Yes, cooking popcorn with cellphones is impossible. At least cooking them with working cellphones is. I can think of a half dozen modifications that would make that work, but they would no longer be cellphones.
Also:
So, what's really causing the kernels to ricochet off the table in the YouTube clips? Bloomfield suggests tricky video editing or even a covert heating element beneath the table. Debunker website Snopes.com also points out that cooking popcorn with cellphones is impossible (same goes for eggs).
I can think of *no* modifications to eggs which would allow them to cook popcorn, but let me ponder a bit.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Settling in for Winter
via MSNBC:
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - One of the last shipments to a U.S. research base in Antarctica before the onset of winter darkness was a year's supply of condoms, a New Zealand newspaper reported Monday.
Bill Henriksen, the manager of the McMurdo base station, said nearly 16,500 condoms were delivered last month and would be made available, free of charge, to staff throughout the year to avoid the potential embarrassment of having to buy them.
...
About 125 scientists and staff are stationed at McMurdo base, the largest community in Antarctica, during the winter months when there is constant darkness.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - One of the last shipments to a U.S. research base in Antarctica before the onset of winter darkness was a year's supply of condoms, a New Zealand newspaper reported Monday.
Bill Henriksen, the manager of the McMurdo base station, said nearly 16,500 condoms were delivered last month and would be made available, free of charge, to staff throughout the year to avoid the potential embarrassment of having to buy them.
...
About 125 scientists and staff are stationed at McMurdo base, the largest community in Antarctica, during the winter months when there is constant darkness.
Comissioning
Geoff comissions into the Army on Thursday. I'm flying to Philly tomorrow to attend and pin his bars on. He graduates on Friday from Drexel.
Way to go son!
Way to go son!
Save It for the News Room
The opinion of a survey of newspaper editors on the question of blogging:
According to a survey I recently conducted, approximately 44% of newspaper editors and publishers wouldn’t allow their staff writers to maintain personal blogs without prior approval.
...
“Blogging is not just a conversation with an intimate, trusted family member or friend,” wrote (Everett, Washington) Herald city editor Robert Frank. “…So would I be fine with one of my reporter’s publishing commentary (I’m presuming it’s commentary) about the presidential election, or a local election, for that matter? No. I would be upset if someone chose to demonstrate partisanship over professionalism. It likely would lead to, if not reassignment, at least a serious reassessment of their duties here, and, depending on all the particulars, could potentially lead all the way up to a parting of ways."
Interesting. I was recently talking to a VC friend of mine in Silicon Valley and asked him if having a blog would effect their decision making on funding. His answer was kind of complicated but basically it boiled down to "Yes, especially at the early stages, not as much once the company was in full flight." The basic idea was that a blog either attracts or repels attention to the blogger and the company and if it gives out too much personal information, that's usually bad. Repelling potential investors early on makes it tough later. "You want to be know as the company with the cool technology, not as the company with the guy who has a diaper fetish".
In other words, all the basic human interactions are in play.
Thanks to Simon for pointing this out.
According to a survey I recently conducted, approximately 44% of newspaper editors and publishers wouldn’t allow their staff writers to maintain personal blogs without prior approval.
...
“Blogging is not just a conversation with an intimate, trusted family member or friend,” wrote (Everett, Washington) Herald city editor Robert Frank. “…So would I be fine with one of my reporter’s publishing commentary (I’m presuming it’s commentary) about the presidential election, or a local election, for that matter? No. I would be upset if someone chose to demonstrate partisanship over professionalism. It likely would lead to, if not reassignment, at least a serious reassessment of their duties here, and, depending on all the particulars, could potentially lead all the way up to a parting of ways."
Interesting. I was recently talking to a VC friend of mine in Silicon Valley and asked him if having a blog would effect their decision making on funding. His answer was kind of complicated but basically it boiled down to "Yes, especially at the early stages, not as much once the company was in full flight." The basic idea was that a blog either attracts or repels attention to the blogger and the company and if it gives out too much personal information, that's usually bad. Repelling potential investors early on makes it tough later. "You want to be know as the company with the cool technology, not as the company with the guy who has a diaper fetish".
In other words, all the basic human interactions are in play.
Thanks to Simon for pointing this out.
Play With Fire
get burned. :( 2nd degree burns all along my left arm from glassblowing last night. Apparently I was so intent on the piece I was working on (which ended up cracking btw), I failed to notice that I was roasting my uncovered arm. My pain sensitivity seems to be a little off, as I literally didn't notice it until I got home and was greeted by blisters and lots of oozing clear fluid. Dr. Mark has prescribed Neosporen and Tangeray for the pain. Actually, the weird part is, it doesn't hurt a bit, even today.
Also, last night was "graduation night" at glass blowing. We officially have the run of the shop and the 3 of us left in the class (people dropped every week as the pieces got increasingly complex) spent the whole evening making stuff. Same thing for next week, 4 hours with assistance in a glass shop. Hooray!
The bad part is, I now know how much I don't know about this, and finally realize just how much help my tutor has been. The good part is, I can hire him again for private lessons, and next level classes start soon. :)
Also, last night was "graduation night" at glass blowing. We officially have the run of the shop and the 3 of us left in the class (people dropped every week as the pieces got increasingly complex) spent the whole evening making stuff. Same thing for next week, 4 hours with assistance in a glass shop. Hooray!
The bad part is, I now know how much I don't know about this, and finally realize just how much help my tutor has been. The good part is, I can hire him again for private lessons, and next level classes start soon. :)
Monday, June 09, 2008
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Friday, June 06, 2008
I Found $1 on the Sidewalk
Most people's reaction: Look skyward and say some version of "Thank you Lord!"
my reaction: I looked skyward and said: "A dollar??? I'm insulted!"
my reaction: I looked skyward and said: "A dollar??? I'm insulted!"
The Last Word in Rapture Delivery Services
Your post-rapture messages delivered by... atheists!
Aren't You Afraid of God's Wrath?
We don't believe in God, remember? In the event that the Rapture actually occurs, we will go to Plan B: "Lifetime of Sin Followed by Deathbed Repentance."
Aren't You Afraid of God's Wrath?
We don't believe in God, remember? In the event that the Rapture actually occurs, we will go to Plan B: "Lifetime of Sin Followed by Deathbed Repentance."
The Change Election
From Jon Swift:
Like many senior citizens, McCain knows what he is talking about. A lot of young whippersnappers who grew up with calculators and studied New Math in school can barely count, and if you don't make sure you have the right change before you walk away from the cash register, they will accuse you of trying to cheat, so you have to count it right in front of them. And I don't think it is racist to point out that a lot of the hired help in stores these days are minorities, who have not gone to the best schools. McCain would be the kind of President who would count America's change and not be afraid to point out when we have been shortchanged, even if he has to ask the cashier to call the manager and make a scene.
It seems like all we have heard about in this election is how America wants change, but as John McCain pointed out in his speech, speaking very slowly and patiently and enunciating all of his words to make sure we all understood what he was saying, not all change is good. In fact, generally Americans don't like too much change. We like to go out once a week for the Early Bird Special and order the exact same thing every time. It's very economical and gives us a break in our routine. We would be very upset if it was discontinued and we had to order off the regular menu, which would still be more expensive even with coupons we clipped out of the newspaper. That kind of change would not be welcome at all.
Like many senior citizens, McCain knows what he is talking about. A lot of young whippersnappers who grew up with calculators and studied New Math in school can barely count, and if you don't make sure you have the right change before you walk away from the cash register, they will accuse you of trying to cheat, so you have to count it right in front of them. And I don't think it is racist to point out that a lot of the hired help in stores these days are minorities, who have not gone to the best schools. McCain would be the kind of President who would count America's change and not be afraid to point out when we have been shortchanged, even if he has to ask the cashier to call the manager and make a scene.
