Miscellanea

1. Apparently Iran just flew a drone over a US warship. Here are three absurd points that came out of the news coverage. First, the comment by an Iranian navy chief praising the "bravery of the drone operators." I suppose that it must take some small portion of bravery to operate an expensive bit of equipment knowing that you might wreck something that cost quite a bit of money if you mess up your job...but still, how does any military drone operation constitute an act of bravery? Second, a US navy spokesperson called the act "abnormal and unprofessional." Unless the Iranian drone pilot had been intending to fly somewhere else and bad accidentally flown over the USS Harry S Truman, it seems that the action was extremely professional! The third point, of course, is that the action was eminently normal as well. The United States military (for whose expert defense we are all appropriately grateful) routinely flies drone operations over international waters. Only a fool would have any doubt that drone operations, both of an intelligence and offensive nature, are also routinely carried out unsanctioned over the territories of other sovereign states. Something interesting and worth comment happened over the Harry S Truman recently, but the only news I've read is disgraceful to common sense and to the English language.

2. neque chorda sonum reddit quem volt manus et mens--Horace

Nor does the instrument always return the sound which the hand and mind desire.