The Gentle Stimulation of Simulation…
From reader S.S., to whom thanks: The Rogue Nation Behavior Changer… choose a rogue state, select the desired outcome, then select John McCain, Barack Obama, or El Presidente to see what statecraft he would practice to accomplish those ends.
As we consider emigration, we might offer relieved congratulations to Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel– on this date in 1901. Ms. Taylor, a school teacher, used a custom-made barrel constructed of oak and iron and padded with a mattress for her 20 minute trip, at the conclusion of which, she shared the imminently sensible sentiment: “If it was with my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat… I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces than make another trip over the Fall.”
Readers with spare time might be pleased to note that Oxford has joined the rank of universities offering free podcasts of (many of) its lectures…