It seems like all we have heard about in this election is how America wants change, but as John McCain pointed out in his speech, speaking very slowly and patiently and enunciating all of his words to make sure we all understood what he was saying, not all change is good. In fact, generally Americans don't like too much change. We like to go out once a week for the Early Bird Special and order the exact same thing every time. It's very economical and gives us a break in our routine. We would be very upset if it was discontinued and we had to order off the regular menu, which would still be more expensive even with coupons we clipped out of the newspaper. That kind of change would not be welcome at all.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
Useful Phrases When Traveling
like, Корабът ми на въздушна възглавница е пълен със змиорки
or, as I often say when traveling with Field Correspondant Brian, "这位先生会清单/埋单"
or, as I often say when traveling with Field Correspondant Brian, "这位先生会清单/埋单"
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Google Games
from the Google:
google "Mark Horvath": 24,200 pages
google "Mark Horvath" -fire: 2930 pages
hmmmmmm
google "Mark Horvath": 24,200 pages
google "Mark Horvath" -fire: 2930 pages
hmmmmmm
Ohes Noes! It's the End of the World As We Know It!
Well said on the Rachel Ray "controversy":
Dunkin' Donuts pulled the ad, for fear that some Americans would be sent into the streets in a pants-wetting panic that someone in a donut ad might be wearing a black and white scarf that looks sortof like something a Palestinian jihadist would be wearing. You know, if it wasn't a scarf but was a headdress. And if it had a different pattern. And if you were mind-rapingly insane to begin with
...
So this is what we've (well, I say "we", but I mean a small subset of American patriots who, having absolutely no intention of doing anything meaningful for their country that involves getting out of their chairs, spend their days looking for secret terrorist messages in television commercials) been reduced to. We're examining the fashion statements of donut ads and parsing them for hints of surreptitious Islamic culture. We're locked into a mortal combat against those that casually accessorize without remembering that we are at war; we're mere weeks away from probing the hidden alliances of the doilies on our grandmothers' coffee tables.
We are a nation that sees images of Jesus on toast. Admit it; there was absolutely no possibility that we would not eventually devolve to this point.
The rest here.
I'm on a bit of a roll today with blogging :)
Dunkin' Donuts pulled the ad, for fear that some Americans would be sent into the streets in a pants-wetting panic that someone in a donut ad might be wearing a black and white scarf that looks sortof like something a Palestinian jihadist would be wearing. You know, if it wasn't a scarf but was a headdress. And if it had a different pattern. And if you were mind-rapingly insane to begin with
...
So this is what we've (well, I say "we", but I mean a small subset of American patriots who, having absolutely no intention of doing anything meaningful for their country that involves getting out of their chairs, spend their days looking for secret terrorist messages in television commercials) been reduced to. We're examining the fashion statements of donut ads and parsing them for hints of surreptitious Islamic culture. We're locked into a mortal combat against those that casually accessorize without remembering that we are at war; we're mere weeks away from probing the hidden alliances of the doilies on our grandmothers' coffee tables.
We are a nation that sees images of Jesus on toast. Admit it; there was absolutely no possibility that we would not eventually devolve to this point.
The rest here.
I'm on a bit of a roll today with blogging :)
Road Trip!!!
I thought this was an interesting factino:
You may have seen this already. Americans cut back on driving in March, compared to the previous March, more than in any single month since such record-keeping began in 1942. It was a 4.3 percent drop in miles driven, a reduction of 11 billion miles.
hmmmm...
if a 4.3% drop is 11 billion miles then... (whips out calculator) 11x10^9/0.43 = 256 billion miles/month * 12 months = 3 Trillion miles/ year!
3 Trillion miles is half a light year. The US drives half a light year every 12 months. And thta's just the US! Assume thats about a 1/3 for all planetary driving.... 1.5 LY!
Wow.
We could *drive* to Proxima in less than 3 years!
You may have seen this already. Americans cut back on driving in March, compared to the previous March, more than in any single month since such record-keeping began in 1942. It was a 4.3 percent drop in miles driven, a reduction of 11 billion miles.
hmmmm...
if a 4.3% drop is 11 billion miles then... (whips out calculator) 11x10^9/0.43 = 256 billion miles/month * 12 months = 3 Trillion miles/ year!
3 Trillion miles is half a light year. The US drives half a light year every 12 months. And thta's just the US! Assume thats about a 1/3 for all planetary driving.... 1.5 LY!
Wow.
We could *drive* to Proxima in less than 3 years!
You've Been Left Behind
Letters people have written for their "friends" to find after they are bodily taken into Heaven.
I imagine the people who wrote them were very excited thinking about the day all their lack of hard work learning science and their avoiding deep introspection and the questioning of authority would finally pay off!
It kind of like when 10 year-olds write suicide notes so they can fantasize about how sad everyone will be at their funeral.
It is sad alright.
This from field agent Brian:
Brian: His number is 666.Some think this mark will be a bar code tattoo, others think and implanted computer chip. It will solve allot of problems with, identity theft, illegal activities, taxation of the underground economy, street crime for money, and economic control.
Brian: i'm not sure labelling everyone with 666 will actually cut down on identity theft
it's going to be hell at the deli, at least 666! who's got 666!
I imagine the people who wrote them were very excited thinking about the day all their lack of hard work learning science and their avoiding deep introspection and the questioning of authority would finally pay off!
It kind of like when 10 year-olds write suicide notes so they can fantasize about how sad everyone will be at their funeral.
It is sad alright.
This from field agent Brian:
Brian: His number is 666.Some think this mark will be a bar code tattoo, others think and implanted computer chip. It will solve allot of problems with, identity theft, illegal activities, taxation of the underground economy, street crime for money, and economic control.
Brian: i'm not sure labelling everyone with 666 will actually cut down on identity theft
it's going to be hell at the deli, at least 666! who's got 666!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Correllation
This is completely non-controversal and not in any way a troll:
Biblical literalism or low IQ: which came first?
Biblical literalism or low IQ: which came first?
Friday, May 23, 2008
Not the Onion, I Swear!
but the venerable TPM:
Christ and AquaMan could beat John McCain this fall
...in a poll commissioned by Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, one further poll shows Jesus Christ, were he the Democratic candidate for President this fall, would defeat McCain by the largest margin yet, 73-24. Christ, the poll indicates, would not only run particularly strongly in the South, but reaches deeply into McCain's Republican base, attracting the great majority of evangelical voters, while also holding onto antiwar voters in the Democratic base, given his preaching to "turn the other cheek" and his promotion of politically controversial commandments, including not killing one's fellow man.
...
Third, Rasmussen Reports, which polled on a yet wider range of subjects has determined that Marvel Comics superhero Aqua-Man (TM) holds a narrower but statistically significant national lead over McCain, 53-44, with his strength coming from coastal states, and those with marshes and navigable waterways, though McCain leads Aqua-Man by large margins in the more arid intermountain West and upper Great Plains.
I'm thinking a Christ/AquaMan Dream ticket!!
Christ and AquaMan could beat John McCain this fall
...in a poll commissioned by Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, one further poll shows Jesus Christ, were he the Democratic candidate for President this fall, would defeat McCain by the largest margin yet, 73-24. Christ, the poll indicates, would not only run particularly strongly in the South, but reaches deeply into McCain's Republican base, attracting the great majority of evangelical voters, while also holding onto antiwar voters in the Democratic base, given his preaching to "turn the other cheek" and his promotion of politically controversial commandments, including not killing one's fellow man.
...
Third, Rasmussen Reports, which polled on a yet wider range of subjects has determined that Marvel Comics superhero Aqua-Man (TM) holds a narrower but statistically significant national lead over McCain, 53-44, with his strength coming from coastal states, and those with marshes and navigable waterways, though McCain leads Aqua-Man by large margins in the more arid intermountain West and upper Great Plains.
I'm thinking a Christ/AquaMan Dream ticket!!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Security Theatre of the Absurd
SeaTac where, evidently, you can just drive out onto the runway if you want.
"We were sitting there, the engine idling, nobody around, when all of a sudden I realized: We're out on the goddamn runway," [retired army lieutenant colonel Greg] Alderete recalled. "We're in a gassed-up, seven-passenger van, and no one really knows who we are. We have an unobstructed path to the main runways, the commercial gates, the whole place. It was unbelievable."
