Rawls', um, theory appears to be a classic example of bad assumptions and paranoia misdirecting pattern recognition. I wouldn't be surprised if he finds hidden subversive insults to his worldview in bowls of Alpha-Bits.
Don't know about most of the other Baen authors, but Eric Flint at least is well left of center, so there is some diversity of views there.
Favorite prime: 41. Because it's almost the answer to life, the universe, and all that.
Going all the way back to Dan R's post: I got really excited about primes, their differences, Riemann zeta, interesting properties of primorial numbers, etc. a few years back, until I came across shifted sieve theory and finally understood why no consistent pattern can be found in the primes and the gaps between. I still think there must be a really cool fundamental irrational number in there though, most likely a transcendental number, but I don't have the skills to prove it, or at least not the time.
I look forward to retiring just so I can spend time on stuff like that. Just 30 more years, ahhhhh...
Bob and Bill: I remember thinking at the time, "How can I know that the building isn't a carpet warehouse in New Jersey or something?" After all, going places and leaving again is what trucks do, and buildings tend to look alike from above.
I still can't believe all he had to sell a war was two grubby photos and a drawing.
I recall Powell's breathtaking performance distinctly. He drew a long face, showed a fuzzy satellite photo of a building with trucks around it, another photo of the same building without trucks, then an artist's conception of what a weapons lab inside a truck might look like, and told the UN to go to war.
Suppose I were a lawyer, going in to court to make a case against an alleged bank robber:
Your Honor, we all know that bank robbers are people. And people live in houses. And bank robbers drive getaway cars. Well, here's a picture of a house with a car in the driveway! The person who lives there could be a bank robber! That car could be a getaway car! And here's another picture, of the very same house, without the car. And to top it off, here's a cartoon of a bank robber driving a car. I drew it myself, Your Honor! This man is guilty, I rest my case.
I'd be laughed out of court, but the same argument apparently convinced Congress...
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