Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-07

• I'm at Veselka w/ @sillycaitlin. http://4sq.com/abWZg #
• I just ousted Choire S. as the mayor of Veselka on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/abWZg #
• I rarely partake in Follow Friday, but today I'll make an excuse so I may thank @thealuc for putting me on his #ff list nearly every week. #
• When Michigan and Ohio went to war, Wisconsin lost. #
• Congrats to @georgyo on the launch of Bellaga. Thanks for the great party! #
• @llorenzin http://www.puro-chile.com/ is a great place to look for direct buying (Thanks @funksoup for the correction!) in reply to llorenzin #
• RT @funksoup: One way to help #Chile is by buying Chilean: wines, olive oil, food. NYers, try Puro Chile http://bit.ly/puroc0 #
• @Namastizzle If by "yes" @delayfx means all of the above, then I concur. #
• @Namastizzle Case in point, my Uncle's house was unscathed save for 2 coffee mugs, but 1/3rd of the water in his inground pool splashed out. in reply to Namastizzle #
• @Namastizzle Almost exclusively in Santiago and Viña del Mar. People tend to forget that Chile is much more like California than Mexico. in reply to Namastizzle #
• My relatives in Chile are all OK! My Parents and I are set to head down there a week from Saturday. Anyone got a SatPhone I can borrow? #
• @gdead I guarantee your hatred of Quickbooks pales in comparison to my own. I vow not to die until its open source replacement is complete. in reply to gdead #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-28

• First word from family in Chile came from Facebook! My cousin Rolo and his family are OK. Still can't get through on the phone… #
• @torpidnotion Thanks! So far, I haven't heard anything from relatives, which is very unusual. Normally, we talk 3-4 hours after a quake. in reply to torpidnotion #
• BoltBus is cancelled. Mr. Black has a cracked hose. Will Amtrak fail too? #mysnowdayhaiku #NYCorbust #
• @6leaf Hand the trolls over to @openfly, sit back and be amused. in reply to 6leaf #
• @momorientes Nice! Shack looks quite excellent indeed…are you going to have your own table at SIGINT like you did at the congress? in reply to momorientes #
• @dorkmatt Do you mind crashing in Jersey City? If you do, I'm sure one of my Brooklyn compatriates could hook you up! I owe you Club-Mate! in reply to dorkmatt #
• nickf4rr @2birds1blog @TIME #
• @leah Oddly enough, prescription strength Vitamin D actually exists. The existence of prescription strength bacon remains elusive. in reply to leah #
• @leah Do we get prescription strength Bacon? (@sillycaitlin and I had our annual physicals & found out that we're Vitamin D deficient). in reply to leah #
• RT @sillycaitlin: Vitamin D deficiency is the new black. #
• @ericskiff Dual displays at different resolutions work just great on my laptop in Win 7…what kind of video hardware are you using? in reply to ericskiff #
• @skipp I find dreams fascinating, please do post! in reply to skipp #
• Sleeping bags of the right size make absolutely splendid Duvets. (Goes to show you that Justice Ginsburg is no Martha Stewart.) #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-21

• Being against "big government" is one thing, but when did it become patriotic to NOT pay taxes? #
• @ttrygve Supreme court clerks are loose-lipped lightweights. Unlike the "Case Selection Irish Coffee Immune" Kennedy & Sotomayor. in reply to ttrygve #
• Justice Breyer telecommutes. The clerks used his chambers for trysts until someone snitched to Thomas. (Scalia hates snitches.) #
• RT @pipix: I'm an Auntie! (Congrats!!!) #
• Shocked to learn that Justice Stevens has an iPhone, loves MGMT, and thinks SWPL is hilarious. #thesupremeswillshockyou #
• @allirense I really always have. Were it not for the '03 bus strike, I'd probably still be out there. in reply to allirense #
• Having averaged > 8 hours/night since September, it appears I should be giving up sleep for Lent. #
• @calamusroot Because then it wouldn't be SWPL management. in reply to calamusroot #
• Paging Joe Welch. This decade needs you. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-14

