From here:

the poor bastard's got one hell of a job to do

Better that he try rather than the Reps. The contrast between GWB and Obama should be startling (hopefully) like bandaging an injured patient instead of repeatedly stabbing them with a rusty knife. Yes, the patient is in a bad way and it's going to be difficult to stop the bleeding, but at least the stabbing has stopped. You've got to look on the bright side, eh.

SEFORA has a rather nice interactive map illustrating how your congressional candidates view science policy and scientific initiatives.

For that bit of the ballot that comes after the presidential ticket....

An image from the inbox of one of our associates:

Bigger image here.

This was meant, apparently, as an encouraging exercise, showing how proper calibration can fix a malfunctioning voting machine.

Unfortunately, it didn't, and it isn't.

On the plus side, a straight Republican ticket flipped to a vote for Ralph Nader.

Somewhere, a mad scientist is howling maniacally.

Yes, autism again.

ThinkProgress said this better than any of us in the lab: "Palin did not specify what fruit fly research earmark she was referring to (presumably a grant for olive fruit fly research), but she is apparently unaware that scientific research with fruit flies has led to valuable discoveries that have boosted autism research...."

More about that specific research here, if you're more curious than certain candidates.

Or, if you'd like to help us MODIFY THE BRUNDLE CHAMBER into something a little more LIKE A RAY, WE HAVE OPENINGS IN THE LAB!!!

What separates "mad" scientists from the ordinary kind is an appreciation for irony:

CALEDONIA -- A campaign worker going door to door on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama was allegedly assaulted Saturday afternoon by a resident of a home where a campaign call was made. In a telephone interview broadcast Saturday night, WISN-TV (Channel 12) identified the worker as Nancy Takehara, 58, of Chicago. Sgt. Toby Schey of the Caledonia Police Department said Saturday night that there was no medical assistance requested by Takehara, who said the suspect hit her in the face and pulled her hair.

The following day, the assailant admitted he "regrets his actions", which included pulling the 58-year-old woman's hair.

No, even in anonymous letters, comparing Obama to Hitler is not a "joke".

And it's even less humorous when the comedian is the one who counts the votes.

The best part of this AP story is the headline as compared with the second-last paragraph.

It's not often "I'm an intellectual" appears in the same interview as the sentence "I've always liked the name 'Zamboni.'"

It seems unlikely -- seems -- that the recent reports from West Virginia's early voting describing electronic voting machines switching results from Obama to McCain are likely due to user error.

Since, of course, if a RATIONAL technologist was to switch a vote, he or she would do so OFF-SCREEN.

But one never knows....

We're sorry we didn't attempt to "live-blog" this debate (video forthcoming at the link) between Kurt E. Yeager _{(McCain California Energy Security Coalition)} and Daniel M. Kammen _{(Senior Advisor on Energy & Environmental Policy for Barack Obama)}.

Until the video comes out, we can content ourselves with the IHT's overview. This seems to sum up the differences:

But Obama looks to encourage basic research with infusions of federal cash. McCain says easing regulatory and tax burdens will encourage private spending on research. (Experts say industry now tends to focus on near-term applications, while government finances more basic research that has greater breakthrough potential.)

Obama has proposed doubling federal financing for basic research in physics, life sciences, mathematics and engineering over 10 years. He has promised to review export rules he calls outdated and sees as having "unduly hampered the competitiveness of the domestic aerospace industry."

By contrast, even before the current economic crisis, McCain proposed freezing, at least initially, almost all discretionary federal spending -- a budget category that includes federal research efforts.

And he makes hay on the stump by citing, as an example of wasted money, a study of the DNA of grizzly bears in Montana, wondering aloud why anyone would think bears were involved in paternity suits or criminal activity. (In fact, the project, undertaken by the United States Geological Survey, intended to find ways of estimating the region's population of grizzlies, endangered in the lower 48 states.)

Or, of course, one can spend time chuckling over the "Obama's Mother Had A Genesis Device" theory. An oldie but goodie.

Does this look familiar to anyone else?

Mad Scientist? Possibly.

But NOT ONE OF OURS!

(found via)

Palin's nephew has been diagnosed with autism.

Strange, still, that it would be brought up so often in this debate. Is this disorder now a "hot topic" for the electorate?

If Obama is declared the winner of this debate, it will be because he's a better (looking) listener. McCain seems edgy - stiff-necked, blinking. Obama seems, at worst, a little tired.

Odd handshake - compensating for the apparent gaffe last time?

Our space lasers are maintaining their target.

And this live-blogging business. It's invigorating!  Pass us the ether, Chim-chim. We need to unwind....

Yes, it would be good to have a better grasp on the cause. But 1. Down's syndrome is not autism (although it is a risk factor), and 2. It's more convincing if you're not having autism advocates arrested.

MEATY.

McCain: Skillful use of code words: States' rights. Litmus test. Legislating from the bench. But also voting for Justice Bryars. Reassuring to both sides. And yet "those of us who are proudly pro-life"? Oh, no. The "pro-abortion movement" and the partial birth abortion hot-button.

Obama: Hangs in the balance. Comes out and talks like an adult: a moral issue, for women to decide. Concrete example: Ledbetter case. Not a homer, but a good line drive.