Delaware Senator Joe Biden campaigned hard for his VP spot (WSJ).

One reason why I don't like Biden as Obama's VP candidate:

When they were quizzed in return about Sen. Biden's proclivity to make gaffes and be verbose, a Biden adviser had a ready comeback. "After having a president for eight years who can't go beyond talking points, it's a good thing that Biden can dig into the issues, even if he occasionally goes overboard," he said.

One reason why I like Biden as Obama's VP candidate:

Sen. Obama riled many in the left of the Democratic party in July by voting for the renewal of FISA, which authorized the National Security Agency's secret wiretapping program and included immunity for participating telephone companies. Ahead of the vote on the bill, Sen. Biden issued a press release attacking Sen. John McCain for his support of the program, though many Democrats also voted for it. In the release, he said, "Like President Bush, Sen. McCain is presenting the American people with a false choice: national security or civil liberties. We need a president who understands that we can have both."

One reason why Obama likes Biden as his VP candidate:

Each is a foreign-policy heavyweight in the Senate and has shown a special interest in Eastern European affairs. In 2005, the pair worked together on behalf of Kyrgyzstan and Moldova, according to McCain Senate records. Sen. McCain and Sen. Biden were co-authors of the McCain-Biden Kosovo Resolution in 1999 that would have authorized President Bill Clinton to use "all necessary force" to resolve the conflict.

I.e., he's the Liberal McCain clone. Let the second and final campaign begin. tjc

For those with complete and utter dedication to LOTR: surgically-designed elf ears. I don't get the point. Pun intended. tjc

I've linked to demos of the human exoskeleton before, but now paralyzed people are putting it to use. This is what technology and science are for: making the impossible possible. tjc

This weekend, a guest writer and good friend will be explaining to people - once again - that humans are changing the climate. And if you don't believe him, ask the polar bears swimming out to sea. tjc

The seventh and final episode of HBO's Generation Kill (Metacritic: 79/100) was unbelievable. The miniseries up until then was unapologetically heinous and almost all of the characters unlikable. The last episode doesn't change that too much, but it does allow much more humanity to show through than before. It validated the whole series for me. It was... wow.

Side note: from what I can gather, Marines (and other military men and women) are saying that, for the most part, the series/book/articles are pretty much spot on. This is somewhat proven by the fact that one of the Marines - 'Fruity' Rudy - played himself in the series. tjc

Slate: Did Michael Phelps actually win the 100-meter butterfly? First, an important point:

The human eye, in real time and basic video replay, suggests Cavic won. But that could be an optical illusion. Cavic takes one big stroke toward the wall, then glides to it with fingers extended. Phelps does the opposite: He shortens his stroke so he can squeeze in one more truncated stroke. He gambles that the speed he gets from the extra launch will make up for the additional time it requires. Cavic leads but closes the distance to the wall slowly; Phelps trails but closes the distance fast. In ultraslow-motion replays, it looks as though Cavic has reached the wall while Phelps is still closing.

Also:

The other problem is that even FINA isn't sure how much pressure the touch pads require. On Saturday, Marculescu told the New York Times that the threshold was 3 kilograms per square centimeter. But in the same article, a FINA vice president said the threshold was 1.5 kilograms. If FINA's executives don't know the correct number, is it reasonable to expect Cavic to know it? And if he had realized how much pressure was required, would he have shortened his stroke as Phelps did, trying to trigger the sensor first, instead of trying to touch the wall first?

So he pushed first, but maybe didn't touch first. tjc



Here are frame-by-frame photos of the now so-called "miracle finish." jmj

Right on the heels of the Olympics, a 9 year old baseball player from Connecticut has been banned from his league for being too good. I can't help but think there is more to this story. glc

A marble statue of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius has been found at an archaeological site in Turkey. jmj