"We were sitting there, the engine idling, nobody around, when all of a sudden I realized: We're out on the goddamn runway," [retired army lieutenant colonel Greg] Alderete recalled. "We're in a gassed-up, seven-passenger van, and no one really knows who we are. We have an unobstructed path to the main runways, the commercial gates, the whole place. It was unbelievable."
All Over The Map
A man in need of media training meets the media.
You can kind of see where he wants to go, and you can kind of see his point, but wow.
Also, FTR, I don't disagree with any of the points he's trying to make, I just don't think he makes them well or should even be making them here.
You can kind of see where he wants to go, and you can kind of see his point, but wow.
Also, FTR, I don't disagree with any of the points he's trying to make, I just don't think he makes them well or should even be making them here.
Ted Kennedy
Unfortunate.
If for no other reason, I'll always be a fan of Ted's because of his vigorous defense of the constitution.
It was sent to the Senate, where it needed a 2/3 majority (66 votes) to pass. On 12-12-95, the amendment was defeated when it failed by only 3 votes.
I read his speech that day and was highly impressed (having the opinion at the time that this was just mock-patriot nonsense from the president). It was also about the time I joined the ACLU.
Brain cancer is a terrible way to go. Agree or disagree with him, (and there are a lot of legitimate opinions out there) how you feel about Ted Kennedy probably says something about the level of empathy for other human beings. Only the real sociopaths are going to see this as an opportunity gang up on him and write long hate-filled screeds. From my POV, this is an opportunity to let them self-identify.
If for no other reason, I'll always be a fan of Ted's because of his vigorous defense of the constitution.
It was sent to the Senate, where it needed a 2/3 majority (66 votes) to pass. On 12-12-95, the amendment was defeated when it failed by only 3 votes.
I read his speech that day and was highly impressed (having the opinion at the time that this was just mock-patriot nonsense from the president). It was also about the time I joined the ACLU.
Brain cancer is a terrible way to go. Agree or disagree with him, (and there are a lot of legitimate opinions out there) how you feel about Ted Kennedy probably says something about the level of empathy for other human beings. Only the real sociopaths are going to see this as an opportunity gang up on him and write long hate-filled screeds. From my POV, this is an opportunity to let them self-identify.
Celestia
I finally got the open source project, Celestia, to compile under VS2k8. Hooray!
I've been writing some code for add-ons, which I kind of abandoned for time reasons a year or so back. I have slightly more time these days, so I'll get to brush up some on my C++ skills.
I've been writing some code for add-ons, which I kind of abandoned for time reasons a year or so back. I have slightly more time these days, so I'll get to brush up some on my C++ skills.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Another Hot Piece of Glass
I had so much fun the other weekend, I signed up for 6 more weeks of afterwork glassblowing classes. When I've finished, I should be able to rent time in the studio for my own projects, of which I have ideas for a few dozen at this point.
So far, this is acting like all my hobbies, several months of intense, focused interest while I learn mad skillz, followed (hopefully) by several years of increasingly complicated projects.
Unlike digital art though, this is expensive and each piece is not abled to be copied en masse, so most folks won't see what I'm up to. However, its possible you might get a misshapen lump of colored paperweight for a birthday, anniversary, bar-mitzvah or gift-giving holiday.
Try to be polite when you get it. It's meant with goodwill.
So far, this is acting like all my hobbies, several months of intense, focused interest while I learn mad skillz, followed (hopefully) by several years of increasingly complicated projects.
Unlike digital art though, this is expensive and each piece is not abled to be copied en masse, so most folks won't see what I'm up to. However, its possible you might get a misshapen lump of colored paperweight for a birthday, anniversary, bar-mitzvah or gift-giving holiday.
Try to be polite when you get it. It's meant with goodwill.
Science AND Magic
News from the Vatican
First the science:
Writing in the Vatican newspaper, the astronomer, Father Gabriel Funes, said intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space.
Father Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory near Rome, is a respected scientist who collaborates with universities around the world.
The search for forms of extraterrestrial life, he says, does not contradict belief in God.
The official Vatican newspaper headlines his article 'Aliens Are My Brother'.
Take out the god stuff and yeah, thats pretty much the standard idea. There isn't any evidence yet that it's true, but the basic idea, that if life is possible here, is possible elsewhere, is a standard assuption. Also, it turns out, one of my colleagues fromgrad school, Doug McGonagale, became a priest after graduation and is still involved in astrophysics, so this doesn't surprise me.
now for the magic:
Just as there are multiple forms of life on earth, so there could exist intelligent beings in outer space created by God. And some aliens could even be free from original sin, he speculates.
So it could be Zanzar and Xloric in the Garden of Chotalis on Tau Ceti Prime. Until a wicked sunoraxyl comes along and tempts them with a fizbin. Then it's low road to civilization for Tau Ceti Prime. Now that's really just a guess, you understand, of what could be going on there. All the Bible really tells for sure is that it's Zanzar and Xloric not Zanzar and Zorric in the Garden.
Catholics! God Love'm
First the science:
Writing in the Vatican newspaper, the astronomer, Father Gabriel Funes, said intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space.
Father Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory near Rome, is a respected scientist who collaborates with universities around the world.
The search for forms of extraterrestrial life, he says, does not contradict belief in God.
The official Vatican newspaper headlines his article 'Aliens Are My Brother'.
Take out the god stuff and yeah, thats pretty much the standard idea. There isn't any evidence yet that it's true, but the basic idea, that if life is possible here, is possible elsewhere, is a standard assuption. Also, it turns out, one of my colleagues fromgrad school, Doug McGonagale, became a priest after graduation and is still involved in astrophysics, so this doesn't surprise me.
now for the magic:
Just as there are multiple forms of life on earth, so there could exist intelligent beings in outer space created by God. And some aliens could even be free from original sin, he speculates.
So it could be Zanzar and Xloric in the Garden of Chotalis on Tau Ceti Prime. Until a wicked sunoraxyl comes along and tempts them with a fizbin. Then it's low road to civilization for Tau Ceti Prime. Now that's really just a guess, you understand, of what could be going on there. All the Bible really tells for sure is that it's Zanzar and Xloric not Zanzar and Zorric in the Garden.
Catholics! God Love'm
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Blind Man Gets 3 Year Driving Suspension
WTF?
A blind man convicted of dangerous driving, after police spotted his car on the wrong side of the road, has been given a suspended jail sentence.
Omed Aziz, 31, from Darlaston, West Midlands, who was being directed by an allegedly banned driver, was given 12 weeks in prison suspended for a year.
He has also been banned from driving for three years and ordered to take an extended driving test.
????
"dangerous driving"
Is there some other kind when you're blind?
A blind man convicted of dangerous driving, after police spotted his car on the wrong side of the road, has been given a suspended jail sentence.
Omed Aziz, 31, from Darlaston, West Midlands, who was being directed by an allegedly banned driver, was given 12 weeks in prison suspended for a year.
He has also been banned from driving for three years and ordered to take an extended driving test.
????
"dangerous driving"
Is there some other kind when you're blind?
Best Understatement of the Week.
From TPM on a race between 2 GOP candidates for an open House Seat:
They're going all out in the Republican primary for the open seat of Democrat Darlene Hooley in Oregon. One of the GOP candidates says he had no choice but to publicize a two-year-old email accusing his opponent of paying for an abortion for a woman he impregnated.
I wouldn't want to be seated between those two at the next Lincoln Day event.
They're going all out in the Republican primary for the open seat of Democrat Darlene Hooley in Oregon. One of the GOP candidates says he had no choice but to publicize a two-year-old email accusing his opponent of paying for an abortion for a woman he impregnated.
I wouldn't want to be seated between those two at the next Lincoln Day event.
You Can Actually See the Piece Go Pear-Shaped
David Brooks talks about "the militant materialism of some modern scientists". The first 2 paragraphs are actually pretty good. The he says,
just as Einstein’s theory of relativity affected art
Ut-oh.
just as Einstein’s theory of relativity affected art
Ut-oh.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Conversion Story
This is very funny!
“Goddammit,” I pouted, “I guess when you’ve got the Holy Ghost, you miss all the fun.”
“Goddammit,” I pouted, “I guess when you’ve got the Holy Ghost, you miss all the fun.”
