KurtAnderson

A few times over the past few months, I've linked in Reddit to a pet project of mine - a gDoc database of MRM factoids that I've been mining. People seemed to like it, so I kept adding to it. Last week, I surpassed 500 items. At this point the gDoc is clearly too unwieldy and is not friendly to multiple, concurrent searches by users. So, I've converted the data over to a searchable, web-based database that now lives at www.MrArchivist.com The new site is still in its infancy - barely a step above Beta. However, I'm already working with a developer to improve the search power, search functionality, and overall aesthetic quality of the site. So please don't hesitate to contact me with suggestions, bugs, etc.; direct user feedback will be invaluable. And, as always, feel free to add your own items to the database.

thank for your feedback, everyone!

Also a father of a boy just shy of 3. We do the same thing, and he loves it. Unfortunately, it has made him a bit of a daddy's boy; he rarely yells at me and, if there is a disagreement, usually accedes to my persuasions relatively quickly. However, it seems that he's now being doubly-combative with his mom. So watch out for that I second this. It works really well for us. It's a good combination of asserting how things have to be while showing that you're not withholding affection. We picked it up from a book called The Whole Brain Child - I'm not gonna lie, it's a bit of a painful read in that the authors write as if they're writing to children. Still, the principles within seem to be sound and (more importantly) ethical. I recommend it. (Caution: I'd avoid the audiobook. It's read by the authors so, in addition to being written to as if you're a child, they speak in the same tone.)

Related article from the Atlantic put up yesterday

Hello! Last night, my wife was reading about the Takata recall and she asked me a question that stumped me a bit. She said "since the recall was 'issued at the insistence of the Department of Transportation,' do conservatives think it's a bad thing, since that stopped it from being resolved through the free market?" My initial response was that there are many stripes of people who would be self-described "conservative," and even more that would be labeled "conservative" by others, so it's very hard to generalize. I gave her vague answers of what a libertarian might think, an anarchist, a republican, etc. As I was thinking about it on the ride to work, this morning, the issue became more and more complex to me. On the one hand, if one believes in government in the least, they tend to agree that it should stick solely to protecting the citizens and nothing else (armed forces, FDA, police, etc.). However, these organizations are inherently driven by application of force (both directly and indirectly through taxation). And on and on down the paradox rabbit hole. Is the only logical answer anarchy? And, if that's the case, what are the (realistic) alternatives? Thanks for your thoughts! Kurt