bad idea.
Confession #3: It was a big mistake.
Concession #1: Those who predicted a disaster were right for the right reasons.
Concession #2: They were right about their own military.
Concession #3: They were right about […]
