Asymmetric

The Syfy channel has had such a positive reaction to the spelling change in its name (from the hoarily traditional Scifi) that it plans on doing it again. Syfy is currently considering Sigh Figh, CyFi, Tsi Phi, and the Cthulu-inspired S'nglui Ph'nglui.

President Dave Howe said that he might eschew all of those names and choose something that brings in a female demographic like XOXOXO or BFFi.

Syfy encourages consumer feedback.

The commercial with Tebow will probably make the case that women should choose life because abortion cuts off an enwombed baby's potential. This is an oblique argument, the type made when no consensus exists on the morality of the act itself due to a disagreement over which if any moral authority has provenance over the action, and the parties, as a result, resort to common, often practical arguments.

Other oblique arguments are that torture is wrong because it recruits terrorists, homosexual adoption because it leads to worse grades; that vivisection isn't effective, cutting carbon emmissions will lead to green jobs, and legalizing marijuana will enable us to make stronger rope. I can cite others of varying degrees of sincerity and/or validity.

Not every child will grow up to be a football star and many parents wouldn't care anyways. It would still be wrong to abort even a sickly baby likely to struggle to a 6-second 40 and with an innacurate arm because unborn babies have souls and are innocent, making their killing unjust.

Saying that aborting a baby is murder probably wouldn't go over well with about 45% of the nation because they don't agree with it and another 45% because the Super Bowl should be a match between the AFC and NFC, not the sides in our culture wars. That's my oblique argument against CBS showing it.

Is the iPad a joke? An experiment to see how superfluous a product Apple fanboys are willing to buy?

OK. Let's say I want to:

1. Browse the web. I can do that with a cell phone- that fits in my pocket, and that I, and any potential iPad owners, already have.

2. Watch flash video. Nope. Can't do that. My less expensive laptop can. my Droid will soon be able to.

Motorola DROID A855 Phone (Verizon Wireless)

3. Read an ebook. I can do that on my phone and/or laptop (which together are less expensive than the iPad). But, then again, why would I want to read a whole book on an LED screen? The Kindle and Nook have "e-ink" screens which are specially made for long reading sessions. Instead of banning transfats, people should ban iPads.

And, the Kindle and nook books are cheaper! Am I missing something?

Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)

Barnes and Noble NOOK ebook reader

4. Take pictures. uh uh. Can do that with laptop or phone.

5. Video chat. No.

6. Work. Well, I can take a keyboard with me. Woops, there goes the portability. I can use real, grown-up apps or Google Docs on my laptop mini.

7. Make a presentation. Limited to 640 resolution. Need to carry some extra stuff.

8. Move stuff around. I need the dock. No USB or SD card. Seriously.

9. Find something. No GPS.

10. Do two things at once? Ha! No multitasking.

11. Impress squid friends for 90 minutes. Yes!

12. Look like a total dweeb to people who actually do useful stuff. Success!

1. McD is more stiff than Obama. It might come off as refreshing after a year of Obama.

2. I hate the anti-partisan lie whether it's from a Republican or a Democrat.

3. He quotes the Bible. Nice contrast.

4. Good move mentioning the Christmas bomber. More contrast.

5. The faux SOTU atmosphere instead of the usual office is weird. Who are those people: friends? The applause is both more vigorous and more staged.

6. Nice conservative rhetoric. Simpler. Not a huge hit, necessarily. Who knows?

7. Another contrast: McDonnell listens and does what the people want. Obama does what's unpopular.

I won't comment on style, since I'm biased.

1. The president said that China and Germany have better economic plans than us. That's because he believes in top-down planning.

2. Green tech does not produce jobs if they only exist because of government subsidies. See Spain, which has 20% unemployment.

3. Obama threw a radioactive bone with nuclear and off-shore oil, "In exchange for ruining the economy with cap and trade, I'll build a plant and allow a study of off-shore drilling."

4. The federal government doesn't improve education. No evidence for that at all. But, he wants to "do something." Students have a world-class education now. That some don't want to learn is another thing.

5. What's up with the 10% student loan cap? If private industry is so important, why do we want to encourage people to enter unionized government jobs? Woops, I answered my own question.

6. "I didn't choose health care because it's good politics [I chose it because I'm a committed leftist.]."

7. Obama raises a huge straw man, "Let me see your idea that covers the uninsured," knowing that only a socialized system would guarantee coverage.

8. Obama hates political posturing.

9. "So, with that deficit, I said, 'What the heck? Let's just spend more money and blame it on Bush.'"

10. How do you "invest in people" (spend money) without increasing the debt (spending too much money)?

11. I can't believe Obama's talking about lobbyists when he gave a no-bid contract to his friends.

12. Has any other president complained about a supreme court decision in a SOTU? To their faces!

13. Transparency!

14. "Every day is election day?" Dude!

15. Let's pass everything!

16. Stop with the sanctimonious better government talk! The nation is wrenching.

17. Let's not have petty partisan attacks and schoolhouse taunts, after taun...aww, forget it.

18. Who wanted to only improve the lives of Afghan men?

19. You will support the Iraqi government without combat troops?

20. We support the freedom of Iranian dissidents? How?

21. Let's all get along by prosecuting people who don't tow the line.

22. Equal pay? That old chestnut.

23. He's going to do immigration reform.

24. Values that banned gays from serving in the military.

25. "We can do what the people want or we can do what's right." Translation: The people don't know what's good for them.

26. I usually don't like when presidents speak about specific small people. "It lives on in this eight-year old..."

27. I liked his ending. The most powerful part is when he said that Haitians were chanting "USA, USA..."

28. Wait, ruined it with his campaign-style hope and change stuff.

29. All in all, all Americans can find something to like...and hate.