Friday, May 09, 2008
One of my Favorite Bands, Reviewed
Bringing in entire symphonies for heart-fluttering arpeggios on fairy-dusted strings, the band's songs fill the air like mirage waves of sound so glossy, you can almost see your reflection in them.
I have discovered Rhapsody.
FTR, I laughed at that. They are overblown, but also, I like them.
and
It's just physiologically impossible not to get high from inhaling so much production varnish. For some, it will cause euphoria -- for others, altitude sickness.
I have discovered Rhapsody.
FTR, I laughed at that. They are overblown, but also, I like them.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Your Quantum Computing Crib Sheet
Here (although I don't know that I would say all P-complete problems are "easily" solved by classic computers...)
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Does Science Make Belief in God Obsolete?
A dozenish essays from Templeton. I have not read them all yet, but Pinker is probably closest to my own view.
I admit I am saving Hitch for last thought.
(via)
I admit I am saving Hitch for last thought.
(via)
Monday, May 05, 2008
A Great Threat Facing Our Fighting Soldiers
They keep the front lines secure so we have freedom. Like the freedom to take away their porn!
House Rep. Paul Broun (GA-10), with 15 co-sponsors and the support of organizations such as the Alliance Defense Fund and the American Family Association, recently introduced a bill that would strengthen the ban on sales of adult-themed publications on U.S. military installations.
Rep. Broun has introduced H.R. 5821, also known as the Military Honor and Decency Act, which would close what he calls a loophole that allows the continued distribution of pornography to soldiers, to their moral detriment, with the help of taxpayer funds.
but who is the villain who wants to put porn in the hands of our fighting men and women, distracting them from the purity of their cause? The vile, evil, unspeakable ACLU!
"We're asking these people to risk their lives to defend our Constitution's principles," said law school professor and ACLU head Nadine Strossen to USA Today last November, "and they're being denied their own First Amendment rights to choose what they read."
ACLU bastards. I'm so mad at them for hating freedom, I feel like writing them a very stern check.
House Rep. Paul Broun (GA-10), with 15 co-sponsors and the support of organizations such as the Alliance Defense Fund and the American Family Association, recently introduced a bill that would strengthen the ban on sales of adult-themed publications on U.S. military installations.
Rep. Broun has introduced H.R. 5821, also known as the Military Honor and Decency Act, which would close what he calls a loophole that allows the continued distribution of pornography to soldiers, to their moral detriment, with the help of taxpayer funds.
but who is the villain who wants to put porn in the hands of our fighting men and women, distracting them from the purity of their cause? The vile, evil, unspeakable ACLU!
"We're asking these people to risk their lives to defend our Constitution's principles," said law school professor and ACLU head Nadine Strossen to USA Today last November, "and they're being denied their own First Amendment rights to choose what they read."
ACLU bastards. I'm so mad at them for hating freedom, I feel like writing them a very stern check.
Guess What I Blew This Weekend?
Glass!
I took a weekend class at the Seattle Glassblowing Studio. It was a lot of fun, although a lot, lot harder than I expected. I got to dip my stick, work those 3 glory holes, and make a massive load of white hot glass.
Fun for the whole family!
I did manage to make some paperweights and some small Christmas ornaments. My suckie bowl was a mess though. Next time I want to take a class in making plates, which seems to be quite different than what we did this weekend.
Highly recommended and not as gay as it sounds.
I took a weekend class at the Seattle Glassblowing Studio. It was a lot of fun, although a lot, lot harder than I expected. I got to dip my stick, work those 3 glory holes, and make a massive load of white hot glass.
Fun for the whole family!
I did manage to make some paperweights and some small Christmas ornaments. My suckie bowl was a mess though. Next time I want to take a class in making plates, which seems to be quite different than what we did this weekend.
Highly recommended and not as gay as it sounds.
Friday, May 02, 2008
My Next Hobby
I read this and thought, "This is going to be me when I retire!"
Marshall Pappert admits that he has been a pain to government officials…
While he expected to get a fight, or to be told off, or even ignored, Pappert says he never expected to get arrested.
Every week, he sends a handful of letters to government officials, complaining about a neighbor who lives across Union Street in Bridgeville.
But then I read,
The neighbor is Silhol Builders Supply, a manufacturer of ready-mix concrete
and thought, "oh, damn. He probably has legitimate complaints."
(via)
Marshall Pappert admits that he has been a pain to government officials…
While he expected to get a fight, or to be told off, or even ignored, Pappert says he never expected to get arrested.
Every week, he sends a handful of letters to government officials, complaining about a neighbor who lives across Union Street in Bridgeville.
But then I read,
The neighbor is Silhol Builders Supply, a manufacturer of ready-mix concrete
and thought, "oh, damn. He probably has legitimate complaints."
(via)
I-Lawsuit
The interesting recent history of i-Robot, makers of the Roomba(tm) and of life-saving millitary bomb sniffers. I thought this was interesting and it underlines an important political fact, it's the cover-up, not the crime.
Five People Killed By Their Own Inventions
He discovered that adding tetra-ethyl lead to gasoline prevented internal combustion engines from “knocking”. However, this also released huge amounts of lead into the atmosphere, causing health problems and massive pollution. After people at the GM plants started hallucinating and dying of lead poisoning, though, Midgley was assigned to develop a non-toxic refrigerant for household appliance. So, he discovered dichlorodifluoromethane (please don’t ask me to pronounce that), AKA Freon. Turns out that Freon is a chlorinated fluorocarbon, which is insanely bad for the ozone layer
here
FTR, I have left extremely explicit instructions for the executor of my will. The 2 important ones are:
1) a tank of helium must be available for the eulogies
2) my tombstone must read,
"That Should Have Worked"
here
FTR, I have left extremely explicit instructions for the executor of my will. The 2 important ones are:
1) a tank of helium must be available for the eulogies
2) my tombstone must read,
"That Should Have Worked"
Thursday, May 01, 2008
McCain
Some actual email with some friends (I've reverse the order to make it readable):
From: Yacov Smirnoff Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 11:14 PM
To: (friends of a like mind)
Subject: McCain in WSJ opinion pages
I read this in the airport today. The words that came readily to mind included: duty, honor, valor, selfless acts of courage, selfless acts of compassion. This is the guy we should have had 8 years ago.https://mail.microsoft.com/OWA/redir.aspx?C=624b758540264cdab48d9031dbf92461&URL=http%3a%2f%2fonline.wsj.com%2farticle%2fSB120951606847454685.html If only the article hadn't been written by the sith lord.
me
Sent:Thursday, May 01, 2008 6:15 AM
To: (friends of a like mind)
Normally, I just dismiss anything by Karl Rove as lies and this smacks of dog-whistle religious politics. In this case though I suspect the facts are largely true, or at least as true as Karl Rove can deal with without bursting into fire.
And I agree that in 2000 McCain certainly would have made a better president than Bush and maybe Gore.
But, as I agrue with my son who is a strident McCain supporter, while it's a terrible thing that McCain was tortured, if that's all that's require to be president, Gitmo would be a future president factory. McCain has yet to close the deal with me,although I still think he can. I'm still not sure who he is today. If the man he was in 2000 is still in there, ready to break free, he could very well get my vote. OTOH, if the dems nominate Hillary and McCain continues doing things like skirting his own campaign finance law, or mixing up the Sunni and the Shia, then I might very well sit this one out.
From: Yacov Smirnoff Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 11:14 PM
To: (friends of a like mind)
Subject: McCain in WSJ opinion pages
I read this in the airport today. The words that came readily to mind included: duty, honor, valor, selfless acts of courage, selfless acts of compassion. This is the guy we should have had 8 years ago.https://mail.microsoft.com/OWA/redir.aspx?C=624b758540264cdab48d9031dbf92461&URL=http%3a%2f%2fonline.wsj.com%2farticle%2fSB120951606847454685.html If only the article hadn't been written by the sith lord.
me
Sent:Thursday, May 01, 2008 6:15 AM
To: (friends of a like mind)
Normally, I just dismiss anything by Karl Rove as lies and this smacks of dog-whistle religious politics. In this case though I suspect the facts are largely true, or at least as true as Karl Rove can deal with without bursting into fire.
