Hemos The Iron Chef

So Hemos decided he should stop back in Holland to visit some family, pick up some comic books, and eventually visit the Blockstackers office. We felt that was reason enough to record a new episode. We talk about TiVo hacks, the Napster/BMG agreement, and I ask everyone for Bloody Mary recipes.

Sacrilege!

"...on the cutting board!"

On the cutting board? The cutting board is a sacred place! You do not wrestle on the cutting board. You are no chef! You are no Geek in Space! You are nothing! Nothing!

misconceptions about the electoral college

as a history major, I find this election gratifying because I get to display my fine grasp of minutiae..."

Oh yeah? Well, why then the persistently wrong-headed bringing up mention of Gore's winning the "popular vote" as if it makes any difference at all. In the US, you get elected via the electoral college. It is not a "proxy" for the popular vote, and it is not an archaic throwback to a bygone era. It is the deal, the whole deal.

The history is, we didn't have a country: there were 13 colonies, and in order to get them to agree to form a country, a deal was struck. We have to live with the deal because it would be unfair not to. Just like Slashdot made a deal with Andover, the colonies made a deal with each other. At one time, the popular vote did not include women and slaves, and today it does not include children, though children are included in the size of the electoral college delegations (hmmm... maybe the E.C. is more representative?) Yes, smaller states get a disproportionate clout in the vote, just as the Slashdot editors get disproportionate clout (comparative to IQ and sophistication) on Slashdot. So quit bringing up the popular vote as if it matters, it doesn't.

And, even if it it does matter in a "my father can beat up your father" way, a smart person will also realize that the campaigns are run toward winning the electoral vote. If the popular vote mattered to the outcome, we'd see different campaigns and likely see a different apportioning. It's unscientific to use today's measure of the popular vote as a proxy for the national will.

Re:The Best Part

Man if you know where to get Hashish in Holland, MI, do tell!

I have the feeling that if the slashdot crew was actually in Holland the Country, it'd be alot cooler website. =)

Peace