Morning Walk...

This morning's walk was glorious...  A sharp scent of sage was in the air, a consequence, I think, of our rains a couple days ago.  The ground is damp, and new growth is springing up all around.  The moon was high in the sky, just over Orion's head.  It's brightess washed out all but the brightest stars.  Jupiter hung over the western horizon.  I couldn't make out the Milky Way at all; the sky was just too bright.  The moonlight was more than bright enough to walk confidently by.  It cast sharp shadows; the pine tree shadows I walked through were particualrly lovely, reminding me of the shadows cast by lights on the Christmas tree.

The dogs, of course, know none of this.  The three field spaniels were agog over the smells exposed by the soils dampness.  They ran to and fro, in random directions but with huge energy.  This morning they found nothing to focus on.  They were like canine vacuum cleaners, zooming around sucking in all the joyous odors.  They were clearly very happy dogs.  Race, on the other hand, noticed none of this.  All he had eyes for was his pine cone.  As usual, he repeatedly laid it in my path so that I would walk over it and kick it.  This is how he gets his joy: chasing a kicked pine cone.  He runs it down, snags it in his jaws, then lifts his head high in sheer joy as he scampers about for 30 seconds or so of victory laps that take him all over the yard.  Then he comes back and lays his pine cone down again.

Another morning out in the chaparral...

Cocaine Prices vs. Crime Rates...

An interesting piece by Llewellyn Hinkes-Jones explores the idea that lower cocaine prices on the street are the cause for the declining rate of violent crime in the U.S. over the past 15 years or so.

I have no idea whether that notion has any merit.  However, inadvertently the article makes many points that bolster the case for legalizing drugs like cocaine.  One of the consequences of making such a high-demand item (as evidenced by the price people are willing to pay for it) illegal is that people will finance their desire by committing crimes – property crimes and violent crimes.  This country saw that during Prohibition, and rolled it back.  I, along with many others, believe we should do the same thing with other illegal drugs.  There's nothing special about alcohol, which manifestly has the same sorts of undesirable impacts on people and society that the illegal drugs do...

Free Programming Resources...

A nice list...

He Is A Second Dirac, Only This Time Human...

That's a quote by Dr. Eugene Wigner, taken from J. Robert Oppenheimer's letter of recommendation for Richard Feynmann.  The letter is addressed to Professor Birge at U.C. Berkeley.  The letter is reproduced below, but do click to read the whole story...

Bicycle Wheel, Reinvented...

The noise would make me crazy, but it's an interesting concept.  It reminds me of the old Lunar Rover design.  I'll bet if you put a layer of tire material on the outside of the thing, the noise wouldn't be so bad...