And I agree that in 2000 McCain certainly would have made a better president than Bush and maybe Gore.
But, as I agrue with my son who is a strident McCain supporter, while it's a terrible thing that McCain was tortured, if that's all that's require to be president, Gitmo would be a future president factory. McCain has yet to close the deal with me,although I still think he can. I'm still not sure who he is today. If the man he was in 2000 is still in there, ready to break free, he could very well get my vote. OTOH, if the dems nominate Hillary and McCain continues doing things like skirting his own campaign finance law, or mixing up the Sunni and the Shia, then I might very well sit this one out.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
New! From the People that Brought You Shoeless Lines at the Airport
Pretty much the last humiliation before they just go for body cavity searches.
Monday, April 28, 2008
How Far Away is the Moon?
To put that into perspective, if you were to line up hamburgers end to end from the Earth to the moon, and then you were to eat those hamburgers, you would be fucking sick of hamburgers.
here
here
Friday, April 25, 2008
Satan Lurks in Seafood Restaurants!
It seems that god hates crustaceans.
God also hates Brats, Barbers, Vaginas, and Mixed Fibers
So, pretty much, god is a gay man in his late 30s.
God also hates Brats, Barbers, Vaginas, and Mixed Fibers
So, pretty much, god is a gay man in his late 30s.
Security Theatre
llyImaginary protection from threats you don't have: The Quantum Sleeper.
My first thought: It's made of wood! I could just set it on fire and be done with it.
My second thought: This is a joke of engineering! That thing would never protect your head from lasers.
I showed this to a co-worker who pointed out that the point of safety was to keep one *out* of a coffin.
My first thought: It's made of wood! I could just set it on fire and be done with it.
My second thought: This is a joke of engineering! That thing would never protect your head from lasers.
I showed this to a co-worker who pointed out that the point of safety was to keep one *out* of a coffin.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Star Formation in M83
The outlying regions around the Southern Pinwheel galaxy, or M83, are highlighted in this composite image from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer and the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array in New Mexico. The blue and pink pinwheel in the center is the galaxy's main stellar disk, while the flapping, ribbon-like structures are its extended arms. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer is an ultraviolet survey telescope. Its observations, shown here in blue and green, highlight the galaxy's farthest-flung clusters of young stars up to 140,000 light-years from its center. The Very Large Array observations show the radio emission in red. They highlight gaseous hydrogen atoms, or raw ingredients for stars, which make up the lengthy, extended arms. Astronomers are excited that the clusters of baby stars match up with the extended arms, because this helps them better understand how stars can be created out in the "backwoods" of a galaxy.
(Via Galex)
Contrary to what the text might suggest, many of these stars have no discernable hillbilly accent, and several have indicated they'd vote for John McCain.
UPDATE: Brain suggests, "that galaxy looks like the FSM. More proof of our faith"
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
"I can’t believe the internet allows people like you publish this"
A great opening line and the rest doesn't dissapoint in the flavor department (unlike so many others):
your whole Flying Spaghetti Monster is going to get punctured like a big balloon and come floating down on your heads and completely crush you… and I’ll be there with plenty of spaghetti sauce to eat it up and rid the world of this Satanic idea, except that I wouldn’t do that because then your monster would be inside of me which I totally don’t want. LOSERS!!!! Don’t you get it? You made it all up! YOu are the total opposite of a real religion where God makes it all up, not you.
"where God makes it all up"
So much truth in so much cluelessness...
your whole Flying Spaghetti Monster is going to get punctured like a big balloon and come floating down on your heads and completely crush you… and I’ll be there with plenty of spaghetti sauce to eat it up and rid the world of this Satanic idea, except that I wouldn’t do that because then your monster would be inside of me which I totally don’t want. LOSERS!!!! Don’t you get it? You made it all up! YOu are the total opposite of a real religion where God makes it all up, not you.
"where God makes it all up"
So much truth in so much cluelessness...
Nearer My God Than Thee
Priest Vanishes on Party Balloon Flight
SAO PAULO, Brazil (April 21) - A Roman Catholic priest who floated off under hundreds of helium party balloons was missing Monday off the southern coast of Brazil.
Maybe Oral Roberts University should open a flight school...
SAO PAULO, Brazil (April 21) - A Roman Catholic priest who floated off under hundreds of helium party balloons was missing Monday off the southern coast of Brazil.
Maybe Oral Roberts University should open a flight school...
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Some New Art
I have finished 2 pieces, both stylized Art Deco Bridges. The first, Works Progress Administration, is based on an idea had in 1998, when I first started with Bryce 4.0. I did a "draft", but my skillz were weak and I never really got the hang of it. This is much, much closer to the idea I have in my head. The lighthouse-statue in the lower right is actually from my remake of Science.
The other, The Silver Zephyr, was an accident. I had a train in mind for the WPA bridge and spent quite a bit of time building a deco-style model. Unfortunately when I put it in the image, it looked very wrong. It blocked a lot of the detail and added very little. While puzzling out how to fix it, I conceived the second bridge. His hat was going to be an Indian War Bonnet, but it got away from me and is now a kind of comet-thingy.
Enjoy!
The other, The Silver Zephyr, was an accident. I had a train in mind for the WPA bridge and spent quite a bit of time building a deco-style model. Unfortunately when I put it in the image, it looked very wrong. It blocked a lot of the detail and added very little. While puzzling out how to fix it, I conceived the second bridge. His hat was going to be an Indian War Bonnet, but it got away from me and is now a kind of comet-thingy.
Enjoy!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
'premature AJAXulation'
Awesome talk at RSA last week. The title alone was worth 50 minutes of my time.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Why Superman Sucks
pretty good really.
In the movie Superman Returns, Lois Lane writes an article explaining why mankind doesn't need Superman because we should be able to take care of ourselves, and the presence of an omnipotent superhero basically takes all responsibility off the human race and turns us into a bunch of helpless sheep, powerless to do anything but scream for help from our savior in times of crisis. She eventually decides this viewpoint is incorrect if only because she wants to bone Superman so badly, but the argument remains relevant no matter what.
Of course, to beleive this you have to have the opinion that people buy comic books for moral instruction or that they are a post-modern critique of the collective gestalt or some crazy-ass stuff like that.
Most of us read them because, you know, heat vision!
In the movie Superman Returns, Lois Lane writes an article explaining why mankind doesn't need Superman because we should be able to take care of ourselves, and the presence of an omnipotent superhero basically takes all responsibility off the human race and turns us into a bunch of helpless sheep, powerless to do anything but scream for help from our savior in times of crisis. She eventually decides this viewpoint is incorrect if only because she wants to bone Superman so badly, but the argument remains relevant no matter what.
Of course, to beleive this you have to have the opinion that people buy comic books for moral instruction or that they are a post-modern critique of the collective gestalt or some crazy-ass stuff like that.
Most of us read them because, you know, heat vision!
Elite
In a discussion with fellow elitists, a reference was made to the following article in The Nation which talks about the term's origin as an epitaph.
Served up on the same page was this ad:
You just can't write comedy like that.
Served up on the same page was this ad:
You just can't write comedy like that.
Amazing Innovation
This is a pretty awesome set of innovations based on existing technology. I'm very impressed.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Not Helping As Much As They Think
HP accidently sent out a USB stick with a virus on it. Not good but, you know, things happen.
So what do they suggest to their customers?
To find out whether a drive is infected, HP recommends inserting it into a system with up-to-date antivirus software. Systems with up-to-date antivirus should be protected from the threat, according to HP.
Sweet Zombie Jesus!
"should be"
So if you are protected, it will clean it. If not? meh! You needed to update your anti-virus anyway!
This was one response from the security folks:
Tony puts hand on hot burner
Tony: OUCH! That’s hot.. Hey Steve
Steve looks up at Tony
Steve: Yeah?
Tony: Come here, put your hand on this and tell me if this is hot
Steve: Okay!
Steve puts hand on the same hot burner
Steve: OUCH! Yeah that’s hot.. Hey Carol!
