Design Is Not Opinion

Profiling Terrorists

There's a big brouhaha in the blogosphere. Sam Harris, noted intellectual,  has come out in favor of profiling. A post called 'In Defense of Profiling" starts out, reasonably, by pointing out how silly our TSA-led efforts are:

The current system appears so inane that one hopes it really is a sham, concealing more-ingenious intrusions into our privacy.

(Here is Mr. Harris' post). The argument is:

We should profile Muslims, or anyone who looks like he or she could conceivably be Muslim, and we should be honest about it. And, again, I wouldn’t put someone who looks like me entirely outside the bull’s-eye (after all, what would Adam Gadahn look like if he cleaned himself up?) But there are people who do not stand a chance of being jihadists, and TSA screeners can know this at a glance.

IMAGE: Mr. Harris thoughfully includes a photo of a TSA matron hassling a little old lady.

A New Direction

Your Design Pundit will be taking his weblog into the wooly world of politics, relegion, and life. Hang on.

Why, you might ask? So many things are happening that are either interesting or infuriating, that's why, and he thinks that readers will enjoy the ride.

Morning Awesome

4/11/12 Show: George Zimmerman Charged with Second Degree Murder; Hannity and Zimmerman are Confidantes; Santorum Drops Out; and much more!Listen and subscribe on iTunes (it's FREE!)Download the mp3 (54 minutes, 23mb)

via bobcesca.com

Bob Cesca quickly turned into one of my favorite sites. One reason? His 'Morning Awesome' feature, today the Scorpions doing Ruby Tuesday. It's just great.

I remember you - Roger Ebert's Journal

The first death that registered in my life was my Aunt Hulda, my father's sister, who was laid out in the front parlor and I was allowed to kneel at the coffin, cross myself, and say a prayer before this strange, pale, motionless body.

via blogs.suntimes.com

Nothing to add. Read this post.

Coming to America

It is a hard and lengthy task to become acquainted with the vagaries of the language, not to mention the forgotten or altered meanings of many words. Some of these vagaries are aptly illustrated by the story of the Frenchman who said to an American:

I am going to leave my hotel. I paid my bill yesterday, and I said to the landlord, ‘Do I owe anything else?’ He said, ‘You are square.’ ‘What am I?’ He said again, ‘You are square.’ ‘That’s strange,’ said I. ‘I lived so long that I never knew I was square before.’ Then, as I was going away, he shook me by the hand, saying, ‘I hope you’ll be round soon.’ I said, ‘I thought you said I was square; now you hope I’ll be round.’ He laughed and said, ‘When I tell you you’ll be round, I mean you won’t be long.’ Then, seeing me count my change twice over, he said, ‘Are you short?’ I did not know how many forms he wished me to assume: however, I was glad he did not call me flat.

via www.futilitycloset.com

I just love this stuff and futility closet keeps me well fed.