Category Archives: Opinion Pieces

Ruminations on Legal Systems

Posted on March 14, 2012 by lost

I have had occasion to ponder the basis of the legal systems used in many Commonwealth countries and also in other former British colonies. This basis is often called “common law”. Common law is basically law as defined by decisions … Continue reading →

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Climate Change and Heat

Posted on March 2, 2012 by lost

It’s currently the “in” thing to talk about anthropogenic global warming (AGW), which is the notion of global warming being caused by human activity.  Whether AGW is real or not is not the point of this post, however. Neither is … Continue reading →

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Sustainable Settlement

Posted on February 27, 2012 by lost

Sustainability is the buzzword of the day. Everyone wants sustainability. But somehow, everyone seems to miss the point of sustainability. Have you heard a policy maker talk about “sustainable growth”? That’s utter nonsense. Anyone putting a bit of thought into … Continue reading →

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The Coming Apocalypse

Posted on February 23, 2012 by lost

The apocalypse is coming and it cannot be stopped. Let me assure you that I am not one of those religious nut jobs who climbs up on a soap box on a handy street corner to scream at passers by … Continue reading →

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Cleaning Up an IT Mess

Posted on December 20, 2011 by lost

So you have a shiny new job managing the IT infrastructure for Acme Widgets Inc, a company that has been in business for decades. You have barely sat down at your desk when the telephone rings. You pick it up … Continue reading →

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Is the Earth Really Doomed?

Posted on November 24, 2011 by lost

If one listens to the currently fashionable hype, the entire planet is doomed simply because some primate creatures are muddling about on and near its surface. The hype can be succinctly summed up with the following statement: “ZOMG! The Earth … Continue reading →

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Web Hosting

Posted on October 17, 2011 by lost

These days, it seems to be cool to select the lowest price option for anything, regardless of the merits of the service selected. In some cases, that is fine. However, one common case where this may not be the best … Continue reading →

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On Debt Ceilings and Defaults

Posted on July 25, 2011 by lost

There has been much commentary about the furore in Washington, DC. The US Treasury is running out of credit because it has reached the maximum it is allowed to borrow (the “debt ceiling”). Congress can fix that by raising the … Continue reading →

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Canada Post Shutdown

Posted on June 15, 2011 by lost

Canada Post is currently not operating. That means that no mail is being delivered anywhere in Canada. This is, of course, only the most recent development in a long running feud between CUPW and Canada Post. For the tl;dr crowd: … Continue reading →

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Time Streams in Fiction

Posted on June 10, 2011 by lost

Temporal effects are a common gimmick used in science fiction and fantasy. Unsurprisingly, it is handled with varying degrees of competence in various circumstances. In fact, aside from magic and/or technology (depending on context), it is probably the most mishandled … Continue reading →

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