• @r0d3nt Delays are inevitable in all rail operations. However, a rail system thay is proving itself to be increasingly unsafe is another. in reply to r0d3nt #
• So, how often do NYC subway cars derail? BART? WHY IS THE DC METRO SO BROKEN? At least there don't seem to be any injuries… #
• @oktiger @serth And if I ever manage to move to NYC, I want to live there, just for the late night skeeball. in reply to oktiger #
• And it's Rock Creek Exxon for the win! Well, sort of. Tried to charge beyond posted max for the tow…wonder what the repair bill will be… #
• And the race is on! Will Rock Creek Exxon beat the MPD to Mr. Black? Will I face a $65 tow to a garage for repairs or a $200 impound? #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-07

• RT @travisgoodspeed: Neighborly after party at the Brickskeller. 18h00. #
• Dear Shmoocon: If you got a wristband for the party and are not going, please hand it to staff or give it to someone who will use it! #
• I just became the mayor of Busted Skylight on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/dis5iC #
• Club-Mate is available at the Pico Computing booth. Case discounts available. #shmoocon #
• @johnbaichtal I blame the DC snowpocalypse for this morning's DM fail. in reply to johnbaichtal #
• Call UPS…they were supposed to intercept it and call me this morning! Ugh…have them redeliver it and hold it at Landover. #
• RT @hacdc: Hacker's Lounge CANCELED http://tinyurl.com/yjj9jt9 #ShmooCon #
• @wwward Bad Touch implied it…but the resupply is set to arrive from the club-mate.us warehouse sometime this afternoon. in reply to wwward #
• @openfly @wwward NYCR is selling their precious Club-Mate reserve? I don't believe it! in reply to openfly #
• I severely underestimated the Club-Mate demand in DC this week. It appears a resupply mission is in order. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-31

• @wwward Sociology angle? Do you mean that in a Studs Terkel or Herbert Blumer kind of way? in reply to wwward #
• RT @revolvingdork: I am reading the funniest webcomic ever created…AXE COP is incredible: http://bit.ly/9F72RO #
• @skipp No, they only say it after bad years. January is excuse enough for optimism when few other things present themselves. in reply to skipp #
• RT @postling Manage everything you've published online, no matter where it came from http://bit.ly/aRTjkT #
• Job creation now (stimulus) + action reduces deficits later (health care reform) > Political will. http://bit.ly/krugmanfortreasury #
• I actually like this answer to "What is a Hacker?" more than my previous ones. http://bit.ly/defininghackinginvideo #
• I'm opposed to a blank check for the "War on Terror" when far costlier problems lie on a cold back burner, if on the stove at all. #
• Stats breakdown on my claim that alltime US terror deaths < monthly US deaths from lack of health care http://bit.ly/healthcareandterror #
• @revolvingdork @postling Much love to you guys for designing a great product and sharing it with everyone! Looking forward to waffles! in reply to revolvingdork #
• @delayfx Does that apply to those of us currently in the process of buying or burning said lawn? in reply to delayfx #
• Lack of access to health care kills more Americans every month than terrorists have in our nation's entire history. #
• Those of you who wanted #Xistence to be real should check out the next best thing: http://www.postling.com/ #
• Now that pranks are a wonderful form of art, life will undoubtedly find a way to imitate them. #
• Döner Kebap has been located in NYC! Another example of 2010 as a glorious year! (@ Yatagan Kebab House w/ @sillycaitlin) #

Statistics, Terrorism, Lack of Access to Health Care

“What I hope the president does… is talk about jobs, debt, terror and if he stopped right there it’d suit me fine, because if he focused on those three and got them in a better direction, then we could deal with health care.”

- Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) via NPR

In a fit of anger upon hearing this, I tweeted:

“Lack of access to health care kills more Americans every month than terrorists have in our nation’s entire history.”

- Me, via twitter

Admittedly, this is a very bold claim.  And I stand behind it.

The presumptions I’ve made in making this claim take into account the following assumptions which, depending on your point of view, are refutable:

• “Americans” means US Citizens on US soil.
• “Terrorists” means those who apply the calculated use of violence to achieve mass casualties against US citizens  in order to forward political goals.

