Author: mongreldogs
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PNC Virtual Wallet: Worst Banking Experience EVER
Recently, I and my fiancee signed up for a PNC joint account to manage our wedding expenses. Little did I know I was signing up for the positively worst online banking experience I have ever encountered, perhaps the worst online experience period. PNC drives new users into something they call “Virtual Wallet”, which is supposed…
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My philosophy of education
Edited to correct some grammatical mistakes. The new school year is about to start, and it’s customary to take a moment and philosophize. But I’m really busy, so I’m going to dust off something else and let that stand in. Back in 2010 December, I was nominated for a prize offered by Princeton University Teacher…
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Raw Deal
TR had the Square Deal. FDR had the New Deal. Harry S has the Fair Deal. Barack Obama will have the Raw Deal. So a debt-ceiling “deal” has been reached. Going in to this, the President was willing to compromise but had a few lines in the sand: What did he get? None of these. …
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Can seeing a US flag turn you Republican?
And if so, what can be done about it? A study referenced in Discover has the provocative conclusion that seeing a small American flag while completing a political questionnaire can induce the respondents into being more Republican, even up to 8 months later. Is our society doomed by our optic nerves to surrender to the…
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Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Rating: 3 out of 5 (meh) Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a Michael Bay film. That pretty much sums up exactly what the movie is, and you don’t really need to know any more about it. It’s not a bad film, exactly, and it’s not a good film (definitely). It’s a film, a Michael…
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Review: Perdido Street Station
Rating: 3 out of 5 I picked up Perdido Street Station because I was looking for a good steampunk novel, especially after Dreadnought, and the reviews were strong. This book was supposed to be amazing, sweeping, and alluring – a detaile new world to explore. After finishing it, I felt the praise was overblown. The…
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The debt ceiling and the 14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment is more-or-less the Swiss Army knife of the US Constitution. It defines citizenship, extends constitutional protections to state constitutions, and so on. Lately, it’s become popular to posit that it also holds the key to avoiding a default of US credit. Specifically, Section 4 reads 4. The validity of the public debt of…
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Currently Reading: Second Quarter 2011
Better to Beg Forgiveness by Michael Z. Williamson Perdido Street Station by China Melville ?????