Yeah, thats about right.
Dumbasses.
So what do they suggest to their customers?
To find out whether a drive is infected, HP recommends inserting it into a system with up-to-date antivirus software. Systems with up-to-date antivirus should be protected from the threat, according to HP.
Sweet Zombie Jesus!
"should be"
So if you are protected, it will clean it. If not? meh! You needed to update your anti-virus anyway!
This was one response from the security folks:
Tony puts hand on hot burner
Tony: OUCH! That’s hot.. Hey Steve
Steve looks up at Tony
Steve: Yeah?
Tony: Come here, put your hand on this and tell me if this is hot
Steve: Okay!
Steve puts hand on the same hot burner
Steve: OUCH! Yeah that’s hot.. Hey Carol!
Yeah, thats about right.
Dumbasses.
Works Progress Administration
Some new art. I;ve been working on this for a while and finally got a long enough break to put in a few hours. Consider it a late draft.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Best Summary of Iraq Hearings
here.
okay, I may have taken liberties with the definition of the word "best"
BTW, I am coming out from under a huge amount of work, so regular blog updates should resume shortly.
okay, I may have taken liberties with the definition of the word "best"
BTW, I am coming out from under a huge amount of work, so regular blog updates should resume shortly.
Friday, March 28, 2008
8! 8 Chips!
I miss my old Color Computer.
This TRS-80, according to what I could find on the Internet shipped with 16K of RAM. These 8 chips make up that RAM.
I miss my old Model 1 even more though.
the Basic and the OS fit in the 4 KB ROM
with another 4K for the program! Of course, back in the Elder Days, we all knew assembler. It was the only way to write a decent calendar program! We had to save pur programs on an audio cassttee recorder, which only worked when it was snowing during an eclipse. Also, the sound system consisted of an AM radio, through which we could hear the processor ticking away.
Sigh.
You Ruby on Rails folks don't know how sweet you have it.
This TRS-80, according to what I could find on the Internet shipped with 16K of RAM. These 8 chips make up that RAM.
I miss my old Model 1 even more though.
the Basic and the OS fit in the 4 KB ROM
with another 4K for the program! Of course, back in the Elder Days, we all knew assembler. It was the only way to write a decent calendar program! We had to save pur programs on an audio cassttee recorder, which only worked when it was snowing during an eclipse. Also, the sound system consisted of an AM radio, through which we could hear the processor ticking away.
Sigh.
You Ruby on Rails folks don't know how sweet you have it.
A Real American Hero (tm)
From GI Joe:
"Actually Mrs. Clinton was too modest. I was there and saw it all. When Mrs. Clinton got off the plane the tarmac came under mortar and machine gun fire. I was blown off my tank and exposed to enemy fire. Mrs. Clinton without regard to her own safety dragged me to safety, jumped on the tank and opened fire, killing 50 of the enemy." Soon a suicide bomber appeared, but Mrs. Clinton stopped the guards from opening fire. "She talked to the man in his own language and got him [to] surrender. She found that he had suffered terribly as a result of policies of George Bush. She defused the bomb vest herself." Then she turned to his wounds. "She stopped my bleeding and saved my life. Chelsea donated the blood."
(via)
"Actually Mrs. Clinton was too modest. I was there and saw it all. When Mrs. Clinton got off the plane the tarmac came under mortar and machine gun fire. I was blown off my tank and exposed to enemy fire. Mrs. Clinton without regard to her own safety dragged me to safety, jumped on the tank and opened fire, killing 50 of the enemy." Soon a suicide bomber appeared, but Mrs. Clinton stopped the guards from opening fire. "She talked to the man in his own language and got him [to] surrender. She found that he had suffered terribly as a result of policies of George Bush. She defused the bomb vest herself." Then she turned to his wounds. "She stopped my bleeding and saved my life. Chelsea donated the blood."
(via)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Light Posting
Unfortunately the new job puts me in a bad blog bind: I am busy doing things, cool, interesting wildly insane things, and I can't utter a peep about them. I can't even give you a hint about what we're doing, but I can say it's changed my view of the entire internet.
ugh.
Compartmentalized information control sucks.
ugh.
Compartmentalized information control sucks.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Why I Am not a Man of Principle
I usually object to religious symbology in a court of law, we should all stand equal before an onjective set of laws.
Unless of course, it's my religion getting the statue.
Unless of course, it's my religion getting the statue.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Newer, Sader, World Order
From the Cunning Realist:
Third, the implications for the future are far more troubling than this single episode. Because the government just deemed Bear, a medium-size player and non-commercial bank, as worthy of a public backstop to the tune of tens of billions, what do you think will happen if a Citi or Washington Mutual -- not too mention a Fannie -- finds itself in the same position? Fourth, in the debate about bailouts, Fed mandates etc., don't lose sight of the fundamental story: a small coterie of unelected and in many ways unaccountable statists just reached into the public till to facilitate a transaction between private parties who've made an extraordinary amount of money during the past few years (more on that soon from a personal perspective; I think many non-industry readers will be stunned).
Yes, it seems one of the many legacies of the Bush Administration is going to be the dismantling of the capitalist economy, replacing it with a guarantee system where if you make money fleecing folks great, and if you get caught, the government will bail you out.
But touch a hooker and you're toast.
Third, the implications for the future are far more troubling than this single episode. Because the government just deemed Bear, a medium-size player and non-commercial bank, as worthy of a public backstop to the tune of tens of billions, what do you think will happen if a Citi or Washington Mutual -- not too mention a Fannie -- finds itself in the same position? Fourth, in the debate about bailouts, Fed mandates etc., don't lose sight of the fundamental story: a small coterie of unelected and in many ways unaccountable statists just reached into the public till to facilitate a transaction between private parties who've made an extraordinary amount of money during the past few years (more on that soon from a personal perspective; I think many non-industry readers will be stunned).
Yes, it seems one of the many legacies of the Bush Administration is going to be the dismantling of the capitalist economy, replacing it with a guarantee system where if you make money fleecing folks great, and if you get caught, the government will bail you out.
But touch a hooker and you're toast.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
I see a little silhouette of the Fed
This is currently making the rounds. It works a little too hard in places, but it's pretty good:
CDO fantasy - to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody
Is this the real price?
Is this just fantasy?
Financial landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
And look at your buys and see.
I'm now a poor boy
High-yielding casualty
Because I bought it high, watched it blow
Rating high, value low
Any way the Fed goes
Doesn't really matter to me, to me
Mama - just killed my fund
Quoted CDO's instead
Pulled the trigger, now it's dead
Mama - I had just begun
These CDO's have blown it all away
Mama - ooohI still wanna buy
I sometimes wish I'd never left Goldman at all.
I see a little silhouette of a Fed
Bernanke! Bernanke! Can you save the whole market?
Monolines and munis - very very frightening me!
Super senior, super senior
Super senior CDO -
magnifico
I'm long of subprime, nobody loves me
He's long of subprime CDO fantasy
Spare the margin call you monstrous PB!
Easy come easy go, will you let me go?
Peloton!
No - we will not let you go - let him go Peloton!
We will not let you go -let him go Peloton!
We will not let you go -
let me go
Will not let you go -
let mego (never) Never let you go -
let me go
Never let me go -
oooNo, no, no, no, no, no, no, -
Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go
S&P had the devil put aside for me
Forme, for me, for me
So you think you can fund me and spit in my eye?
And then margin call me and leave me to die
Oh PB - can't do this to me PB
Justgotta get out - just gotta get right outta here
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah No price really matters
No liquidity
Nothing really matters - no price really matters to me
Any way the Fed goes...
CDO fantasy - to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody
Is this the real price?
Is this just fantasy?
Financial landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
And look at your buys and see.
I'm now a poor boy
High-yielding casualty
Because I bought it high, watched it blow
Rating high, value low
Any way the Fed goes
Doesn't really matter to me, to me
Mama - just killed my fund
Quoted CDO's instead
Pulled the trigger, now it's dead
Mama - I had just begun
These CDO's have blown it all away
Mama - ooohI still wanna buy
I sometimes wish I'd never left Goldman at all.
