Author Archive for: Rayne
About Rayne
Blogger since 2002, political activist since 2003, geek since birth. Opinions informed by mixed-race, multi-ethnic, cis-female condition, further shaped by kind friends of all persuasions. Sci-tech frenemy, wannabe artist, decent cook, determined author, successful troublemaker. Mother of invention and two excessively smart-assed young adult kids. Attended School of Hard Knocks; Rather Unfortunate Smallish Private Business School in Midwest; Affordable Mid-State Community College w/evening classes. Self-employed at Tiny Consulting Business; previously at Large-ish Chemical Company with HQ in Midwest in multiple marginalizing corporate drone roles, and at Rather Big IT Service Provider as a project manager, preceded by a motley assortment of gigs before the gig economy was a thing. Blogging experience includes a personal blog at the original blogs.salon.com, managing editor for a state-based news site, and a stint at Firedoglake before landing here at emptywheel as technology’s less-virginal-but-still-accursed Cassandra.
Entries by Rayne
Tuesday: Allez Vous F
/18 Comments/in Culture, Cybersecurity, Foreign Policy/by RayneJ’adore Stromae. I’m not in the hip hop demographic, but Stromae — whose real name is Paul Van Haver — pulls me in. This multi-talented artist born to a Rwandan father and a Belgian mother pulls together multiple genres of music laced with compelling au courant lyrics presented with stunning visual effects — how could […]
Monday: Grey Bull
/33 Comments/in Culture, Energy Policy, Foreign Policy/by RayneHope you have some free time today to enjoy this short film. Grey Bull by Khoby runs 15 minutes long, but worth it. Its pace is slow, but the emotions this short musters are full and richly explored. I look forward to more from filmmaker Khoby. Energy escapades NV ENERGY: Last Friday I posted a […]
Friday: Possibility
/13 Comments/in Culture, Cybersecurity, Energy Policy, Foreign Policy/by RayneLet’s try a Swedish import today, a little something I can’t really classify by a particular genre. This piece is one of my favorites, one of the most haunting tunes I’ve ever heard. It’s probably dream pop for lack of a better label. Lykke Li’s most popular works tend toward indie and synth-pop, sharing a […]
Wednesday: Chansons françaises
/2 Comments/in Culture, Cybersecurity/by RayneThis Parisian artist is fascinating. Indila is extremely popular in France, mostly because of ballads like this one with multi-generational appeal. Many of her works contain lyrics in more than one language which increases the breadth of her allure. This particular song is indie/dream pop, but she also works in rap and fusion raï — […]
Tuesday: Tilted
/14 Comments/in Culture, Cybersecurity/by RayneI miss prosthesis and mended souls Trample over beauty while singing their thoughts I match them with my euphoria When they said “Je suis plus folle que toi” — excerpt, Tilted by Christine And The Queens We’ve spent (and will spend) a lot of time looking at Americans this month, given the two major parties’ […]
Bringing out the Dead: What We Know about Zika Virus Effect on Human Tissue
/16 Comments/in Domestic Policy, Health Policy/by RayneBecause unproven claims persist that chemical exposure — specifically the pyridine-based pesticide pyriproxyfen — causes the birth defects seen in children born to women exposed to Zika virus, I am bringing out the dead, laying out the bodies. By ‘bodies’ I mean sharing here pictures of cells you see in the embedded photos from a […]
Thursday: Hotter than Hell
/35 Comments/in Culture, Cybersecurity/by RayneHave a little indie synthpop if your day isn’t hot enough. The artist Dua Lipa lives in London; she originally moved to the United Kingdom in the 1990s with her parents who are Kosovar-Albanian. Imagine a UK to which artists like Lipa cannot easily immigrate. Money, money, money HSBC’s global head of Forex trading in […]
Wednesday: Heat of Passion
/20 Comments/in automobiles, Culture/by RayneCrazy stuff happens when there’s a full moon like last night’s. Crazier stuff happens under heat and pressure. Brace yourselves as the heat dome slides from the southwest to Midwest and east this week. Hot wheels A look at the whys behind Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal (DailyBeast) — Interesting read in which German and VW culture […]