Talks at Google

If you're looking for something thought-provoking to watch on the Web, check out Talks at Google. Google has hosted hundreds of well-known authors, musicians, politicians, etc. to give talks at the Google campus, and put them all up on YouTube.

Some that I've watched lately: author/curmudgeon Christopher Hitchens, magician/debunker James Randi, author/smartass Anthony Bordain, and author/geek Neil Stephenson.

Plucky Political Predictions

Barack Obama won't reveal a secret plan to turn the country into a Marxist state. He won't organize gangs of "civilian national security force" goons to beat up anybody who criticizes him. He won't even appoint Jesse Jackson as Secretary of State. He won't do any of the scary things I've heard right-wing radio talk show hosts claim he will do.

Sarah Palin will co-author, with a ghost writer, two books, which will sell well on conservative web sites and in bible book stores.

The Proposition 1A high-speed rail project will not be completed by 2030, as promised. There will be at least two more ballot initiatives asking for more funds.

Same-sex couples will eventually win the right to marry in California. Sometime in the next two-hundred years, we will elect the first gay President. Well, openly gay President -- James Buchanan will always be the first gay President.

Nate's First Vote

Nate helped Daddy vote this morning. Best of all, our polling place was at a fire station, so we got to see a FIRE TRUCK.

You can't see it clearly in the photo, but Nate thinks it is important to bring along a helium balloon when one votes.

Walking home, I was thinking about how he's going to be the kid who keeps getting in trouble at school because he has a contrarian libertarian nut for a dad:

"Today we are going to learn about an important civic duty -- voting. When you all get older, you will have a sacred responsibility to participate in our democratic form of government. Yes, Nate?"

"My daddy says that each California voter gets roughly an 80-millionth share in the decision of who becomes President of the United States. And that the President in turn gets to exercise vast emperor-like powers that impact every one of those voters lives."

Yes, my wife agreed. He is going to be that kid. And she's going to be the one that gets all the phone calls from the principal.