I see a little silhouette of a Fed
Bernanke! Bernanke! Can you save the whole market?
Monolines and munis - very very frightening me!
Super senior, super senior
Super senior CDO -
magnifico
I'm long of subprime, nobody loves me
He's long of subprime CDO fantasy
Spare the margin call you monstrous PB!
Easy come easy go, will you let me go?
Peloton!
No - we will not let you go - let him go Peloton!
We will not let you go -let him go Peloton!
We will not let you go -
let me go
Will not let you go -
let mego (never) Never let you go -
let me go
Never let me go -
oooNo, no, no, no, no, no, no, -
Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go
S&P had the devil put aside for me
Forme, for me, for me
So you think you can fund me and spit in my eye?
And then margin call me and leave me to die
Oh PB - can't do this to me PB
Justgotta get out - just gotta get right outta here
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah No price really matters
No liquidity
Nothing really matters - no price really matters to me
Any way the Fed goes...
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Just Enough
Me; Fine, I'll send you $50
Geoff: Oh wow. $50. ho hum.
Me: $50 is a lot of money young man!
Geoff: You used to send me $50 just because it was Tuesday.
Me: hmmm.. it would buy you...32 seconds with Eliot Spitzer's hooker.
Geoff: That's just enough!
Geoff: Oh wow. $50. ho hum.
Me: $50 is a lot of money young man!
Geoff: You used to send me $50 just because it was Tuesday.
Me: hmmm.. it would buy you...
Geoff: That's just enough!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
My Life is a Total Failure
As I was about to write a blistering, hard edged retort to this, a distrubing thought occured to me:
I'm 43 years old and arguing with nerds over the subtle rules differences between D&D and GURPS.
I have utterly failed the bright promise of my youth.
On the bright side, I am not living in my parents basement.
yet.
I'm 43 years old and arguing with nerds over the subtle rules differences between D&D and GURPS.
I have utterly failed the bright promise of my youth.
On the bright side, I am not living in my parents basement.
yet.
Finally, Something to Admire About the President
and I do! From Slate:
When a Houston reporter asked Bush about the difference between the Episcopal Church he was raised in and the Methodist one he began attending after he was married, he replied, "I'm sure there is some kind of heavy doctrinal difference, which I'm not sophisticated enough to explain to you." His religion has often been best described as evangelical, but in various respects it appears not to conform to the definition. Unlike most other evangelicals, Bush blithely uses profanity and as governor would play poker. He doesn't tithe. He didn't try to convert others—one of the central obligations in most evangelical denominations—even before he resumed a political career. He didn't raise his daughters in his faith. On issues that divide evangelical Christians from nonevangelical Christians—and varieties of evangelicals from each other—Bush does not need to feign ecumenical neutrality. He isn't hiding his beliefs; he simply doesn't have many of them.
I admit I didnt know this about him and I give him credit.
When a Houston reporter asked Bush about the difference between the Episcopal Church he was raised in and the Methodist one he began attending after he was married, he replied, "I'm sure there is some kind of heavy doctrinal difference, which I'm not sophisticated enough to explain to you." His religion has often been best described as evangelical, but in various respects it appears not to conform to the definition. Unlike most other evangelicals, Bush blithely uses profanity and as governor would play poker. He doesn't tithe. He didn't try to convert others—one of the central obligations in most evangelical denominations—even before he resumed a political career. He didn't raise his daughters in his faith. On issues that divide evangelical Christians from nonevangelical Christians—and varieties of evangelicals from each other—Bush does not need to feign ecumenical neutrality. He isn't hiding his beliefs; he simply doesn't have many of them.
I admit I didnt know this about him and I give him credit.
Charm School
Hillary Clinton, like many egomaniacs, blames her problems on other people, usually the press or the VRWC(tm). This comes out in not very subtle ways, like setting up the press room in the men's bathroom (and later serving lunch there).
and yet somehow people think that a McCain presidency will more resemble the current one.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
On The Hook
I stand in slack-jawed awe of this:
Prosecutors specializing in government corruption cases are leading the investigation into what authorities say was a prostitution service that charged up to $5,500 an hour ...
$5500!!
An Hour!!!
wow.
just.... wow. That's like ... hiring the entire cast of Zumanity for the night.
I am in awe of this man.
Prosecutors specializing in government corruption cases are leading the investigation into what authorities say was a prostitution service that charged up to $5,500 an hour ...
$5500!!
An Hour!!!
wow.
just.... wow. That's like ... hiring the entire cast of Zumanity for the night.
I am in awe of this man.
Not the Philosopher Jagger
Someone I know once said he thought an issue should be made of Huckabee's "ability to objectively evaluate evidence" based on his total abandonment of logic and reason in insisting on a biblical law based system of government. In that spirit:
[Huckabee]...ran into a guy he thought was Mick Jagger, but who was really his younger, less successful brother Chris Jagger, at a Miami taco stand during a stop on his campaign trail. According to politicaltabloid.com, Huckabee "couldn't believe his eyes. He approached him and said he's always loved the Rolling Stones and has almost all of their albums on vinyl," the Web site reports. "Jagger recognized him and started talking about the presidential race ... Huckabee asked Jagger if he would come to a campaign rally that night and sing with them. Jagger eagerly agreed." Later at the rally, Huckabee announced a "surprise visitor" who performed with the band. "The crowd went crazy," the site reports. Later, Huckabee was told he had been duped.
The New York Post.
In similar form, I guess the headline for the faithful on Mike would be Tough Luck, Huck Sucks. I, for one, won't miss him all that much.
[Huckabee]...ran into a guy he thought was Mick Jagger, but who was really his younger, less successful brother Chris Jagger, at a Miami taco stand during a stop on his campaign trail. According to politicaltabloid.com, Huckabee "couldn't believe his eyes. He approached him and said he's always loved the Rolling Stones and has almost all of their albums on vinyl," the Web site reports. "Jagger recognized him and started talking about the presidential race ... Huckabee asked Jagger if he would come to a campaign rally that night and sing with them. Jagger eagerly agreed." Later at the rally, Huckabee announced a "surprise visitor" who performed with the band. "The crowd went crazy," the site reports. Later, Huckabee was told he had been duped.
The New York Post.
In similar form, I guess the headline for the faithful on Mike would be Tough Luck, Huck Sucks. I, for one, won't miss him all that much.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Catholic Church Branches Out
Sin, it isn't just about you you know!
"While sin used to concern mostly the individual, today it has mainly a social resonance, due to the phenomenon of globalization," said Girotti, who heads the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican body that issues decisions on matters of conscience and grants absolutions.
See what you can come up with after 2000 years of socialism?
"While sin used to concern mostly the individual, today it has mainly a social resonance, due to the phenomenon of globalization," said Girotti, who heads the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican body that issues decisions on matters of conscience and grants absolutions.
See what you can come up with after 2000 years of socialism?
Socialists and Science
They often don't get the point, and more often, they think science works like social science or religion. Vox Day doesn't seem to get the point over at the Bad Astronomy blog, posting something worthy of any Smith undergrad with a 2.4 GPA and a head full of nonsense:
In other words, even by its own lights, science and rational materialist philosophy is only relevant to five percent of what we currently consider to be all known Creation. Combined with its complete inapplicability to abstract concepts such as justice, equality and freedom, this shows that even attempting to build a social order on a secular basis is not only doomed to failure, but is quite arguably insane.
Just because only 5% of matter in the universe is Byronic (which I still think might be wrong), doesn't mean you're free to make up your own, untestable rules for the other 95%. I would argue that the biggest problem with science these days is probably not, "its complete inapplicability to abstract concepts such as justice, equality and freedom", but that religious nutjobs get 95% of the airtime and seem unembarrassed to spout this kind of pure, 100% weapons-grade Bolognium.
In other words, even by its own lights, science and rational materialist philosophy is only relevant to five percent of what we currently consider to be all known Creation. Combined with its complete inapplicability to abstract concepts such as justice, equality and freedom, this shows that even attempting to build a social order on a secular basis is not only doomed to failure, but is quite arguably insane.