The thing about statistics is that you could game either body count either way.  You could immediately throw out the study I reference, using a 2002 Institute of Medicine study which puts the total at less than half of the study I quote.

You could also pile on to assume that Terrorist attacks are any random act of violence leading to death, in which case the reverse claim could be made.

In looking at Terrorism, I’m using a much narrower focus.  The “terrorist” I speak of is the kind that we’re supposedly fighting in this War on Terror.  This precludes things like hate crimes, campaigns by the KKK, and many other uses of systematic violence with political motives.   It also precludes attacks on those working for the military, law enforcement or those attacks committed abroad.  I’m talking about organized terror groups acting specifically against civilians in the US along political lines.  All that being said:

Deaths attributable to Lack of Access to Health Care: 44,789 Annually, (approx. 3,732/month)

Deaths attributable to Terrorism in US History: 2,910 (Running total)

• 9/11: 2,668
• 1995 Oklahoma City: 168
• 1920 Wall Street Bombing: 38
• 1910 Los Angeles Times Bombing: 21
• 1993 WTC: 6
• 2001 Anthrax Attacks: 5
• Unabomber: 3
• 1996 Atlanta Olympic Bombing: 1

Which basically means there’s 822 terrorist deaths left to go before my statistic fails.  Any other attacks I forgot?

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-24

• @openfly Technology, like any tool, can be used to liberate or oppress. Sadly, it often does both simultaneously. in reply to openfly #
• New coffee shop in Columbia Heights actually has dirty chai ON THE BOARD. It's rather popular. Didn't @seanbonner start that phenomenon? #
• It seems charismatic presidents have weak Congressional pimp hands. #
• On a library lunch date with @sillycaitlin, she at the library in NYC and I at the MLK library in DC, on the hunt for nonfiction via SMS! #
• @benstanfield @seanbonner is also denying being the origin of the Dirty Chai trend, but do you know who was? #dirtyday #
• @bicyclemark No, they did not hear of the beloved Team Dirty Chai…that's DC for you. Oblivious or dismissive of interwebenon. #dirtyday in reply to bicyclemark #
• I'm at Amsterdam Falafelshop (2425 18th Street NW, Washington). http://4sq.com/6XBzlg #
• @delayfx Only if you buy me a drink at the Raven Grill in reply to delayfx #
• @kellbot needs your help! Support Hacker Craftistas! Vote EVERYTHING TINY! http://bit.ly/6rJ30l #
• SCOTUS upset with dearth of campaign ads, narrowly rules in favor of non-stop political advertising in 2010 http://bit.ly/8JF0ea #
• RT @Phonoelit btw HAPPY BIRTHDAY to @41414141 #
• @skipp You're absolutely right. I should have written my own unique birthday greeting. in reply to skipp #
• Best birthday wishes go out to my fine friend @openfly, a man whose tact, restraint and grace inspire us all. (That better @skipp?) #
• @FarMcKon Best analysis I've seen of Cit United v. FEC, courtesy of SCOTUSblog: http://bit.ly/CUvsFEC in reply to FarMcKon #
• @jeffreybarke So where are the NYC folk watching CoCo's last Tonight show? Anybody w/ cable willing to host a small posse contingent? in reply to jeffreybarke #
• @Facutvivas Do I actually have to get arrested for you guys to stop joking about me being arrested, or would that just make it worse? in reply to Facutvivas #
• @pipix I'm sort of hoping CoCo does the kind of show I can't see (in it's entirety) on Hulu. in reply to pipix #
• Veselka Waffles or seeing my girlfriend drum for her friend doing Duran Duran in Rock Band? (Do I even need to put this to a vote?) #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-17