Just because only 5% of matter in the universe is Byronic (which I still think might be wrong), doesn't mean you're free to make up your own, untestable rules for the other 95%. I would argue that the biggest problem with science these days is probably not, "its complete inapplicability to abstract concepts such as justice, equality and freedom", but that religious nutjobs get 95% of the airtime and seem unembarrassed to spout this kind of pure, 100% weapons-grade Bolognium.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Puns Are Not Humor
This article in the WaPo on the world's first highwire competition:
They came from all over the world, poles in hand, and feet ready to inch more than half a mile across a high wire strung over the Han River in a spine-tingling battle of balance, speed and high anxiety.
As part of its annual city festival, the South Korean capital staged Thursday what was billed as the world's first high-wire championship, drawing 18 contestants from nine countries for three days of supreme feats of concentration.
Each acrobat must navigate the 1.2-inch-thick wire that spans the river, with the top prize of $15,000 going to the person crossing it fastest.
the title?
Skywalkers in Korea Cross Han Solo
They came from all over the world, poles in hand, and feet ready to inch more than half a mile across a high wire strung over the Han River in a spine-tingling battle of balance, speed and high anxiety.
As part of its annual city festival, the South Korean capital staged Thursday what was billed as the world's first high-wire championship, drawing 18 contestants from nine countries for three days of supreme feats of concentration.
Each acrobat must navigate the 1.2-inch-thick wire that spans the river, with the top prize of $15,000 going to the person crossing it fastest.
the title?
Skywalkers in Korea Cross Han Solo
Friday, March 07, 2008
Trapping Lightning in a Box
This is pretty cool. If I had an unused electron accelerator around, I'd... wait a minute.... I do....
Threshold
Hillary Clinton says:
“I think that since we now know Sen. (John) McCain will be the nominee for the Republican Party, national security will be front and center in this election. We all know that. And I think it’s imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold,” the New York senator told reporters crowded into an infant’s bedroom-sized hotel conference room in Washington.
odd. I think her only qualification for having crossed that threshold is having once fucked the commander-in-chief. If that's the threshold, shouldn't we elect Jennifer Flowers?
“I think that since we now know Sen. (John) McCain will be the nominee for the Republican Party, national security will be front and center in this election. We all know that. And I think it’s imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold,” the New York senator told reporters crowded into an infant’s bedroom-sized hotel conference room in Washington.
odd. I think her only qualification for having crossed that threshold is having once fucked the commander-in-chief. If that's the threshold, shouldn't we elect Jennifer Flowers?
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Best Comment (so far) on Mini-Super Tuesday
OHIO POLLS CLOSED — OBAMA AND CLINTON ARE TIGHTER THAN THE LUG NUTS ON A ‘55 FORD
http://thepage.time.com/
Begging the question, how tight are your nuts?
http://thepage.time.com/
Begging the question, how tight are your nuts?
Gary Gygax Fails His Saving Throw
Looks like Death rolled a perfect 20.
If not for his contributions, video games and geek culture would probably look much different than it does today. Beyond jokes about "d20s" and "saving throws," D&D's systems and mythos have spawned many excellent games, including Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment.
Naturally, the Penny Arcade Boys are funnier than I am.
If not for his contributions, video games and geek culture would probably look much different than it does today. Beyond jokes about "d20s" and "saving throws," D&D's systems and mythos have spawned many excellent games, including Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment.
Naturally, the Penny Arcade Boys are funnier than I am.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Flame On!!
Charlotte Allen writes, in the Washington Post no less, a screed which any decent forum moderator in 1996 would instantly recognize as a troll and would shut down without remorse.
So I don't understand why more women don't relax, enjoy the innate abilities most of us possess (as well as the ones fewer of us possess) and revel in the things most important to life at which nearly all of us excel: tenderness toward children and men and the weak and the ability to make a house a home. (Even I, who inherited my interior-decorating skills from my Bronx Irish paternal grandmother, whose idea of upgrading the living-room sofa was to throw a blanket over it, can make a house a home.) Then we could shriek and swoon and gossip and read chick lit to our hearts' content and not mind the fact that way down deep, we are . . . kind of dim.
It's times like this I miss Susan so much it hurts.
I'll give it a few days, then check with Travis' blog. He must, eventually, link to this approvingly, which should be entertaining.
So I don't understand why more women don't relax, enjoy the innate abilities most of us possess (as well as the ones fewer of us possess) and revel in the things most important to life at which nearly all of us excel: tenderness toward children and men and the weak and the ability to make a house a home. (Even I, who inherited my interior-decorating skills from my Bronx Irish paternal grandmother, whose idea of upgrading the living-room sofa was to throw a blanket over it, can make a house a home.) Then we could shriek and swoon and gossip and read chick lit to our hearts' content and not mind the fact that way down deep, we are . . . kind of dim.
It's times like this I miss Susan so much it hurts.
I'll give it a few days, then check with Travis' blog. He must, eventually, link to this approvingly, which should be entertaining.
Weather Isn't Climate
Climate Change Skeptics are jumping on the snowy winter in exactly the same way they criticize Climate Change Advocates for doing suring a hot summer. NYT tries to set folks right.
“When I get called by CNN to comment on a big summer storm or a drought or something, I give the same answer I give a guy who asks about a blizzard,” Dr. Schmidt said. “It’s all in the long-term trends. Weather isn’t going to go away because of climate change. There is this desire to explain everything that we see in terms of something you think you understand, whether that’s the next ice age coming or global warming.”
I admit I have a some sympathy for the skeptics side, but they demolish their credibility when they do this. The question isn't, "is the climate changing?". They answer is yes, and it's always changing. The question is "why? and should we do anything about it? and if so, what could we possibly do that would have the effect we're looking for?"
The answer to that last question is decades if not centuries away.
“When I get called by CNN to comment on a big summer storm or a drought or something, I give the same answer I give a guy who asks about a blizzard,” Dr. Schmidt said. “It’s all in the long-term trends. Weather isn’t going to go away because of climate change. There is this desire to explain everything that we see in terms of something you think you understand, whether that’s the next ice age coming or global warming.”
I admit I have a some sympathy for the skeptics side, but they demolish their credibility when they do this. The question isn't, "is the climate changing?". They answer is yes, and it's always changing. The question is "why? and should we do anything about it? and if so, what could we possibly do that would have the effect we're looking for?"
The answer to that last question is decades if not centuries away.
A Face of Autism
I submit this this to those of you who, while introverted, have self-diagnosed as autistic.
Grow up, I say.
Grow up, I say.
UFO House For Sale
Balmoral - Chattanooga, Tennessee - UFO "Space" House Auction
The flying saucer-shaped "Space House" on Chattanooga's Signal Mountain will be sold in an auction on March 15, 2008. It's not a Futuro saucer house, but a more custom dwelling, white with windows girdling the center and a balcony facing the woods. The Space House is suspended on six concrete pillars with 2,000 square feet of living space that includes three bedrooms and two bathroom.
Owned for a long time by a mysterious-but-friendly (our favorite combination) couple, the house was first reported on sale in Spring 2007.
Call the auction team at 423-473-9545 for more information. [Thanks to Robot Greg for the tip] [RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 03/02/2008]
Full Article here
The flying saucer-shaped "Space House" on Chattanooga's Signal Mountain will be sold in an auction on March 15, 2008. It's not a Futuro saucer house, but a more custom dwelling, white with windows girdling the center and a balcony facing the woods. The Space House is suspended on six concrete pillars with 2,000 square feet of living space that includes three bedrooms and two bathroom.
Owned for a long time by a mysterious-but-friendly (our favorite combination) couple, the house was first reported on sale in Spring 2007.
Call the auction team at 423-473-9545 for more information. [Thanks to Robot Greg for the tip] [RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 03/02/2008]
Full Article here
"Quote of the Century"
“We are holding Jesus ransom until you clean up the poopie from your wieners….”
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=86444&GID=quUABRwKFiMFpx5+VMt5h5e8lLCcqd3lS+1q9w04Mc0%3D
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=86444&GID=quUABRwKFiMFpx5+VMt5h5e8lLCcqd3lS+1q9w04Mc0%3D
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