• @Phonoelit's neighborly interpretation of Cumberland Gap, with a little bassline … http://bit.ly/6EO7vC #
• The search for the WIMP replacement has a name: NUI http://bit.ly/8IMo1j #
• @thealuc If you're selling your Macs, I know plenty of folk who might buy them. Not sure if any will want the whole grid of 'em, though. in reply to thealuc #
• New World Hackers! Who's going to #SIGINT 2010 in May? It's fortified with Hardhack! https://events.ccc.de/sigint/2010/wiki/CFP #
• PP @seanbonner: "The chaotic, 'just working' nature of
  hackerspaces is why they're so great…and that can be
  legislated out of existence." #
• @seanbonner So much so that I hated to paraphrase it. The complete sentence from your post concisely says what I've believed for months. in reply to seanbonner #
• @sillycaitlin What is the sweater curse, and how would it apply to scarves? in reply to sillycaitlin #
• RT @pipix 3 hours and 11 depts later i finally have a published thesis. (Yay! Congrats! You should present it at SiGINT 2010!) #
• I just unlocked the "Brooklyn 4 Life" badge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/6hJQfK #
• @thealuc I am going to be out there for SIGINT…and congrats on the slick interface for aluc.tv! When did that roll out? in reply to thealuc #
• Shockly, I was quoted in the NYPost about something other than hackerspaces. (Office perks, last quote in article) http://bit.ly/75PPHY #
• @arkelly Indeed! Wonderful time in Raleigh! Thank you! Now back to Richmond to hang out with @sillycaitlin and her college friends! in reply to arkelly #
• @calamusroot Actually, I moved from CA->MI entirely with FedEx Ground. Use their boxes + a FedEx account to get the bulk rates. in reply to calamusroot #
• @calamusroot Yes, carefully. But it's super cheap and pretty quick! Use clothes to wrap things! in reply to calamusroot #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-10

• In Berlin, recovery night goes until 3 AM. #
• Yesssss! I beat @travisgoodspeed in our all out Donor-off before he leaves town! #
• @r0d3nt made It out safely, on his way to Philly. Currently with th and the other neighbors in Potsdam! #
• Dear Berlin neighbors: @41414141, @dakami, and I request the pleasure of your company at Eschschloraque at 21h, sharp. Epicness to follow. #
• Picture of @sillycaitlin and I at a party in NYC. (Really, I do wear the suit everywhere…) http://bit.ly/7gKoxE #
• Apparently, today's plan is to meet at the Fernsehturm (TV Tower in Alex) at 17h for dinner. Anyone up for museum insel in a few? #
• @fin Oh! Yes! That interview was for Jim from c-base, he did video of last year's auction! http://www.youtube.com/user/jocognito in reply to fin #
• @collinrm So far it's @skipp, @dakami, @rogueclown and I. Tickets for 16:45, dinner for 17h. in reply to collinrm #
• @andreasdotorg @skipp is back at Sunflower, and @dakami and I are in our West Berlin hideout hoping nobody makes us drink tonight… in reply to andreasdotorg #
• RT @fbz hardhack will be part of sigint this year and will move to cologne. join in the soldering fun http://is.gd/5NTvL #
• Shockingly, a pleasantly quiet evening in Berlin with plenty of neighborly folk. Should I attempt to play tourist tomorrow? #
• Attempt to extend flight to be in Cologne fail! Maybe my flight will get delayed so I can see @fbz and @skytee #
• Party at @sillycaitlin's place on saturday to celebrate my return from Berlin! There will be dancing and waffles! festivities begin @ 9. #
• RT @chaosupdates Ab 23 Uhr gibt es wieder C-Radar aus #Darmstadt mit Interviews unter anderem mit @Nickf4rr und BugBlue http://c-radar.de/ #
• Last night in Berlin. One last Mate. One last spin on the space station. One last dance. One last night bus. If not, one more dance. #
• Got to see almost everyone I wanted to see in .de. Now off to tomorrow's dance party in the JC, after a quick supper w/ @bicyclemark in AMS! #
• Having a quick lunch with @bicyclemark in A'dam, discussing the intricacies of nerd humor. Best AMS layover ever! #
• What was I thinking leaving only a 5 hour layover in .nl? I wish I could make the 2600nl meetup, see other friends…but off to NYC now! #
• I just unlocked the "JetSetter" badge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/8qr9Yp #
• I just woke up! Only three hours to get the Jersey City dance party off…but first Veselka! #
• No, I did not actually attempt any http://funwithtsa.com activities…I was saving all those jokes for tonight's JC dance party!!! #

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